Chapter 6
Zeke sat with his legs dangling off a huge wooden crate that had been deposited just inside the shadowy area near the dock doors in the back of the Wal-Mart. Those same legs swung lazily back and forth at random, as he watched the humans unload the transfer truck.
He grinned at the two men who were a bit nervous but doing a good job of acting like they weren’t. One of them was named Hank, and the other was named Dude, as far as he could tell because that’s what Hank kept calling him.
He had been playing with them for the last couple hours… blowing up balloons and popping them to make loud booms or moving smaller boxes around, so the adults would trip over them and accuse each other of doing it. The two idiots were almost convinced the store was haunted. The game had started out as a lot of fun but now he was bored.
To anyone that caught a glimpse of him, Zeke appeared to be nothing more than a normal child around eight years of age. His dark hair was always messy, as if he’d just gotten out of bed and it framed equally dark eyes that often shown with mischief. He’d had the option of wearing anything the store had to offer but he’d really liked the Halloween costumes and was now wearing a Peter Pan outfit.
The night shift manager of the electronics department had a habit of playing the Peter Pan live action movie on all of the big screen TV’s every night, when the twenty-four hour store wasn't as crowded. Zeke had watched it over and over, until the day shift manager switched it back to Halloween movies all because the stupid sun came up and the store started getting crowded with morning shoppers.
He never bothered the manager that worked nights because of the movie but he sure made up for it by giving the daytime one baby heart attacks all day long.
He liked Peter Pan and felt like they had a lot in common with one another. The only exception was that Peter had a gang of kids that did everything he told them to do. Watching that movie, Zeke was under the impression that human kids should band together and get away from the grownups that stopped them from having fun. The kids that visited the store were constantly told they were not allowed to play.
He pouted for a moment at the lack of his own Lost Boys before looking toward the truck. It was time to scare the dumb adults again. A frown creased his brow as he concentrated on the gear shift. It wasn’t a really big truck like the huge ones called rigs, but it was big enough to have some fun with. A grin spread across his face when he was able to concentrate hard enough to knock it out of gear.
The big truck began to roll forward and Zeke’s smirk widened when it headed straight for the fence on the back edge of the property where a lot of tall weeds grew.
“What the hell,” Dude yelled as he dropped the box he was holding and watched the truck roll away. “Dang it Hank, you moron, I thought you put the truck in park.”
“Dude, I did put it in park. The thing wouldn’t have stayed in place for the last twenty minutes if it wasn’t,” Hank shouted back, as he tried to keep his balance. “I told you this place is freakin’ haunted.”
Dude raced across the parking lot after the runaway truck, every word out of his mouth was worse than the last, while Hank was stuck in the back trying to hold on. Zeke started laughing at the two men like Peter had laughed in the movie when he terrorized the pirates… loud and happy.
Zeke missed the small group of demons he’d been hanging around with since coming out of the rift. He’d been weaker than any of them but they hadn’t cared because they were all low level demons, compared to the ones that were fighting each other throughout the city… except for Cyrus. They’d been under Cyrus’s protection in the beginning until the scary girl named Misery took hi m away and he never came back.
He had no idea what happened to the rest of them though, they’d just started vanishing, a few at a time, until they were all gone.
He was very lonely now and that wasn’t a good thing… it was considered disgraceful for a demon to feel such a useless emotion but he couldn’t help it. Peter Pan had cried in the movie and no one had made fun of him.
Peter wasn't human… he couldn’t be. If you really thought about it, Peter Pan was older than any human because he didn’t age. And if you pissed him off, he became a cold blooded killer. Plus, he stalked children and would kidnap them… taking them away to a place where grownups weren’t allowed to go.
It was obvious that Peter Pan was a demon and they’d just forgotten to say that in the movie.
He glanced behind him at the darker areas in the back of the building, spying all the shadow demons slinking around in the darkness that the humans couldn’t see. Zeke didn’t know why they’d chosen to hide in the store, like he’d done, and he was sure he’d never find out. Even though shadow demons were made to be controlled by flesh and blood demons like him, they wouldn’t give him the time of day because of his lack of power.
He pressed his lips together thinking it was unfair. If they didn’t want him as their master then why were they always hanging around watching him? It was as if they had gathered and were waiting on something and it was starting to make him paranoid. Why didn’t they go find a demon worth serving? It wasn't like a master demon was very hard to find right now. The whole city was full of them.
For the past week, Zeke had decided to hide out in the large store and play with the children inside, if their parents allowed it. The only real demon power he had was to make things move and, if he focused hard enough, he could make himself invisible but he couldn’t hold it for very long. He could also climb walls and crawl across ceilings but what demon couldn’t do that.
On the sliding scale of demon power, he was on the very bottom and most demons considered him insignificant… not even worth forcing to join their armies. That was fine with him… he didn’t want to fight… all he wanted to do was play. If he had the power to build an army, it would be made up of human children because they were so much fun. He’d take them all away from the parents that always yelled at them and told them to behave.
Those grownups were no better than the master demons that controlled the weaker ones… and no better than the pirates in the movie. In his version of Never Land, he would be the only demon there and that would make him the most powerful. He would become a master. Zeke sighed in longing.
The squeak of the truck hitting the high fence caught his attention and made him giggle. The dummy trying to get inside the front of the truck to stop it was being dragged through the weeds and the man in the back fell out when the truck hit a large bump. When the impact shifted the truck’s cargo, several small boxes tumbled out, hitting Hank on the head and shoulders.
Hank started ranting again when he stood up and couldn’t move. Looking down, he found that his pants were now caught on the edge of the broken fence creating a hole in the material.
“Could this day possibly get any worse,” Hank growled.
Zeke leaned forward a little bit and wiggled his fingers at the fence, making the wire reach out and catch on the back of the man’s pants while he was still getting himself unhooked from the first snag.
Thinking he was free, Hank quickly stood up and this time his pants ripped all the way down the back, exposing bright pink boxers.
About that time Dude came around the side of the truck and stopped in his tracks. “Hot pink? That’s all kinds of messed up.”
Zeke couldn’t hold it in any longer and started laughing, losing his concentration and becoming not only visible, but audible as well.
Dude swung around to look toward the dock doors. “Great, it looks like we may have found your ghost. Come on Pinky, let’s go get him.”
“Hey you, kid,” Hank yelled, pointing at the dark haired boy in the Peter Pan costume, as they approached before flipping his thumb over his shoulder toward the truck. “Did you do that?”
Zeke glanced at the truck that now had its brakes on and shrugged his shoulders. “Oh I don’t know. Maybe Dude is right and you just didn’t put it in park.” His wide smirk told a different story.
“Damn brat,” Hank growled and started after Zeke. “Wait until I get my hands on you.”
“Where in the hell are his parents?” Dude huffed, as he took off after Hank, not sure what the other man was going to do when he caught up with the kid.
Zeke giggled loudly and ran deeper into the warehouse knowing the big dummies would chase after him. He continued to laugh as he ran, thinking this must be how Peter Pan felt when he was being chased by pirates. Using his power, he knocked stuff off of shelves and threw several things at the two men to slow them down.
He shivered when he noticed that the shadow demons where suddenly shooting past him until the area he was running towards became thick with darkness.
Hearing footsteps closing in on him, Zeke brushed a hand against one of the large storage shelves as he ran by. The tall shelf began to rock dangerously back and forth before it fell across the narrow isle, blocking the path of the men, who had almost caught up with him.
As soon as the sound of crashing items settled, Zeke turned around and gave Hank a very creepy smirk before making himself slowly become transparent and then completely invisible. He laughed when Hank started freaking out about ghosts again and Dude loudly proclaimed that he was quitting his damn job.
Zeke didn’t pay them any more attention… that had been fun. He sighed happily before frowning up into the darkness ahead of him.
The shadow demons were up to something. Looking around cautiously, he noticed that they now had him fully surrounded and they were making everything pitch black, except for the area to his left that held more Halloween costumes. The shadow demons were paying him attention and Zeke stood a little taller as his eyes widened.
“You want to show me something,” Zeke asked in a whisper.
As if answering him, the inky blackness spread out so that it narrowed the light even more. Something warm slowly crawled over Zeke’s skin… something that felt like power. The sensation startled him, making him take a quick step back in confusion. The shadow demons were instantly at his back urging him forward.
Hesitantly, Zeke slipped beyond the tall shelves and stepped towards the large rods hanging from the ceiling, which held all the costumes that were hung up and ready to go out on the floor. Underneath the hanging clothes was a thin ribbon of blue light coming from the brick wall that encased the huge building. The darkness of the demons circled it creating a spotlight.
Bending down, he crawled under the costumes and found that there was indeed a tiny hole punched all the way through the wall from the outside and a sharp looking piece of blue light was sticking out from it.
Using the advanced eyesight that all demons were born with, Zeke narrowed his gaze leaning even closer until he could see ancient writing etched on the inside of the sliver of light. The small symbols were pulsing with electric blue light. His breath stilled in his chest as he reached for it, wanting nothing more than to touch it.
He sucked in a loud breath, when the sharp tip of the glowing power cut into his finger and instantly liquefied, absorbing into the blackness of his blood.
He stumbled back from the wall and fell on his bottom, as a rush of power shot through him and pulsed with his heartbeat before echoing out around him in a massive shockwave. The taste of power that had drawn him to it was nothing compared to the amount of power now radiating all around him.
Zeke sat there for a moment, staring at his index finger, wondering what just happened. He brought it closer to his face trying to see where the glowing thing had gone, but it simply wasn't there anymore. Something brushed against him and he looked up at the army of shadow demons surrounding him… watching and waiting on him.
Not only could he see them better, but now he could feel them, as if they were an extended part of his mind and body. That’s when he realized, the only time he had ever felt this kind of power was when a master demon was nearby and the sensation had warned him to run and hide. There was a difference this time… the power was coming from inside him. He couldn’t run and hide from himself.
“Are you mine now,” Zeke asked, with wonder in his voice.
The shadow demons responded by drifting closer, almost caressing him with their cold black touch. He could hear their answer, even though they had no voice or body, to make a sound with. A smile began to grow on his adorable face and he reached out to touch one of them. He wasn’t lonely now.
He perked up even more when his sensitive hearing detected the giggle of a child from somewhere beyond the musky stockrooms. The shard of light had granted his one wish… the power to become the real Peter Pan and master over his own playground.
Zeke turned and raced through the warehouse so fast that he had to skid to a stop before he tumbled through the swinging doors and gave himself away. He looked up at the small rectangle window and tried to levitate. It worked so well that he bumped his head on the ceiling before he could stop himself.
He glared up at it as he slowly lowered back down to the small window but quickly made himself invisible when he noticed a very unhappy Dude in the process of punching out to go home.
Slipping through the stockroom doors, Zeke hovered just behind the agitated man and barely brushed the tip of his fingernail down the back of his neck. The man turned around so quick that Zeke actually felt a spark of fear, as he flew backwards and attached himself to the wall on the other side of the small employee only hallway nestled between the stockroom and the inner sanctum of the store.
He stifled a giggle when Dude turned full circle several times before slapping a hand over the back of his neck and rubbing hard. If looks could kill, Dude would be a very dangerous man.
Dude tried to rub the creepy sensation away but it wasn’t helping that the hallway seemed to be getting darker and darker by the second. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head to protect his neck and sank his hand deep into his pocket, so he could grip the box cutter that was tucked away there.
Punching out three hours early without telling management was bound to get him fired, but right now he couldn’t have cared less. He had always been one for following his gut instinct and it was screaming at him to get the hell out of here.
Zeke followed the man through the store intending to give him one last fright but got sidetracked when he saw two children… a boy and a girl. They both looked bored out of their minds. He glanced around for their parents and noticed a woman just on the other side of the hanging rack. She was mumbling something about the high cost of school shopping being a rip-off, but other than that she wasn't paying attention as she shuffled through the clothes.
He calmly stepped around the corner of a clothing rack right in front of the children, making sure he was now visible.
“Hey,” Zeke said, with a mischievous smirk.
“Hi,” the little girl said, with a shy smile. “Are you Peter Pan?”
“Yes,” Zeke replied, with a wide grin.
The boy cocked his head to the side and elbowed his sister in the arm. “There’s no such thing as Peter Pan, you dummy. It’s just a Halloween costume.”
Zeke spared another glance towards the grownup, just to make sure she wasn’t watching, only to see that the lady was now frowning with a cell phone to her ear and moving further away.
“I’m the real thing and I can prove it. Wanna see something cool,” he asked, as if it were the best thing in the world.
“Yeah,” the two nodded at the same time.
“Watch this,” Zeke said and made himself lift about a foot off the floor. He hovered there for a few seconds before making himself invisible.
He hadn’t really had time to test out what other powers he might have gained but it didn’t take much to hold the attention of human children. He wanted Lost Boys and while the one was only a girl, she could pretend to be one too… or maybe she could be Wendy. Girls were supposed to be smarter than boys, so he would have to try harder to get to keep a Wendy.
“Where did he go,” the little girl asked her brother, only for Zeke to reappear right in front of her with his finger held to his lips.
“Shh,” Zeke whispered. “It’s a secret. If I share my power with you, will you join my Lost Boys? You will never be bored again.”
“Yes,” they both chimed with loud whispers and quick nods.
Zeke gave them a slow smile and turned his head to look at the lady, only to find there was now a grumpy looking man right beside her. He was rubbing his temple while she fussed about dinner being late. Zeke felt no remorse as he disappeared from sight again.
The parents were none the wiser when he slipped up behind them and grabbed a couple baby bottles from the shelf next to him. Why the parents were in the baby section when they had two children they were already ignoring was beyond him.
Stifling a giggle, he threw the bottles at the parents, hitting them on the back of the head, hoping they would just run away. He was elated when he heard the siblings laugh behind him but frowned when the parents turned and began yelling at them to behave, and the man even threatened to spank them.
Zeke watched their lips twist into snarls as they glared at their children, not caring if the children flinched or if their eyes became watery. He’d never known his own parents but had a feeling that he hadn’t missed out on much. Picking up two rattles, he floated upwards until he was at their height and right in front of their ugly faces, making himself visible before throwing the rattles at them.
“Leave them alone,” he growled, unaware that his eyes were actually glowing ominously with his newly found power.
The two adults cried out in surprise and fright, backing away from the levitating boy with blood red eyes.
Zeke surged forward, grabbing items from the shelves and throwing them at the parents… separating them from their children. Meanwhile, the siblings were staring wide eyed at the way their parents were being ‘beat up’ by Peter Pan. Neither child could see his bleeding eyes, or the way his teeth had suddenly grown longer and sharper. No, that scary illusion was only for the ones he wanted to run away from him.
Once the parents were out of sight, Zeke let his expression return to normal before he turned back to the brother and sister. Grabbing their hands, he quickly pulled them into the stockroom and toward the closest dark corner so no one would find them.
He knew they couldn’t see the shadow demons that were waiting there but he needed the demons if he was going to make the children his forever.
“We’re gonna be in so much trouble,” the boy said worriedly, as he looked past Peter expecting to see his dad striding angrily toward them any second now. Since he was the big brother… he would be the one getting the punishment for the both of them. He glanced over at his sister and sighed seeing she didn’t seem scared at all.
“Peter will protect us,” the little girl said, honestly believing that one of her favorite fairytales had come for her. “I’m Sarah, and this is my brother Bobby.”
Zeke smiled deciding that she was indeed his Wendy. “Are you ready to stay here with me and forget the grownups?”
“Can we play with the toys,” Bobby asked, remembering the way his dad had warned them how much trouble they would be in if they touched anything while they were in the store.
“You can play with anything you want and you can eat all of the candy too,” Zeke answered, aware that that was also a weak spot for children.
“Will there be fairies,” Sarah asked, with bright eyes and glanced around for Tinker Bell. Seeing nothing but darkness, she started to frown.
“Of course,” Zeke said, knowing shadow demons were way better than fairies. “All you need to do is close your eyes for a moment while I give you the power to see them.”
“Yay,” the siblings cheered and just like obedient underlings, they closed their eyes and waited for the fairy dust.
Zeke watched as the shadow demons slipped painlessly into the siblings through their parted lips. He didn’t think anything of it when they opened eyes that were darker than midnight and smiled wickedly at him. They had forgotten their parents and that was what he’d wanted most of all.
“Let’s go find more Lost Boys and rid the store of the horrid pirates masquerading as grownups,” he suggested, as he returned their smile with a happy one. “This is our Never Land and they do not belong here.”
