Pan's Never-Neverland

Prologue

PAN'S NEVER-NEVERLAND

Prologue

Bobby Long; commonly known to the average American citizen as "The Child Killer". He was in no hurry, knowing that the police wouldn't find him in this area of the country. Calmly, he made his way down an old paved road in the twilight until he reached a dock. There were several ships, all fashioned to look like pirate's galleons. Ignoring the fancy vessels, The Child Killer looked about for the first boat prepared to leave.

His eye soon caught sight of a tall man, hidden in the shadows as he set aside a coil of rope and dusted off his shoulder. Pulling his hood closer over his face, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked up to the man.

"Hey," he said gruffly. "I need a ride over to that island."

The man slowly turned around to see who had spoken. In the dim lantern light, he could see a long, pale face, with a thin mustache upon the upper lip. His hair was a cascade of raven curls, and his forget-me-not eyes bore into his soul.

The strange man looked him up and down, looking disgusted. "Should you wish to catch a ride aboard this ship to the island," he said, his voice thick with a British accent, "you shall address me as 'Captain'." His voice dripped with venom, and the way he glared at him made his blood turn cold.

"Er, could I catch a ride with you…Captain?"

"That's more like it," purred the man. He waved a hand at him and snapped, "Well, get on, you scurvy dog. I haven't got all night."

Frowning, The Child Killer made a mental note to kill the man as soon as they got on the island. However, as soon as he was on board, the man was nowhere to be found. There was a small crew, however, who manned the ship on its voyage to the island amusement park.

Standing by the railing, he looked down at the murky black waters. Off at a distance, he saw something floating on the calm waters' surface. An odd sound reached his ears, and he could've sworn that he heard a faint ticking sound, as though someone had brought a clock on board.

The journey ended as soon as it started. As soon as they reached land, a portly fellow with spectacles took out the gangplank and set it out so that The Killer could leave.

"Enjoy your visit," said the fat older man. "And mind the crocodiles."

Long gave the fat man an odd look. "The what?"

"Crocodiles," the other man answered. "They surround the island, so be mindful and watch where you step."

He raised an eyebrow at the older man, but nodded. "…thanks. Say, where's your Captain?"

"The Captain? Not sure," the older man shrugged. "I don't know if he actually boarded. Heard him shout the order to cast off, though."

Disappointed, The Child Killer gruffly thanked the man again before walking across the gangplank and onto dry land. Lifting his eyes, he saw the fenced boardwalk over the beach, leading to a booth in the distance beside two closed wooden doors. Walking quickly, he hurried to the booth. When he got there, only then did he look up to see the neon green sign which declared the words "NEVER-NEVERLAND" across the tops of the giant oak doors.

Rolling his eyes, he looked into the ticket booth. There, a petite lady sat patiently, looking at her sparkling green nails. Looking up at him, she asked in a musical voice, "Can I help you?"

He gawked at the young woman. Her fiery red hair was pixie-cut, and she had exotic jade eyes which mesmerized him. Her skin was sun-kissed, and she wore a pale lime tube-top.

"…I need a ticket to enter, don't I?" he asked, struggling to form words.

"Yup," she said, popping the "p". "That'll be five dollars."

He shoved his hand into his pocket, took out the money, and slid it under the plexi-glass. As she took a ticket and scribbled something on it, he slyly asked, "So, what's your name?"

"Bell," she replied curtly. "Ms. Bell. That's as much of my name as you're gonna get if you want this ticket."

He didn't even try to hide his scowl, but he shut up. Ms. Bell stamped the ticket and slid it under the glass back to him. "Enjoy your visit."

Taking the paper, he stuck it into his pocket and headed towards the doors. They opened automatically, allowing him to step inside. He was momentarily captivated by the sights, smells, and sounds around him. This place was like nothing he'd ever seen before…But he quickly shook that off. Stalking off, he headed past game booths, rides, stores, dining areas, and the like. Silently, he hid himself behind a run-down building that was closed for renovation. He waited, looking for a victim to kill, preferably a child. He smiled evilly at the thought. That was how he had gotten his nickname. He snuck into places like parks, amusement attractions, schools and such, and killed countless victims, just for the thrill and to strike fear into people's hearts.

For a long time, nobody passed, and he was beginning to wonder if he ought to move to the carousal. Then, he saw someone: a little boy, clutching a stuffed tiger in his hands. He was crying, whimpering, "Mommy, Daddy. Where are you?"

Smiling sadistically, the killer snuck behind the child, taking out a knife from his coat pocket. When his shadow came over the lost child, the boy turned and looked. His blue eyes went wide, and he opened his mouth to scream. He reveled in this…

…until something sharp slipped by his neck.

Roaring in pain, Long collapsed to his knees, dropping the knife as his hand went up to his neck. The child ran off, crying, as he touched his wound delicately, wincing. Something…or someone had cut him. A long shadow fell over him, and he could sense a presence behind him. Swallowing, he slowly turned around to see a floating figure, glaring at him with powerful emerald eyes.

"Thought you could harm a kid, didja?" said the figure, his voice like smooth melted chocolate. "You grown-ups always think you can get away with stuff here. But guess what?" The figure lowered his face to the man's and hissed, "No kid gets killed on MY island by a grown-up, and you won't get away with it." With that, the person gnashed his pearl-like teeth at the man, hissing.

Long screamed, got up, and began running away. He stumbled into obstacles, nervously looking back at his pursuer who followed him relentlessly. Running down the streets, he found a chain-link fence. Frightened, he scurried up the fence and slipped to the other side. He didn't bother to look until last minute, as he tumbled downhill and onto the silent beach. Finally catching his breath, he looked up.

The figure was nowhere to be seen. Just as he gave a sigh of relief, a combination of a deep hiss and low growl made him freeze. Looking around, he found himself surrounded…

…by hungry crocodiles.

With a final scream, he got up to run, when the biggest crocodile of them all leapt out of the darkness and snapped its jaws shut.

Up above, the floating figure watched as the rest of the crocodiles hissed and snapped at one another, trying to get a bite for themselves. With a glaring frown, he nodded. "A gruesome fate for a gruesome man, doncha think, Tink?"

A tinkling of bells answered him. With that, he turned and flew away from the scene.