Bad Dreams by R.L. Stine

outside in half an hour.”
    Groups of four? Maggie glanced around in a sudden panic.
    When were the groups assigned? Must have been Friday.
    â€œYou’re with us,” Deena Martinson told her.
    â€œOh, thanks,” Maggie said, relieved.
    â€œThis way,” Deena called, leading her into the blackness that was the back of the huge cavern. Maggie followed obediently.
    Up ahead, another member of their group, Deena’s friend Jade Smith was exclaiming, “Wow! The walls are so slimy!”
    Maggie had to stoop to keep her head from brushing the rough, wet ceiling of the tunnel.
    The parks department had put in some lights to help guide the way. And the rest of her group had flashlights. Another thing Maggie had forgotten.
    But even with flashlights, it was still gloomy. And getting colder and colder the farther back they went.
    â€œRemind me never to become a geologist,” Maggie murmured.
    â€œI hope there are no bats,” Deena said.
    Finally the tunnel opened into a wider space. Maggie held back. What was that fluttering sound?
    â€œBats are supposed to be good,” Jade whispered.
    â€œHas anyone told the bats?” Deena replied.
    â€œLook!” Deena pointed. “A whole mess of tunnels leading off this one.”
    Maggie slipped and almost fell. She suddenly felt dizzy. She leaned against the wall for a moment, holding her head down until the feeling passed.
    When she raised her eyes, she saw that the cavern was empty. Her group had taken off without her.
    Hearing them up ahead, she plunged into the mouth of the nearest tunnel.
    She moved as fast as she could, crouching low and picking her way over the loose rocks. The tunnel kept branching off, and she tried to follow the voices of her group.
    But soon Maggie realized that she was no longer hearing any voices up ahead. And she couldn’t hear any voices behind her either.
    She stared into the darkness of the narrow tunnel.
    Okay, Maggie, she told herself, stay calm.
    Just follow the tunnel. You’ll come out somewhere and—
    â€œOh!” She gasped as she thought she saw the tunnel walls begin to close in.
    â€œNo!”
    Just like in the dream.
    Miranda in the dark tunnel. Running. Running.
    No. No. This isn’t the dream.
    The dream isn’t coming true, she assured herself.
    Take a deep breath. Then simply head back the way you came.
    But which way was that?
    She’d lost her sense of direction.
    Which way? Which way? Which way?
    She couldn’t see a thing, surrounded by heavy darkness.
    Then she heard footsteps. Behind her.
    Maggie took a few steps toward them. Then she stopped.
    The footsteps kept coming.
    This isn’t the dream, she told herself.
    This isn’t the dream.
    The footsteps moved closer. Closer.
    â€œWho—who is it?” Maggie called in a trembling voice.

chapter

18
    N o answer.
    Maggie could hear shallow breathing, the sound echoing off the narrow tunnel walls.
    Closer.
    â€œWho
is
it?” she repeated, her fear making her voice high and shrill.
    Still no answer.
    The breathing grew louder. The footsteps crunched over the rock floor. Closer. Closer.
    Choked with terror, Maggie spun away from the sounds and forced herself to start jogging.
    Over the pounding of her sneakers, she could hear her pursuer begin to run too.
    She couldn’t deny it anymore.
    She was being chased!
    Just like Miranda. Just like in the dream.
    â€œOw!” Maggie scraped her knee against somethingsticking out of the tunnel wall. The pain raced through her body, but she kept running.
    Then before she even realized it, she was screaming for help. The sound just ripped out of her.
    She ran through the darkness. The dream had become real. Her life had become the dream.
    She didn’t get far. She tripped over a rock and went down hard.
    She could hear the footsteps padding closer.
    As she scrambled back to her feet, her knees throbbed with pain.
    She turned a corner and slammed into a