by Jack Chabert
6
29
It was like a long octopus tentacle. The hose
crashed into the old man and knocked him to
the floor. Then it came for Sam.
Sam ducked as the fire hose whipped above
his head.
BLAM!
The heavy metal nozzle slammed into
the lockers.
"That thing almost hit me!" Sam gasped.
The fire hose wasn't done. It kept whipping
through the air.
"Wrestle it!" Mr. Nekobi shouted.
"ARE YOU NUTS?!" Sam screamed.
"Grab on to it!" Mr. Nekobi yelled from
down on the floor.
Sam gulped. The fire hose whipped around
again. Sam leapt up in the air just as the hose
flew beneath him. He wrapped both his arms
around it and held on tight.
31
"AHHH!" he screamed.
"Tie the hose!" Mr. Nekobi
yelled.
Sam grabbed the hose
and tugged. He used all his
might to pull the hose back
around itself. He knotted
it like a giant shoelace. The
monstrous fire hose shook.
It was choking!
The hose crashed to the ground.
WHOOMP! Sam smacked against the cold
hallway floor.
And just like that, everything stopped: the
wild fire hose, the banging lockers, and the
flashing lights.
" The school hasn't been this active in
a very long time. . . ." Mr. Nekobi said,
getting to his feet.
Sam blinked twice. "Um, what?"
"Never mind. It's late. You should go home."
"But the school, it's — it's alive?!" Sam said.
"I don't understand —"
Mr. Nekobi handed Sam his
backpack. "Get home. Now,"
he ordered.
Sam wanted answers. But
even more than answers,
he wanted out of that school.
He turned on his heels,
shoved open the now
unlocked double doors,
and ran home. He didn't
stop once.
33
"Where have you been?!" Sam's mom yelled
as Sam came running through the door. "I was
worried sick."
Sam threw his backpack onto the kitchen
floor. He kicked off his sneakers. One nearly
hit his mom in the head. The other bounced
off a cabinet. "Mom, you wouldn't believe
it!" Sam said. In between gulping for air, he
began to tell the tale: "First, I almost got eaten
by quicksand! Then a tree broke through the
classroom window and —"
"Sam," his mom said, cutting him off, "tell
me the real reason you are late."
Sam sighed. Of course she wasn't going
to believe him. Antonio and Lucy had not
believed him, either.
At last, Sam said, "Hall monitor duty."
34
I, Peter Pan, challenge the friendly pirate
Noodler to a fight!" Antonio yelled. He swung
an invisible sword through the air.
It was Tuesday morning, and Sam, Antonio,
and Lucy were walking to school. They were
practicing their Peter Pan lines.
BELIEVE ME!
7
35
But Sam couldn't focus on his lines. He
could not stop thinking about what had
happened the night before.
Antonio laughed. "Sam, you have the worst
part in the play. You only have a few lines
toward the end. And, really, who wants to be a
friendly pirate anyway?"
"Huh?" Sam said.
"Sam's not even paying attention!" Lucy
moaned. "This play is going to be a disaster.
Everything is going to go wrong!"
Antonio patted his pocket, smiling. "Not
as long as I have my lucky
sandwich." Antonio and
Sam had been friends
since kindergarten.
And Antonio had
always carried a
peanut butter and jelly
sandwich around in
his pocket.
Sometimes he carried the same sandwich
around for weeks. Sam thought it was a little
bit disgusting but also a little bit awesome.
Sam stopped walking. "Guys, I really need
to tell you something."
Sam looked around to make sure no one
was nearby. He pulled his friends in close.
"Remember the quicksand I told you about
yesterday? I know you didn't believe me.
But after school, more weird stuff happened!
I fell asleep while on hall monitor duty —"
"I believe that!" Antonio joked.
"Listen!" Sam said. "When I woke up, the
school was going crazy! I was attacked by the
oak tree! Then Mr. Nekobi saved me! But I
think he might be a bad guy or something —
he's super weird!"
Antonio frowned. "You're losing your mind."
Lucy agreed. "I'm starting to worry about
you, Sam."
Sam ran his hand through his hair and said,
"Just wait until we get to school.
You'll see! There's a broken window
and busted lockers! And the fire
hose is tied in a big knot!"
When they got to school, Sam
rushed past his friends and up the
front steps.
What he saw blew his mind.
38
Everything was back to normal! It was
like nothing had happened. The fire hose was
wound up, and the lockers were closed.
"No . ." Sam whispered. "This doesn't
make any sense. . . ."
Antonio gently punched Sam in the arm.
"You should really get some more sleep. Your
nightmares sound serious."
39
The morning bell
rang, and everyone
began filing into class.
The huge window in
Ms. Grinker's class wasn't
broken. Even the oak tree looked normal.
This was a regular Tuesday morning.
But not for Sam.
Sam wanted answers, and he thought he
knew where to get them. But first —
"Sam, hurry up!" Lucy said, running into
class.
Sam groaned. He had to check the halls and
then get to class, too. His answers would have
to wait.
40
As soon as the bell rang for recess, Sam went
looking for Mr. Nekobi.
He spotted him outside the janitor's closet.
Sam watched Mr. Nekobi open the closet
door. Mr. Nekobi looked both ways down the
hall, like he was afraid he was being watched.
Then, very slowly, the old man reached into
the dark closet. He grabbed hold of a dim,
swinging light bulb. Mr. Nekobi tugged twice
on the light bulb.
INTO THE DARK
N
ESS
8
41
BRUMMMMMMM! There
was a low rumbling noise as
the rear wall of the closet
began to move.
A secret door! Sam thought.
Mr. Nekobi stepped through.
Sam swallowed. Sweat was pouring off his
brow. He needed to know the truth about<
br />
Eerie Elementary. This was his chance.
Sam darted across the hall. He closed the
closet door behind him. Then he leapt through
the secret doorway.
42
Sam found himself in a large room with
punching bags, pieces of old lockers, and
school chairs with three legs. The room was
dark. It smelled wet.
"Sam Graves," Mr. Nekobi said. "I've been
waiting for —"
Sam cut him off. "What happened last
night? And how is everything back to normal
today? I know I didn't imagine all that stuff !"
Mr. Nekobi said, "You imagined nothing.
Place your hand against the wall, Sam, and
focus."
Sam frowned. "You're nuts."
"Do you want to know the truth or not?"
Mr. Nekobi said.
Sam sighed, then placed his palm against
the cool brick wall. The room grew quiet.
Then, he heard it: the soft sound of air
blowing. And he felt it: The wall was gently
swaying.
It was the school. The school was breathing.
Sam backed away from the wall. "Wh-what's
happening?" he stuttered.
Mr. Nekobi walked toward Sam. As his face
passed through the shadows, he looked almost
inhuman. "Eerie Elementary is . . . alive," Mr.
Nekobi said.
Sam shook his head. "That can't be. That's
impossible!"
Mr. Nekobi continued, "This school is a
living, breathing thing. It is a beast. A monster.
And there is only one person who can keep
its students safe."
"Who?" Sam asked softly.
Mr. Nekobi stooped down until he was
face-to-face with Sam. "You, Sam Graves —
the hall monitor."
45
In a strange, hidden room, this man was telling
Sam that the school was alive? And that he was
supposed to keep everyone safe? He couldn't
believe it.
"I, too, was a hall monitor," said Mr.
Nekobi. "Eerie Elementary's first hall monitor.
And since then, I have been here to fight the
school and protect the students. But now I
am old and weak. And the school knows it.
The school knows that now is the time to
strike. It is planning something big."
HERO?
9
46
Sam collapsed in a chair. There were goose
bumps all over his body. "But how can the
school be alive? I don't understand."
"The source of the school's power is a
mystery," Mr. Nekobi said. "But I know this:
It is evil. It feeds on students, and it has not fed
in a long time. It is hungry. . . ."
Sam's heart was pounding.
Mr. Nekobi continued, "As hall monitor,
47
you have the ability to sense the school —
to see and feel and hear what others cannot.
But you must be careful, because the school
can sense you, too. It has attacked you twice
already. It knows you are its enemy."
Sam gulped.
Mr. Nekobi said softly, "You must be our
hero now, Sam Graves."
Do I have it in me? Sam wondered.
Sam thought about the quicksand and the
tree and the lockers. What if that had happened
to Lucy or Antonio? The school could have eaten
them! And if the school is planning something big,
then my friends are in danger. . . .
Sam turned to Mr. Nekobi and said, "Okay.
I'll do what I must."
Mr. Nekobi smiled. "Good."
"So now what?" asked Sam.
"Now you begin your training," said Mr.
Nekobi. He yanked on a filthy white sheet,
uncovering what looked to be a large metal
monster. Then he walked back out through
the secret door, leaving Sam all alone — or so
he thought.
49
The giant metal thing was made up of
different parts: an old refrigerator, pieces of a
vending machine, and banged-up lockers. It
had a rusty head dotted with two splashes of
red paint. There were brooms, buckets, and
wooden hockey sticks jutting out from it, too.
Sam took a deep breath. He was about to
step toward it, when —
"Sam!" a voice shouted.
THE MACHINE
10
Sam spun around. It was Antonio!
"Antonio! What are you doing here?" Sam
exclaimed.
"I followed you, since you've been acting
like a total weirdo. I was hiding behind some
junk over there," Antonio said.
"Did you — did you hear everything Mr.
Nekobi said?" Sam asked.
Antonio nodded.
"Do you believe him?" Sam asked.
"Not really. I think you're both crazy," said
Antonio. Then he walked over to the machine.
There was a note taped to the front. Antonio
tore it off.
51
Antonio smiled and said, "I may not believe
you, but I will help you train. This big monster
machine-thing is awesome!"
Sam perked up. Having a friend by his side
made him feel 1,000 times better.
"Look, there's a switch on the front,"
Antonio said. He flicked the switch and the
machine came to life.
Antonio jumped back. The giant machine
charged toward Sam. The top part spun, and a
hockey stick lashed out. Sam rolled underneath
the hockey stick. He came up behind the
machine. The machine's head whirled around.
It began shooting tennis balls out of its big,
round eyes!
"Watch out!" Antonio said.
Sam threw his arm over his face, but the
tennis balls knocked him to the ground.
54
Sam pounded his fists on the cement floor.
"This is ridiculous! I don't know how to do
any of this!" he yelled.
Antonio stuck out his hand, quickly helping
his friend to his feet. "Try using what's around
you."
VAA-SHOOOOM!!
A tennis ball whizzed between Sam and
Antonio. Antonio dove behind a nearby trash
can. Sam looked around and saw a busted
locker door.
Here goes nothing,
he thought.
Sam grabbed
the locker door,
held it up like
a shield, and
ran straight at
the machine.
The tennis balls
bounced off it.
55
When Sam got close enough, he tossed the
door aside and climbed on top of the machine.
Then he yanked the electrical cord from its
head.
The machine rumbled and coughed. Finally,
it went silent.
Sam hopped down.
"Wow," Antonio said, scratching the back
of his neck. "Dude, you're kind of awesome
right now!"
Sam turned to his friend, smiling. "But it
sounds like this was only the beginning."
56
For the next two days, Sam and Antonio
trained before school, during recess, and after
school. Lucy now thought both of her best
friends were losing their minds. She wouldn't
believe a word they said.
Sometimes Mr. Nekobi poked his head in
to check on Sam, but the old man didn't do
much else. Sam understood that Mr. Nekobi
was weak. Now it was Sam's job to protect the
school.
While Sam was walking home alone on
Thursday, Mr. Nekobi's words echoed in his
head: "The school is planning something big. . . ."
SOMETHING BIG
11
57
What could the school — Sam's thoughts were
interrupted by the feeling of cold fingers on
his back.
"Eek!" Sam shrieked. He spun around. "Lucy!
You scared me!"
"Did you think it was the school trying to
eat you?" Lucy teased. "I don't know what you
and Antonio have been doing the past three
days, but you'd better be ready for tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?" Sam asked.
Lucy rolled her eyes. Then she shoved a
crumpled-up piece of paper into Sam's hands.
As Sam read the words, his heart began to
pound. It all made sense. Sam knew exactly
when the school would strike!
58
It was opening night, and the school
auditorium was packed.
Sam stuck his head through the
red curtains and peered out. He saw
hundreds of parents and teachers in
the audience. He even saw his mom,
and Lucy's little brother.
BEAST FROM BELOW
12
59
Students were changing into their costumes
backstage. Antonio, as Peter Pan, was wearing
green from head to toe. And Lucy wore a
yellow dress as Wendy.
Sam pulled Antonio aside. "I've got a feeling
something really bad is going to happen," he
whispered. "Maybe we should stop the play.
We could tell Ms. Grinker —"