by R. L. Stine
“Hurry, Liz,” you say. “We better get out of here.”
She’s groaning and rubbing her ankle. “I can’t run anymore,” she says. “My ankle’s too sore. I need to rest a minute.”
You gaze up the street and see the man in overalls coming out of the building he was in.
Quickly, you pull Liz into the dark doorway of the nearest building. By mistake, she leans back against the door and hits the doorbell.
BZZZZZZ! An ear-stinging buzzer sounds.
The door opens automatically. A long hallway stretches in front of you. At the end of it a woman motions to you to come in. It’s the ticket lady from the lobby of the museum. What’s she doing here? you wonder. Uh-oh. Something’s fishy.
If you turn back, turn to PAGE 43.
If you go inside, turn to PAGE 116.
After a while you decide it’s safe to open your eyes again.
Hey, who turned out the lights? You can’t see a thing!
“Hello?” you try to call.
There’s something wrong. You can’t seem to open your mouth to form the words!
An awful suspicion is forming in your mind. With trembling fingers, you reach up to touch your face.
There’s nothing there! No eyes, no mouth, no nose. Instead, all you feel is blank, smooth wax.
“No! No! No!” you moan. Or you try to moan. Actually, it sounds more like, “Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!” because you have no mouth.
You don’t want to believe it. But she did it. Sybil Wicked really did it. She stole your face.
Face it! This is really …
THE END.
You’re beginning to believe Jake’s screams really aren’t a joke. Still, you don’t want to go through the pitch-dark doorway that yawns in front of you. “We’d better ask someone for help,” you suggest.
You look around the lobby. “There’s no one here except that weird ticket lady,” Liz whispers. “She looks like a fortune-teller in that purple turban. She gives me the creeps.”
“Well, creepy or not, she’s the only one here,” you point out. You approach the ticket window. The ticket lady is sitting with her back to you. “Excuse me,” you say.
The ticket lady doesn’t speak or move.
“Excuse me,” you say a little louder. “We think our friend is in trouble. Can you help us?”
Still no answer.
“Why won’t you answer?” Liz yells. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Maybe she’s deaf,” you whisper. You reach into the booth to tap the ticket lady on the arm.
Her arm is cold and hard. You gasp. “She’s not real! She’s only a wax figure! What’s going on here?”
Turn to PAGE 12.
What was that awful racket? You spin around.
Oh, no! Liz has stumbled and banged into the purple door! Her watch clacks against the painted wood.
“What was that?” a female voice demands sharply. “Axel, go see. If those kids are trying to escape, bring them to me. I’ll make short work of them!”
You don’t wait to hear any more. “In here!” you whisper. You and Liz rush through the yellow door and slam it behind you. It’s darker than midnight inside. But your groping fingers find a key in the keyhole. You turn it. Safe!
And not a moment too soon! Axel pounds on the other side of the door. “Come out of there, my little friends,” he yells. “Come out at once, or you’ll be very sorry!”
“In your dreams!” you retort. “Liz, see if you can find a light switch. Then we’ll find a way out of here!”
“Here it is,” Liz announces. She flips the switch.
Oh, boy, do you wish she hadn’t done that.
To find out why, go to PAGE 53.
“Sure I’m sure he’s wax,” you laugh. “Look. I’ll prove it. I’ll put my neck right in his hands, see?” You back up to the wax figure and slide your neck between his outstretched hands. For once, one of these wax figures really is just wax. To convince Liz, you stand this way for a few seconds. “Look,” you joke. “He’s strangling me! Ha-ha! Help!”
“Very funny,” Liz says.
“Okay, okay,” you say, giving up the joke. “He’s not really strangling me. Who would want to strangle a nice kid like me?”
You start to step forward out of the Strangler’s hands. Warm fingers tighten around your neck. You feel your air being cut off. You can’t scream or talk or breathe. Mist surrounds you again. You feel as if you’re floating. You can’t see a thing. Everything is dark.
Everything is nothing now.
Who would want to strangle a nice kid like you?
The Strangler would, that’s who.
THE END
Spider webs? No thanks! “Let’s try to climb out,” you suggest quickly.
“Yeah. At least we know that chute goes back up to the road. Give me a boost, will you?” Liz asks.
You boost her up to the mouth of the chute. She finds a handhold and hauls herself into the darkness.
A moment later her hand reaches out and clasps yours. Huffing and puffing, she pulls you up until you can grab some handholds yourself.
You pull yourself into the chute and peer ahead. The chute looks as if it goes almost straight up! “I don’t know if we can do this,” you pant.
In answer, Liz points down. You look where she’s pointing. A hideous skull-face is grinning up at you from the stone cell. Axel! How did he get down there? you wonder. His hands are reaching for you … only inches from your ankles!
“Go, go, go!” you yell, pushing Liz from behind as you scramble frantically up the chute.
Scramble to PAGE 121.
“Jake!” you and Liz exclaim together. But this time you call out his name with happiness instead of horror.
You hurry over to the table he’s tied to, and pull the tape off his mouth and eyes.
“What do you think, Liz?” you ask, winking at her. “Should we unstrap him? After all, he’s the one who got us into this mess in the first place.”
“Come on,” Jake pleads. “This was no picnic for me either, you know. They had me heading for the bath of the century.”
You and Liz laugh as you untie Jake. He stands up, shakes his legs to get the circulation going, and says, “So, what did I miss?”
Liz rolls her eyes. You’re just about to give Jake a friendly punch on the shoulder, when you hear another familiar voice.
“Uh-oh,” you say. “Here comes more trouble.”
Turn to PAGE 65.
You go inside the building and slam the door behind you.
Once inside you see a lighted sign on the wall. It flashes: black, red, black, red. When it flashes red, the word FUTURE is spelled out in black. When it flashes black, the word PAST is spelled out in red.
The woman who was selling tickets in the lobby stares into a crystal ball. She’s really a fortune-teller! Well, that explains that wacky purple turban she’s wearing.
As you approach her she looks up at you. “I know all from my crystal ball,” she says mysteriously. “I see you are the ones with no tickets, eh? And how will you pay your way?”
“W-well,” you stammer. “I mean we don’t have any money on us or anything. Mr. Dunning was supposed to …”
“It’s too late for tickets now. You’re already in. What you need is a ticket out!” She swirls her hands over the crystal ball and asks you to make your choice. “Red or black? Future or past? You must decide, and you must decide fast!”
It’s too hard to decide on your own. Let a deck of cards help you. Go find a pack in your house and pick a card.
If you pick a red card for FUTURE, turn to PAGE 23.
If you pick a black card for PAST, turn to PAGE 1.
You flip the switch! The Suction Screen lets you go. You jump to the side, out of its range. “Run, Liz!” you shout.
At the sound of your voice, Axel and Sybil look up. “Axel, they’re getting away! After them!” Sybil cries.
Liz darts behind some shelves. You stand your ground next to the S
uction Screen. “Come and get me!” you shout.
Axel runs toward you. You wait, hoping your plan works. Your hand hovers over the giant purple switch. He comes closer…. Closer…
“Now!” you cry, and flip the switch to ON.
ZOOP! Axel is instantly sucked against the lavender screen. He’s trapped! Now all you have to worry about is Sybil.
You turn to face her. But when you see what’s happening to her, your eyes bug out.
She’s falling apart. Literally! She got a little too close to the Suction Screen. And it’s ripping great hunks of flesh right off her face! They fly through the air and thud against the screen. “NO!” Sybil shrieks.
You feel sick. Sybil’s old, patchwork face was hideous enough. But what’s underneath is truly terrifying.
Go to PAGE 56 if you dare!
So what if your parents told you not to get in strange cars? This is an exception! “All right!” you exclaim.
Liz steps into the luxurious limo first and leans back in the buttery leather seat. You follow her in and reach for a soda.
Without warning, the door slams. Power locks click. Seat belts shoot out and strap you tightly in place. Strapped — and trapped! Axel guns the engine.
“Hey!” you yell. “What’s going on?”
The limo roars away. You twist in your seat to stare back at the museum. Where’s Mr. Dunning when you need him?
A figure runs out the front door. “It’s Jake!” Liz cries.
Jake is waving his arms and shouting. You can hear his words faintly. “Come back!” he yells. “It was just a joke!”
“A joke?” Liz sputters. “I’m going to kill Jake.”
A sudden burst of blue light, like a camera flash, blinds you. When you can see again, you glare at Axel in the rearview mirror. “What’s the big idea?” you ask.
Or you start to ask. Actually, the words never leave your mouth. Instead, you gape in horror at Axel’s face.
Rattle on to PAGE 89.
He has a square jaw, you notice. You can see its shape clearly. Very clearly. Because there’s no skin covering it.
Axel’s face is a bare skull!
What are you, nuts?
Of course it’s a real emergency! No, don’t argue. Get over to PAGE 36 and break that glass RIGHT NOW!
Race to PAGE 36.
You panic.
“AAHHHH!” you scream. “THE WAX FIGURE IS ALIVE!”
You have good reason to panic, too. You peeled a little wax off his hand. Now all the wax is flaking off his body — like skin peeling after a bad sunburn. You try to pull yourself away from his waxy grip, but he’s too strong.
“Liz! HELP!” you cry, turning your head to look for her. But Liz has troubles of her own.
Her red curly hair is completely tangled in an air vent on the wall. The more she struggles, the tighter the tangles become. She gazes at you, wide-eyed.
Looks as if you’re on your own against the Executioner. He’s holding you with one hand. With the other, he raises his gleaming steel ax….
If you’re right-handed, go to PAGE 70.
If you’re left-handed, go to PAGE 63.
Taking two steps up, sliding one step back, you make the long climb. Liz slips. You slip. You pick yourselves up and go on.
All the while, the hair on the back of your neck is standing straight up. Is Axel behind you? Are his fingers about to clamp around your ankle?
Suddenly, Liz breaks the silence with a joyful shout.
“We’re here!” she exclaims gleefully. “We made it back!”
You look past Liz. “Hey!” you cry. “We’re back in the museum!”
Sure enough, you’ve popped out in the lobby in front of the Wicked Wax Museum. In front of you is a familiar red door. It’s wide open. Open into darkness.
“Aaaaaauurghhhh! Help!” A long, choking scream comes out of the dark. You and Liz grin at each other.
“Nice try, Jake,” you yell. “But we know it’s just a joke.”
“NO!” Jake’s voice sounds so terrified you start to wonder. “Not this time! HELP ME!”
Then there’s a thud. Then silence. Then a motor starts up.
You stare at Liz and wonder if your face is as pale as hers.
“I think it’s for real,” she whispers.
Turn to PAGE 30.
There’s no safe place to go. The door behind you is locked. The door ahead of you leads to skin scraping — whatever that is.
But you know you have to get there and save Jake. You and Liz cling to each other as you walk through the Hall of Horrors. Past Count Dracula. Past the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Past the Mud Monsters. Past all of them.
The hall is about as long as a football field. And about halfway through, you stop. Did you see what you thought you saw?
You study the waxy red drops of blood clinging to Dracula’s fangs. His lips are curled back, showing blood-soaked gums and a crimson tongue. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the scaly Creature from the Black Lagoon in the next exhibit case. His webbed hands clutch the long hair of his victim.
And tighten their grip in front of your eyes!
You weren’t just imagining things! Count Dracula really is turning to focus his red eyes on you. And so are all the figures in this wicked hall of wax.
They’re all alive! Just like the Executioner!
As if they can read your thoughts, suddenly, all the wax creatures drop their victims and turn their evil eyes on YOU!
Race to PAGE 88!
These sleeping Sybils are made of wax! And the wax has melted and swallowed your hands!
“Don’t bother to struggle,” Axel says cheerfully. “This is very special wax. You can’t break free.”
You try anyway, of course. But Axel’s right.
You’re trapped!
“Miss Sybil,” Axel calls. “We’ve got them.”
“Excellent,” a female voice answers. “Just give me a moment to prepare the Face Lifter.”
The Face Lifter! You and Liz exchange horrified glances.
“NOOO!” you shout, and strain more frantically than ever to pull your hands free. In fact, you struggle so hard you begin to hyperventilate. Suddenly, the room is swimming in front of your eyes. And then you faint.
Turn to PAGE 17.
Uh-oh. It looks like your end might be here. Yours. And Liz’s. And Jake’s. You’re in the Wax Dipping Laboratory, and it’s very clear now what is going on at this Wicked Wax Museum.
You look around for Jake and spy an empty stretcher. But no Jake. Huge vats of hot bubbling wax are lined up across the center of the lab. Dozens of ropes hang from scaffolding. Giant machines rumble, tumble, swish, and swirl. Hundreds of wax-dipped figures dangle from drying racks. A voice on the other side of the laboratory shouts, “Check that one for readiness!”
“Yes, Dr. Wicked,” replies a worker in white.
Now you see him. It’s Dr. Izzy Wicked himself standing on a platform overlooking the lab. A mane of wild white hair frames his hollow-cheeked face. “Don’t dip him until you’re sure the steaming and skinning has been successful!” he orders.
Three other workers are gathered around a stainless steel table. When they step back you see what — or who — they’re examining. It’s Jake!
Go to PAGE 104.
You’re in a huge, shadowy room full of wheeled clothes racks. But instead of clothes, the racks are hung with hundreds of wax body parts. Pale, waxy arms and legs dangle before you. Ears, noses, and eyeballs are strung on clotheslines like a string of holiday ornaments.
A sudden breeze sighs through the room. You back away from a swinging arm — and step into a curtain of ears. Gross!
You can’t tell if there’s a way out at the other end of the room. But you know you can’t go back. So you and Liz pick your way between the racks. You’re trying hard not to panic. Then Liz taps you on the shoulder. “Look at this.”
You see an empty rack. A note is taped to it. You read:
�
��New Parts. Due Today.”
An eerie voice speaks from the shadows behind you. “You’re right on time. I’ve been expecting you.”
Yikes! “Wh-who’s there?” you stammer, starting to turn.
Liz grips your arm. “We don’t need to know! Let’s ride this empty rack like a skateboard and get out of here — fast!”
If you jump onto the rack, turn to PAGE 20.
If you turn to see who spoke, turn to PAGE 101.
You stare at your palm. You don’t have a clue which line on your hand is your lifeline.
“I don’t think I can take this turning much longer,” Liz moans. “I feel like I’m stuck in a blender!”
It’s quieter in the eye of the tornado. So you don’t have any trouble hearing her.
“Me, too,” you say as the wind whips you around and around. “I just want to find Jake and get out of here.”
The tornado funnel carries you up higher and higher. The next time you glance down, you see huge vats of swirling, bubbling, boiling liquid.
Men in white overalls are everywhere. Some are busy mixing. Some are measuring. And some are stirring whatever is in those vats. A strong odor rises up and reaches your nose.
You know exactly what the smell is. Hot wax!
Go to PAGE 67.
Sybil continues in her cold voice, “I’ve experimented with many face-replacement techniques. My new one requires a whole face. I’ll use one of you to test it. The other will become the new face of Sybil Wicked. And then I’ll reveal myself to the world, and show them that my brilliance has not died! I’m holding a press conference later today.”