6. The Dark Basement

THE DARK BASEMENT 6 Sweat poured down Sam's forehead. He had never been so scared in his life. The lunch cart rolled toward him and Antonio. Then, just as it was about to hit them, the boys jumped out of the way. SLAM!

The cart crashed so hard into the wall it shattered! Pieces of plastic showered Sam and Antonio. Antonio's jaw hung open. "Um, Sam... Maybe we should go back... to get help," he said. Sam shook his head. He knew that the school was trying to scare them into giving up. But he was not going to let that happen. Lucy was counting on them.

Besides, he knew they must have fallen twenty feet from the vent before they landed in that pile of goo. He didn't know how they would ever get out of this basement. Sam turned to his friend. "Antonio, we are deep inside the school now! I bet even Mr. Nekobi never made it this far. This is our chance to learn the secret of Eerie Elementary. If we can figure out what keeps it alive, we can learn how to beat it!" Sam said. "But, Sam—"

"And we must rescue Lucy!" Sam continued. Antonio swallowed. "You're right." Sam and Antonio began tiptoeing across the basement. Their hearts were pounding. Antonio shone the light as they walked. Goo ran down the walls. It dripped from the ceiling. Torn-up jackets and shredded backpacks lay across the floor. Bent and twisted bicycles lay in heaps. Everything looked like it had been chewed up.

It was like they were inside a body. And Sam thought that if Eerie Elementary was a body, then this basement must be its stomach. Sam looked around and said, "It looks like the school has just been eating backpacks and bicycles and stuff. Mr. Nekobi really has done a good job of protecting the students." "You've done great, too!" Antonio said. "If you hadn't saved us at the class play last Friday, I'd be down here!"

"Come on, let's finish this," said Sam. The friends tiptoed along. Then Antonio grabbed Sam's arm. "Look!" Antonio said, pointing. "What?" Sam asked. He followed Antonio's beam of light over toward a rusty metal desk. "It's him. It's Orson Eerie!" Antonio yelled.