14. Snagged!

SNAGGED! 14 But Orson's bite never came. Sam wasn't pumpkin food! He slowly opened one eye. He was staring into the snapping mouth of the monster! He saw the stringy, dripping insides of the pumpkin. The Orson pumpkin wrestled and shook. But it wasn't coming any closer. Something held it back! Sam heard the RUMBLE RUMBLE of an engine.

"Assistant hall monitors to the rescue!" Antonio shouted. "We got him, Sam!" Lucy yelled. Sam peered around the angry pumpkin. He saw his friends driving the tractor from the hayride. Lucy and Antonio had thrown coils and coils of thick rope around the pumpkin! Some circled around its thick stem. Other coils were tight against the pumpkin's monstrous mouth. Orson was like a dog on a very strong leash! Sam felt the townspeople watching them.

Orson Eerie must have felt it, too, because he suddenly pulled with all his might. He tugged with the strength of elephants! RAWRRRR! The monster growled. The tractor wheels spun and the engine smoked! The machine's strength was being tested! "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!" Orson Eerie roared. He pulled harder and harder. The ground cracked. The school shook. Bricks fell and windows broke. There was one final pull. Lucy and Antonio leapt from the tractor, and then—

SPLURT! The pumpkin tore itself open! Strange, pulpy seeds filled the air! Then a slithery, storm-cloud-like Orson Eerie snaked out of the pumpkin. The cloud became a thick, gray mist blocking the moon. Then, Orson spoke and his voice came from everywhere. "I have not even begun to fight!" "He's trying to scare us." Sam whispered.

"Well, it's working!" Lucy said, taking a step back. "But look!" Antonio said, pointing. "The mist is thinning! He's weakening!" Sam gulped. THIS was their big moment. They needed to finish him off! Now!