Goosebumps Most Wanted #5: Dr. Maniac Will See You Now by R.L. Stine

heads back and hee-hawed at the top of their lungs. They slapped each other on the back and laughed some more.
    And I realized this was our chance.
    I pulled myself to my feet. Then I gave Bree and Ernie a shove toward the door.
    Maniac and the Rage were still laughing and high-fiving each other. I tore across the room and pulled open the office door.
    The three of us darted past the Scarlet Starlet. She looked up, surprised. “Leaving so soon?” she said.
    “We’re out of here!” I cried breathlessly. My heart pounding, I led the way toward the front door.
    But another huge figure in a white lab coat stepped in front of us. “Not so fast,” he growled.
    I gasped in shock. I recognized him at once.
    “Dr. Root!” I cried. “The allergy doctor! What are you doing here?”

The huge man lumbered toward us. His round pink face glowed in the bright office lights. He kept his arms outstretched, ready to stop us if we tried to run around him.
    “Stay calm, Richard,” he said. “Everyone stay calm. You’re perfectly okay.”
    “But — but —” I sputtered. I couldn’t believe he was here. He didn’t belong in this world.
    “Who is he?” Ernie whispered.
    “My new allergy doctor,” I whispered. “He gave me a shot that didn’t work and —”
    “Yes, I gave you a shot,” Dr. Root said. “And you fainted. Do you remember that part, Richard?”
    I pictured that two-foot-long needle, and my whole body shuddered.
    “Yes, I remember that,” I said.
    “Well, let me explain things to you,” Root said. “This is all a dream.”
    “Huh? Excuse me? A dream?”
    “Don’t you see?” he said. “You fainted from the shot, and you’re having a nightmare. That’s all it is.”
    Bree gave me a hard shove in the side. “A nightmare? Why do I have to be in your nightmare?”
    “I … don’t get this at all,” I said.
    When I turned back to Dr. Root, he had another hypodermic needle in his hand. Another two-foot-long needle !
    “Wh-what are you going to do?” I stammered, taking a step back.
    His tiny black eyes narrowed at me. “I’m going to give you another shot to wake you up. After this shot, you’ll be just fine. Trust me.”
    Trust him? Why should I trust him?
    He raised his blubbery arm and thundered toward me.
    In a total panic, I turned to Bree. “Quick — pinch me!” I cried.
    Bree squinted at me. “Did you say pinch you?”
    “Yes. Hurry. Pinch me hard.”
    “I’d love to!” she said. She grabbed my arm and dug her fingers and thumb in as hard as she could.
    “Owwwwww!” I opened my mouth in a shrill scream of pain.
    I took an angry step toward Dr. Root. “You’re a LIAR!” I shouted. “This is definitely not a dream.”
    “Okay, okay,” he said. He lowered the needle to the side of his fat stomach. “I lied.” He rubbed his flabby chins. “Want to know the truth?”
    “Sure. The truth,” I said, still angry. “How about it? How about telling us the truth.”
    “I’m the one who opened the passage between the two worlds,” Root said. “I was the first one out. Didn’t you wonder why my office was right across the street from the Comic Book Museum?”
    “No,” I said. “No. I didn’t think …”
    “Why did you do it?” Bree demanded. “Why did you open the door between the two worlds?”
    His smile made the flab on his face quiver. “I knew if I could open the door,” he said, “I could cause panic everywhere.”
    “But — why ?” I cried. “Why did you want to create panic?”
    He stuck out his chest proudly. “Because … I’m the Root of All Evil !” He tossed back his head and opened his mouth in an evil comic-book laugh. “Maniac and I — we’re maniac partners! Maniacs forever!”
    Then he raised the mile-long needle again. “Now stand still, Richard. This will only hurt for a second.”

I tried to back up. Behind me, I saw Dr. Maniac and the Purple Rage watching from the door to the back office. They both moved forward to keep me from