Attack of the Beastly Babysitter

by R. L. Stine

  You hold your breath. Was your answer correct?

  “Wrong!” the voice roars. “Everyone knows the Beast from the East is a furry blue creature. Everyone except you!”

  “But … but …” you stutter.

  “No buts about it!” A heavy hand slaps you hard on the shoulder.

  Then the thing steps out of the shadows. At last you can see it.

  It’s big.

  It’s furry.

  It’s blue.

  It’s the Beast from the East — coming to feast on you!

  THE END

  The Stinko ice melts first.

  “Help! Unfreeze me!” you try to say. But you can’t move your lips. You’re still frozen solid.

  Stinko skates up to Dare. He reaches down and grabs some slush. He packs the snow and ice into a ball.

  POW! Stinko wallops Dare with the snowball. “That’s for scaring me!” Stinko yells.

  Dare just stares icily ahead.

  Then Stinko skates up to you. He has a big grin on his face. He knows you can’t speak or move. “Who’s the Stinko now?” he shouts right into your face. “Stinko! Stinko! Stinko!”

  There’s not a thing you can do about it. You’re still frozen stiff.

  Okay, maybe you shouldn’t have called him Stinko. And maybe you teased him too much.

  Your little brother is finally getting even with you. He’s skating away and leaving you behind!

  Just before he vanishes, he turns and sticks out his tongue.

  Oh, well. Even little brothers should be able to win the game sometimes.

  THE END

  You yank open the EMPLOYEES ONLY door. A dim yellow light casts an eerie glow in the empty hallway. What’s back here? you wonder. You step inside.

  Better keep moving, you warn yourself. Zoe probably saw you duck in here.

  You hurry along the dark corridor. No doors, no other halls to turn down, nothing. But the walls curve gently to the left. And the floor seems to slope downward.

  You have the feeling you are going underground.

  You come to an area with small windows along the floor. That’s weird, you think. You kneel and peer down.

  Your mouth drops open at the strange room below you. It looks like a scientific lab. Steel tables with sinks, Bunsen burners, test tubes — the works. And the room is full of pointy-nosed hippie girls and guys wearing white lab coats.

  They all look like Zoe!

  This is bizarre. How could there be so many people who look so much alike?

  And just what are they studying down there underneath the Fun Zone?

  Turn to PAGE 34.

  “Blue!” you cry. “The Beast from the East is blue!”

  “Right you are! Well done,” the voice congratulates you. “Not only will I allow you to go through my cave, I will also give you a prize.”

  It holds something out of the shadows toward you.

  You squint at it. The faint light shows you that it’s an audiocassette tape.

  “A tape?” You take a few steps forward. “What’s on it? Music?”

  “You will find out when it becomes necessary,” the voice replies mysteriously. “Take it. It may help you.”

  You grab the tape. A shiver ripples through you.

  The hand you just touched wasn’t human.

  It felt like a giant cat’s paw!

  Go to PAGE 99.

  “Aaaaaaah!” you shriek. The swinging bridge hurls you headfirst over the side.

  You wave your arms frantically, trying to grab hold of something — anything — to keep you from plummeting into the deep canyon.

  You’re in luck! Your fingers connect with the rope. You clutch it tightly.

  But can you hold on? Your arm muscles burn as you reach up to the bridge with your other hand. You grab empty air. You reach again. Nothing.

  Your feet dangle below you. You glance down. It’s a long drop.

  Whoops!

  You shouldn’t have looked.

  Now your hand is sweating, making it hard to hold on.

  You’re slipping!

  Hang on until PAGE 27.

  You gasp in horror. But the horror mixes with anger as David salutes the giant rat!

  It was a trap, you realize. David is part of this horrible nightmare.

  You’re too shocked even to yell at him.

  “Good work, David,” the rat says. “You’ve brought in another recruit for the rat-people’s army.”

  Hey.

  You recognize that voice.

  And now that you peer closer, you recognize the face under all that rat fur.

  Zoe!

  Turn to PAGE 83.

  You decide to quit while you’re ahead.

  An evil grin spreads over Dare’s face. “But you aren’t ahead yet,” he murmurs. He winks and swirls his tattooed cape.

  Your body disappears!

  All that’s left of you now is … guess what?

  A HEAD!

  “Now you can quit,” Dare taunts. “While you’re A HEAD!”

  THE END

  You wriggle your new rat body. You flick your long, thin tail.

  Yup, you’re a rat all right.

  You just hope the rat-people know how to change you back! Maybe you should have double-checked before you agreed to switch.

  “At last!” Zoe cries. “Now we’ll be able to get back to being regular rats. We’ll just mix their saliva into the Switch Cheese, and the formula will be complete!”

  A rat-person bends down next to you and holds a cup in front of your mouth. You twitch your pointy nose and spit into the cup. You and Stinko take turns spitting until the cup is filled.

  The rat leader takes the cup. He nods his giant head. “This will do. You have served your purpose.” He rushes away with the cup. Dozens of rat-people scurry after him.

  “Hey, wait a sec —” you call after the departing rats.

  “He didn’t say thank you,” Stinko complains.

  But you aren’t thinking about the rat leader’s bad manners.

  Here’s what you really want to know:

  Will the rats keep their promise? Will they switch you back to your human forms?

  Because you sure would like your body back now!

  Turn to PAGE 112.

  You decide to open the box. Dare said the only way to get home was by winning the games. Might as well get started.

  “Look out!” Stinko warns. “What if something bad is in there?”

  “It’s just a game,” you tell him.

  “But what game?” Stinko asks.

  You can tell he’s scared. So are you.

  But you’re also curious.

  You put your hands on the box top. Stinko leans over you, breathing down your neck. Slowly, carefully, you lift the box top off. You lean over the box to see what’s inside.

  You see yourself. And Stinko.

  “It’s a mirror!” you exclaim.

  “And we’re in the mirror!” Stinko adds.

  “And the mirror is in the box,” you hear Dare say. “And if you’re in the mirror, and the mirror is in the box — well, then, I guess you’re in the box, too.”

  You and Stinko are shoved into the box. The top comes down fast! So fast, you can’t fight back.

  You’re trapped inside. You’ll never win now. Dare is finished playing THE GAME. And so are you.

  THE END

  You decide to stand your ground. You might as well face whatever is coming — you don’t see anywhere to hide!

  You step into the center of the room.

  The sirens whoop louder. The lights flash faster.

  And then the ground drops out from under you!

  Whoa! You’re sliding down a long chute. You glimpse a bright white room below you. You realize you’re sliding into one of the underground labs you passed earlier.

  Man, was this ever the right decision! you congratulate yourself. After being in that cramped, dark Rat Tomb, the white room below you looks great.

 
The chute levels off. You slow down, then come to a stop — inches from the mouth of the chute. You take in giant gulps of the pure, clean air.

  Then, a terrifying sight freezes your breath in your lungs.

  It’s Stinko! Your little brother is strapped to a stainless steel lab table. He struggles against the restraints.

  But that isn’t what sends chills through your body. Stinko is surrounded by hippie girls and guys.

  Hippies who are half human — and half rat!

  Slide to PAGE 109.

  “What was that?” you hear Zoe demand.

  “A box fell, that’s all,” the other girl reassures her.

  You press yourself against the wall and try not to move. Which is really hard to do with dozens of gross worms inching their way up your legs. You shake your legs one at a time.

  No use.

  The worms cling like lint on an old sock. You want to scream, but you hold it in.

  Zoe rushes over to the spilled cheese. You hold your breath and try to ignore the worms crawling across your body.

  Zoe bends down and examines a hunk of worm-covered orange cheese. “Waste not, want not,” she says with a grin. Then she tosses the squirming cheese into her mouth.

  You gasp at the repulsive sight.

  Zoe spins in your direction.

  Uh-oh! You just gave yourself away!

  Now what are you going to do?

  Find out on PAGE 41.

  There’s no way you can fit through the bars.

  “Stinko!” you whisper. “You’ve got to sneak through the bars and get those keys. It’s our only chance.”

  “I can do it!” Stinko whispers. “I know I can!”

  Your little brother slides one leg and arm between the bent bars. Then his shoulder. He turns sideways and slips the rest of the way through.

  He’s out!

  You give him a thumbs-up. Then you point at the counter. He tiptoes over, grabs the keys, and rushes back to your cage.

  “You did great!” you tell Stinko as he unlocks the cage.

  You’re free!

  “Oh, no, you don’t!” Zoe screams from the doorway.

  You gulp. She is surrounded by her mutant pals. “You’re not going anywhere!” she snarls.

  Your eyes desperately scan the room for something, anything that might help you. The cages. The tables. The tape player.

  You feel in your pockets. Could you have a weapon? A bribe?

  Nothing. You come up empty.

  Or do you?

  If you have a cassette tape in your pocket, go to PAGE 116.

  If your pockets are empty, go to PAGE 129.

  Dare swings his cape over his ankle, on the spot where the snake tattoo had been. But before he does, you see something amazing.

  Nothing.

  There is absolutely nothing of Dare under the tattoo. No skin! No bones! No Dare!

  Just empty space.

  You’re too stunned to speak.

  “You may have won the game,” Dare admits. “But not the match. I’ll see you in your nightmares!”

  With one swirl of his cape, Dare vanishes.

  The ice disappears. So do the skates.

  And your energy.

  You and Stinko fall fast asleep.

  You’re snoring! Go to PAGE 47.

  Just in time, a hand reaches out of the swirling orange mist. It grabs you.

  “It’s okay,” a boy’s voice reassures you. “You’re safe.”

  Your rescuer starts to pull you back up onto the bridge. The mist is so thick that all you can see of him is a red baseball cap. And his hand clasping your wrist.

  Yikes! That’s no ordinary hand! A scruffy patch of fur grows across his knuckles. And his fingers aren’t fingers.

  They’re claws.

  Go to PAGE 119.

  “No way!” you yell. You grab for the Instant Ice Maker. Your fingers wrap around the barrel.

  “Back off!” Dare shouts.

  You and Dare struggle with the spray gun. You point it at his face and squeeze the trigger.

  Pssssssst! “You braaa …!” Dare shrieks as his mouth begins to freeze.

  You spray him again. But before he freezes solid, he twists the gun around.

  Psssssst! He got you! All three of you are frozen stiff.

  But who’s the coolest of all?

  Good question. Why guess when you can find out for sure?

  Take three ice cubes and three small glasses filled with hot water. Glass #1 is Stinko. Glass #2 is Dare. Glass #3 is you.

  Drop a cube of ice into each glass at the same time. Which melts first?

  If the Stinko ice melts first, turn to PAGE 15.

  If the Dare ice melts first, turn to PAGE 108.

  If your ice melts first, turn to PAGE 59.

  You glance around.

  No controls.

  Luckily, before you panic, an engine rumbles. A vibration shakes the dome.

  It must start automatically. Lucky for you!

  The dome spins and twirls. You clutch your stomach. Soon it lands with a soft thump. The door slides open.

  You’re home!

  “Well, there you are!” Your mother stands in the front door. “Did the baby-sitter leave already? Did you like her?”

  Huh? What are your parents doing here?

  Are they back from their trip already?

  Does this mean you’ve been in the Fun Zone for two days?

  Whoa …

  “Mom,” Stinko cries, “that baby-sitter was a real rat.”

  “Now, now,” your mother scolds Stinko. “If you don’t have anything nice to say …”

  “Don’t say anything at all,” you finish with a wink at Stinko.

  THE END

  You stare around in horror. Dead rats’ eyes stare back at you.

  “Get me out of here!” you shriek. You leap to your feet.

  The moment you stand up, lights start flashing. Alarm bells ring. The rats who led you here scatter and vanish.

  “Come back!” you call after the rats. Then you realize your rat pals have betrayed you.

  They led you into a trap!

  The sirens blare. The lights blind you. And the awful stench is getting more intense.

  You’ll never be able to get out of this place before someone comes to check on the alarm. So it comes down to two choices.

  Should you stand your ground in this Rat Tomb and face what is coming next?

  Or should you find a place to hide?

  If you stand your ground, turn to PAGE 23.

  If you hide, turn to PAGE 77.

  You don’t have much choice, you realize. You sigh.

  “Okay,” you mumble. “Ask away.”

  “Question number one. What creature comes to life during the full moon and is part human and part animal?”

  You snort. “That’s easy. A werewolf!”

  “Very good,” the voice in the dark responds. “The next question is a little harder. High in the Himalayas lives a mysterious, furry, humanlike creature.”

  Ooooh! You know this one, too. You saw it on Fact or Fiction on TV! “It’s called —” you begin.

  The voice cuts you off. “I want both names!” it warns.

  You grin. “The Abominable Snowman or Yeti!” you declare. This is fun!

  You hear a low rumbling sound coming from the direction of the voice. Is it a laugh? A growl?

  You get nervous again.

  “Now my final, and most difficult, question,” the voice announces. “Although if you read GOOSEBUMPS, it should be easy.”

  The voice pauses. The cave is so silent, you can almost hear your heart pounding. Finally, the voice speaks again.

  “What color is the Beast from the East?”

  If you think the Beast is green, turn to PAGE 14.

  If you think the Beast is blue, turn to PAGE 17.

  “Fun! Hooray!” Zoe cheers when your finger lands on FUN.

  “Fun! Fun!” Stinko crows happily. He claps his hands.
>
  “Whoopee,” you mutter.

  “Time for the fun to begin! Follow me!” Zoe orders. Adjusting her large shoulder bag, she races out the back door. Stinko grabs his red baseball cap and darts after her. You follow reluctantly.

  Zoe pulls a huge silver disk out of her bag. She yanks a metal loop in the center of it. The disk opens into a dome shape. Zoe places it on the lawn. It comes up to your chest.

  “Wow! Where did you get that thing?” you ask.

  Zoe ignores you, touching a spot on the side of the dome. A door slides open. “Enter the DiskGo-Tech!” she commands.

  “Neat!” Stinko scurries into the dome. Without giving you a chance to argue, Zoe shoves you inside. Then she crawls in after you. The door slides shut.

  You have to scrunch to fit inside the cramped space. “Gee, this is too much fun for me,” you grumble.

  Zoe glares at you.

  Then an engine rumbles. And the dome starts spinning!

  “Next stop, the Fun Zone!” Zoe cries.

  Turn to PAGE 71.

  Oh, no! You faked it.

  If you had really done the maze, you’d know that this is not an exit.

  You didn’t make it out!

  And now you’re trapped in the middle of the rat’s nest!

  The walls close in around you! “Aaaaahhhh!” you scream in horror. Rats squeak and scamper around you. Tiny rat claws scratch your face, your hands, through your clothes.

  “Get them off!” Stinko shrieks.

  Terror paralyzes you. Rats jump out of crevices and cracks in the walls. It’s as if it were raining rats!

  You try to cover your head. But the rats pound down on you. You and Stinko fall to the ground. You roll onto your stomach. You can’t stand the idea of rats landing on your face. You struggle for breath as you feel yourself being crushed by more and more rats.

  “Stinko!” you scream. “The rats are burying us alive!”

  One glance tells you that Stinko knows exactly what you mean. He’s under his own pile of squeaking rodents.