The spooks are spooking up as Marty and Erin continue their tour of Shock Street.
Chapter 10:
The kids make their way through the cave of creeps where large white worms continuously fall on top of them. It is gross. Let us move on, together, as a nation.
Then, the same thing happens, but this time with spiders.
As the tram rolled silently on, we both twisted and squirmed, struggling to flick away the black spiders. I pulled three of them out of my hair. Then I felt one climb into my nose!
I opened my mouth in a horrified scream—and sneezed it out.
Okay, yeah, this is legit the scariest thing we’ve read in Goosebumps yet, and I mean we read about a spooky sponge, so that’s saying a lot!
The kids take their father’s request to provide feedback very seriously and debate whether they should advise him the bugs are too scary for primetime.
They wander around the cave a bit, but soon grow bored and return to the tram…but the tram doesn’t move.
I turned to Marty. “What’s up with this tram? Do you think we’re—HEY!”
I gasped as I stared at the empty seat beside me.
I reached both hands out. I grabbed for Marty.
Another lighting trick? Another optical illusion?
“Marty? Hey—Marty?” I croaked.
A cold shiver rolled down my back.
This time Marty was really gone.
I swear to God, Goosebumps, if Marty shows up within the first five sentences of chapter 11, you are dead to me.
Chapter 11:
“Marty—?”
A scraping sound beside the tram made me jump.
I spun around and saw Marty grinning at me from the cave floor. “Gotcha.”
DAMN IT, GOOSEBUMPS!
After Erin chastises Marty, The tram still refuses to start. Marty suggests they go look for an exit.
“I think we should stay in the tram,” I said uncertainly. “If we stay here and wait, someone will come and find us.”
“It could take days,” Marty declared. “Come on, Erin. I’m going to walk. Are you coming with me?”
Why on earth would it take DAYS? Setting aside the fact that Erin’s father is clearly evil at this point, their whereabouts are completely known by both of their families and that tour guide that was only a tour guide in the loosest definition of the word(s).
Erin apparently can’t argue with Marty’s logic and decides to follow him to find an exit.
“Hurry it up,” he called. “Let’s get out of here.” He was walking backward now, motioning for me to catch up to him.
But I stopped and my mouth dropped open in horror.
“Don’t look at me like that!” he shouted. “Don’t stare at me as if I’m doing
something wrong!”
But I wasn’t staring at Marty.
I was staring at the thing creeping up behind Marty.
Chapter 12:
At first, I thought it was some kind of machine. It looked like one of those tall steel cranes you see on construction sites. All silvery and metallic.
But as it rose up on its wire-thin back legs, I saw that it was alive!
It had round black eyes the size of billiard balls. They spun wildly in its skinny silver skull. Two slender antennae bobbed at the top of the head. Its mouth appeared soft, mushy. A gray tongue darted out between long, bristly whiskers.
Its long body stretched back like a folded-up leaf. As it stood, it waved its front legs, short white sticks.
I can’t visualise this thing at all, but if anyone out there has any semblance of art skillz and wants to draw some fanart for this, I’d be eternally grateful.
“I think it’s a praying mantis,” Marty replied, staring up at it. The insect had to be at least three times as tall as us. As it moved forward, its head nearly scraped the cave ceiling.
*Re-reads description*…or it’s a giant praying mantis? I guess?
The insect rubbed its front legs together. It made a shrill whistling sound.
I covered my ears. The high-pitched note made my ears ache!
I was still holding my ears as a second giant praying mantis hopped out from behind a tall rock.
“Look—another one!” Marty cried, pointing. He tugged my arm. “Wow. They move so smoothly. You can’t even tell that they’re machines.”
Marty, the self-proclaimed expert on robots, admires how realistic and incredible their motions are. Can I be honest with you all? I hate this mansplaining little shit. FEED HIM TO THE MANTIS TWINS NOW!
Two more of the creatures arrive. The kids are surrounded and trapped in the tram! This is terrifying because I imagine myself in Erin’s shoes being unable to escape from Marty, and it gives me a full-body chill.
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I can seriously see this story freaking out a six-year-old. I’m not sure that’s exactly the critical acclaim Stine was going for, but it’s something.
To be honest, this whole story reads a little bit like the PG-rated version of Five Nights at Freddy’s with more annoying protagonists and a more inept big bad.