“You got some friends back there, little kitty?” Xander asked.

The cat hissed.

“No? Okay, I’ll leave you in peace. Next time, if you’re nicer to me, I’ll bring you some treats.”

Xander headed out. He glanced down the corridor one last time. “This mission is going to be so great.”

Chapter Four

The next day Xander waited outside the school for his friends. He couldn’t wait to fill them in. Omar and Li arrived first. Right behind them was Priya, an overstuffed backpack slung over one shoulder. She leaned so far forward she looked like an old woman walking against the wind.

“You aren’t going to believe what I found!” Xander said.

Omar’s face lit up. “The winning lottery ticket for the fifty-million-dollar jackpot? The answers for next week’s math test? My missing Nintendo Switch?”

“No. I found a way in!” Xander said.

“To what?” Priya asked.

“The haunted hospital.”

Li gasped. “No way. How?”

Xander explained how he had discovered the loose sheet of plywood over the window and described the creepy hallways he had explored. Omar and Li hung on every word. Priya stared at her feet.

“So would it be okay if we cut Priya’s mission short and started a new one in the hospital?” asked Xander.

“I am in,” said Omar and started doing a little dance.

Li laughed. “You are such a goof. Okay, Xander. I’m in too.”

“What do you say, Priya?” asked Xander.

Priya frowned. “I don’t know. I still haven’t checked out the museum. Might be even creepier than the hospital.”

“Come on,” Xander pleaded. “The hospital is perfect. We don’t have to worry about bad weather. And it is as twisted as anything I’ve ever seen.”

Omar clasped his hands together. “Please, Priya.”

Priya frowned. “But we haven’t even given the museum a chance. Let me scout it out before we make any final decisions.”

Li looked at her friend. “Maybe we can use the museum for our next mission. But this location sounds exciting. And we all agreed that the cemetery was getting boring. I say we put this to a vote.”

Xander and Omar nodded.

“Well, it’s obvious how that’s going to go.” Priya crossed her arms.

“Who’s in favor of the hospital for our new mission site?” asked Li.

Everyone but Priya raised their hands.

Xander beamed. “Okay, it’s settled. I’ll be the next Crypt Keeper. Saturday night, we meet at the front of the hospital.”

Priya didn’t say another word.

On Saturday afternoon Xander returned to the hospital with his gear to set up for the mission. He double-checked to make sure no one was watching before he climbed over the metal fence.

He jogged across the parking lot and found the window with the loose plywood. He pried the wood open enough to toss his backpack into the room, then climbed inside. He strapped a headlamp around his head and snapped it on. The room reeked of mildew and cat urine.