4. A Tight Spot

A TIGHT SPOT 4 Sam soon saw that the dark tunnel they were crawling through was actually an air vent. It carried cool air into the classrooms. Sam shivered partly from the cool air and partly from fear. As they crawled, the inside of the air vent became wetter. Slimy goo dripped down the sides. "It feels like we're crawling through someone's nose!" Antonio said.

Each time Sam placed his hand down, it made a slushy sound. "I just wish it wasn't so dark," Sam said. CLICK! A light shone in the tunnel. Sam craned his neck and saw Antonio holding a cell phone. Antonio grinned. "My mom makes me carry it." "Smart!" Sam said. They crawled forward through the muck. "So, why do you think the school took Lucy?" Antonio asked.

"Shhh!" Sam said, whispering. "We don't want the school to know we're coming." "I'll be very extra qui—" Antonio started, but then "AHH-CHOOO!" "Antonio!" Sam moaned. "I'm sorry! It's hard to breathe with your stinky sneakers in my face!"

SWOOSH! A wave of air whooshed through the vent, blowing back Sam's hair. But this air was warm. It felt like someone's hot breath! "The school must be trying to figure out where we are," Sam whispered. "So don't make

AHH-CHOOO! This time it was Sam who sneezed. "Sam!" Antonio said. "Sorry!" KLANG! Sam looked behind them. Lucy's locker door slammed shut! The school definitely knew where they were. And now they were trapped. No turning back.

All of the sudden, the vent began to shake. The metal buckled. It began to squeeze them! "We have to get out of here!" Sam said. The vent squeezed tighter, closing around them! It pressed against Sam's shoulders. It pressed against his legs. Sam and Antonio crawled forward as fast as they could. The vent squeezed them harder. "It's going to crush us!" Antonio screamed.