by R. L. Stine
“You’re feeling much more relaxed now,” the doctor said, his voice almost a whisper. “Your breathing is deep and steady.”
As Danielle kept counting, she felt herself sink into the soft cushion. Her hands rested lightly on the chair arms.
“Are you comfortable, Danielle?” the doctor asked. “Is your mind clear?”
“Yes,” she murmured.
“Good. Now, let the thoughts flow,” he directed. “And tell me what is happening.”
Danielle took a long, slow breath. “The moon,” she groaned. “The moon is full. It’s shining down on me.”
“How does it feel?”
“Cold. Icy.” Danielle started breathing faster. “I’m running across a field. Running free. Running away from everyone.”
“Why are you running?” Dr. Moore asked.
“It feels good to run free,” Danielle replied. “But—” Her leg muscles tensed. Her heart began to pound. “But now I’m being chased! Someone is chasing me!”
“How does that make you feel?” he asked quietly.
“Angry. Furious!” Danielle panted. “I feel such rage! I turn to fight. Now I’m fighting. Fighting with someone.” She ground her teeth together. “I’m fighting hard! I’m in a total rage. There’s a lot of . . . blood. I keep fighting and . . .”
Dr. Moore snapped his fingers. Once. Twice.
Danielle opened her eyes. Saw the bookcases on the walls. The sun outside the window. Dr. Moore gazing at her.
“That was so . . . gross!” Danielle gasped. “See what I mean? These fantasies are getting so strange. So awful.”
“There’s still a lot of anger inside you,” the doctor commented. “And who can blame you? Your parents died unexpectedly. You’re angry about it. At them. At the world.”
Danielle nodded. She struggled to slow her breathing.
“Don’t be frightened of your fantasies. It’s good to let your feelings out, Danielle,” Dr. Moore told her. “The more you do, the less angry you’ll feel.”
Was he right? Danielle wondered. Were her violent fantasies harmless? Were they actually helpful?
Danielle still felt shaken. But Dr. Moore had moved to the door. Time for her to go.
She gripped the arms of the chair to push herself up.
And glanced down in shock.
The pale brown fabric of the chair arms lay torn and shredded.
Danielle raised her hands and stared at them in horror.
Scraps of the fabric were embedded under her fingernails.
She had clawed the chair to ribbons.
Chapter 7
A MOONLIGHT RUN
“Bad Moonlight!”
The dancing, cheering crowd at the Rocket Club roared and demanded an encore.
“Bad Moonlight!” they chanted. “Again! Bad Moonlight!”
Danielle’s face streamed with sweat. Her outfit—a short, red T-shirt dress blazing with sequins—felt like a limp rag. A callus split open on one of her fingers.
She felt fabulous. I could sing all night! she thought happily.
“‘Bad Moonlight.’ Again!” the crowd cried. “‘Bad Moonlight!’”
Laughing, Danielle spun around to the rest of the band. Caroline flipped her long blond hair over a shoulder and pumped her fist. Behind the drums, Mary Beth grinned back at her. Even Dee appeared happy and pleased.
Until she met Danielle’s eyes. Then Dee’s expression turned hateful.
Danielle tried not to let it bother her. We’re a hit, she thought excitedly. The crowd loves us. Loves my song. Wants to hear it again.
“Give it to them!” Billy shouted from offstage. Standing beside him, Joey gave her a thumbs-up.
Danielle whirled back to face the crowd. She glanced at Caroline, who played the opening notes on the keyboard. Mary Beth joined in with the drumbeat.
Danielle tossed her head and launched into “Bad Moonlight.”
The crowd roared its approval, then sang along.
“Bad Moonlight, falling over me,
Bad moonlight, shining down on me,
Bad moonlight . . .”
As she sang, Danielle noticed a figure in the crowd. He stood out because he didn’t clap or sing like everyone else. He kept perfectly still, watching her.
Kit.
He usually worked backstage when the band was onstage. He must have come out front just to watch me, Danielle thought.
Kit’s pale blue eyes glittered with admiration. Not just for Danielle’s singing. For Danielle herself.
Dr. Moore was right about the kiss, she realized. Kit wouldn’t stare at her that way if he wasn’t still attracted to her.
Knowing Kit was watching gave Danielle even more enthusiasm. She finished the song with an explosion of energy and passion.
“Bad Moonlight, shining down on me,
Bad Moonlight
Makes me want to die for you!”
“Let’s party!” Joey shouted. He stuck on his sunglasses. “Let’s party big time!”
It was after one in the morning and the club had closed. But no one in the group could settle down. “Bad Moonlight”—the song and the band—had been an incredible success.
“Let’s party!” Joey shouted again. He grabbed Dee around the waist and danced her across the stage.
“Get your paws off me!” Dee teased, shoving him away.
Joey shrugged and turned to Mary Beth. To Danielle’s surprise, Mary Beth started to dance with Joey.
If Mary Beth is excited enough to dance with Joey, Danielle thought, then we’re definitely a hit!
“How’s it going?” Billy asked as Danielle packed up her guitar.
“Wiped out.” Danielle grinned. “Fantastic!”
Billy smiled, the dimple in his cheek deepening. “You were really radical, Danielle. I guess you don’t need me to tell you that.”
“You can tell me,” Danielle replied. “I love hearing it.”
“Hey, what are we going to do?” Caroline asked Billy. “Everybody’s in the mood to celebrate.”
Billy ran a hand through his dark blond hair. “I hate to tell you, but with this club closed for the night, the hotel coffee shop is the only game in town.”
Caroline shrugged. “That’s okay. We can party anywhere tonight! We’re all totally pumped!”
As Caroline turned away, Danielle spotted Kit across the stage. As he coiled the cables, the muscles in his arms flexed under his black T-shirt.
Danielle couldn’t forget the look in Kit’s eyes when he watched her sing. She wanted to feel that spark again.
She headed toward Kit. But she was halfway across the stage when strong hands grabbed her and spun her around.
“Joey!”
“You’re all mine now!” he exclaimed. He tightened his grip and pulled her toward him.
Before Danielle could stop him, he kissed her on the mouth.
She shoved him hard and pulled her face away. “Cut it out, Joey!” she demanded.
“Come on, Danny,” he said with a leer. “You know you’re hot for my bod!”
“No way!” Danielle protested.
Across the stage she saw Kit make a disgusted face. He picked up the coiled cables and disappeared backstage.
Great, Danielle thought. I hope Kit doesn’t think I do like Joey.
“Okay, everybody!” Billy called out, waving a small piece of paper over his head. “I’ve got our check. We’re not millionaires yet, but I think we can spring for a few cheeseburgers at the coffee shop.”
Laughing and joking, Danielle and the others finished packing up and left the club.
Danielle realized she couldn’t stand the thought of sitting around a table talking. She suddenly felt like running.
Running for miles in the cool night air. Running free.
“Hey, I’m still really wired,” she told Caroline as they crossed the street to the hotel. “I think I’ll take a quick walk. Order me a cheeseburger, rare.”
Veering away from the group, Danielle started down the sidewa
lk at a brisk pace. In a couple of minutes she’d passed the shops and small office buildings.
The sidewalks ended, and Danielle found herself walking along a dirt path next to a field. Nothing grew in the field except tall weeds.
Moonlight shimmered over the field, turning the weeds silver-gray.
Danielle raised her head and stared up at the full moon.
“Go!” Danielle whispered to herself.
She started to run.
Her shoes pounded the ground as she ran under the moonlight.
The weeds whipped at her legs and dress, but she didn’t slow down.
She couldn’t slow down.
The moonlight, she thought. Something about the moonlight. Makes me feel so strange and new.
A shape loomed in front of her. A wall. Big stones with wrought-iron bars sunk into the top. The wall stood at least five feet high.
Stop, Danielle thought. Stop!
She couldn’t stop.
She ran at the stone wall. She felt the muscles in her legs tighten and bunch like springs.
And then, she leaped. Off the ground. Soaring into the air.
Over the wall. So easily. Like a dog. Or a horse.
She landed on all fours.
How did I do that?
Breathing hard, Danielle lifted her head and gazed around. She recognized this place. The park where she had kissed Kit. She had run around the outskirts of town and back to the park.
Feeling winded, Danielle braced her hands on the ground. Started to push herself to her feet.
The moonlight washed over her hands.
Only . . . they weren’t her hands!
Her nails! Her nails had grown by inches. And they were thick and crusty, curling under like claws.
Danielle held the ugly, thick claws in front of her face and stared at them in silent horror.
Bad Moonlight, shining down on me.
She heard a sound. Back in the field. Rustling. Breathing. Footsteps.
Someone had followed her!
She leaped to her feet, raising her ugly claws.
“Joey!” Danielle cried. “What are you doing here?”
Chapter 8
A BODY IN THE PARK
“Anybody see Joey?” Billy asked the next morning. Danielle sat with Dee, Mary Beth, and Caroline in the hotel coffee shop.
Mary Beth yawned and brushed back her carrot-colored hair. “Try his room,” she suggested.
“Right.” Frowning, Billy hurried away from their table.
“Who’s got the ham omelette?” the waitress asked.
“I do. And coffee,” Mary Beth added. Dark circles ringed her green eyes. “Lots and lots of coffee.”
The waitress thumped the plate down and strode off toward the coffeemakers.
“It’s a good thing we don’t have a show to do tonight,” Mary Beth muttered. “I’d probably nod out during the first song.”
“How late were you guys up, anyway?” Danielle asked.
“Too late,” Caroline groaned, pushing her blond hair behind her ears. “I’ll be glad to get in the van and sleep all the way back to Shadyside.”
“Coffee,” the waitress announced, hefting the glass pot.
Danielle picked up her cup and saw a fresh cut on her forefinger. Another split callus.
“What happened to you last night?” Dee demanded. “You never came back to the coffee shop.”
“I know.” Danielle remembered starting off on a walk. Nothing else. “I guess I was more tired than I thought. I really conked out.”
“Tell me about it,” Caroline replied, rolling her eyes. “I was afraid we’d get a complaint from the hotel about your snoring.”
“Joey hasn’t shown yet?” Billy asked, returning to their table. Kit trailed behind him. “Joey has to bring the van around so we can pack up.”
“So you’re surprised he’s sleeping late?” Caroline said. “Joey is the best sleeper in the band. He even sleeps while he’s driving!”
Kit shook his head. “He wasn’t in our room when I got up.”
Billy turned to Danielle. “He took off a couple of minutes after you did last night. You didn’t run into him, did you?”
Danielle shook her head. “No. I didn’t see him.”
Dee set her glass down, splashing orange juice onto the table. “Joey said something about you when he left,” she told Danielle.
“About me?”
Dee nodded. Danielle noticed that Dee’s hand shook as she mopped up the juice.
“You okay, Dee?” Billy asked.
“Yeah.” Dee glanced at Danielle, then lowered her eyes. “Just fine.”
“About Joey,” Kit reminded everyone.
“Maybe he forgot something over at the club,” Caroline suggested.
“Good thinking,” Billy told her.
“Managers.” Mary Beth sighed. “They think musicians are brainless.”
“Yeah.” Caroline laughed and waved Billy and Kit away from the table. “Go get Joey and let us finish our breakfast.”
“Aren’t you eating, Danielle?” Mary Beth asked, forking up eggs and ham. “You use up a lot of strength during a performance, you know. You shouldn’t let yourself get weak or anything.”
“I won’t,” Danielle assured her. “I’m just not hungry right now.”
It is weird, Danielle thought. I usually eat like crazy after a performance.
I can’t still be tired after all those hours I slept, she told herself. But she felt as if she had run a marathon. Every muscle ached.
She glanced across the table at Dee. Dee’s brown-gold eyes darted nervously away.
Maybe she feels guilty about the way she treats me, Danielle thought. Maybe there’s a way for us to be friends after all.
They finished breakfast. Then the four band members met Billy and Kit in the lobby. Their bags were already there.
“Did you find Joey?” Dee asked.
Billy shook his head, annoyed. “He wasn’t at the club. He’s not in his room. He’d better show soon—or he’s out of a job.”
Danielle turned toward the elevator, where Caroline and Kit were whispering intently. Danielle felt a stab of jealousy. Was something going on between the two of them?
She hoped not. Kit attracted her like a magnet.
“We might as well pack up and move out,” Billy decided. “Maybe we’ll find Joey walking along the road somewhere.”
“You know we won’t!” Dee broke in sharply.
Danielle glanced at her in surprise. What did Dee mean?
Before Billy could respond, Dee grabbed her duffel bag and rushed out the door.
“What’s Dee’s problem?” Danielle asked. “We all know she can’t stand Joey. Why is she so upset about him?”
Billy shrugged. “Beats me.” He turned to Kit and Caroline. “Okay, guys, we’re out of here!”
Out on the street Kit and Billy secured the instruments and other equipment to the top of the van. The girls loaded the bags inside.
Danielle started to climb aboard, but stopped as a police car sped by, its siren blaring.
A second black-and-white cruiser followed, wheeling around the corner, its siren like a wild animal howl.
A few seconds later a red-and-white ambulance went screaming by.
“They’re heading for the park!” Kit shouted, shielding his eyes as he watched them. “Come on. Let’s go see what’s up.”
He locked the van and trotted in the direction of the park. Danielle and the others followed close behind.
Two police cars and an ambulance, Danielle thought with a shudder. They were sure in a hurry. It’s got to be something bad.
As they approached the park, Danielle saw that she and her friends weren’t the only curious ones. A few dozen people stood around, craning their necks and asking questions. Two grim-faced police officers tried to keep them back, without much luck.
Dee ran ahead and caught up with Kit. Danielle saw them push their way through the crowd.
“Everybody back!” one of the officers shouted. “Keep your distance!”
A scream rang out.
“That sounded like Dee!” Caroline exclaimed. “What did she see?”
Danielle’s heart started to pound.
“I’m not going any farther,” Mary Beth declared, stopping a few feet from the edge of the crowd. “Look at all these people. This is sick.”
Caroline stopped too. Her face had grown pale. She bit her lower lip tensely.
Danielle kept walking.
“Everybody back! We’ve got a crime scene here!” an angry police officer shouted. “Get back!”
Danielle reached the edge of the crowd. As she did, a gap opened up and she could see why Dee had screamed.
What was that heaped on the ground?
A body? A human body?
Torn to pieces?
Its clothing—its skin—had all been ripped and shredded.
Clawed to death.
This person had to be clawed to death by a wild animal, Danielle thought.
And then she saw the corpse’s face.
Joey’s face.
PART TWO
CRIES
Chapter 9
A SONG FOR DEE
Three Weeks Later
“I know I didn’t do it!” Danielle insisted. “I couldn’t possibly have done anything like that!”
“You don’t have to convince me, Danielle,” Dr. Moore stated quietly. “Why are you trying to convince yourself? What on earth makes you think you might have killed Joey?”
Danielle sat tensely on the edge of the chair in Dr. Moore’s office. A new chair, she’d noticed when she came in. Dr. Moore never said a word about how Danielle had torn up the old one.
But Danielle remembered. She kept her hands in her lap, twisting them nervously.
“Danielle?” the doctor prodded. “Why do you think you had anything to do with Joey’s death?”
“Because of what I’ve been telling you,” she explained. “The horrible, violent fantasies. What if they become real?”
“You had a violent fantasy about Joey?”
She shook her head. “No. But Billy told me that Joey left the club right after I did that night. And Dee said she heard Joey say something about wanting to talk to me!”
Dr. Moore tapped a pencil against his desktop. “That hardly puts you and Joey together,” he pointed out.