THE HOUSE OF NO RETURN

We were afraid to go too close to the house. So we stayed down at the street, staring up at it. Staring across the bare, sloping front yard.
No grass would grow in that yard. The trees, gnarled and bent, were all dead. Not even weeds sprouted in the dry, cracked dirt.
At the top of the sloping yard, the house seemed to stare back at us. The two upstairs windows gaped like two unblinking black eyes.
The house was wide and solid-looking. Built of bricks. Many years ago, the bricks had been painted white. But now the paint was faded and peeling. Spots of red bricks showed through like bloodstains.
The windows shutters were cracked. Several had fallen off. The beams of the porch tilted dangerously. A strong wind could blow the porch over.
No one lived there. The house had been empty for years and years.
No one could live there. The house was haunted. Everyone in town said it was.
Everyone knew the legend of the house: If you spent the night inside it, you would never come out.
That's why we brought kids there. That's why we dared them to go inside.
You couldn't join our Danger club unless you stayed inside the house- by yourself- for an hour.
Staring up at the house, bathed in a haze of pale moonlight, i shivered. I zipped my windbreaker up to my chin and crossed my arms over my chest.
''How long has he been in there , Robbie?'' Nathan asked me. Lori and I both raised our wrists to check our watches. ''Only ten minutes" I told Nathan.
''Fifty minutes to go,'' Lori said. '' Think he'll make it?''
''Doug is pretty brave,'' I replied thoughtfully, watching the moon disappear behind a cloud. ''He might last another five minutes!'' I said grinning.
Lori and Nathan snickered
The three of us felt safe down here by the street.
Poor Doug probably didn't feel too safe right now. He was shut inside the dark house. Trying to stay there an hour so he could join our club.
I turned and saw a light rolling silently over the street, coming toward us. A white , ghostly light.
My breath caught in my throat.
It's car I realized, as it floated closer. A car with only one headlight. The first car we'd seen on this street all night.
The beam of the headlight washed over my two friends and me, forcing us to shield our eyes. As it passed, we returned back to the house- and heard a shrill scream
A wail terror
''Here he comes!'' Nathan cried.
Sure enough, Doug burst out through the front door. He stumbled off the crumbling porch and came tearing across the dead, bare yard.
His hands waved wildly in front of him. His head was tilted back, and his mouth was frozen open in one long, high shriek of fright.
''Doug what did you see?'' I called. ''Did you really see a ghost?''
''S-something touched my face!'' he wailed. He ran right past Nathan, Lori, and me, screaming his head off.
''Probably only a spiderweb,'' I murmured
''Robbie - We got to stop him!'' Lori cried
''Doug! Hey- Doug!'' We called his name and chased after him, our sneakers slapping loudly on the pavement.
Waving his arms frantically and screaming, leaning into the wind, Doug kept running.
We couldn't catch him.''He'll run home,'' I said breathlessly. I stopped and leaned over, pressing my hands against my knees, trying to catch my breath.
Up ahead, we could still hear poor Doug's frightened wail.
''Guess he doesn't join the club,'' I said, still breathing hard.
''What do we do now?'' Nathan asked, glancing back at the house.
''I guess we find another victim,'' I replied.

Chris Wakely seemed like a perfect victim.
His family had moved to town last summer, and Chris started in my sixth-grade class in September. Chris had pale blue eyes and very short, white-blond hair. He was kind of shy, but he seemed like a really nice guy.
One day after school, I saw Chris walking home and I hurried to catch up with him. It was a windy October day. All around us, red and yellow leaves were falling from the trees. It looked like it was raining leaves.
I said hi to Chris and started telling him about our club. I asked if he'd like to join.
''It's only for brave people,'' I explained.''In order to join you have to spend an hour at night inside the house on Willow Hill.''
Chris stopped walking and turned to me, squinting at me with those pale blue eyes.''Isn't that house supposed to be haunted?'' he asked
I laughed. ''You don't believe in ghosts do you?''
He didn't smile. His expression turned serious. The light seemed to fade in his eyes.''I'm not very brave,'' he said softly.
We started to walk again. Our sneakers crunched on the leaves strewn over the sidewalk.
''We'd really like you to join the club,'' I told him.
''You're brave enough to spend one hour in an empty house, aren't you?''
He shrugged and lowered his eyes.''I don't think so,'' he stammered. ''I've always been afraid of monsters and things,'' he admitted.''I believed there was a monster living under my bed until I was eight!''
I laughed. But his expressions remained solemn. He wasn't kidding.
''When i go to a scary movie,'' Chris continued,'' I have to duck under the seat when the scary parts come on.''
''Lori and Nathan came running up to us.''Are you going to do it?'' Nathan asked Chris.''Are you going to join the club?''
Chris shoved his hands deep into his jeans pockets.''Did you guys spend an hour in the house?'' he asked.
I shook my head.''We don't have to.'' I told him,''We started the club, so we don't have to go in the house. We already know we like danger. New members have to prove themselves.''
Chris chewed thoughtfully at his upper lip. We turned the corner and kept walking. The house was up the hill, at the end of the block.
We stopped in front of it and stared across the bare front yard.''See? It doesn't look scary at all at the daytime,'' I said.
Chris swallowed hard.''Needs a paint job,'' he muttered.''And how come all the trees are dead?''
''No one to take care of them,'' Nathan said.
''How about it Chris?'' I urged. ''We really need new members.''
''Yeah,'' Lori agreed " A club isn't fun with only three kids in it.''
Chris had his eyes on the house. He kept his hands jammed into his jeans pockets. I though I saw him shiver,But it might be the wind rustling his jacket.
''W-will you come in with me?"he asked.
"No way,'' I replied, shaking my head.
"We can't," Lori told him.''The idea of the club is to show how brave you are.''
''We won't come in," Nathan said. "But we'll wait out front for you.''
"Come on, Chris," I urged. ''Do it it'll be fun! It's almost Halloween. Get in the spirit!''
''He swallowed a couple of times, staring up at the house. Then he shook his head,''I really don't want to,'' he murmured in a low voice, so low I could barely hear him. ''Guess I'm kind of a scaredy-cat.''
I started to plead with him. But I could see he was very embarrassed. So I didn't say any more.
Chris waved good-bye and hurried off toward his house. Lori, Nathan, and I watched him until he disappeared around the corner.
''Now what?'' Nathan asked.