SpineChillers Mysteries Series: Attack of the Killer House

By Fred Katz

Anna and Johnny Greger are looking forward to a quiet day at home. When Jonny's science project - a robot - attacks Anna, she thinks it's just Johnny playing a joke. But she knows something is terribly wrong when her hair dryer flies, their video game shoots back at them, and the lawn mower takes off on its own. But a house can't attack people. Or can it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: May 20, 1997
• ISBN: 9781418560256

Book preview

Attack of the Killer House

Look for these SpineChillers™ Mysteries

#1 Dr. Shivers’ Carnival

#2 Attack of the Killer House

#3 The Venom Versus Me

#4 Pizza with Extra Creeps

#5 The Phantom of Phys Ed

#6 Not a Creature Was Stirring?

#7 Birthday Cake and I Scream

#8 Stay Away from the Swamp

#9 Tuck Me In, Mummy

#10 Stay Tuned for Terror

#11 Hospitals Make Me Sick

#12 A Haunted Mine Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

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Attack of the Killer House

Fred E. Katz

Killer_House_128_0003_002

Copyright © 1996, 1997 by Tommy Nelson, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Tommy Nelson™, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. SpineChillers™ Mysteries is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture quoted from the International Children’s Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 1983, 1986, 1988 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas. Used by permission.

Storyline: Tim Ayers

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Katz, Fred E.

Attack of the killer house / Fred E. Katz.

p. cm. — (SpineChillers™ mysteries ; 2)

Summary: Anna and her brother Jonny are inside their house during a severe thunderstorm when the house takes on a life of its own, turning on them and threatening their lives.

ISBN 0–8499–4057–5

[1. Horror stories 2. Christian life—Fiction.] I. Title.

II. Series: Katz, Fred E. Spinechillers mysteries ; 2.

PZ7.K1573At 1997

[Fic]—dc21

97–3219

CIP

AC

Printed in the United States of America.

97 98 99 00 01 02 QKP 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

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1

I live in a strange house. Everybody says so. But some days are weirder than others. I suppose it has a lot to do with my parents. It might even have something to do with us kids. My brother Jonny and I are two years apart in age. He’s ten and definitely the little brother type. Sometimes it’s hard to believe we’re from the same family because we’re nothing alike. He takes after Dad, Dr. Randall Greger, the original computer genius. Dad’s even designed entire homes that are run by computer.

Thanks to Dad, I’m the only kid in my middle school who takes notes electronically. I write on a screen that translates everything I scribble into typed letters. Dad set it up so the screen even sends the notes back to the computer in my room automatically. When I get home from school, all I have to do is print my notes out.

That wasn’t enough for Dad. He also attached a voice module to the computer. It turns the typed words into spoken words. Along with my notes I get a cassette of the day’s work so I can listen to my notes as I study them. Now if he could just figure out how to plant a computer chip in my brain so I could remember all this stuf f. I get pretty good grades, but I shine in sports.

On the other hand, my brother Jonny spends hours building electronic gadgets in his bedroom. Our basement looks like a mad scientist’s laboratory. It’s filled with dials and switches that do all sorts of amazing things.

Jonny’s school science project was a robot teacher, which he remote controlled from the principal’s office. He almost won first place. Then Ashley Cross unveiled her kitchen of the future. It cooked, baked, did dishes, and mopped the floor on its own. Even our dad voted for it. I guess that’s partly because, as the Science Fair judges walked around the gym looking at all the entries, Jonny’s robot teacher went berserk. The robot didn’t do anything really bad. It just asked people a bunch of math problems. But if they answered incorrectly, the robot chased them with a ruler.

After a while the gym was filled with people being chased by the robot. A few people chased Jonny to get him to stop the thing. Jonny never did figure out what went wrong with his project, and, if I can help it, he never will.

My mom teaches at our Christian elementary school. Actually, as the reading specialist, she spends a lot of her time teaching kids accelerated reading skills. Mom always brings home great books from her classes. She makes each evening special by reading a new book to Jonny and me.

That’s enough about my family. I better get to the really weird day at our house. Mom had to go to school even though we kids didn’t have to. It was a teachers’ workday. I guess they have to work at least one day a year. (Just kidding.)

For all Mom’s good qualities, she has one drawback. She is always late. That morning she scurried around upstairs getting dressed. Dad had been in his office tapping away at computer keys. He came into the kitchen for coffee at the same time Mom flew in. I thought we were going to see a head-on collision, but Dad slammed on his brakes. He burst out laughing. Mom didn’t.

Anna, she said distractedly as she put on an earring.

Yes, Mom. How can I help you make it on time? I answered. I couldn’t wait till Mom and Dad left. But not because I was going to do anything devious. I wanted to work on my painting of the two of them. I figured I could finish it after I cleaned the kitchen. I wish we had the kitchen Ashley Cross invented.

Anna, I want you two to stay in today, she said. Jonny started to moan over in the corner.

The weather repor t said we’re going to have severe thunder and lightning. I’d feel better if I knew you two were inside, she continued.

We’ll come in when it star ts to rain. Jonny wanted to negotiate a better deal.

Dad started to laugh. Look outside. It’s already starting to rain, he said.

Oh, my! I’ve got to make it to the car before it pours. Mom scooped up her briefcase filled with books. At the door, she turned to Jonny and me and said, Please try to leave the house in one piece. Several teachers and librarians are coming over for pie and coffee tonight.

Dad headed out right behind her. He had to speak at a big computer convention downtown. Their cars hadn’t even hit the end of the driveway before Jonny raced out of the kitchen, leaving me with all the dishes. There wasn’t too much to do, so I didn’t make a big deal out of it.

I was just scrubbing the last dish when something poked me from behind. I turned around and saw two bright red eyes staring at me. Then the thing spoke, Earthling, come with me to my spaceship.

2

Jonny, get your stupid robot out of here, I yelled. Why do you keep trying to scare me like that? I knew he was nearby and could hear every word I said. I heard his laugh. At only ten years old, he already had the laugh of a mad scientist. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in one