I cried out and held on. Sliding … sliding too fast.
The pain grew too intense.
My hands flew off the gutter.
I landed hard on my back.
I didn’t feel the landing. I didn’t feel anything.
My wind was knocked out. I gasped for breath.
I’m dying, I thought.
But then I pulled in a wheezing breath. And, ignoring the pain, forced it out.
Above me, the house came back into view. And above it, the sky, pink with a high blanket of gray clouds.
I sucked in another breath. Another. The air felt so cool.
I began to feel again. Felt the snow on the back of my neck. Felt the cold dampness of the ground through my clothes.
My hands throbbed and burned, burned from sliding on the rusted metal gutter.
I sat up.
And heard a scream. And sirens down the hill.
“Uncle Jekyll—” I choked out.
I climbed unsteadily to my feet. The ground rocked and bobbed beneath me. I shut my eyes, waiting for my legs to stop trembling.
“I’m okay,” I murmured. I bent down and rubbed cold snow on my burning hands.
Then I began jogging down the hill.
What did I plan to do when I reached the village?
I didn’t know. I couldn’t think clearly. But I had nowhere else to run.
Maybe I can save Uncle Jekyll, I thought.
A deafening explosion made me stop. Somewhere in the village a mountain of flames burst up like a volcano erupting.
Shrill screams and cries rose up over the roar of the flames. In the flickering yellow-orange light, I could see people running frantically in all directions.
Maybe I can pull Uncle Jekyll away from there, I thought.
I instantly realized it was a crazy idea.
He was a beast now, an inhuman creature.
He had to be stopped.
Breathing hard, I reached the edge of the village. I heard the crack of gunshots. I ran past an overturned car, its tires spinning.
I turned onto the main street. Police officers patrolled, guns out, ready for action. In the orange light of the fires, their faces were grim and angry.
“Get away from here!” a man shouted.
It took me a few seconds to realize he was shouting at me.
“Stay out of town!”
“The beast is angry tonight!”
“Get off the street!”
Their shouts rang out over the crackling of the fires, the wail of sirens, the terrified screams. They hurried away, toward a burning house on the next block.
I turned, eager to get off the street.
Too late.
“Noooooo!” I uttered a shocked scream as the creature leaped out from the side of a house.
A wolf! A snarling wolf-creature, howling, snapping his wet jaws. His gray-and-brown fur bristling. Lumbering forward stiffly on two legs.
His red eyes glowed and then locked on me.
I backed across a snow-covered lawn. Too late to run.
Too late to hide.
The growling creature moved quickly, arching his body for the attack.
I searched frantically for a weapon. A stick. A tree branch. Something to use to bat it away.
No. Nothing.
With a hideous roar, the beast spread his furry arms—and dove at me.
With a terrified cry, I dropped to the ground. My face plunged into the hard-packed snow.
I jerked my head up in time to see the beast sail over me.
I tried to scramble away.
But before I could climb to my feet, I felt a heavy paw on my back.
“No!” I gasped.
Grunting loudly, the beast pushed me down. Held me down on the snow.
“Uncle Jekyll—” I choked out. “Please …”
I turned and saw him tilt up his head and send an animal roar to the sky.
And then I saw a figure come running across the street.
Aaron!
Yes. Aaron. Waving a baseball bat in front of him with both hands.
“Heidi—run!” he cried breathlessly. Flames from a burning car lit up his face, and I could see the fear on his twisted features. “Run!”
“I … can’t!” I gasped. “The beast—he has me pinned down.”
Aaron came running, swinging the bat furiously.
The beast let go of me. Roaring angrily, he rose onto his hind legs and spun around to face Aaron.
“It’s my uncle!” I cried to Aaron. “The beast is my uncle! I saw him drink a chemical and—”
Another angry roar drowned out my words.
“Run!” Aaron cried shrilly, his dark eyes reflecting the firelight. “The people—the people of the village are going to destroy him! We can’t take it anymore! They plan to go up the hill, Heidi. They plan to burn down your uncle’s house!”
“No!” I gasped.
And then my cry was cut short as the beast shoved me roughly aside.
Aaron swung the baseball bat.
The beast grabbed it from Aaron’s hands—and flung it across the snow.
I screamed again as the snarling creature dove at Aaron.
The beast picked Aaron up easily in both hairy paws. Lifted him high in the air.
And threw him into the fire.
My entire body locked in horror as I watched Aaron disappear into the flames.
I forced myself to move. Forced myself to run to the fire to help him.
But the beast blocked my path. Clawed at me. Swung a huge, powerful arm. His sharp claws sliced through my jacket.
He swiped again, aiming for my face.
I dove to the ground, sprawling onto my elbows and knees.
Climbing up, I saw Aaron come scrambling out of the fire. He rolled in the snow. Rolled over and over.
And then jumped to his feet. “I’m okay, Heidi!” he called to me, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Run!”
I gazed at him for a moment, making sure he wasn’t burned. Making sure he really was okay.
The snarling beast lurched at me again.
The creature dove with such fury, he lost his balance. He slipped to his knees in the snow.
And I took off.
I ran past the burning car, past houses with their windows shattered, past a speeding patrol car, its siren blaring. Then I headed up the hill.
Why was I returning to the house?
I had nowhere else to run.
Halfway up the hill, I turned back.
And to my horror, I saw the snarling beast following me.
“Ohhhhh.” A terrified moan escaped my throat.
Now what? Now what?
I couldn’t think.
I burst into the house, my chest heaving, my throat aching. The dark entryway spun before me.
Where to go? Where can I hide? Is there any place I will be safe?
I’ll hide until the potion wears off, I decided. Yes! Maybe the potion will wear off. And then I can talk to Uncle Jekyll, try to reason with him.
Maybe … Maybe I can convince him to send me somewhere safe.
But where?
This is my home now.
My home …
But not for long. The villagers will soon be coming to burn it down!
And then what?
Too many thoughts. I squeezed my hands against my head. My brain felt ready to explode!
I heard a low growl from outside. In my terror, I had left the front door wide open!
He’ll be in here any second. I’ve got to hide—now! I decided.
I spun away from the door and went running through the hall. The door to my uncle’s lab stood open, all the lights on.
I burst inside, panting, my side aching.
I glanced around frantically, searching for a hiding place.
Should I go back into the closet? Would he find me there?
My eyes stopped at the lab table—and another crazy idea flashed into my head.
Drink
the potion, Heidi, I told myself.
Drink the same potion your uncle drank—and become a beast too. If you don’t, you won’t stand a chance. It’s the only way you can fight him.
Was it a crazy idea? Or a brilliant idea?
I didn’t have time to decide. I heard the beast’s heavy footsteps in the hall.
I lurched to the table. Grabbed the test tube. And raised it to my lips.
Empty.
The test tube was empty.
I shook it. I peered into it.
Of course it was empty. I had watched Uncle Jekyll drink it down.
I grabbed up the one beside it. He had drunk from both of them. The second one was empty too.
It fell from my hand as the beast swept into the lab. His fur-covered feet thudded wetly over the floor. He pulled his dark lips back, baring jagged wolf teeth.
“Uncle Jekyll—” I choked out, backing away.
His red eyes locked on mine. Teeth still bared, he uttered a low animal grunt.
And stepped toward me.
“Uncle Jekyll—it’s me—Heidi,” I called in a shrill, quivering voice. “Do you recognize me? Do you know me?”
The beast grunted again in reply.
“You wouldn’t hurt me, would you?” I cried. “Please. You wouldn’t hurt your own niece—would you?”
He opened his jaws in an angry roar and swiped a paw angrily in front of him.
Waving his arm in front of him, as if clearing a path, he moved toward me, snarling, grunting, wheezing.
I backed up against the wall.
Trapped. Nowhere to run.
He moved in slowly, steadily. Growling sharply now. Snapping his jaws. A white froth bubbled over his lips.
I raised my hands in front of me, trying to shield myself.
The beast raised both arms to attack.
And then I heard a sound behind him. A sound from the lab door.
The beast stopped—and turned away from me.
I gaped over his furry shoulder—and saw a figure hurry into the lab.
Uncle Jekyll!
“Heidi—” Uncle Jekyll cried from the doorway. “Are you okay?”
I opened my mouth to reply—but no sound came out.
Uncle Jekyll?
Trembling all over, I gazed from the growling beast to Uncle Jekyll.
I was wrong! I realized to my shock.
Uncle Jekyll isn’t the beast!
The creature raked a paw at Uncle Jekyll, as if warning him away. Then it turned to me, opened its jaws in an angry roar, and arched its back, preparing to pounce.
Uncle Jekyll leaped across the room. He tackled the snarling creature from behind. Wrapped his arms around its waist and wrestled it … wrestled it away from me.
The beast struggled to free itself, thrashing its furry arms, bending its knees, heaving its shoulders.
But Uncle Jekyll held on tight. Hugging the angry creature … hugging it … hugging it …
Until the beast surrendered. Stopped its struggles.
With a long sigh, the creature lowered its head and shut its eyes. Its shoulders slumped. Its whole body sagged.
And still Uncle Jekyll held on, hugging it, hugging it so tightly, I wondered if it could breathe.
And as my uncle hugged it, pressing his head against the furry back, the creature began to change.
To shrink …
The fur pulled back into the skin.
The light faded from the blazing red eyes. The frothing snout melted into the face.
As I stared in silent shock, the beast shrunk … hunched in on itself …
And when it raised its head, it had turned back into—Marianna!
Her black curls fell wetly, covering her face. Her shoulders heaved up and down. She pressed her face against her father’s chest. And cried softly.
Uncle Jekyll held her tightly. And raised his sad, red-rimmed eyes to me. “Heidi, I locked you in your room to keep you safe,” he said, his voice just above a whisper. “I warned you to stay there. I didn’t want you to get involved.”
“I … I tried to help,” I stammered, still staring in shock at Marianna. Marianna the Beast. “Uncle Jekyll, I didn’t know. …” The words caught in my throat.
Marianna raised her head. Tears rolled down her swollen cheeks. “Daddy,” she whispered. “What am I going to do?”
Uncle Jekyll patted her hair gently. “I don’t know, Marianna,” he replied. “I spend all my time trying to find a cure for you. You know I’m here in the lab, working on it night and day.”
A sob escaped Marianna’s throat. “I can’t go on like this, Dad. Being a person in the daytime … and a creature at night.”
“I know, I know,” Uncle Jekyll said softly. “Some day soon, I will find the right cure. If I just keep trying. I drink it myself. I test each one on myself to see what it does. You know that I’ll do anything to find the right mixture to keep you from transforming.”
I swallowed hard. “Uncle Jekyll, how did this happen?” I asked quietly. “Why does this happen to Marianna?”
He uttered a sigh. “It happened five years ago. Marianna was seven. We were traveling in Europe. Our car broke down in the middle of a forest.”
He sighed again. “I remember it so clearly,” he said, still hugging Marianna. “She got bored while the car was being fixed. She wandered into the forest and got lost. When I finally found her
…”
He swallowed a sob. “When I finally found Marianna, she told me about a forest creature. It attacked her. It bit her. I didn’t know whether to believe her or not. She was always making up stories.”
He gently patted Marianna’s hair. “One bite of the creature was all it took to ruin Marianna’s life. A few weeks later, Marianna transformed for the first time. And now, most nights, she transforms into a frightening, angry beast. I … I’ve been searching for a cure ever since. I think I’m close, but—”
He stopped.
Marianna raised her head, suddenly alert.
All three of us heard the angry shouts. The thud of boots on the hill.
“No!” Uncle Jekyll let out a scream as a rock came crashing through the lab window.
And then we heard the steady chant from the villagers outside: “Kill the beast … kill the beast … kill the beast!”
“Kill the beast … kill the beast …”
The sound of the ugly chant burst through the shattered window.
“Burn it down!” someone shouted. “Burn the house down!”
We heard people battering the front door. And more wild, angry shouts:
“Burn the house!”
“First, kill the beast!”
“Kill the evil!”
Another rock sailed into the lab. It hit a shelf of beakers on the wall. Shattered glass flew across the room.
Uncle Jekyll’s eyes bulged wide in fear. He still had his arms around Marianna. But she pulled away in panic, lurched toward the lab door, then turned back. “Dad—what do we do?”
Uncle Jekyll uttered a long, sad sigh. He stared at the broken window.
“Kill the beast … kill the beast …” The angry chants grew louder. The pounding on the front door sounded like booms of thunder.
“Are we trapped in here?” I cried, shouting over the wild cries and chanting voices. “They’re out of control. They’ll kill us all!”
Uncle Jekyll grabbed my hand and pulled me toward Marianna at the door. “I planned for this,” he said. “We can escape. But we have to be fast.”
We ran into the hall. And heard a loud cracking sound.
“The front door!” I gasped. “They’ve broken it down.”
“This way!” Uncle Jekyll cried.
He led us along the back hall. We turned a corner into a narrow hallway I’d never seen.
I heard angry cries. From inside the house! Heavy footsteps.
I smelled smoke. “They’re setting the house on fire!” I cried.
Uncle Jekyll pulled open a narrow door
. “In here,” he instructed. He moved aside. Marianna and I stepped inside.
Uncle Jekyll pulled the door closed behind us. A steep stairway led down to the basement. Our shoes thudded on the creaking stairs as we made our way down.
“They’ll search for us. They’ll find us down here,” Marianna whispered to her father. “If they burn the house, we’ll be trapped.”
Uncle Jekyll raised a finger to his lips. His eyes were narrowed in determination. Ducking his head under the low ceiling, he guided us through the cluttered basement. Past the enormous, chugging, vibrating furnace. Past a storage area piled high with wooden cartons and old steamer trunks.
He picked up a flashlight on a worktable and clicked it on. Then we followed the darting beam of light through two large, empty spaces, our footsteps echoing on the concrete floor. And stopped at a tall wooden crate against the far wall.
“Help me,” Uncle Jekyll instructed. He leaned his shoulder against the crate and started to push. Marianna and I moved to the other side and pulled.
Above us, I heard heavy footsteps. Angry shouts. The villagers were searching the house.
The crate slid an inch at a time. Finally, we moved it far enough to reveal a low opening in the basement wall.
“It’s a tunnel,” Uncle Jekyll said, wiping sweat from his forehead with his coat sleeve. “An escape tunnel.”
I peered into the low, dark opening. “Where does it lead?”
“It goes down the hill. Past the village,” Uncle Jekyll replied. “It ends less than a mile from the highway. We’ll be safe. And maybe we can get a ride to somewhere far away.”
A loud crash upstairs made me jump. The sharp smell of smoke drifted down through the basement ceiling.
“Hurry,” Uncle Jekyll urged. “We want to be out of the tunnel before they search the basement.”
I ducked my head and stepped into the narrow opening. My eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness. Uncle Jekyll aimed the flashlight at our feet.
The tunnel was concrete, low and round, cut into the hill. I heard the scuttle of tiny feet up ahead. Field mice? Raccoons? Rats?
No time to worry about them.
Hunching low, we began making our way through the tunnel. It curved slowly and then began to slope down. The circle of light from the flashlight danced on the floor ahead of us.
No one spoke. The only sounds now were the scrape of our shoes on the tunnel floor and our rapid, shallow breathing.