Mad As A Hatter (Completed 2015) [WATTY AWARD WINNER *Featured Story*]

chapter fifteen - neetfif retpahc

It's been too long readers.

Let's take a jump start into this kickass story shall we?

That sentence made no sense...

WARNING: Chapter involves three children bickering like there's no tomorrow. Literally, there may not be a tomorrow for them.

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White anger ripped through my chest like a tornado. "Can we get a move on for Hell's sake?!" I pounded my fist on the round table. Sitting, useless within a mall cafeteria, Grim thought it would be a spectacular time to get some rice and chicken.

Rice and chicken.

Mother frigg'in rice.

Mother frigg'in chicken.

Soul sucking demons could be attacking Earth at this exact moment and he wanted Chinese takeout; Panda Express.

"Plum sauce," Grim said. He plucked a spring roll out of the carton and lifted it, examining it closely. "Plum sauce coats the spring roll, oozing a sticky layer over top." He rotated the spring roll, eyeing its golden texture. "Without the plum sauce, the spring roll is nothing, but dry and cracked." He glanced up. "Do you see what I see?"

"That you have dry skin problems?" Isaac said.

"Does it look like I care?" I snapped, arms rooted under my pits to keep from murdering Grim.

"A spring roll needs its plum sauce. Without it, it cannot serve its purpose to please." He bit into it and closed his eyes, groaning. I watched him in silent fury, throwing mental daggers. He finally swallowed. His eyes opened. "We need our own army. We will crack and break without something over us. We cannot fight a battle with the numbers being over a million versus three."

"We're...we're the spring rolls!" Isaac exclaimed. "And our army...our army is the plum sauce!" He blinked twice. "Wow. Spring rolls never seemed so wise."

I propped both hands down and got right into Grim's face. "Where do you suppose we get this 'army'?"

He held up a pausing finger, cracked open his water bottle, chugged down, and then retracted his lips. "Let me finish my Panda Express."

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"Why aren't we rushing?"

"Simply because"-he opened the door to the outside, the streets still vacant at this early time-"I just don't give two fucks."

Mortified, Isaac almost tripped down the three stairs. "W-What? You d-don't give a what?"

Grim sighed and stopped in his tracks. He put up two fingers. "Two fucks, I don't give a two, as in one two, F U C K S. It's like you never cussed before." He made a few steps before halting again. "Isaac."

"Yes?"

"Have you never swore?"

Isaac's silence broke my ex into laughter, Grim walking off with hysterics. Isaac however, wasn't taking that so lightly. "Hey!" He chased after the grinning idiot. "I have used profanity!" Grim didn't even turn. "I said niррle before!"

"Say that again?" Grim cupped his own ear.

"Niррle!" Isaac shouted, rage jetting out of his shaky throat. "Niррle! Niррle! Niррle!"

I instantly yanked on their shirts and dragged them into an aisle way, shoving their limp bodies against the wall. "I'm three seconds away from shredding both of your balls!"

"Chill, Godzilla," Grim said, hands surrendering above his head.

I stabbed a finger towards his chest. "Don't you dare tell me to 'chill'. My planet is about to get turned into demon chow and you tell me to 'chill?' And what's this about 'Not giving a damn'?"

He shoved his body into mine, sending me a step back. "I'm not an angel, Alice. Of all people, you should know that. I'm the Grim Reaper. I kill for a living-I pop human souls into my mouth like potato chips on a Saturday night."

I brushed him off, cheeks beat red in frustration. "Then why are you still here?!"

"For you!" he roared. "Because I know you'll still go fighting off like the dumbass you are and if I'm not there on the battlefield, I can't protect you! I don't care if you can't love me, or won't love me, and I'm not trying to win you over like some high school boy. Even if you aren't my only love, you will forever be my first."

And then I laughed. Hard. Super hard. Maybe it was because it was so sudden, random and ultimately terrifying. But boy, did he knock my funny bone.

His cheeks heated, his honesty melting his insides.

I didn't mean to say it, but he had to know. "You weren't my first," I blurted.

The powerful look vanished. "What?"

A false smile wobbled on my lips. "You were better, trust me. But-"

"Who is he?!" Grim punched the garbage bin and glared. "Who?" I nibbled on my bottom lip. "Well?!"

"Patrick."

"Patrick from the dentist?!" He was red now. "You gave your V card to Patrick from the dentist?!" He tossed his hands to the sky. "Why? Why. WHY. I wouldn't even give a damn if you screwed Patrick the starfish! But Patrick?! From the dentist?!"

"Did you at least get a free teeth cleaning?" Isaac asked.

I nodded enthusiastically. "I did!" I showed him my teeth. "See! He also gave me these great whitening strips-"

"No." Grim sliced a big X with his arms. "Just no. I forbid anyone to talk about Patrick. He is not to be mentioned."

I weakly smiled and gave out a hopeful hand. "If it helps-I killed Patrick. The demons consumed his soul, ripping at his flesh and tore at his bones."

"That doesn't help. You eating him doesn't sound right on my tongue."

Isaac awkwardly clasped his hands together. "I don't know what you mean and I feel like I shouldn't know and I'm getting extremely hungry."

"Crap." I slapped my forehead, an annoyed moan following after. "The Purge...You need to feed on innocence."

The colour slapped off of Isaac's face and he shrieked, "I can't feed on a child!"

I gave a short laugh. "If you don't, the monster inside will control and you will end up killing way more people."

Grim's eyes grew wide and he grabbed Isaac's arm. "I have a few emergency human souls left in my bag. You can eat on the way."

"On the way to where?" I asked, tagging behind. Grim was walking faster now, hustling down the street. This was more like it.

We rushed down a set of stairs, into the underground subway. Newspapers danced, the wind whistling through the tunnels. The commuters paid no attention to us, the three running teens, who were making a break for the train. Grim was holding onto Isaac's hand and I was holding onto Isaac's; our chain snaking through the crowds to swiftly slip through the closing train doors.

Grim puffed a hard breath and faintly smiled. "We're going to a place that every demon fears of and has never stepped into. Demons are supposed to be banned from it. Until today."

"Are we going to Heaven?" Isaac asked, leaning on the pole.

Grim snorted and tossed a thumb at him. "Your boyfriend is right for once."

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And then 100 years later, when the Hispanics landed on the moon, when the first Asian American president surfaced, when rocket boots were invented and when 3D printing food came out-8tracks finally updated a chapter.

What do you think?

They went to Hell-that didn't work so well.

How will it turn out in Heaven?

The Grim Reaper visiting Heaven?

What?

3D printing food. WHAT.

If I was to make a sequel, would you want Isaac's POV or Alice's POV?

Please vote and comment on my story! :)

Xoxo 8tracks