Thou Shall Not Fear - Lost Boys

Chapter 6: The Fight

I drag myself through aisle after aisle, packing the occasional item into my shopping basket before continuing the never-ending journey.

I lift a jar of jam from the top shelf.

"Valerie, isn't it?"

I freeze.

I look up.

There's a young face peering over the shelf, its features set in a grim smirk.

I place the jam in my basket. "Hello, Alan."

I can tell he's unhappy with my calm reaction. He was probably expecting me to drop the jar and leap back as it sprayed glass and fruit across the tiled floor. In truth, I didn't have any control over how I responded. I'm lucky that I just froze.

But now that his plan to spook me has failed, he leans on the shelf, eyes burrowing deep into mine.

"Since when did you get so tall?" I ask.

A "macho" voice whispers from the other side of the shelf. "What can you see? Hurry up, will ya? My shoulders are killing me."

Alan inhales and exhales stubbornly before ordering Edgar to put him down. They whisper quickly, hidden by the shelving.

Then, they swagger around to meet me on the other side, straightening their camo as they walk. When they're near, I realise that they are still both quite small, and their faces are full of that childish glow that will disappear as soon as they truly reach adolescence.

I dread to think what they'll be like in a year's time.

Edgar cracks his jaw. "We hear you've been hangin' out with some bad eggs."

"Heard from who?"

Alan's smile drips with ill-gotten confidence. "We mean we know you've been hangin' out with them."

Edgar takes a step towards me, placing his hands in his pockets. "They're not like us, Valerie. You're smart. You should know that by now."

I study these two. These children. These children who have been brought up in a town of seemingly unsolvable murders and senseless violence. A town where the police either can't or won't help you if you get into trouble.

It's easy to understand their fascination -their obsession- with monsters and ghouls and the heroes who defeat them. Their comic books are full of ordinary people who manage to save themselves and those around them from even the scariest of monsters. It must be comforting to think that there are supernatural beasts lurking around every corner, because it's an awful lot easier than accepting that humans are behind the death and destruction we're familiar with.

"Look, I appreciate your concern for my safety."

The Frogs scoff.

I ignore them. "I think it's really nice that you want to help and contribute something to Santa Carla. But you can't keep pushing your beliefs on other people like this. Sooner or later, you're gonna run into trouble."

"Brave words coming from someone who's hanging out with creatures of the night." Alan quips.

Edgar's eyes widen. He turns to his brother, scolding him for giving me advice without first asking for payment in return.

Eventually, their hushed argument subsides.

Edgar adjusts his bright red headband. "We know you still think we're little kids since you used to babysit us." He points a finger up at my face. "But we know what your little friends are. They're not like us. They're something else entirely. What do you think they are, Valerie?"