4. The Secret in the Dark

THE SECRET IN THE DARK 4 Sam heard footsteps in the dark hallway. Lucy and Antonio had caught up. "What was that?!" Antonio said, looking around as his eyes adjusted to the dark. An icy chill came down the hall. The friends huddled together. "Some strange force pulled on my sash. It whipped me down the hallway," Sam explained. "It let go of me here. Then the lights went out."

He touched the wall in front of him. The bricks felt cold and damp. "Wait a second," Lucy said. "What is that green stuff?" Neon goo started oozing through the cracks in the wall. It was the color of a highlighter. It dripped between the bricks. Sam poked it. He rubbed his fingers together. "It's paint." "Strange," Antonio said. He gently pressed one of the bricks, and it moved! "Whoa!" Lucy exclaimed. She pushed a brick, too.

Then Antonio pushed another one, and a gurgling sound came from the wall— BLUB. BLUB. BLUB. Wet paint dripped onto the friends' shoes. "Guys, what's happening?" Lucy asked. The three friends stepped back as the bricks began to move and slide on their own. It was like a giant, real-life Jenga game! Soon, there was a large opening in the wall. "This looks like the entrance to a cave," Sam said. They peered inside. There was something beyond the wall but it was too dark to see what. Suddenly, the sash yanked Sam forward. "Yikes!" Sam cried. Antonio grabbed his friend's shirt. "I have you, Sam!"

"And I've got you, Antonio!" Lucy said. But the sash yanked again— and the friends tumbled through the opening. They landed on a cold floor in a small, dark room. They could barely see. "I have a feeling we should not be in here," whispered Antonio. Lucy dusted herself off. "I agree." Sam felt along the wall until he found a light switch. The instant he flicked it on, Antonio screamed, "GHOST!"