Happy Haunting

CHAPTER 5: The Lookout

   "Hm. What about these?" I pointed to a pair of hiking boots on the shelf in Pelican Grocer's Supermarket. Greed's jaw dropped. "Are you insane?! That's over a hundred clams! Do you know what you could get for a hundred smackers?! Quite a lot!" I looked askance. "Yeah, true." Greed nodded and, along with Lust, looked on the shelf behind me. "Ah, here's a cheap pair." Lust flashed out and I watched as a box of secondhand hiking boots seemingly floated down to me. Another small flash revealed Lust standing in the same spot he was when he disappeared. "Howzabout these, huh?" Lust handed me the box containing two hiking boots coloured a sombre shade of mauve. "They're pretty." I remarked plainly. I sat down on a bench leaned up against a shelf full of shoeboxes. I pulled off my floral canvas shoes and lazily pulled on and laced up the boots. "A bit clunky, but they fit decently enough." I took them off and put them in the box. I smiled as I pulled my canvas shoes back on. "I wonder where we're gonna be climbing." Lust looked perplexed. "You didn't tell us you were going climbing." Greed nodded. "Yeah, what's up with that? You don't seem the outdoorsy type."
   "Well, I'd like to try climbing. Plus, Aaron said there's a really nice lookout point at a high point where we're climbing."
   "Alright, but be careful, 'kay? Oh, and if you die, I better get your inheritance." We laughed as I stood up and they flashed out. My surroundings were tainted a gradient from indigo to red. I began walking towards the cash register, and a trail of red hearts and a trail of indigo dollar signs followed me. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out behind me. "Hey Lee!" A man with his curly hair in an unruly bun walked up. He sported a white, long-sleeved T-shirt and dry denim jeans, covered from the waist to the knees by a baby blue apron.  Behind his ear, a black pen dangled. "Aaron?"
   "In the flesh."
   "Heh."
   "So, we still on for our date later?"
   "Of course!"
   "What's that in your hand? Something you're buying? I can check you out."
   "Oh, you work here?"
   "Uh-huh! I'm in checkout 3, come there to buy your stuff when you're ready." He smiled and strode past me, entering a checkout counter. I adjusted my glasses and looked around. Something was different. The atmosphere? I realized it was only indigo, and it hit me: Lust was following Aaron in his human form. "Crap." I muttered and started speed-walking to the checkout. Lust was about to reach the checkout when I grabbed his collar. "What the hell? Lust, you at least could've told me you were gonna follow him. What were you even gonna do?" Lust chuckled nervously. "Uh... ch-chat?" I glared him down. "Okay, I was maybe gonna gather some information about him, but only for your benefit."
   "Information? Like what?"
   "His favourite food, places, activities-" he muttered something.
   "What was that last thing?"
   "Activities?" He replied nervously.
   "Before that."
   "Um... rituals?"
   "DUDE."
   "Okay, okay-"  he got close and whispered to me. "-but hey, it doesn't hurt to ask, right?" And with that, he flashed out. "Ugh." I muttered as I walked to the checkout. "Heya~" I placed the box on the conveyor belt. "Hi again!" Aaron peppily answered. "That's fifty three dollars and twenty cents." I pulled out a fifty dollar bill and some extra coinage, a toonie and some assorted quarters and nickels. "Perfect. Have a nice day!" He grinned and waved as I walked out the sliding door.
   The trails of hearts and dollar signs floated behind me as I pulled my bike behind the store. "Alright, nobody's around. You can flash in." I covered my eyes and two figures appeared before me. One with loose and wavy salmon coloured hair, wearing a flashy red blazer and brown dress pants, an aqua bow tie fastened around the collar of the white button up he wore underneath the blazer. The other had jet black, straightened shoulder length hair. She wore a polka-dotted dress, white but covered in purple polka-dots. The frills on the bottom were large and neat and she wore grey flats with knee high indigo stockings. "Didja miss me?" The one in red asked. "Like anyone would miss you, Lust." The one in the dress snappily replied.
   "I'll have your head, Greed. One of these days."
   "Not 'til I invest in life insurance."
   "Break it up, you two!" My phone rang in my pocket, and I took it out. The screen has a white square that read, "Alarm Message: get home".
   "Guys, we gotta get home, I have to get ready for the date." With that, I picked up my bike and started pedalling back to the house. As I passed the school, I heard something loud. A gunshot? Couldn't be. I biked past the school and caught a glimpse of the alleyway beside it. A thin boy with purple hair knelt over something, looking shocked. I payed little mind to it as Lust and Greed floated behind me, until he noticed me. He immediately raised a hand up, grasping in it a gun. Lust and Greed immediately possessed my bike and we made it back to the house in one piece. I tried to forget it as I got into the shower.

                             ~•Three hours later•~

   Me and Aaron had just reached the top of a large cliff. "This is it, man." He said. We sat down, and I pulled my rucksack off of my back and opened it, pulling out a bottle of water and two protein bars. Handing one to Aaron, I unwrapped mine and ate it, smiling. The area was beautiful. Sitting on the cliff top, ahead was another cliff, with a huge waterfall streaming down over its rocky surface. To the left, there was a steep and muddy trail, surrounded by wild plants, flowers and some small animals. To the right was a small drop, into a quarry, then a humongous drop into a forest. I looked at Aaron.

"It's beautiful here."

"I know! That's why I brought you here, it's amazing." I moved closer to him, we were shoulder to shoulder now.

"Guess we gotta go back down soon."

"Yeah, but until then, we should just take in all the beauty up here." He looked directly at me, and my face went red. He leaned over and laid a kiss on the side of my face. I flustered, and picked up my rucksack.

"Th-thanks-" I was still beet red when we got down, and into Aaron's car. He dropped me off at the house.

"See you tomorrow, hun." Aaron said, driving away. I ran inside, bursting through the door to find the demons waiting impatiently to hear how the date went. I told them about everything. They all complimented me, and gave me hugs, before Gluttony and Wrath started cooking up a meal.