Your Worst Nightmare

by P. J. Night

  Footsteps.

  Someone was walking behind her.

  Someone who stopped when she stopped, moved when she moved. That someone didn’t want her to know that she was being followed, but she knew. She knew. And that was enough to make Kristi start running. She didn’t turn around to see who was chasing her. Somehow she had figured out who it was, and if Kristi caught a glimpse of that white face, that wig, that jagged grin, that horrible makeup, she would be too terrified to move. But some locked-away corner of her mind was jangling with unease, because this did not match her memory, not at all: She was definitely not in the fun house.

  Then why was the clown chasing her?

  Because that’s the thing about your worst nightmare; Kristi had figured it out a long time ago. Whatever scares you the most is always waiting to rise up and find you. It will be there, waiting for you, when you least expect it.

  It was hard to run in the dark, but Kristi tried—oh, how she tried—but her legs were like lead and her blood was like ice. Her own body had turned against her, but her brain refused to accept it, refused to admit defeat. Silent screams shook her skull and yet every nerve, every muscle, every fiber of her body ignored them. Move, she told herself. Move. Move. Move. She stumbled forward, a shambles of uncoordinated jerks and twitches. It would be so easy to stop running, but Kristi was determined to keep going.

  There was one thing she hadn’t expected though: the hands that suddenly shoved her, hard. Now she was falling, and running was no longer an option.

  Solid ground slipped away, and she plunged through the endless dark: flailing arms, thrashing legs. Kristi was desperate to grab on to anything, but there was nothing to hold. Her ears filled with the rushing wind as she fell, and something else, something worse, the echo of long-ago cries for help, for mercy. They were growing louder, closer—surely, surely the end was near, and until then Kristi could do nothing but scream . . . and wait for it all to be over.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Kristi!” Olivia whispered frantically. “Wake up! Wake up!”

  Gasping, Kristi tried to sit up but something—someone—was holding her down. “Let me . . . go . . . get off . . . ,” she mumbled.

  “You’re dreaming. It’s just a dream,” Olivia said, her voice trembling with fear. “Open your eyes and look at me, Kris. I’m right here.”

  At first everything was blurry; the light overhead was blinding. Light, Kristi realized. I’m not in the dark place anymore. She tried to take a deep breath and sit up. A tangle of sweaty sheets wrapped around her waist and legs pinned her to the floor.

  Kristi blinked and wiped at her bleary eyes. They were watering, or else she had been crying. “Why am I on the floor? What happened?” she asked, and her voice was as hoarse as if she’d really been screaming.

  Maybe she had.

  “You fell out of bed,” Olivia said. She started biting her cuticles. “You had a nightmare, huh?”

  Kristi nodded slowly. “Yeah. I was—I think I was in a cave. But that wasn’t the scary part, Liv. The fear I felt—it was just like I was back in the fun house.”

  Olivia made a sympathetic face. “The fun house again?”

  “I don’t know why I can’t forget it,” Kristi whispered. “But there I was, in the dark, trying to find a way out. I was so scared I could barely move, and there was someone following me. I tried to run, but he . . . he . . . he pushed me off a cliff. I started falling and it was endless, like I was plunging through this bottomless pit.”

  “That sounds so scary,” Olivia said. “All I know is I was sleeping and suddenly I woke up— I heard this horrible noise—”

  “Yes!” Kristi cried. “Me too! The cries for help—oh my God, Liv, who is that? Is somebody in trouble—in the motel—”

  Olivia looked at her blankly. “Kristi,” she said. “It was you. You were—I don’t know, not yelling, but kind of shrieking in your sleep. . . .” Olivia leaned back and wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging herself. “It was really freaky.”

  “No, that wasn’t me,” Kristi argued. “I know that wasn’t me. I can still—I can still hear the screams. Listen . . .”

  The two girls sat in an uncomfortable silence, straining their ears.

  “I don’t—” Olivia began.

  “Shhh!” Kristi hissed. “You don’t hear that? That haunted—that howling sound—it’s faint, but I know it’s there.”

  Olivia shook her head. “I don’t hear anything now that you’re awake.”

  Suddenly a look of horror flooded Kristi’s face. She crossed the room and used all her strength to push open one of the windows. A rush of night air, damp and cold, poured over her. “Come here,” she said. “Listen. It’s definitely coming from outside.”

  Olivia stood next to Kristi by the window, shivering in her lime-green pajamas.

  “You have to hear it,” Kristi said, a note of desperation creeping into her voice. “Listen, Olivia! Just listen!”

  “Okay, fine, I hear it,” Olivia finally replied. “I mean, I think I hear it. But you were also screaming in your sleep.”

  Kristi ignored that last part. “I knew I wasn’t imagining it!” she cried. “Should we—should we get some help? Tell Mr. Tanaka or—or—” Kristi had to swallow hard before she could continue. “It’s them, isn’t it?”

  “ ‘Them’? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Olivia replied. “That noise isn’t coming from people. It’s probably just, like, something from the caves.”

  Kristi gave her a look. “That’s what I’m trying to say! Those kids—the ones Bobby told us about on the bus! The ones who went missing a long time ago. He said—remember? He said that you can still hear their cries for help!”

  “No way,” Olivia said bluntly. Then she started to laugh. “Look at you! You’re freaking out over nothing! I can’t believe you took Bobby’s stupid story so seriously! He was just messing with everybody!”

  When Kristi didn’t respond, Olivia kept talking. “What I meant was, something natural coming from the caves,” she continued. “Like wind blowing over the entrance. Or across one of the chasms. That’s why it sounds so echoey. Like screaming.”

  “You really think so?” Kristi asked doubtfully. It sure didn’t sound like a noise that could come from rocks and wind—but then again, she wanted so badly to believe that Olivia was right. . . .

  “Definitely,” Olivia said, sounding more and more confident. “Look at it this way—if it really was the sound of children screaming, we wouldn’t be the only ones to hear it. I mean, people live in Ravensburg. They’d call the police and we’d be seeing cop cars and flashing lights and stuff. I’m sure it’s nothing. Really.”

  “Okay.” Kristi gave in. Olivia’s theory was a lot better than the alternative.

  Olivia yawned loudly. “We should try to go back to sleep,” she said. “Mr. Tanaka said we’re meeting for breakfast at six thirty. That’s in three hours.”

  “Yeah, of course,” Kristi said. “Sorry I woke you up, Liv. That must have been pretty frightening.”

  “Don’t even worry about it,” Olivia replied. “I just hope you don’t have any more nightmares tonight.”

  “You and me both!” Kristi said, which made both girls laugh.

  Olivia turned off the light. “Night, Kris.”

  “Night, Liv.”

  Kristi pulled the musty comforter under her chin and squeezed her eyes shut. She felt so tired, so deeply bone-tired, but was too scared to sleep. What if her dream picked up right where it left off? The darkness . . . the falling . . . those cries . . .

  Just before dawn, Kristi finally fell asleep. But it seemed like only moments passed before Olivia was shaking her awake again.

  “Breakfast is in five minutes, Kris,” Olivia said in a sleepy voice. “I hope they have pancakes. Come on, you’ve gotta get up now.”

  “Okay, okay, okay,” Kristi mumbled. “I’m up.”

  As fast as she could, Kristi took a two-minute shower, then put on her
jeans and a black T-shirt. Before she ran out of the door, she grabbed her favorite red sweater, the one with the shiny buttons that seemed to glow when they caught the light.

  “Better bring your sweatshirt,” Kristi said to Olivia. “It might be cold in the caverns.”

  “Good idea,” Olivia replied as she reached for the sweatshirt she had worn the day before. Then the girls walked downstairs to the diner. To Olivia’s delight, they were serving pancakes, and breakfast tasted a lot better than dinner had the night before. Kristi wasn’t very hungry, but she tried to eat as much as she could. The diner was bright and cheerful; the room was filled with the smell of warm maple syrup and sizzling bacon and all around her the other seventh graders were chatting and laughing excitedly. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. . . . Everyone except Kristi.

  It was just a dream, she reminded herself for the thousandth time. Shake it off. It was just a stupid dream.

  “Hey, guys,” Bobby said as he slid into the girls’ booth with Tim right behind him. Bobby gave Kristi a shy smile. “Did you guys have a good night? Sweet dreams, I mean?”

  Panic flashed through Kristi’s eyes. How does Bobby know about my nightmare? she thought wildly.

  “Oh, the candy?” Olivia asked. “Yeah, it was, um, delicious.”

  Bobby’s whole face lit up. “Awesome,” he said, grinning. “I felt bad about those grab bags. Man, those things were so lame. So I was hoping you would like the candy.”

  “Thanks, Bobby,” Kristi said. “That was really nice of you.”

  Just then Ms. Pierce stood up in the middle of the restaurant. “Let’s finish up, people,” she called out. “Our tour starts in fifteen minutes.”

  The excited chatter grew even louder as all the kids jumped up and pushed their way toward the exit, where the chaperones were waiting. As Kristi and Olivia moved toward the doors, Bobby tagged along behind them.

  “You guys. Hang on,” Tim said. He pointed at the table, which was cluttered with used napkins and dirty plates. “You didn’t tip your waitress.”

  Olivia and Kristi exchanged a glance. “I thought all our meals were paid for,” Olivia replied. “That’s what the flyers about the field trip said.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve always gotta tip your waitress,” Tim said firmly.

  Kristi dug around in her pocket and put a handful of change on the table. So did Bobby and Olivia. Tim shook his head at them.

  “Weak, guys,” Tim said. He scooped up the change, pocketed it, and placed a five-dollar bill under the sugar dispenser.

  “Timbo! Let’s go! Timbo! Let’s go!” Bobby bellowed right next to Kristi’s ear. She flinched and tried to move her head away, but Bobby kept screaming Tim’s name until Mr. Tanaka got involved.

  “Settle down, Bobby,” Mr. Tanaka warned him.

  “Yes, sir. Aye, aye, captain,” Bobby replied as he gave Mr. Tanaka a dorky salute. Olivia started laughing at him. Kristi cringed a little. She could not figure out what made Bobby act so, well, clueless all the time. Outside, the sun hadn’t fully risen yet. A chilly mist seeped from the woods, wrapping itself around cars, trees, and shrubs. It was springtime, but it still felt like winter. Kristi shivered; she was glad she had remembered to wear her sweater.

  “I hope it’s not this cold in the caves,” Olivia said as she stuck her hands in the pouch pocket of her sweatshirt.

  “Me too,” Kristi replied.

  A stumpy-looking middle-aged woman was waiting for them at the entrance to the Ravensburg Caverns. “Jefferson Middle School?” she asked as she glanced down at the clipboard in her hand. Ms. Pierce nodded and shook the woman’s hand. “Welcome to the Ravensburg Caverns. I’m Mrs. Hallett, and I’ll be your guide through the caves today. Please follow me.”

  As the students stepped through the gaping mouth of the entrance, a hush settled over them. Kristi craned her neck to look around. The rock walls soared overhead, rough with mineral deposits and streaks of sparkling mica. A few lightbulbs enclosed in wire cages dangled from a cord strung along the wall. They cast long, flickering shadows throughout the dim cave, hardly cutting through the dark gloom. It was even cooler—and creepier—than Kristi had imagined it would be.

  “Squeeze in, everybody. Right next to your neighbor,” Mrs. Hallett announced. “It’s a tight fit in the entryway, but this is where we like to tell you a little bit about the Ravensburg Caverns before your tour.”

  Mrs. Hallett hadn’t even finished speaking before Bobby’s hand shot into the air. “I have a question,” he said loudly. “Is it true that early settlers used the caves as prison cells? Because I read that there are these, like, rooms with old bars on them, and the settlers would lock up murderers and horse thieves and leave them there to die!”

  A tight smile crossed Mrs. Hallett’s face. “You’re mixing things up. The Ravensburg Caverns were discovered in 1739, when the first settlers in the area were prospecting for gold. Of course, they never found any—but I think we can all agree that the Ravensburg Caverns are far more valuable than a few gold nuggets, can’t we?”

  “Uh, hardly,” Tim muttered under his breath, making Bobby snort with laughter.

  Mrs. Hallett glared at him. “According to the diary of Captain Miles Larsen, a suspected thief took refuge in the caverns rather than face justice for his crimes, but he certainly wasn’t imprisoned here. Most likely, he escaped through an alternate tunnel out of the caverns . . . or else he met with an accidental death. The Ravensburg Caverns have always been a treacherous place—but if you respect them, they will respect you.”

  Olivia gave Kristi a subtle nudge. “She’s kind of nuts, huh?” Olivia whispered.

  “Seriously. Maybe she spends too much time underground,” Kristi whispered back.

  “Now, you’ll learn all about the real history of this astonishing natural wonder,” Mrs. Hallett promised, “but I like to start at the beginning. We’re standing at the uppermost part of the Ravensburg Caverns, a series of tunnels and rock chambers that continue for thousands of feet underground. Scientists think that the caverns were first formed when—”

  Once again Bobby raised his hand. “Are you going to tell us about Circus Atrocitas?” he said. “Because what I heard was that they used to practice their top secret routines here so that nobody would know . . . but something went really wrong during one of their shows and, like, seventeen people in the audience died! And everyone in town was so mad they chased all the performers into the caverns . . . and they were never seen again!”

  Mrs. Hallett wasn’t smiling anymore. “The Circus Atrocitas accident was a long time ago and it had nothing to do with the Ravensburg Caverns,” she said. “Now, if I could please continue, scientists think that the caverns were formed over many thousands of years. And do you know what created them?”

  “Monsters?” Evan cracked, making everyone giggle.

  “Rain!” Mrs. Hallett said loudly.

  Ms. Pierce nodded. “Do you remember learning about this in class?” she asked the seventh graders. “Since rain is slightly acidic, it can dissolve minerals in limestone, forming an extensive network of caverns over time.”

  Mrs. Hallett cleared her throat; she looked annoyed by the interruption, even if it was from a teacher. “Today, you’ll find that the caverns are home to a unique ecosystem of cave-dwelling creatures—” she tried to continue.

  “From the toxic waste buried right under us!” Bobby practically yelled. “And now everything that lives here is a radioactive mutant! Have you seen them, huh? The mutants? Do they really glow in the dark?”

  A bunch of kids started to laugh.

  “Bobby,” Mr. Tanaka said with a warning in his voice.

  “There are no mutants here,” Mrs. Hallett snapped. “I think you’ve been reading too many comic books, young man.”

  A dark cloud crossed Bobby’s face. “Well, all those kids who disappeared weren’t in any comic books,” he muttered—just loudly enough to be overheard.

  “That’s it, Bobby,” M
r. Tanaka said. “Enough. One more interruption out of you, and I’ll be on the phone with your mother, and you’ll miss out on the tour. Do you understand me?”

  Bobby clamped his mouth shut as he nodded his head. Out of the corner of her eye, Kristi could see his ears turning bright red. He always does this, she thought, shifting on her feet so that she was standing a little farther away from him. He totally brings it on himself. I don’t know why, but he does.

  “Is it just me, or is Bobby even more annoying than usual?” Olivia whispered to Kristi. “What is going on with him?”

  Kristi shrugged. “I don’t know,” she whispered back. “Maybe he’s just excited about going into the caves.”

  Mrs. Hallett smiled again—smug and satisfied. “If there won’t be any further interruptions,” she said, staring directly at Bobby, “let’s go over the safety rules. As you can see, we’ve installed modern electrical lighting along the tour path. Not only will this help you see all the wonders of the caverns, it will help you stay safe: Any area without lights is strictly off-limits. No running or reckless behavior. You must stay behind the guardrails at all times. Some of the chasms we’ll encounter are hundreds of feet deep, and a fall into one would be fatal. We might see some of the caverns’ full-time occupants—the animals I mentioned before. If we do, you must not startle them. Please try not to make too much noise; we haven’t had a rockslide in here for nearly thirty years and I’d rather not have one today.”

  Mrs. Hallett paused as she glanced around the group to make sure everyone was listening. The students were hanging on to her every word, completely mesmerized by her warnings about the dangers of the cavern.

  “Finally, touch nothing and take nothing. There is a lovely gift shop in the Ravensburg Motel where you can buy beautiful geodes and real fossils if you’d like a souvenir from your visit today.” Mrs. Hallett paused. “And now, if everyone is ready, let’s begin the tour.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Mrs. Hallett led the seventh graders down a sloping ramp that was bordered on both sides by metal guardrails. Kristi peeked over one: the drop was about ten feet, a steep fall but not enough to kill anybody . . . she hoped. As if they were influenced by the subterranean stillness of the cave, the kids started speaking in hushed whispers that were hardly louder than their footsteps.