5. Hidden Room

HIDDEN ROOM 5 "That is definitely not a ghost," Sam said to his friends. Lucy laughed. "It's just a big white sheet!" she exclaimed. "Whoops. False alarm," Antonio said. "But this room is scary."

Sam walked to the center of the small room. The sheet hung over an artist's easel. It was splattered with paint. Sam lifted one corner of the sheet. The friends gasped.

Orson Eerie's eyes stared out at them from the canvas. "Someone painted a portrait of Orson!" Antonio said. "Not just someone," Lucy said. "Look!" She lifted a painter's smock off a dusty coatrack. The letters O.E. were stitched onto the smock. "Those are Orson's initials!" Sam exclaimed. "This must have been Orson's secret art studio!" Lucy said. Antonio stepped away from the painting. "That means this is a self-portrait," he said. "A painting Orson did of himself." RING!

Lunch was over. "We should get back," Antonio said. Sam turned to leave, but— THUD! He bumped into the wall. Lucy took a step backward. "The opening is gone! It's a regular brick wall again!" Sam felt for a place to push and open the wall. But there were no more wiggly, moving bricks. The goo was gone, too.

"Hey! Antonio, cut it out!" Lucy exclaimed. Antonio looked confused. "What did I do?!" Lucy replied, "I know you were pulling my backpack." Just then, Sam shouted, "Antonio's not pulling you! ORSON'S PAINTING IS! IT'S ALIVE!" Antonio and Lucy whirled around. Two strange, paint-covered hands reached out from the Orson Eerie portrait! One had hold of Lucy's backpack strap.

CRASH! The hand yanked Lucy's backpack off her shoulder and hurled it onto the floor. "Watch out, guys!" Sam shouted. He leapt back as the hand swatted at him. Lucy ducked as the other hand swiped at her. The hands turned to fists, and SMASH! CRUNCH! The fists pounded the floor! "Orson's fists are going to smash us to bits!" screamed Antonio. Sam's eyes darted around the room. He saw no way out. He saw no escape at all!