Cave of Terror Read Online Free Page B

for breath. The creature opened its mouth, displaying sharp, elongated fangs. My eyes widened until I thought they'd pop out of my head
    Inside I screamed.
    Evil stared me straight in the face.
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2
Along Came the Fog
    And then the bat smiled, revealing more sharp teeth.
    I'm not crazy. I know what I saw. The bat actually smiled. It was the creepiest thing I've ever seen—full of malicious intent.
    Stan turned off his flashlight which seemed to release me from the clutches of whatever unseen force had held me. I stumbled backward, trying to get my balance. Air freely flowed back into my lungs and my pulse calmed somewhat. I quickly joined Mandy.
    "You look strange. You're as white as a ghost—again. Everything all right?” Mandy furrowed her brows.
    "I don't know. I feel really weird."
    "Oh my God! Are you having one of those claustrophobic attacks? Should I get Mrs. Krammer?” Mandy's voice tinged with worry. She turned to get our teacher.
    I grabbed her shirt. “No! I'm fine. I'm just dizzy. I really should've eaten breakfast. I'll be fine after lunch, really."
    I didn't need Mrs. Krammer hovering over me like I was some invalid. And no way was I going to tell Mandy about the strange encounter with the bat. Like she'd believe me anyway.
    "Are you sure? Because you don't look fine.” She put her hands on her hips and studied my face.
    I sighed. “Yes, I'm sure. Let's get going."
    I glanced back toward the formation where the bat had been hanging. Surprise! It no longer remained. A shiver raced up my spine. What did it mean? Was the bat some kind of harbinger of evil? Whatever. I just wanted out of the cave. Period. Something really creepy was going on, and I wanted no part of it.
    A little farther in, we came to a widened area. A tour group approached from the opposite direction.
    "Everyone please move to the left and allow the group to pass,” Stan directed.
    As they passed, a familiar smell caught my attention. I lifted my nose and sniffed the air like a dog on a scent. Traces of almonds and a hint of cinnamon lingered in the vicinity. I glanced around, trying to pinpoint the source. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I glimpsed the hot guy, moving along with the departing group. I grabbed Mandy by the wrist.
    "Mandy, he's in group that just passed us—the guy from the gift shop.” I turned to point him out, but he no longer appeared to be part of the group. “Well, he was there. I think."
    "Okaaay! You have it bad all right. Let's think about this for a minute. If you saw him in the building right before we got on the cable car and he wasn't on it with us, how could he be in the group just now leaving? The tour is an hour and a half. Duh!” Mandy laughed and shook her head. “Are you coming or what?"
    I stood there baffled. Was I hallucinating? I could've sworn it was him, but Mandy made sense. How could it have been? He couldn't be in two places at the same time. Or could he? Oh boy, I'd lost it for sure.
    The next room we entered, the Ice Cream Parlor, held more than just a hint of almonds. Instinctively, I searched for any signs of a bat.
    "Oh, I could use an ice cream sandwich about now,” Mandy said.
    How could she think about food when the bats from hell kept playing the let's-see-how-much-we-can-freak-the-vamp-girl-out game?
    Stan told the story about the ice cream cone and the kids waiting in line to get it. Then, he turned to show us the ice cream sandwich formation, stopping to shine his light on the roadrunner underneath it. “What the heck?"
    Hanging from its head was ... you guessed it, a bat.
    "I've never seen this before. Very unusual.” Stan seemed to be talking more to himself than the group. He moved his light around the rest of the room.
    Mandy snapped a few pictures. Flash. Flash .
    Two bats simultaneously flew through the room right over our heads. Several girls ducked and squealed. The cheerleader had a firm hold of her jock protector as she pumped her