Get pumped for Pumpkin Fest! It's Friday Night Fright Night, and Adam's worst fear is about to come to life… Halloween is a big deal in Little Pine, but newcomer Adam Gibbons doesn't get the hype. In fact, he's actively anti-Halloween—and you would be, too, if you were deathly afraid of pumpkins! Yeah…don't ask. When Adam is tasked to team up with pumpkin fanatic Molly to plan Friday Night Fright Night, the middle school shut-in event before Pumpkin Fest, he's forced to confront his greatest fear head…er…jack-o'-lantern-on. But it soon becomes clear that there is something strange and supernatural brewing in Little Pine. Mind-controlling pumpkins are possessing people and taking over the town, and it's up to Adam and his small group of friends to smash the infestation and save the world! M. D. Payne is the author of the gross-out horror series Monster Juice and has contributed to the New York Times bestselling Who Was? series, tackling spooky titles like Who Is R. L. Stine? and What Is the Story of Scooby-Doo? He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters. Chapter 1 It All Began with a Ham Sandwich Adam stared at the doors to the cafeteria at Montross Middle School and took a deep breath. It’s gonna be okay , he thought to himself as he exhaled. Adam pushed down on the bar of the door and swung it open to reveal a crowd of kids busily eating lunch. Halloween decorations covered every surface of the room, and a giant cardboard pumpkin hung high from the ceiling in the center. His body froze as the pumpkin’s lifeless eyes locked onto his. Then the room started to close in around him, and Adam let out an awkward gasp of horror. He took another deep breath, repeated, It’s gonna be okay , then looked around to see if anyone had noticed his outburst. Thankfully, no one had. No one at this school ever noticed him, which was just how he liked it. Adam Gibbons had moved to Little Pine at the start of the school year. And after nearly two months, he had avoided being noticed by anyone. Not that he was invisible, or a ghost, or anything, he just didn’t see the point in making friends since he wasn’t planning on staying long. His mom and stepdad didn’t agree with his plan to leave, but Adam was chipping away at them. His goal had been to be long gone before Halloween, but that clearly hadn’t happened. Now he had to spend his least favorite holiday in the last place on Earth he wanted to be. Turning his gaze from the giant pumpkin, Adam swallowed deeply and walked into the lunchroom. He had become skilled at creeping in, finding the quietest corner, and hiding behind a book as he ate his bagged lunch. Today, though, there were no quiet corners or empty tables. At every turn, different groups chattered over greasy pizza and overcooked burgers, talked about their Halloween plans, and took turns posing with all the decorations. He felt sweat bead on his upper lip. He wiped it off and turned to walk back toward the doors. However, the path had vanished, and in its place was a group of kids dancing around the giant pumpkin and chanting “GET PUMPED!” Adam remained frozen. He was trapped in the center of an impromptu Halloween dance party with no way to escape. His worst nightmare had somehow come to life in the middle of the school cafeteria. Suddenly one of the dancing kids turned to Adam. “What do you have in the bag?” she asked. Adam’s heart started to race. Why was this person talking to him? “The what?” he slowly replied. “The brown bag that you’re strangling,” she said, pointing to his hand. He looked down and saw that he’d been squeezing the life out of his lunch. He opened the bag and pulled out a half-squished sandwich. “Is that ham?” she asked. Adam stared at the mess in his hand. “Yeah, I think so,” he almost whispered. “I guess that’s what my mom packed.” “I see you’re looking for somewhere to sit,” the girl said. “Want to sit with me?” He looked around at the dancing, chanting kids and realized he most certainly did want to sit with her. She plopped down at a nearby table and pointed to the bench across from her. Adam pushed his way past a few kids who screamed “GET PUMPED!” directly into his ears as he tried to sit down. But the girl held up her hand. “Wait!” she said. “Only if you trade me that ham sandwich for this pizza here.” Adam glanced down. All that he could see was a piece of crust with a tiny corner of cheese. He looked from the raggedly bitten crust up to the girl’s ragged smile. “Uh, sure,” he said. “Awesome!” she said, snatching the ham sandwich from Adam as soon as his butt hit the bench. “I’m Molly, by the way. Molly Rose. You’re the new kid, right? What’s your name? Alan?” “Adam,” said Adam as he poked at Molly’s crust, wondering if the glistening liquid he saw on the crust was oil or slobber. Maybe I’ll just skip lunch , he thought. “Got it . . . Adam!” Molly said, and she flung out her hand. Adam offered his, and she shook it hard. Somehow, a ha