The Evil Lives! Read Free Page A

happened to me and my friends.
    â€œIt all started at the Fear Street Cemetery. At the grave of a woman named Sarah Fear. Sarah died a hundred years ago. But the Evil that possessed her lived on.”
    Amanda shivered. This didn’t sound like a joke.
    â€œWhen I first became a Shadyside cheerleader,” Corky’s letter went on, “the squad was traveling to an away game. The bus skidded and crashed into the cemetery. Jennifer, one of the cheerleaders, was thrown out the window.
    â€œShe landed on Sarah Fear’s grave.
    â€œWe didn’t know it then, but that was the beginning.
    â€œThe Evil was released.
    â€œAnd it took over Jennifer’s body. Using Jennifer, it tried to kill me, to bury me in Sarah Fear’s grave.
    â€œI fought it. I thought I killed it. But I was wrong. The Evil was too strong, and it came back. This time, it came back in my friend, Kimmy. Next, it took over my body.”
    Amanda glanced up again.
    Janine and Victoria sat still, serious expressions on their faces.
    â€œThis is really spooky,” Janine murmured.
    Victoria nodded wordlessly.
    Amanda’s heart pounded. The letter frightened her, and she wanted to rip it to pieces. But she couldn’t stop reading.
    â€œThe Evil killed people in horrible, gruesome ways.
    â€œIt chopped off my boyfriend’s hand and he bled to death.
    â€œIt forced a cheerleader to keep doing back flips, over and over and over, until she went crazy.”
    Victoria shuddered.
    â€œI finally discovered a way to kill it,” Amanda read, her voice shaking. “It had to be drowned. And I did it. I almost drowned, too. But I managed to kill the Evil.
    â€œIs it really dead?
    â€œI don’t know.”
    Amanda paused.
    â€œIs that it?” Janine whispered.
    â€œNo, there’s a little more.” Amanda licked her lips. “You may think this is a joke,” she read. “I wish it was. But it isn’t. The Evil lived. It killed. If it isn’t really dead, it will kill again. Destroy this box!”

Chapter 4

THE EVIL SPEAKS
    A manda stopped reading.
    â€œWhoa,” Janine murmured. “Talk about creepy!”
    Amanda nodded and picked up her Coke. Her hand shook. She quickly put the glass down. “Maybe we should do what Corky says—destroy the box.”
    â€œDo you believe the letter?” Janine asked.
    â€œI’m not sure,” Amanda admitted. “What about you?”
    â€œIt’s almost too weird to believe,” Janine replied. “But there’s something about it. I don’t know—it sounds so serious. It’s obviously not a joke.”
    â€œYeah, Corky believes it, that’s for sure,” Victoria declared. “Maybe she went crazy and actually thought this Evil went around possessing people.”
    â€œMaybe.” Amanda frowned. “But what about all those deaths?”
    Victoria shrugged. “If Corky was crazy, maybe when somebody died, she decided the Evil did it.”
    â€œI guess you could be right,” Amanda agreed. She eyed the box. “Do you think I should get rid of it?”
    â€œWait. At least let’s see what the other papers are.” Victoria started to reach for the box, then paused as a shadow fell across the table.
    Amanda glanced up.
    Dustin stood there, gazing down at her with an annoyed expression on his face.
    Amanda forced a smile, even though she wasn’t thrilled to see him. “Hi.”
    â€œHi.” Without waiting for an invitation, Dustin squeezed into the booth, forcing Amanda to slide over. “I searched for you after practice,” he told her. “Why didn’t you tell me where you were going?”
    Amanda frowned. “I didn’t think I had to.”
    â€œYou don’t.” Dustin slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “But I thought you’d want to,” he added, nuzzling her neck.
    Amanda glanced across the table.