Swamp of the Hideous Zombies (4 page)

BING!—he knocked the bottle from the sailor’s hand.

“Now!” cried Otto.

Uncle Tooth rushed forward and pounced on the old fellow. There was a furious tussle, but the sailor was no match for Uncle Tooth. In no time, Uncle Tooth had him tied up.

“This is the last straw!” shouted the sailor. “If it ain’t zombies, it’s thieves!”

“We’re not thieves,” Olivia told him.

“But we won’t untie you until you explain why you were throwing rocks at us,” Uncle Tooth added.

The old sailor looked suspiciously from Otto to Tooth to Olivia.

Finally, he sighed and said, “Very well.”

“My name is Copper Bill. This place used to be a pirate hangout. There are caves to camp in and a lagoon for docking ships. But for as long as I can remember, it’s been abandoned. For the last six years, I’ve lived here with my daughter, Little Effie. It’s a lonely life, but we like it. At least we did until about a week ago.

“That was when this weird woman and her friend, a patch-eyed parrot, moved into the old mansion round back. People say it used to be the home of a zombie priestess.

“The strangers took a peculiar interest in
Little Effie. They said how small she was and how good she would be at getting in and out of tight places. They tried to get her to visit them in the mansion. But I wouldn’t allow it. Still, you know how stubborn children are—no offense intended. One morning, Little Effie was gone!

“I looked everywhere for her. When I went toward the mansion, the trees were filled with snakes and bats and I couldn’t get through. Sadly, I returned home.

“As I brewed a cup of coffee and pondered my next move, there was a creak on the porch. I opened the door and saw Little Effie standing there—or, what
used
to be Little Effie. They had turned her into a hideous zombie!

“I brought her in and set her before the fire. I tried talking to her, but it was as if her brains were stuffed with cornbread. She just
sat there, not speaking. Then I heard organ music coming from the old mansion. Creepy music. As soon as it started, Little Effie rose, walked out the door, and vanished into the swamp. I followed, but couldn’t get past the snakes and bats.

“I was sick with grief. Last night, I saw the weird woman walking through the trees followed by a whole line of zombies! When I saw you, I thought you were zombies coming for
me
next.”

Uncle Tooth untied Copper Bill.

“The zombies you saw last night are friends of ours,” he said. “And that weird woman is the Cobweb Queen. If we’re going to stop this zombie curse, we need you to show us where the mansion is.”

“Gladly,” said Copper Bill. “But you won’t get past the snakes and bats.”

Copper Bill led them through the Pirate’s Graveyard, past the lagoon and pirate caves, to the darkest part of the swamp.

“Do you think the Cobweb Queen is searching for pirate treasure?” Olivia asked.

“She may be,” said Copper Bill. “But if there was any treasure here, I bet it was dug up long ago. I think she’s after something in the mansion. Something belonging to the zombie priestess.”

“Like what?” asked Otto.

“Beats me,” said Copper Bill.

He stopped and pointed to an opening. “Right in there. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Uncle Tooth said, “We’ll be all right. We have a zombie chant to help us.”

“And my Good-Luck Pebble,” said Otto. “Hey! Where is it?” He dug in the pocket of his sweater. “It’s gone! Where …”

Suddenly, a chill ran through him.

“Oh, no! I used the pebble in my sling-shot.
How could I have been so stupid?”

“Just practice, I guess,” said Olivia.

“The pebble was used for a good cause,” said Uncle Tooth.

“But I need it for protection!” Otto cried. “You don’t understand!”

“
I
understand you’re acting like a baby,” said Olivia.

“What do
you
know? You and that stupid camera! I wish you’d never come to Boogle Bay!”

“Otto! That’s enough,” Uncle Tooth said firmly. “There’s no reason to attack Olivia. Now listen to me.”

He knelt and placed a hand on Otto’s shoulder. “A lucky object is easy to lose. But you have something that can never be lost unless you choose to lose it.”

“What’s that?” sniffed Otto.

“Your own courage. A pebble can’t stand up to the Queen. You can. If you used the pebble in your slingshot, it’s because you don’t need it anymore.”

Otto thought about this. “You think so?”

“I’m sure of it,” said Uncle Tooth.

Copper Bill wiped a tear from his eye. “Dang! It’s as if you were talking to me. I’ve let my fear of the snakes and bats hold me back from going after Little Effie. I have courage, too, and I want to use it.”

“Excellent!” said Uncle Tooth.

He turned to Olivia. “And I’d like a little more sympathy from you, young lady. We all need to stick together at a time like this.”

“Sorry,” said Olivia. “It won’t happen again.”

Halfway down the path, a band of bats came out of nowhere and flew at their faces. Our heroes swatted at them blindly.

Uncle Tooth aimed his flashlight at the bats. Presto!

They turned out to be nothing but dried leaves!

“Tricks! All tricks!” Uncle Tooth huffed.

“Watch out!” shouted Copper Bill.

A mean-looking snake was curling down a tree branch toward Olivia’s neck.

Uncle Tooth sprang forward. He grabbed the snake in both hands and flung it to the ground. He hacked at it with his sword.

“Look. It isn’t a snake at all!” cried Otto.

Uncle Tooth held up his sword.

Dangling from it was a long, limp vine.

“More tricks! This time, she even had
me
fooled,” he said.

In the confusion, Uncle Tooth dropped his flashlight. The swamp ooze sucked it up. Otto felt helpless, until he remembered his courage. “If a Good-Luck Pebble can’t stand up to the Cobweb Queen, I guess a flashlight can’t either,” he thought.

Just ahead, the mansion loomed eerily. Uncle Tooth snorted. “This looks like zombie territory, all right!”

A crew of zombies was digging up the grounds in spooky silence. Watching over
them was One-Eyed Eddy, the Cobweb Queen’s parrot.

“Dig faster, you zombies!” he ordered. “Or I may have to use my whip.”

Olivia shuddered. “The swine!”

“Do you see Little Effie?” Otto asked Copper Bill.

“Nope. She must be inside. I hope they haven’t forced her into some small space she can’t get out of.” Copper Bill removed his cap and scratched his head.

“I have an idea. Suppose I enter the yard walking like a zombie,” Bill said. “The zombies won’t notice. But that parrot probably will. While he’s looking at me, you three try to get inside the mansion.”

“Good plan,” said Uncle Tooth.

It
was
a good plan. One-Eyed Eddy did notice Copper Bill. Bill sped up his zombie
walk and led the parrot on a merry chase.

Otto, Uncle Tooth, and Olivia snuck past the zombies to the side of the mansion. Uncle Tooth tried the front door. Otto and Olivia went to check for other ways in.

The back door had boards nailed across it. But they found an open basement window.

Otto paused to gather pebbles for his slingshot. Olivia started to crawl in through the window. Suddenly, she heard Otto scream. She spun around to see him in the clutches of the huge zombie, Clegg!

If only Olivia had brought a weapon … but maybe she had!

She ran forward and flashed her camera in the zombie’s face.

He groaned, blinked his eyes, and tottered about. Otto slipped free!

“Thanks. I owe you one,” Otto said.

They crawled through the basement window.

It was dark and smelly and cobwebby down there. There were some coffins, all empty, and in one corner, a bunch of cereal boxes.

Olivia set her camera on a shelf while she
bent down to examine a small rug. Suddenly, she screamed.

“GAA! Spiders! They’re crawling all over me! Get off! Get off!”

Otto grabbed Olivia’s camera, aimed at the rug, and flashed.

“They’re gone,” said Olivia.

“No,” said Otto. “They’re in the rug—see? Only they aren’t real. They’re just sewn in the design.”