Swamp of the Hideous Zombies (3 page)

Uncle Tooth knocked again. He gave the door a kick and it swung open.

The shop was dark. It appeared to be empty.

The three entered slowly.

“Is anybody here?” called Uncle Tooth.

Silence.

Olivia checked the closets. Uncle Tooth looked behind the counter. Otto explored the back.

Suddenly, Olivia let out a piercing scream.

Sedley Mether was standing inside a closet with a blank look on his face.

Uncle Tooth rushed forward and waved his hand in front of Sedley’s face.

“He’s been zombified, all right.”

“Come see what I found!” Otto called.

Olivia ran back and snapped a picture.

Otto blinked at the flash. “Will you knock it off?” he said. “It’s just me.

“Look,” said Otto. He pointed to a round table set between two chairs. “Someone has been drinking tea.”

On the table were two cups and a teapot. One of the cups was clean. The other had tea leaves at the bottom.

“Fortune-tellers use tea leaves to read fortunes,” Olivia told Otto. “I thought everyone knew that.”

“No, Otto’s on to something,” said Uncle Tooth. He picked up the used cup and gave it a sniff. “Otto, you may have found just the thing we’ve been looking for.”

“I don’t see how,” said Olivia.

“Unless I’m very much mistaken, these
leaves are the kind used to brew Zombie Tea. It turns people into zombies,” Uncle Tooth explained. “The leaves only grow in one place I know of: Mookey Swamp, home of the Cobweb Queen!”

“The Cobweb Queen!” cried Otto. “Do you think she’s involved in this?”

Uncle Tooth nodded. “I’m sure of it. In fact, I believe Madame Webster
is
the Cobweb Queen. I found these behind the counter.”

He held up a pair of dark glasses and a frizzy wig.

Otto smiled. “I can see the headlines now:
OTTO CRACKS ZOMBIE CASE
.”

“Get over it,” replied Olivia.

Suddenly, they heard flute music somewhere in the distance.

“What eerie music,” said Olivia. “It makes my flesh creep.”

Otto was about to say something nasty when he realized that his flesh felt creepy, too. “Hey!” he cried. “There goes Sedley!”

Charmed by the music, Sedley Mether walked out the open door and down the street. Otto, Uncle Tooth, and Olivia went after him.

They saw Sedley joining a line of people, all following the creepy music.

“Zombies!” exclaimed Uncle Tooth.

At the jail, Auntie Hick tried talking to Ducky Doodle. But it was hopeless. He just stared straight ahead. Every so often, he would mutter, “Treasure … must find treasure.”

It was all rather spooky.

When she glanced out the window, Auntie Hick saw a large full moon pop from behind some clouds. She heard flute music nearby. Such creepy music!

Doodle perked up. He began shaking the bars of his cell.

“This is too much!” Auntie Hick muttered.

There was a knock on the jail door. Thinking it was Captain Poopdeck, she ran and flung the door open. Auntie Hick found herself staring into the eyes of a large creature. Next to the creature stood the Cobweb Queen, with a flute in her hand.

“I’ve come for my zombie,” she said.

Auntie Hick fainted.

Dozens of zombies were marching along the docks. They came from alleyways and houses. Some even came off ships. All were following the sound of the Cobweb Queen’s flute.

Horrified, Otto, Uncle Tooth, and Olivia made their way past the zombies to the jail.
The bars on Doodle’s cell had been bent back. Doodle and Auntie Hick were gone!

They ran outside. By now, the line of zombies had reached the edge of town. It was disappearing into Mookey Swamp. One especially large zombie was carrying Auntie Hick.

“Clegg!” cried Olivia.

“We’ve got to stop them!” screamed Otto.

Uncle Tooth sighed. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. The spell has given the zombies superhuman strength.”

“But we can’t just let them take Ducky Doodle and Auntie Hick,” said Olivia.

“Of course we can’t,” Uncle Tooth replied. “But it’s too dark to head into the swamp now. Olivia, you come spend the night at our house. We’ll get a fresh start in the morning.”

“This is going to be a scary adventure, isn’t it?” Otto asked.

Uncle Tooth nodded. “It already is.”

That night, before crawling beneath the covers, Otto locked his bedroom window and put his Good-Luck Pebble under his pillow.

Somehow, saying “I told you so” to Olivia hadn’t been nearly as much fun as Otto imagined it would be.

The next morning, they formed a zombie posse.

Uncle Tooth brought a coil of rope, a flashlight, and his trusty wooden sword. Otto brought his slingshot and his Good-Luck Pebble. Olivia brought her camera.

“That should be real effective in fighting zombies,” Otto said.

“Who said anything
about fighting
them?” answered Olivia. “I’m going to photograph them for the
Boogle Bay Bugle
.”

Otto laughed. “I can’t wait to see the one
of the zombie dragging you into the swamp. That should make the front page. Too bad you won’t be around to see it.”

“We’ll see,” said Olivia.

“Olivia’s right,” Uncle Tooth said. “It’s pointless to try and fight the zombies. The Queen’s magic has made them strong, and there are too many of them.”

“So how do we stop them?” asked Otto.

“
That’s
the mystery we have to solve,” said Uncle Tooth.

Captain Poopdeck and Jack Whiskers were going to stay in Boogle Bay in case any zombies returned.

“We’re counting on you,” Captain Poopdeck told them. “Good luck.”

Otto felt for the pebble in his pocket and gave it a squeeze. Olivia snapped a picture of everybody, and the zombie posse set forth.

They entered Mookey Swamp. Right away, the air became heavy and damp. The cries of unseen birds echoed through the gloom.

The swamp was a dangerous place, with or without zombies. There were holes to fall into, twisted roots to trip over, and vines to get caught in. It was home to the spinning Kootcha Bugs and the vicious Eenie Meanies. No one ever went on picnics in Mookey Swamp!

To keep their spirits up, Uncle Tooth
taught Otto and Olivia a zombie chant.

“This was given to me years ago by the sorceress Madame Ornithon,” he said. “She was part buzzard, part loon, and all magic. But it was
good
magic.

They walked along singing until their throats got dry. Uncle Tooth had wisely brought a Thermos of lemonade. They took turns drinking from it.

Otto asked, “If we can’t find out how to break the spell, will Ducky Doodle and Sedley Mether have to stay zombies forever?”

“Not as long as my name is Uncle Tooth!” said Uncle Tooth.

“I see one!” cried Olivia. Olivia flashed her camera.

It turned out to be only an old sign peeking through some bushes. It said:
PIRATE
’
S GRAVEYARD
.

“Geesh!” said Otto. “Do you have to be so loud? You scared the life out of me!”

“I wouldn’t say that in a graveyard, if I were you,” replied Olivia.

She walked into the thick grass and began to read the headstones.

Suddenly, a rock whizzed past her and bounced off a tree. “Otto, stop that!” she yelled.

Another rock flew past Otto’s head. He ducked.

“We’re being attacked!” he cried.

Uncle Tooth crouched down next to him.

A third rock fell to earth with a thud.

“Go away, you zombies!” called a voice.

“We’re not zombies!” Uncle Tooth called back.

It did no good. The rocks kept flying.

“They’re coming from that shack,” Otto whispered. “I’ll try to sneak up on whoever it is.”

“Stay close to the ground,” Uncle Tooth whispered back.

Otto nodded and crawled away.

“We don’t mean you any harm,” Uncle Tooth called.

“That’s what they
all
say,” came the voice. Another rock shot over.

“You’d better not hit my camera, or I’ll come over there and kick your butt,” said Olivia.

The thrower said, “Why would a
zombie
have a camera?”

By now, Otto had reached the shack.

On the porch, he saw an old sailor, surrounded by a pile of rocks, bottles, and bricks.

Otto fitted a stone into his slingshot, just as the sailor prepared to toss a bottle.