The Stuff of Nightmares Read Online Free

said impatiently.
    Perry looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to carry on. When I didn’t, he turned with an exasperated huff to Steve. ‘What about you, Steve? What’re you afraid of?’
    ‘Disappointing my dad,’ Steve replied immediately.
    Perry nodded, with no smile or witty, snitty comeback for once. Enough said.
    ‘And you, Joe? What frightens you?’
    ‘Me …’ said Joe, his eyes burning into Perry’s.
    ‘Huh?’
    ‘I frighten myself,’ said Joe, the merest hint of a smile twisting his lips. ‘So what must I do to the rest of you?’
    ‘Very funny,’ said Perry. ‘I’m serious. What scares you, Joe?’
    Joe shrugged and smiled. Perry gave up on him.
    ‘Your turn, Kyle. What’s your weakness?’
    ‘I’m afraid …’ My mates were watching me. I could feel my face glowing warm. I changed my mind and decided not to confess to the thing that scared me the most. I plumped for one of the things that still made me … anxious; had always made me anxious. ‘I’m afraid of ghosts.’ One look at my friends’ faces and I instantly regretted the admission.
    ‘Are you kidding me?’ Perry scoffed. ‘There’s no such thing as ghosts.’
    I shrugged. ‘As the saying goes, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Perry, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”’
    ‘Where’s that from?’ asked Perry. ‘
Star Wars
?’
    ‘Shakespeare’s
Hamlet
, you moron,’ I replied.
    ‘My name’s in
Hamlet
?’ said Perry, astounded. ‘Cool!’
    I opened my mouth, only to snap it shut again. Joe looked at me and smiled ruefully. At least he wasn’t angry any more. The train finally began to move. ’Bout time too!
    ‘Go on, Kyle, have a go,’ said Steve, trying to thrust his game console at me again.
    ‘No, thanks,’ I said, exasperated.
    ‘Why’re you being so dry?’ he asked.
    ‘I’m not. I just …’
    Steve regarded me, eyebrows raised.
    ‘Give it here then,’ I said with a sigh.
    I’d barely got my hand on it when all at once there was a colossal bang like nothing I’ve ever heard before. So loud, it was like the whole world exploding. And beneath the bang there came the sound of metal twisting and crunching and crushing, like the train carriage ahead was being chewed up and spat out.
    Our train had been hit. Hit hard.
    Our carriage was slammed backwards, then began to tilt up sharply. I pitched forward, then fell back. Joe and Perry opposite fell towards me as the train was pushed up at a sharp angle.
    That’s when the train began to turn.
    To actually flip over.

2
    WITHOUT WARNING, THE train smashed back down on its side again. And the noise … Glass shattering, crashing and smashing, and metal bolts popping. My body flipped and flopped like some kind of rag doll. I might have been a piece of paper caught up in a tornado for all the control I had over it. My head slammed against something hard; after that I couldn’t see anything, hear anything, think anything above and beyond the ringing in my ears and the fireworks exploding behind my eyes. The sky, the train, the carriage disappeared and the world was just a wash of pain and darkness. I groaned; then I disappeared too.
    The day of the letter began the same as any other. I went to school, I spent about an hour at Steve’s house, playing his latest computer game and listening to some tunes, then I went home. I’d like to say that the moment I set foot in the hall I knew something was wrong. But I can’t say that, ’cause it’s not true
.
    ‘
Mum?’ I bellowed as soon as the front door was shut
. ‘Mum?’
    No answer. Maybe she was in the shower or the garden or something. I couldn’t smell anything cooking either, which was more unusual. I ran upstairs to my room, taking the stairs two and three at a time. I glanced into Mum and Dad’s bedroom as I passed. The envelope taped to the dressing-table mirror had me backing up. And even when I saw it, it still didn’t click. I walked over to the dressing table
.