Nightmare Hour by R. L. Stine

“Dare you to swim the creek,” he said.
    I rolled my eyes. “Ha ha. Very funny.” It hadn’t rained in weeks. Even I knew that the creek was just a mud bog.
    â€œI’m going ahead to see if we have the creek bed to ourselves,” Mr. Kretchmer announced. “I want to get everything set up. Keep to the path.” He turned and hurried away.
    Our shoes crunched over the dry ground. The bright sunlight prickled the back of my neck. Up ahead a column of glittering white insects swarmed above the tall grass.
    The path curved through a grassy clearing. I shifted my backpack on my shoulders and saw a small wooden shed at the back of the clearing.
    What was that lying on the grass in front of the shed? I squinted hard to focus. “Hey!” I took off running. “Hey!”
    I stopped a few feet from the shed and stared at the man on the ground. He lay stiffly on his side, arms and legs very straight. A mask--a black wool mask--covered his face. Through the eyeholes I could see that his eyes had rolled up into his head. Only the whites showed.
    â€œHey!” I called to the others, my voice high and shrill. I waved wildly. “Hey--come here! Hurry!”
    The whole class came running. They stopped when they saw the body lying on the grass. After a startled hush, their voices rang out, everyone talking at once.
    â€œIs he alive?”
    â€œWhy is he wearing a mask?”
    â€œWhat happened to him?”
    â€œIt--it’s a dead body,” I stammered. “I don’t believe it. I’ve never seen a dead body.” I stared down openmouthed at the masked face, the white eyeballs.
    â€œSomeone--hurry! Go get Mr. Kretchmer!” a girl yelled. But no one moved. I guess we were all too shocked, too horrified.
    And then Travis shuffled beside me, his dark eyes flashing, his mouth turned up in that familiar grin. “Will,” he said loudly, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Will, I dare you to touch him.”
    â€œHuh?” I took a step back. “Touch a dead body?”
    Travis’ grin grew wider. “I dare you to pull up his mask and touch his face.”
    Silence all around. I could see that all eyes were on me.
    I stared at Travis, then turned to the dead body. I swallowed. I took a deep breath.
    â€œI dare you,” Travis repeated. He knew that I never turned down his dares. Everyone in the class knew it.
    â€œOkay,” I said, swallowing again. “Okay. Okay. I can do it. No big deal--right?”
    I took a small step toward the body, then another. When I dropped to my knees beside it, a few kids gasped.
    â€œIs he really going to touch it?” someone whispered.
    â€œHe’ll chicken out,” I heard Travis reply.
    No way , I told myself. I’m not chickening out. I’m doing it .
    My hand trembled as I reached for the black mask.
    My fingers gripped the bottom of it.
    With a sharp tug, I started to pull the mask up over the face.
    And the dead man’s right hand shot up and wrapped around my wrist.
    â€œOhhhhh.” A low moan escaped my throat.
    Behind me came the horrified cries and screams of the others.
    The dead man’s fingers tightened around my arm. His blank, white eyes glared out from the mask at me. His other hand grabbed my shoulder.
    Screams and shrieks rang out around me. I didn’t move. I couldn’t move.
    Staring at me with those blank, dead eyes, the corpse opened his mouth and rasped, “ Let…the…dead…rest! ”
    â€œN-no--” I stammered. “Please--”
    â€œ Let…the…dead…rest! ” the corpse repeated in his dry whisper.
    I turned and saw kids holding each other, screaming and crying.
    The dead man’s hands slid to my throat.
    â€œTravis--help me!” I shouted. “Travis--please! Help me!”
    Travis hesitated for a moment, his face white with fear, eyes darting wildly from side to side.
    Then he spun away and took off,