Don't Scream! Read Online Free Page B

friends don’t leave.”
    â€œYou’re not my best friend,” I said. “I don’t think you’re a friend at all.”
    â€œTime to say bye-bye,” Eli told her. He motioned for me to pick up the sledgehammer.
    I grabbed the handle and swung the hammer high above my shoulder. “WHOOOAAA.” The head was so heavy, I started to stumble back.
    I caught my balance and swung the hammer down on the phone. It hit with a loud crash. Glass shattered. Plastic cracked. Pieces flew everywhere.
    â€œYou
crushed
it!” Eli cried. “You
crushed
it!”
    He slapped my shoulder. “Again, dude. Do it one more time.”
    I gazed down at the phone. It was a mangled mess.
    With a groan, I hoisted the big sledgehammer back onto my shoulder. Then I swung it down and smashed the phone again.
    This time I nearly flattened it.
    The screen had totally shattered. Shards of glass glistened on my carpet. I could see a smashed circuit board inside the broken case.
    I was breathing hard. Eli and I just stood there, staring down at the wrecked cell phone. Then we both burst out laughing.
    â€œWhat was
that
about?” Eli cried. “Who was that girl?”
    â€œShe’s history,” I said. We laughed some more.
    Eli shook his head. “I hope the owner of the phone doesn’t come looking for it.”
    That made us laugh more. I felt kind of crazy. I guess it was because that girl was gone.
    â€œShe was scary,” I said.
    â€œWonder what she looks like,” Eli said, scratching his head. “I wonder who she is. She could be our age. I couldn’t tell from her voice. Do you think it’s someone from school?”
    â€œWe definitely don’t know her,” I said. “She had to be a stranger. Playing a weird joke. I’m just glad it’s over.”
    Eli pulled the game-player from his pocket. He tapped the screen. “Dude, you’ve got to see this new game. It’s called
Ancient Cincinnati
. It takes place in Cincinnati, like, five thousand years ago. And there are these ancient warriors fighting on the Ohio River. It’s wild.”
    He squinted at the screen. Then he shook the game-player.
    â€œWeird,” he muttered. “I didn’t turn it off. But it’s not booting up.”
    â€œTry again,” I said.
    He pushed some more buttons.
    â€œDid you try to
hurt
me?”
    Eli and I both gasped. The girl’s voice.
    â€œWhere is she?” I cried.
    â€œIt … it came out of my game-player!” Eli said.
    â€œDid you try to hurt me?” she asked again. “That was
cold
, guys.”
    â€œWhere are you?” I asked, staring at the game-player between Eli’s hands. “How — ?”
    â€œThat wasn’t very nice, boys,” she said. “Why are you making me
punish
you?”
    â€œP-punish?” Eli stammered.
    ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTT.

13
    Eli opened his mouth in a scream that drowned out the loud buzz from the game-player.
    He had the player gripped in both hands. As I watched in horror, he began swinging his hands wildly. I realized he was trying to drop the thing.
    â€œIt burns! It BURNS!” he wailed.
    His face was bright red. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He swung his hands wildly.
    â€œOWWWWW! It’s burning HOT!” he shrieked. “I — I can’t drop it! It … won’t …”
    I lurched forward — but stopped. How could I help him? What could I do?
    If I grabbed the game-player and tried to pull it free, I’d burn my hands, too.
    Eli screamed and flailed and thrashed.
    Finally, the game-player dropped to the floor.
    Eli fell to his knees, gasping in pain, frantically waving his hands in the air.
    I gazed down at the game-player. It sizzled and the plastic bubbled wetly. Smoke poured up from it.
    â€œIt … it
melted
,” I murmured.
    I dropped down beside Eli. He was gasping and wheezing. And he was still waving his hands