Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk Read Free

bookstore on Saturday, and finally, at last, once and for all, open B.O.B.!”
     
    “Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob,” the kids chanted.
     
    When the room quieted down, Stink asked his friends, “What do you think is in there, anyway?”
     
    “Maybe
B.O.B.
really stands for
Big Overstuffed Bear,
” said Sophie.
     
    “A Big Overstuffed
zombie
teddy bear!” said Webster.
     
    “Or
Box of Bears:
three hundred ninety-seven teddy bears, one for each kid at Dare School,” Riley butted in.
     
    “Or maybe
B.O.B.
stands for
Big Oversized Brain,
and there’s zombie brains in there or something,” said Webster.
     
    “Or something,” said Stink.
     
    “Candy,” said Webster. “Ten hundred tons of candy.”
     
    “Bookmarks,” said Sophie. “Teachers love bookmarks. And pencils.”
     
    “
B.O.B.
is for
Big Old Bookmarks
?” Stink asked. “That stinks.”
     
    “I guess we just have to wait till Saturday night to find out,” said Sophie. “Until then, I can borrow Book Three from the library and Book Four from you guys, and Book Five I can get on Saturday ’cause it’s almost my birthday.”
     
    “Zweet!” said Stink.
     
    “That will be worth like a zillion reading points,” said Webster.
     
    “My house. After school,” Stink said. “We can help each other with our costumes. My sister has boxes of body parts and stuff.”
     
    “Is she a zombie?” asked Sophie.
     
    “Only
most
of the time,” said Stink.
     
    “Zee you there,” said Webster.
     

     

 

 
     
    S ophie and Webster came over. Stink was sitting on the floor with Toady in his lap. He fed his toad two freeze-dried mealworms.
     
    “I brought face paint,” said Sophie. “So we can practice zombie makeup.”
     
    “I brought bloodshot eyeballs,” said Webster. “They’re really for bike spokes but we can glue them onto stuff.”
     
    “And I have tofu, erasers, and Silly Putty,” Stink told them. “Stuff that looks like brains. And glow-in-the-dark gummy worms for maggots crawling all over us.”
     
    Sophie shivered.
     
    Webster decided to dress like a zombie soccer player. Sophie was going to be a zombie Girl Scout. Stink could not decide on a costume.
     
    “It has to be scary. And creepy.” He opened his lunch box. He took a bite of leftover baloney sandwich and ketchup. Toady croaked.
     
    Stink’s elbow knocked over the puppet that was sitting on his desk chair. The puppet had great big glarey eyes, creepy red lips, and scary eyebrows. And it was wearing a tuxedo.
     

     
    Sophie picked up the puppet. “You could dress up like this doll. He’s creepy.”
     
    “Charlie’s not a doll. He’s a dummy. A ventriloquist dummy.”
     
    “A whosie whatsit dummy?” asked Webster.
     
    “Ven-tril-o-quist. You know, like a guy with a puppet who can throw his voice. See, I make Charlie talk without moving my lips.”
     
    “Let’s see!” said Webster.
     
    Stink sat Charlie on his knee.
     
    “I may be a dummy,” said Charlie, “but I’m not dumb.” His head snapped back and forth. His mouth clacked open and shut. “And I’m not afraid of zombies.”
     
    Sophie cracked up.
     
    “I saw your lips move,” Webster said, pointing at Stink.
     
    “Hey, let’s zombify Charlie!” said Stink. Stink dropped his baloney sandwich. Plop! Out fell the baloney. Toady hopped out of his lap.
     
    Stink took out scissors and cut Charlie’s tux to shreds. Sophie painted Charlie’s face green, with black circles under his eyes and drips of red blood. Webster stuck a big gob of chewed-up ABC gum on Charlie’s head for brains.
     

     
    Stink held up Charlie. “Me. Zombie.”
     
    “He’s a little scary,” said Sophie. “Toady’s scared, too. Look at him go!” Toady hopped across the rug, heading straight for the baloney.
     
    “Spooky!” said Webster, shaking off a chill. “Charlie’s like the dummy in that freaky old movie. The one where he hides in the kid’s closet?”
     
    “Yipes. I think I have