The Evil Lives! Read Free

hung from one of the straps. Amanda turned it over. “Corky Corcoran,” she read aloud. “Where have I heard that name?”
    Curious, she sat on the bench and unzipped the bag. Inside, neatly folded, was a cheerleading uniform. A short, maroon-and-white skirt, and a thick white sweater with a big maroon “S” on the front.
    A Shadyside uniform, Amanda thought. An old one. Now the squad wore one-piece uniforms with short, flared skirts and long sleeves.
    As Amanda set the uniform aside, a photograph slid from its folds and fluttered to the floor. Amanda picked it up.
    Five girls smiled out at her, all dressed in the old Shadyside cheerleading uniforms and holding maroon-and-white pompoms in the air.
    â€œAmanda, are you ready?” Victoria called from the next aisle.
    â€œJust a sec.” As Amanda started to stuff the old uniform back into the bag, she noticed something else inside. She reached in and pulled it out.
    It was a small box, made of smooth, dark wood. A tarnished brass catch held the lid closed.
    A label had been taped to the top of the box, with bold black letters that screamed out a warning:
    DO NOT OPEN. EVIL INSIDE.

Chapter 3

CORKY'S LETTER
    â€œI t has to be a joke,” Victoria declared.
    â€œYou think so?” Amanda asked.
    â€œPretty creepy joke!” Janine ate a French fry, then took a sip of her shake.
    The three of them sat at a booth in the little restaurant called The Corner, staring at the wooden box.
    DO NOT OPEN. EVIL INSIDE.
    Amanda shivered. The warning seemed to glare up at her.
    She gestured at the photograph that had been in the duffel bag. “Does anybody know which cheerleader is Corky Corcoran?”
    â€œThat one,” Victoria replied, pointing at the pretty blond-haired girl in the center.
    â€œDid you know her?” Amanda asked.
    Victoria shook her head. “I think she was cheerleading captain when we were freshmen. Or maybe when we were still in middle school. Why?”
    Amanda shrugged. “I just wondered if she was the kind of person who liked to joke around.”
    â€œWho cares?” Victoria said. “Let’s open the box. I’m dying to find out what’s inside.”
    Victoria is always ready to do anything, Amanda thought. “What about the warning?” she asked.
    â€œOh, please!” Victoria rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you guys curious?”
    â€œWell . . . sure.” Amanda reached for the box.
    Janine sucked in her breath.
    Amanda quickly drew her hand back, laughing nervously.
    Clicking her tongue with impatience, Victoria grabbed the box and unhooked the brass catch. “Get ready for the Evil!” she cried.
    With a wicked cackle, Victoria lifted the lid.
    Amanda held her breath. She knew it was silly, but she half expected some horrible, fiendish monster to rise from the box like a genie from a bottle.
    But nothing happened.
    Amanda cautiously peered inside.
    On the bottom of the box lay a small stack of papers, tightly folded.
    Victoria laughed. “Not exactly evil-looking, are they?”
    â€œMaybe it’s an old test that Corky failed,” Janine suggested. “Or a break-up letter from some guy.”
    Amanda pulled out the first piece of paper and unfolded it. “It is a letter,” she said. She turned it over and read the signature. “From Corky.”
    â€œWell? Don’t keep us in suspense,” Victoria told her. “Read it!”
    Amanda cleared a space on the table, then smoothed the letter out and began to read:
    â€œIf you are reading this letter, then you’ve opened the box. I left it here as a warning. Please! Once you’ve finished reading, destroy this box and everything in it!”
    Amanda glanced up.
    â€œKeep going,” Victoria urged.
    â€œThis is a story of Evil,” Amanda read. “A horrible, terrifying Evil. An Evil that kills and kills and kills.
    â€œAnd it’s a true story. It