2 UPHILL DRIVE

CHAPTER 2 UPHILL DRIVE The car began winding its way up into the Gloamy Mountains. The town of Stermont was laid out below like a bunch of dollhouses. Alexander could see the water tower, his crumbling old school, and the brand-new school where he'd be going this fall.

CR-RR-RRUNCH! Alexander's dad turned onto a gravel road. Alexander had spent plenty of time in the woods behind his house. But these woods felt wilder. The trees were taller, the hills were steeper, and the shadows seemed darker. WHOOSH! Just up the road, something gray and fuzzy darted through the trees.

"Holy molars!" Alexander's dad shouted. "Did you see that?!" Alexander gasped. He grabbed a book from his backpack—the official S.S.M.P. monster notebook. Alexander never left home without it. He flipped it open.

SKEETER-COPTER Two-headed mosquito with spinning blades. HABITAT Tents Backyard BBQS Swimming holes

PSHHHT! skeeter-oopters love the smell of bug spray. DIET HUMAN BLOOD! BEHAVIOR These bloodsucking bugs slice through tents to snack on snoozing campers. WARNING! If you must go camping, Zip yourself all the way up in your sleeping bag. LEAVE NO SKIN EXPOSED!

"That vulture was huge!" said Alexander's dad. Alexander snapped the notebook shut. A plain old bird? he thought. That's not even close to a monster! They drove deeper into the forest. The gravel road became a dirt road. Then the dirt road became a narrow, weed-covered lane. They came to a stop at a crooked gate. CAMP GLOAMY Alexander's dad turned off the car. "Well, here we are," he said. They stepped out and looked around. The forest was silent. "Where is everybody?" said Alexander. CREAK! URGH! WHOOSH! A hairy beast-man leaped over the gate, landed with a grunt, and rushed toward Alexander.