Ghost Detectors Volume 1 (11 page)

Malcolm ignored him and kept his pace. The detector continued bleeping. He moved on, slinking through the kitchen.

He peered into the living room. The sun had dropped farther in the sky, and Malcolm had to squint to see into the darkened room. No ghost on the couch. The clock on the mantel kept time with the detector.

Malcolm aimed the specter detector at everything, including the portrait of the Millers. The family of four grinned “cheese!” out of the frame at him.

“Maybe we should turn on a light,” Dandy said.

Malcolm shook his head. “It's not that dark.”

“I can barely see a thing.”

He heard Dandy stumble and saw him feeling around for objects in front of him. “Take off those goggles,” Malcolm whispered.

“Oh, yeah.” Dandy reluctantly pulled them down where they dangled around his neck.

Bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep!

The light on the ghost detector began to blink faster.

Suddenly, the TV clicked on. Malcolm jumped. Then he saw the remote lying on the coffee table, untouched. Yikes!

“Gee, I wonder what's on the ghost channel,” Dandy said.

Only static and snow. Just as Malcolm reached for the remote, the picture cleared. A creepy phantom face looked out at them and grinned. “I'm gonna get you!”

M
alcolm clicked the off button on the TV several times. Dandy scrambled to put his goggles back on.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Malcolm yelled to him.

“I liked it better when I couldn't see!” Dandy said.

“Dandy!”

The phantom winked at Malcolm, and then the screen faded to black. Malcolm shivered so hard he could barely hold the ghost detector steady.

Bleep . . . bleep . . . bleep . . . bleep . . .

“Why didn't you zap it?” Dandy asked.

“Because it wasn't really here. It was on TV. We've never used the ghost zapper, so we don't
know what it will do. Who knows what would've happened if I'd zapped the screen.”

“Yeah, and it is a flat-screen. That would've been expensive to replace,” Dandy reasoned. “What'd we do now?”

Malcolm wondered that too. He glanced back at the TV. It now looked like a giant black hole, ready to swallow him up. He backed away quickly.

“Maybe we should look around some more.”

“O-Okay,” Dandy said, trying to sound brave.

Bleep . . . bleep . . . bleep . . . bleep . . .

The ghost detector was still at one bleep per second. Malcolm felt safe for the moment. “This way,” he said.

He slowly inched his way to the hall, leading to the Millers' bedrooms. He'd barely taken two steps into it when he heard a loud crash! Malcolm flipped on the light and turned. Dandy lay sprawled out on the floor, face down. “Dandy!”

“Sorry,” Dandy said, his voice muffled by the carpet. “I fell over the coffee table.”

“Take off those goggles!”

Dandy did what Malcolm said, even though
he felt safer with the goggles on. He caught up to Malcolm in the hallway.

Both boys stepped lightly. Malcolm held the detector with his left hand. He kept his right hand clutched around the zapper. He wasn't taking chances. This nasty ghost could jump out at any moment, and Malcolm wanted to be able to whip out the zapper fast.

The boys crept up to the first bedroom. Malcolm peeked around the doorjamb. It was Katie Miller's room. She was the Millers' oldest daughter who went to high school. The walls were plastered with movie posters and silly street signs.

Bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep!

Dandy tapped Malcolm on the shoulder. “Does that guy look familiar to you?” He pointed to a poster of the old movie,
Gone with the Wind.
It showed the lead actor, Clark Gable, dipping the lead actress, Vivien Leigh. They were just about to kiss.

Malcolm took a step closer.
Gone with the Wind
was one of Grandma Eunice's favorite movies. She made Malcolm watch it with her nearly every time he had to “watch” her for his
parents. Malcolm could tell right away that this was not Clark Gable or any other character from the movie.

As though coming to life, the man's head turned and grinned at them. “I'm gonna get you!”

Malcolm pulled out the zapper and shook it hard. But as he aimed it, the face on the poster faded back to the original actor.

“Rats!” Malcolm yelled.

“I-I d-don't th-th-think we're going to g-get this one,” Dandy said. His voice echoed like a stadium announcer's.

“I'm not giving up so easy,” Malcolm announced.

This ghost was playing games with them. Like ghost hide-and-seek. There had to be a way to get him. Malcolm headed back into the hall.

Bleep . . . bleep . . . bleep . . . bleep . . .

“Come on,” he told Dandy.

They did the usual tiptoe toward the next room.

“Who do you think it is?” Dandy asked.

“Who do I think who is?” Malcolm replied.

“The ghost. Who do you think he is and why do you think he's haunting the Millers' house?”

“I don't know,” Malcolm said. “But he shouldn't be here.”

“Maybe he should,” Dandy argued. “Maybe he's guarding the house while the Millers are away.”

“A guard ghost? I don't think so. He's not wearing a guard uniform or anything.”

“Good point,” Dandy said.

The next door led to the parents' bedroom. Malcolm flicked on the light and scanned the room. It was decorated with a blue striped bedspread, red striped curtains, and green striped wallpaper. The whole room looked like it was surrounded by bars.

Bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep!

Dandy headed toward a desk in the corner. “Look. They left their computer on. Let's Google something.”

Malcolm pulled Dandy back fast. One of the fish bobbing along the screensaver turned and swam toward them.

“I'm gonna get you!” it gurgled. One of the bubbles floated off the screen and exploded near Dandy's face. He fell back on his bottom. The computer clicked off on its own.

“That's it!” Malcolm yelled. “I'm going to find you!” He pulled Dandy to his feet, and they stomped out of the room.

The next door he came to was shut. It was the bathroom. Malcolm only knew this because he could hear water running.

“Somebody's taking a shower,” Dandy said.

Malcolm creaked the door open.

“I don't think we should go in,” Dandy told him. “What if he's on the toilet?”

Malcolm ignored Dandy and opened the door. He motioned Dandy to follow him.

The shower curtain was drawn, and the room was covered in a hazy mist. “Look!” Dandy said, pointing to the mirror. Scrawled in the fogged up mirror were the words,
I'm gonna get you!

Malcolm whipped around and pulled back the shower curtain. Nothing.

“One more room left to check,” Malcolm said. But they never got the chance. As soon as the boys turned into hall, the ghost jumped down behind them and yelled, “Got you!”

B
leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

Dandy screamed like a banshee while Malcolm shook the zapper. But before he pressed the trigger, the ghost huffed a horrendous breath at them. It knocked them down with hurricane force winds and sent the zapper flying out of Malcolm's hand.

“Ew!” Dandy said, waving his hand in front of his nose. “That smells like onions and feet!”

Malcolm couldn't argue. That ghost did have stinky breath. But he was more concerned with getting the zapper so he could finish this ghost off.

The ghost dived at them. The boys scrambled and ran. Malcolm saw the zapper had landed near the fireplace. He hurried toward it, but
the ghost popped down, blocking his way. He reached his long bogeyman arms toward Malcolm.

“Do something!” Malcolm yelled.

Dandy grabbed his goggles by the strap and swung them at the ghost. “Take that!”

The ghost grabbed the goggles and pulled. Dandy pulled too. The strap stretched and stretched.

“Let go!” Malcolm cried.

Too late. The ghost let go first. The goggles snapped back, hitting Dandy in the head and knocking him flat . . . again.

“Ouch,” he said groggily.

Malcolm needed to get that zapper! Or maybe he just needed to get away. The ghost tilted his head, looking at him this way and that. When he grinned again, he showed a full set of razor-like teeth. He started toward them.

Malcolm tried to get Dandy to his feet. The ghost moved closer . . . and closer . . . and . . . stopped.

The ghost's sneer turned to surprise. Malcolm heard snarling and looked down. The little white dog had come in through the open
kitchen door and was biting the ghost's leg. He was even dragging him backward.

The ghost tried shaking him off. He jumped and kicked and twisted his leg. The fierce little dog held on tight. The distraction was exactly what Malcolm needed. He grabbed the ghost zapper and shook.

When the ghost turned back it was Malcolm's turn to grin and yell, “I'm gonna get you!”