by R. L. Stine
I stepped up to the game console. I dropped a token into the slot.
It made a clicking sound. The music changed. The screen went blank.
I picked up the red-and-purple blaster gun from the side of the game machine. I tested it out a few times. It made a zzzzzzzap sound each time I pulled the trigger.
The screen turned purple, then red. A smoky fog covered the screen. And then a figure stepped forward from out of the fog. He swirled his leopard-skin cape and floated closer.
Dr. Maniac!
My character! My creation! My enemy!
My hand trembled as I pushed the START button. I leaned over the console.
Could I defeat Dr. Maniac?
“I’m not crazy — I’m a MANIAC!” Dr. Maniac’s voice boomed inside my helmet.
I raised the blaster, aimed it at the big M on his chest — and pulled the trigger.
I heard a drippy bloop bloop bloop sound.
On the video screen, Dr. Maniac tossed back his head and laughed. “You have to earn your ammo first, Robby!” he boomed. “The chase is on — loser!”
I gasped. He called me by name!
He took off and flew through a crowded city. His leopard-skin cape floated behind him as he swooped higher, then down again between tall buildings.
I aimed the blaster at the yellow feathers on his boots. Pulled the trigger.
Bloop bloop bloop.
Useless.
I dropped the gun and grabbed the controller. I whipped it frantically from left to right, trying to follow the flying villain. He flew through a maze of tall buildings and ducked through crowds at busy corners.
Each time I stayed with him, I racked up ammo points. The numbers rolled at the top of the screen. And I heard a sound like powpowpow each time I scored.
He zoomed into a subway opening, and I followed him down into the tunnel. We flew together in a wild race through the dark, twisting tunnel.
I pulled up as an ugly monster rose up on the tracks. A huge purple underground subway creature swinging a dozen deadly tentacles.
The monster filled the tunnel, blocking my path to Dr. Maniac. Yellow slime dripped off its jagged yellow teeth. Screeching at the top of its lungs, it waved its tentacles and snapped its massive jaws open to swallow me.
I jerked the controller back to stop my flight. I fumbled for the blaster. Grabbed it — and pulled the trigger.
And two words in big green letters filled the screen:
GAME OVER.
Breathing hard, I leaned both hands on the game console. The game ended just as I was racking up big ammo points.
I reached for another token. Should I play another game?
No, I decided. I’ve got to catch up with Carly Beth and Sabrina.
But then Dr. Maniac’s grinning face appeared on the screen. “Robby, you surely know that a loser never quits, and a quitter never loses! Or something like that!” he screamed.
He tossed his head back and laughed. “I’m not crazy — I’m a MANIAC!”
He took off again. This time, he was flying over a crowded beach. Gold-and-green ocean waves tossed beneath him.
And without realizing it, my gloved hands were back on the controls. And I was chasing him again. Flying behind him, swooping when he swooped, trying to follow his every move.
Powpowpow. The ammo points rolled up. I had over 500,000 now.
Dr. Maniac stretched out his arms and flew away from the beach. The sound of the wind roared in my helmet. And suddenly, I heard bird sounds. Hoarse caws and cries.
And a swarm of fanged vampire seagulls rose up in front of me. Their wings raised high, they began to spit blood at me.
Each time I was hit, I FELT it! I knew this was just a game. But I felt every hit, every blast of the wind and the water!
On the screen, I dropped lower in the sky. A few more hits, and I’d sink into the ocean! Would I feel myself drowning?
I raised the blaster. I aimed and started to shoot.
POP! A vampire seagull exploded on the screen in a flash of red and yellow.
POP! POP! I blasted two more.
“Ow!” I was hit again. The disgusting birds were raining blood on me.
I was sinking … sinking…. The tossing waves reached up to pull me down. And once again —
GAME OVER.
“Okay, I’m done!” I shouted. “You win!”
I struggled to catch my breath. I grabbed the sides of the helmet and started to pull it off.
“Hey!” It was stuck or something.
I grabbed the visor and tugged up on it. But the helmet didn’t slide. Again, I pressed my gloved hands against the sides. I pushed up with all my strength.
No. The helmet had tightened itself to my head.
I decided I could remove it easier without the gloves. So I grabbed the fingers of one glove and pulled at them.
“Huh?” I let out a startled cry when the glove wouldn’t slide, either.
Frantically, I pulled at one glove, then the other.
“I’m not crazy — I’m a MANIAC!”
Dr. Maniac’s scream rang inside the helmet. On the big video screen, he laughed his evil laugh and took off again. This time, he was flying over a jungle.
My hands grabbed the control, and I guided myself after him.
“I … I can’t QUIT!” I cried out loud. “It won’t let me STOP!”
Powpowpowpow!
I rang up ammo points as I swooped and dove after the flying villain. And now we were flying in a wild path through the jungle trees.
My left hand frantically guided the controller. My right hand grabbed the blaster and began shooting at jungle animals as they leaped at me.
Powpowpow!
“I want to quit!” I cried. My voice was muffled by the helmet. Drowned out by the loud music, the screams of the jungle animals, and Dr. Maniac’s insane laughter.
“I want to STOP!” I screamed.
The game ended.
I struggled to pull off the gloves. I clamped my teeth over a middle finger and tugged with all my might. No. The glove stuck to my hand.
With a furious cry, I grabbed the sides of the helmet and began twisting it one way, then the other. But that sent pain shooting down my neck. The helmet didn’t budge.
Another game began. Dr. Maniac flew over a red-sand desert.
I grabbed the controller. I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t keep my hand from gripping it. I took off after him, his laughter ringing through the helmet.
Sweat poured down my forehead. My legs trembled. My heart raced.
The game ended. Another game started. Then another.
I bent over the game console, struggling to free myself. But I was trapped. I was a prisoner. A prisoner of a video game!
Another game started. We were racing across a big city again.
Suddenly, in the glass that covered the video screen, I saw a reflection. Someone stood behind me in the arcade room. I could see his shadowy figure in the glass.
I stared harder at the reflection. The figure stepped closer — and I realized it was Dr. Maniac!
Standing behind me?
Still gripping the controls, I spun my head around.
No. No one standing there.
I turned back to the game — and saw Dr. Maniac’s grinning reflection in the glass.
I turned again and glanced around the room. No one there.
Powpowpowpow! The game continued. I was back in the subway tunnel, blasting away at the ugly underground monster.
My arms ached. My legs shook. My throat felt so dry, I couldn’t swallow.
The game ended and another game began. I tried to free myself, but I was stuck.
And then I heard a noise behind me. I whipped my head around and saw two girls walk into the room. Carly Beth and Sabrina?
No. Two other girls. They looked about my age. They both had coppery red hair and brown eyes. One wore a red-and-yellow sundress. The other had a pale green T-shirt over white shorts. Were they
sisters?
They stopped just past the doorway and stared at me.
“HELP ME!” I screamed. “Help! I’m stuck here!” I tried to point to the game machine, but my hands wouldn’t let go of the controller and blaster.
They took a few steps closer.
“Please —” I begged. “It’s no joke. It’s for real. Help me!”
“What do you want us to do?” the one in the sundress asked.
“Pull the plug!” I shouted. “Unplug the machine! Hurry! Please! Unplug it!”
Dr. Maniac cackled in my ears. “I’m not crazy — I’m a MANIAC!” he shrieked. And another game began.
“Unplug it! Unplug it!” I cried.
The girls ran to the back of the machine. They dropped to their knees to find the plug.
I couldn’t see them. On the screen, I was flying over the ocean again. The vampire seagulls squawked and began to spit blood at me.
“Unplug it! Can you find the plug?” I cried. “Please —”
Both girls poked their heads up at the same time. “We can’t unplug it,” one of them shouted. “It isn’t plugged in!”
One girl held up the plug. “See?!”
Dr. Maniac’s laughter rang in the helmet. Vampire seagulls rained blood on me. I was sinking toward the ocean waves.
My arms ached. My chest throbbed. I could feel my legs about to cave in.
I’d played at least twenty games. I could barely see straight. But I couldn’t stop myself. I leaned over the console, blasting away at the seagulls.
“Find the ON-OFF switch!” I cried. “Hurry!”
The girls circled the machine. They bent down and searched under the video screen and all around the base of the console.
“We can’t find it!” one of them shouted.
“There’s no switch!” the other one said. “We can’t turn it off!”
Powpowpow!
KA-BOOM! A seagull exploded on the screen. Three more vicious birds came flying at me.
I let out a moan. Everything faded to gray, then black. I could feel my eyes roll up in my head. And my knees buckle.
I knew I was fainting, but I couldn’t stop myself.
My chest hit the front of the game console as I fell. And then sharp pain shot through my head as it hit the glass on the way down.
You know how they always show people seeing stars in comic books? They bang their heads on something and then they see stars floating above their heads?
Well, I really did see them. Bright gold ones twinkling against a black background. And then the stars faded, and I blacked out.
When I opened my eyes, I was flat on my back on the floor. Slowly, I lifted my head. I stared at the video screen. Blank. The game had finally stopped.
I sat up. I pulled off the helmet. “Yes!” I cried. “I’m free!”
I pulled off the gloves. I tossed them across the room.
The girls stood there gaping at me.
“I’m okay,” I said. “It’s lucky I’ve got a hard head. I fall down a lot.”
I was trying to be funny, but they didn’t laugh.
They moved forward quickly. They grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet. “You have to come with us,” the one in the sundress said. “It’s not safe here.”
They held my arms tightly and started to guide me to the door.
“Hurry. Just follow us,” the other girl said.
“Whoa.” I pulled my arms free. “Where are you taking me?”
“Away from here,” the first one said. “Far away. Where it’s safe.”
“Huh? Excuse me?” I cried. “Who are you?”
“I’m Britney Crosby,” the first girl said. “That’s my friend Molly Molloy.”
Britney and Molly? Where had I heard those names before?
“I’m Robby Schwartz,” I said. “I —”
“Come on, Robby — hurry,” Britney said. She grabbed my arm again. “HorrorLand isn’t safe.”
“Did you think getting stuck on that game was an accident?” Molly asked. “You just saw for yourself how dangerous it is here.”
“Come with us,” Britney said, pulling me through the arcade.
“But … where?” I asked again. These girls were definitely weird.
“To the Other Park,” Molly said in a whisper. She glanced around to make sure no one overheard. “We’ll be safe there.”
“Huh? Other Park?” I cried.
“The special guests were all brought to HorrorLand for revenge,” Britney said. She squeezed my arm. I could see she was frightened. “We have to rescue the others, too,” she said.
“Revenge? Who would want revenge?” I demanded. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. You’re not making any sense!”
The blue light of the arcade washed over us as they pulled me to the door. The games were quiet now. It was very late. The big room had emptied out.
“Just trust us,” Molly said. “We have to bring you to the Other Park with us.”
She pulled a token from her pocket. She raised it in front of my face.
The golden coin was so shiny and new, I could see my reflection on it. And I could see the words engraved on the front: PANIC PARK.
“Just look at this for a minute,” Molly said.
I laughed. “Are you trying to hypnotize me?”
They didn’t answer. And suddenly, as I gazed at the shiny golden token, I began to feel weird. I mean, really weird.
Like I was being pulled to the coin. Like being sucked into my own reflection by a powerful force.
I could feel my whole body floating off the floor, flying toward the coin in Molly’s hand. As if I were weightless. As if I could disappear into the shiny token.
Closer … closer … I was melting. My body was shrinking, shrinking to fit into the golden circle. Shrinking away …
I took a deep breath and let out an angry scream. “NOOOO!”
With a burst of strength, I slapped the token out of Molly’s hand.
She gasped, and we both watched it fly across the room. It came to a spinning stop in front of the arcade door.
“Get it!” Molly cried to her friend.
But before anyone could move, the door swung open.
“Hey!” I let out a startled cry.
A ventriloquist’s dummy stood by itself in the doorway. No one holding him up. No one else around.
The dummy wore a tight-fitting gray suit with a red bow tie. It had a crazy smile on its painted lips, and its big eyes darted from side to side.
I turned and saw both Britney and Molly back away in horror.
“Slappy!” They screamed the name together.
I wanted to get away from these two girls. They were acting totally weird.
I started to the door. I planned to push the dummy out of my way.
But the thing started to move!
It took a few steps toward me — and stuck out its wooden hands to block my way.
“Hey!” I shouted. I turned back to Britney and Molly. “Who is making him walk?”
Before they could answer, the dummy spoke, in a hoarse, tinny, high voice: “Who made you so stupid? This isn’t a staring contest! Pick up the token, Jerkface!”
The girls uttered frightened cries and started to back away.
“This is crazy!” I cried. “Who is making him talk?”
“Better do as he says,” Britney murmured.
“PICK UP THE TOKEN!” the dummy shrieked. “Listen to your new girlfriends!”
I balled my hands into tight fists. I took a step toward the little guy.
“Robby — be careful!” Britney called. “He’s evil!”
I glanced back. “You know him?”
“He … he followed us here!” Molly stammered. “His name is Slappy. He’s alive. Really!”
“Yeah. For sure,” I muttered. I spun around to face the dummy. “Get out of my way, Slappy!” I shouted.
Robby Schwartz, superhero, strikes again! I lowered my shoulder and hurtled at him, r
eady to bump him out of the doorway.
“OWWWW!” I howled in pain as he snapped his wooden jaws onto my ear.
I brought my head up and lifted the dummy off the floor. I swung my head around, trying to throw him off me.
But he clung to my ear. And his wooden lips clamped down tighter.
Pain shot through my head. I dropped to my knees. I grabbed the dummy with both hands. I shook him and struggled to pull him off.
“It … it won’t let go!” I gasped. The pain was so intense, I could barely breathe. “You’re biting off my ear!” I screamed.
Finally, the dummy let go. And then it spoke again: “Pick up the token, Britney.”
Britney hesitated for a second. But she was too frightened to disobey the dummy. She bent down and picked up the golden token.
“Hold it in front of this long-haired geek!” Slappy ordered.
Britney obeyed. She raised the token close to my face. It was so shiny that I could see my reflection.
And once again, I felt myself pulled toward it … floating off the floor and out of the room. Once again, I felt myself being dragged into the golden light of the token.
The light grew brighter … brighter … until I shut my eyes against it.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself sprawled on the floor of the arcade. Feeling dizzy and exhausted, I raised my head. “Britney? Molly?”
Instead, two other girls stared down at me. I squinted up at them.
“Robby, what is your problem?” Carly Beth asked. “Why are you sitting on the floor?”
“There’s no time to play video games,” Sabrina said. She grabbed one arm and helped pull me to my feet.
I shook my head, trying to force away the dizziness. “Where are the other two girls?” I asked. “And the dummy?”
Both girls glanced around the empty arcade. “There’s no one else here,” Carly Beth said.
“But they were here a second ago,” I said. “They said the special guests aren’t safe. That we have to leave.”
Carly Beth stepped up to me and touched the side of my head. “What’s that bump?” she asked. “Did you hit your head?”
I reached up and felt a lump. It hurt when I pressed it. “I banged it against a game machine,” I said.
Sabrina laughed. “First you trip over a stuffed toy. Then you crash your head into a video game?”
