The Third Horror by R.L. Stine Page A

a real one!
    Frantically, she tried to tug her hand up from the table—which made the blade cut deeper.
    Blood flowed over her hand, puddled beneath it.
    "You idiot! You idiot!" she shrieked at Kody.
    "It's not my fault," Kody cried, jumping to her feet. "Someone switched the knives. It was supposed to be a prop knife!"
     
    They all watched Kody step back, her hands pressed against her cheeks as everyone crowded to the table to help Persia. The room filled with startled cries and shouts of alarm.
    "Call a doctor! Just call a doctor!" Bo shouted. He tossed his clipboard furiously against the wall.
    "What is going on here?" Bo asked, trying to force down his anger and frustration.
    Two crew members struggled to pull the knife from the table to free Persia's hand. Persia screamed and cried, her eyes shut, her face twisted in agony. "Fm going to bleed to death! Somebody—do something!"
    "Did someone call a doctor?" Bo cried. Everyone was screaming, shouting out instructions, shouting their disbelief. The racket was deafening. And over the roar came Persia's shrill, angry wails.
    A few seconds later they heard Persia's high-pitched squeal when the knife was finally pulled out of her hand. They stared at the widening bloodstain on the white tablecloth. Two men were wrapping a white linen napkin around Persia's hand. The blood soaked quickly through the napkin.
    "Is a doctor on the way?"
    "Did you call 911?"
    "Is that an ambulance outside?"
    Confused and frightened shouts filled the house.
    As two paramedics burst into the room. Bo saw Kody backing away. He moved quickly to confront her. "I need to speak to you."
    She hesitated, squinting against the bright white lights.
     
    "I need to speak to you now," Bo insisted, hands pressed tensely against his waist.
    "Wh-what is it?" Kody stammered.
    "I've tried to be understanding," Bo said, sighing at Kody. "But this time it's gone too far. I can't let*this go on. Too many people have gotten hurt."
    "I feel so terrible," Kody said.
    Bo frowned at her. "Too many incidents. Too many accidents," he murmured.
    She swallowed hard. "I don't understand."
    "I'm not superstitious," Bo told her. He had to raise his voice to be heard over Persia's cries from the table. "But it's pretty obvious to me that this picture is jinxed."
    Kody's mouth dropped. "I still don't understand."
    "I don't either," Bo replied. "But it must have something to do with you, Kody. Something to do with the fact that you lived in this house, that you experienced its evil."
    "But, Bo—" Kody started to say, shielding her eyes from the bright spotlight.
    He raised a hand to silence her. "So much has gone wrong since we arrived here," he said, sighing. "And each time, you have been there, Kody. Each time, you were standing there while something horrible happened. I'm not saying you're the cause of our problems. I'm not saying you're responsible. But you're the jinx. I know you are."
    "Bo—that's crazy!" Kody cried. "You don't really believe that I—"
    Bo nodded solemnly. "I have to ask you to leave,"
     
    he said softly. '*I have to remove you from the picture."
    He expected her to lower her eyes and retreat quickly. He expected tears. He expected her to plead and beg for another chance.
    Instead, Kody startled him by reacting angrily. "No, you don't," she replied sharply. "No way, Bo. No way I'm leaving."
    "I'm really sorry—" Bo said.
    "No. I'm the one who is sorry!" Kody declared.
    She lifted the big, glowing spotlight by its pole, swung it hard—and slammed the front of the light into Bo's face.
    Stunned as the pain burst over him, he tossed up his arms and staggered back.
    But she kept the light pressed against his face until his skin sizzled.
    When she finally tossed the light to the floor, the side of Bo's face smoked. He let out a weak gurgling sound and slumped to the floor.
    Before he lost consciousness, he heard Kody's cheerful shout to the others: "Okay, everybody! That's a wrap!"

Chapter 26
    Kody hunched