Night of the Howling Hound #3 Read online

  For Ja-SH

  This one’s for Evie Cleevie-SC

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

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  Text copyright © 2013 by Sam Hay. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Simon Cooper. All rights reserved.

  First printed in Great Britain in 2013 by Stripes Publishing. First published in the United States in 2014 by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC. Printed in the USA.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN 978-0-698-19312-3

  Version_1

  Contents

  Dedication

  Copyright

  Title Page

  The story so far …

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  THWACK!

  Joe gave the tent peg a thump with the mallet, then tugged the rope to make sure it was secure.

  “Awesome!” said Matt, pegging in the other side. “Looks like we’re the first to finish!”

  They were at the Wolf’s Leap Activity Center on the edge of Brockton Forest for a school camping trip.

  “Not even a tornado would shift this thing!” said Ben, poking his head out of the tent.

  But just then a tornado did shift it: a tornado in the shape of Bradley Piker, or Spiker, as he was known. He raced over and hurled himself at the side of the tent, making it bulge inward.

  “Hey!” yelled Joe. “Watch it!”

  “Says who? This is my tent, too,” said Spiker. “I’m with you guys tonight!”

  “What?” Joe groaned. He really didn’t want to share a tent with Spiker—he was the biggest troublemaker in the class.

  “Yep! Mr. Hill says I’m with you. I hope you’re not going to wet your pants and call for your mommy when it gets dark tonight, Joe Edmunds!”

  Joe shot him a dirty look.

  “Especially if the wolf starts howling,” Spiker said with a smirk. “The ghost wolf of Brockton Forest …”

  “Yeah, yeah,” said Joe. “I know … Hundreds of years ago a wolf escaped from some hunters by leaping off some rocks.” As he spoke he glanced over Spiker’s shoulder and noticed a jagged rock face, just above the tree line.

  “But don’t forget the best part. After it escaped,” Spiker said in a spooky voice, “the wolf came back and stalked the hunters, catching them one by one, ripping out their throats and crunching their bones …”

  Matt grinned. “You made that bit up.”

  “And people say,” added Spiker, his voice dropping to a ghoulish whisper, “that you can still hear the ghost of the wolf, howling in the woods at night …”

  As he spoke, the wind picked up and a cloud drifted over the afternoon sun, darkening the sky. Joe shivered. After all the weird stuff he’d seen, thanks to Uncle Charlie’s Egyptian amulet, he could easily imagine a ghost wolf lurking in the forest, watching and waiting …

  “Hey, you guys!” came a shout. “If you’ve finished setting up your tent, I need some volunteers to help collect firewood!”

  It was Lizzy—one of the camp counselors. She was small and wiry, with short red hair. According to their teacher, Miss Bruce, she was a champion rock climber. “Come on! It’ll be dark before we get the fire going!”

  By the time they had built the fire, the counselors had prepared a campfire dinner.

  “I’m starving,” said Joe, sitting down next to Matt with a plate piled high with franks and beans. There were twenty children from Joe’s class there, along with Miss Bruce and the principal, Mr. Hill. They sat together on logs arranged in a circle around the fire, digging into their dinner.

  As Joe shoveled in his last spoonful of beans, he heard a strange noise in the distance …

  Awwwhooooooooooo…

  “What was that?”

  Matt took a bite of hot dog and shrugged. “

  I didn’t hear anything.”

  Awwwhoooooooooo…

  “Listen! There it is again!” Joe peered out, but it was getting dark and he couldn’t see anything. “It’s coming from over there.”

  Matt stopped eating for a second and listened. Then he smiled impishly. “You’re hearing things, Joe! Maybe all the talk of ghosts is freaking you out.”

  But before Joe could reply, Mr. Hill blew a whistle to get the class’s attention. “When everyone’s finished eating, I want you all to help clean up. You kids over there,” he said, pointing to Joe, Matt, and a few others, “collect the plates. And that group over there, you’ll be on dishes tonight …” There were groans from the dishwashing group, but Mr. Hill went on. “You’re going to be swapping jobs tomorrow night! Remember, camping is all about teamwork—and everyone has to help. I remember when my wife and I went camping with friends in the Appalachian Mountains. Everyone pitched in—especially when the blizzard started …”

  Joe and Matt grinned at each other and rolled their eyes. Mr. Hill had already spent the entire bus ride boring the class silly with stories about his camping adventures, and now he was starting another one. They quickly stacked the dirty plates and carried them to the sinks.

  “Want to hear a ghost story?” Ben said, turning on his flashlight and putting it under his chin so that his face lit up like a ghoul. “It was a dark, stormy night, and a group of kids were camping in a creepy forest …”

  “Hey,” Joe interrupted. “Did you hear that?”

  “Not again!” Matt snorted. “What is it this time, Joe, another ghostie?”

  “No, it sounds like an animal howling.”

  “A ghost wolf?” said Matt. “Yeah, yeah—very funny, Joe!”

  “Let’s go take a look!” said Joe. “Come on.”

  “What? Now?” Ben glanced at the trees. “In the dark?”

  Joe nodded. “Why not!”

  “I’m in!” Matt grinned. “What about you, Ben?”

  “Definitely!”

  Joe pulled his flashlight out of his pocket. “Head for the tents,” he whispered. “Everyone will think we’ve gone to get something. Then we can double back to the trees.”

  As they walked into the forest, the darkness closed in. There was a distant rumble of thunder.

  “This way,” whispered Joe, heading for a path he’d spotted earlier. He flashed his flashlight left and right, the beam catching movements in the bushes. “Did you see that rat?”

  “Yeah, it was massive,” breathed Matt.

  As they went deeper into the woods, the trees grew denser, and the undergrowth thicker. There was no light from the moon now. Joe’s heart beat faster. This was how Uncle Charlie must feel when he set off on an expedition!

  There was another rumble of thunder, closer this time. And Joe heard the howling again, followed by the sound of twigs breaking and bushes be
ing pushed aside. Something crashed through the underbrush.

  “I think it’s over there!” Joe hissed, flashing his beam at the bushes. “Spread out.”

  Matt moved off to the left, Ben headed right, their flashlight beams bouncing around the trees. After a few minutes, Matt called back, “Do you see anything?”

  “No!” Ben shouted.

  Their voices were much farther away than Joe expected. He was just about to call them when there was a sudden crack of lightning, and he saw a shape lunging toward him, its sharp teeth flashing white. It crashed into him, sending him flying.

  He gasped, waiting for the wolf to lock him in its jaws and sink its fangs into him …

  Joe felt a scratchy tongue lick his face. He opened his eyes—it was a big hairy dog!

  “Hello, Joe,” growled the dog. “I need your help!”

  Joe gasped. The creature wasn’t a ghost wolf—but it wasn’t much better, either. Not another undead pet, Joe thought. They wouldn’t leave him alone!

  Joe wriggled free, wiping sticky drool off his face with his sleeve. He shined his flashlight in the animal’s face. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Green drool hung from its chops, and its red eyes bulged out like Ping-Pong balls.

  “Look, I’d like to help you, really I would—” Joe shuffled uncomfortably—“but I’m on a school trip. I’m off duty as Protector of Undead Pets, okay!”

  But it wasn’t okay. The dog gave a deep, throaty growl. Then its tail drooped. Its eyes boggled. And it started howling again.

  “Stop it!” Joe whispered. He was pretty sure no one else could hear the dog. But the noise was horrendous!

  As the dog howled, its fur stood up on end.

  “Look!” said Joe. “I can’t help you. Head back into the woods and stop making that noise!”

  The dog did stop howling. But it wasn’t listening to Joe anymore. It was staring at something over his shoulder. Then its ears picked up, and its tail began to wag. And …

  “Squirrel!” it suddenly yelped. And it took off like a bullet.

  For a few seconds Joe just stood there, wondering if the dog would come back. It didn’t.

  “Joe … ? JOE!” Matt suddenly appeared by his side. “Are you okay? I thought I heard you shout.”

  “Yeah,” said Ben, arriving a few seconds later. “You sounded like you were talking to someone.”

  “Um … I just tripped over a tree root,” mumbled Joe.

  Matt grinned. “And what about the noise you heard? Did you see anything?”

  “Nope.” Then Joe felt a few drops of rain on his head. “Maybe we should head back to camp. It’s starting to rain …”

  As they retraced their steps, they saw two shadowy figures waiting for them. An enormous flashlight shone in their faces, making them blink. It was Mr. Hill and Lizzy.

  “Where have you been?” demanded Mr. Hill.

  Joe took a deep breath. “Um … We heard a noise and thought we’d take a look.”

  Lizzy smiled kindly. “Well, you’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. But it’s camp rules—you’re not allowed to head off on your own, okay?”

  They nodded, studying their shoes intently.

  “Okay, then,” said Mr. Hill sternly. “Back to camp! And don’t let me catch you wandering off by yourselves again, or you’ll be on the first bus home!”

  When they got back to their tent, Spiker was smirking. Joe’s eyes narrowed. “Did you tell Mr. Hill that we’d gone to the woods?”

  Matt nudged him. “Better drop it, Joe. We don’t want to get in more trouble tonight.”

  Joe scowled and rummaged around for his toothbrush. They all got ready for bed in silence.

  When Joe opened his eyes the next morning, the sun was shining. He wriggled out of his sleeping bag and pulled on his jeans. Just then a bell rang …

  “Breakfast in ten minutes,” Miss Bruce called. “Mr. Hill’s frying it up now!”

  Spiker groaned. Ben buried his head in his sleeping bag. Matt looked groggy. Joe grabbed his toothbrush and headed for the bathrooms.

  But as he passed Mr. Hill’s tent, he heard a strange chomping noise. Joe froze. No! No! He groaned. Please don’t let it be that dog …

  Joe glanced across the camp. He could see Mr. Hill busy cooking breakfast on the grill. He looked around to check no one was watching and stepped inside the principal’s tent. He gasped. It was chaos. Clothes were strewn across the floor, and right in the middle was the zombie dog, chomping through a package of cookies.

  “What are you doing in here?” Joe said, grabbing the cookies out of its mouth.

  “Brian won’t mind!” said the dog.

  “Brian? Brian who?” Joe felt a lurch in his belly. “You don’t mean Brian Hill? My principal?”

  A stringy piece of green drool dribbled from the dog’s mouth to the floor. “Yeah,” it growled. “My name’s Dexter. I was Brian’s dog.”

  Could this crazy animal really once have been his principal’s pet?

  “JOE EDMUNDS! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?”

  Joe spun around. Mr. Hill stood in the doorway, his face pulsating with rage.

  Dexter started barking with excitement at the sight of his owner. But Mr. Hill couldn’t see or hear him at all.

  The principal snatched the cookies from Joe’s hands. “How dare you go into someone else’s tent and touch their things? What on earth are you doing in here?”

  A few weeks ago Joe had taken the blame when a zombie hamster had devoured Mr. Hill’s lunch. And now it looked like he’d have to do the same again.

  “Um … Well … Uh … ,” Joe stammered, desperately trying to think of an excuse.

  Mr. Hill shook his head. “I’m not interested in hearing any of your feeble excuses. As punishment, you can wash the breakfast dishes! Now help me clean up this mess.”

  As soon as Mr. Hill let him go, Joe marched off to a quiet corner of the camp. He checked to make sure no one was around, then turned on Dexter. “You’re nothing but trouble!”

  “It’s not my fault!” growled the dog. “You should help me!”

  “I can’t!” Joe sighed. “Now buzz off! People will think I’m nuts if they see me talking to myself.” He glanced over to the table where the class was lining up for breakfast. He saw Spiker smirking over at him.

  “And what’s he looking at!” said Joe, scowling back.

  “Who? Snot Shot?” said Dexter.

  “What?”

  “Snot Shot.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “That’s what Brian calls him—he’s got names for all of you! Silly names he uses when he’s not at school.”

  Joe’s brain boggled. “Funny nicknames? I didn’t know Mr. Hill had a sense of humor.” Then he glanced over at Spiker again. “So why does he call him Snot Shot?”

  But Dexter didn’t need to explain, because right at that moment Spiker stuck his finger up his nose and had a good poke around, before taking out a booger and flicking it at the kid in front of him.

  “Come and have your breakfast,” Miss Bruce yelled, spotting Joe hanging back from the group. “Before it’s all gone.”

  “Before Hoover Head eats it!” added Dexter.

  “Who’s that?”

  “Hoover Head—him, over there. That’s what Brian calls him.”

  Joe glanced over to see Nick the Stick—the tallest kid in the class, piling his plate high with food.

  “Come on, Joe!” called Miss Bruce again.

  “Look, I’ve got to go,” hissed Joe to Dexter.

  He went to join the others and didn’t look back.

  “Hey, Joe, want a cookie?” called Leonie, one of the girls in his class.

  “No, he’s already had some,” Harry, Spiker’s best friend, said with a snicker.

  There were a few more giggles as Joe got his breakfast and went to sit down next to Matt.

  “What’s going on?” Joe whispered.

  “Spiker heard Mr. Hill telling you off
for taking his cookies,” Matt replied. “And he told everyone about it.”

  Joe looked around for Spiker, but he was nowhere to be seen. Dexter had disappeared, too. He just hoped it was for good this time!

  “Okay!” called Lizzy. “Gather around and I’ll tell you what we’ve got planned for today!”

  Joe cheered up. This was more like it!

  “In a few minutes we’ll be starting the aerial adventure. The first part involves tackling the giant climbing wall, followed by a treetops wire walk …”

  “YES!” Joe breathed.

  “When you reach the end, there’s an amazing zip line over the woods!”

  The kids whispered to each other excitedly.

  “Wait a minute,” said Lizzy. “There’s more! After lunch you’ll be going underground into our tunnel trail for a treasure hunt. And finally, my favorite part.” She beamed as she spoke. “Tonight, we’ll be taking you on a moonlight safari through the woods to see what wildlife you can spot.”

  “Like wolves?” Spiker shouted.

  “Awhooooooooo!” howled Harry.

  “Who knows,” said Lizzy. “But before you go looking, you’ve got to get yourselves up that wall, so come on, follow me!”

  “I’ll never get up there!” wailed Leonie, as soon as she saw the climbing wall.

  It was more than forty feet tall, with several routes up the side, color-coded for difficulty. Two more counselors, Finn and James, were waiting for them at the wall, and a third, Chrissie, was already at the top.

  “I’ll climb first,” said Lizzy, after showing the kids how to put on their safety harnesses. “Then you can follow, one at a time.”

  Lizzy was an amazing climber. Joe watched her stay close against the wall, her hands and feet easily finding the holds. She reached the top in minutes.

  “I definitely can’t do that!” wailed Leonie. “It’s too high!”

  Joe was just about to tell her to put a sock in it when he spotted something even more annoying. Bounding through the trees toward him was Dexter.

  “Who’s next?” Lizzy called down.

  Spiker shoved Joe forward. “Go on, Superman!” he said sarcastically.