I’ve got to get up, he told himself. I can’t let them cover me like a blanket.
Like a smothering blanket…
But the creatures were too heavy. There were too many of them on him.
He let out a whimper of pain as he felt mouths biting at him. Drinking…
Choking off his air. Smothering him…
I’m doomed, Evan realized.
This time, the Monster Blood got me. This time, the Monster Blood wins.
27
The creatures covered Evan. Darkness swept over him.
He struggled to breathe.
He wondered if Kermit and Andy were being smothered beside him.
He sucked in a mouthful of air. A cold, wet blob pressed over his face. Evan couldn’t let the air out.
He heard a rush, a buzz in his ears.
The sound of my own blood, he thought. My own blood pulsing through my veins.
He suddenly felt lighter.
I’m fading, he thought.
He let out the mouthful of air.
Hey — the creature moved away from my face! Evan realized.
What’s going on?
He raised his head — and saw an amazing sight.
Kermit and Andy were climbing to their feet. The blobs had moved away from them. They had moved away — to fight the other blobs.
They’re all fighting each other! Evan saw.
Furious growls rose over the playground as the creatures bit each other, tugged at hair, at slimy blue flesh, dug their pointy teeth into each other.
With a groan, Evan climbed to his knees. He shook off his dizziness and gazed at the incredible scene.
“They’re swallowing each other!” Andy gasped. “They turned so mean, they’re going after each other!”
She’s right, Evan realized. They’re getting meaner and meaner. So mean, they’re destroying each other!
Kermit picked up his glasses from the ground. He wiped off some blades of grass, then slid them over his face. “I don’t believe it!” he cried, watching the creatures devour each other.
In minutes, the blobs had eaten each other. They had completely vanished.
The grass was covered with slime and wet tufts of black hair.
The last blob left rolled over and died, its blue flesh ripped to shreds. But nothing else remained of the hundreds of creatures.
Not a trace.
Evan stood up shakily. He dusted himself off. Squinting into the sunlight, he looked around.
Groups of neighborhood people talked excitedly. They shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders as they talked, trying to make sense of the whole thing.
I could make sense of it for them, Evan thought. But they’d never believe me.
He turned to Kermit and Andy. “Are you okay?”
They nodded. Andy pulled a chunk of slime from her dark hair.
“Let’s get out of here,” Kermit said.
But before Evan could move, a shadow fell over him.
He turned and stared up at the two grim-faced police officers. “You again,” one of them accused, narrowing his dark eyes at Evan.
“I… I…” Evan stammered.
“I think you three kids are in big trouble,” the other officer said softly.
“Trouble?” Evan choked out. “Why? What did we do?”
The officers gazed around the playground.
“What did we do?” Kermit repeated shrilly. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We didn’t commit any crime.”
“There’s nothing here,” Andy added. “Look around. There’s nothing here to blame us for.”
“Well…” The officers hesitated.
One of them picked up a slimy wad of black hair from the grass. “How about littering?” he asked his partner. “I think we can charge them with littering.”
“Let’s forget about it,” the other officer muttered. He turned to the three kids. “Go on. Go home. Let’s forget any of this ever happened.”
I hope I can, Evan thought as he turned and started jogging away with the others.
I hope I can forget about it.
“That was a close one,” Kermit said softly as they jogged across the street.
“Yeah. A close one,” Andy repeated.
“I just feel bad I never got to look at one of those guys under a microscope,” Kermit said.
“Yuck,” Andy murmured. Her whole body shivered. “I keep thinking about that disgusting hair on their bodies. It felt so wet and slimy when it brushed against your skin.”
“What a waste of good hair-growing formula!” Kermit grumbled.
“Let’s stop talking about it,” Evan suggested. “That policeman is right. We should try to forget the whole thing.”
They didn’t say a word for the rest of the way back. Evan started to feel better as Kermit’s house came into view.
Maybe this horrible adventure is over, he told himself.
But his heart sank, and a heavy feeling of dread swept over him when he saw Aunt Dee waiting for them on the front stoop.
“Evan, you are responsible,” she said sternly, narrowing her eyes angrily at him. “I want a full explanation.”
“Well…” Evan didn’t know where to begin.
“I shouldn’t have opened the can of Monster Blood,” Kermit told her.
“That’s what started it,” Evan said. “Then the blue creatures started exploding, and—”
“Stop right now!” Aunt Dee ordered, raising her hand in a halt sign. “I don’t want to hear about your silly blue creatures. If you want to waste your time on fantasy games, that’s your business.”
She crossed her arms in front of her and glared at Evan angrily. “I want to know what happened to my pot of hot sauce!”
“Huh?” Evan gasped.
The whole town was nearly overrun by gross, water-sucking monsters. And all she cares about is her precious hot sauce!
“I’m waiting,” Aunt Dee said sternly, tapping her foot.
“Well…” Evan started.
What can I tell her? he asked himself, thinking hard. What can I say?
“Evan took your hot sauce,” Kermit chimed in. “He ate it, Mom. Evan loves your hot sauce. He ate the whole pot himself.”
I don’t believe this! Evan groaned to himself. After all we’ve been through, the little rat just got me in trouble again!
But to Evan’s surprise, he found Aunt Dee smiling at him. “Evan, I’m so flattered,” she said. “I didn’t know you liked it so much. I’ll make you a big pot of it every time you come for a visit!”
“Uh… great,” Evan replied weakly.
“Go get my stew pot. Then come inside for lunch,” she instructed them. She disappeared into the house.
Evan led the way around to the back. He scowled at Kermit. “I can’t believe you told your mom that.”
Kermit shrugged. “It was the only thing I could think of.”
Evan gazed around the backyard. The flower garden was dead and dry. Big patches of grass lay brown and flat.
The stew pot sat on its side in the middle of the yard.
Evan started toward it — but stopped with a startled cry as a figure staggered out from behind the garage.
A hulking creature with glowing red eyes!
28
“Whoa!” Evan exclaimed.
Kermit and Andy huddled close to him as the creature lumbered into view.
As it stepped into the bright sunlight, Evan saw that it wasn’t a creature at all. The three of them were staring at a man in a white work suit.
The work suit looked like the kind of space suit worn by astronauts. It covered the man from head to foot. The man’s face was completely covered too. He peered out at them through bright red goggles.
“Who — who are you?” Evan managed to choke out.
The man stopped halfway across the yard. He stared out at them, his eyes dark behind the red goggles. Finally, he lifted a gloved hand and pulled back his hood.
He removed the goggles, took a few deep breaths, and pushed his curly black hair off his forehead. “No blue creatures here?” he asked, looking around. “I guess I didn’t need the safety suit.”