To my surprise, a genuine weaponry existed in the Underworld (and don't ask why, I wasn't sure myself). It was more of a gun store, accompanied by traps for bears and other animals rather than swords and axes. Did people hunt? Were there actually things to hunt? The questions baffled me but I didn't expect any answers.
Pan and I walked in, a burley man with gruff facial hair standing behind the counter.
"Well, if it isn't the infamous Pan," he mumbled quite annoyingly but Pan merely lifted his chin just a bit, slipping his hands into his jean pockets.
"We need one of your best guns and bullets," he said and the man narrowed his eyes, twisting a dud cigarette in his mouth.
"They do no good here, mate," he grumbled and I watched Pan slide out a vial; he winked.
"Oh I've got just the thing," Pan replied and the man smirked just a bit, placing his ash-covered hands against the counter.
"Water from the river, aye?"
"Exactly," Pan said, quickly shoving the vial back into his pocket and not allowing any time for me to question. "Now, a gun." Without another word, the man turned his back to us, leaned down and grabbed some sort of chest, placing it onto the counter with a loud thud.
"She's one of my babies," the man huffed, opening it from behind so we could see it front-on; we walked up to it and to my surprise (again), Pan seemed to know guns and was rather pleased with the one the man was suggesting.
He lifted it out of its case, examining it in silence and held it up, as if to shoot. Staying in that stance, with one eye closed and looking through the scope.
"Payment?" was all he said and upon hearing a grunt, lowered the gun back down and placed it into its case. I rolled back my lips and held my arms. How do you even buy stuff here? Whenever we went to Granny's, that witch would give us drinks free of charge. It's not like you could taste anything, but it gave us the feeling that we were alive somehow.
"Take it. I'll come 'round to your shop when I feel like it," the man huffed and I gave a small and grateful smile, but he shrugged it off, taking out his cigarette. "This place's gettin' crowded, so you're doin' a favour, boy."
"I like to think of it in that way," Pan said, somewhat emotionlessly. I narrowed my eyes just a bit, watching as he locked up the case. "The store's closed for the meantime, but feel free to come around when I've reopened."
"So it's true."
"What's true?" I finally spoke up, looking up at the man. He shrugged, moving the lifeless cigarette to the other side of his mouth.
"You're in a pickle with that Jane girl," he coughed and I rolled my eyes.
"You don't need to know the details," Pan swooped in before I could reply but I merely pursed my lips, holding my tongue. He grabbed the case's handle and slid it off the counter, holding it in his hand. "But your sale has been much appreciated." He's being so formal... The man shrugged, coughing again but he didn't reply.
"Let's go, love," Pan said softly, taking my hand and leading us out of the store.
"You outta be careful, mate," the man suddenly said from behind us. We paused but neither of us looked backwards. "She's a nasty one."
"She doesn't know what's coming her way," Pan finished and opened the door, his hand still enclosed around mine. The door slammed behind us and I paused for a moment, staring into the distance. "You okay, love?"
I hesitated before replying.
"That vial you held up..." I started, my eyes meeting his curious and patient ones. "What did he mean, 'water from the river'?" Pan suddenly became tense, dropping his gaze almost instantly.
"It doesn't matter for now," he said and I could feel his uneasiness; there wouldn't be a point questioning further, because as he said, it wasn't our main concern. Whatever it was, it was destined to get rid of Jane, right? I didn't know how but I guess I'd find out. I nodded but he still noticed my uncertainty and so, placed a kiss against my forehead. "We've got just under 6 hours...and you need to learn how to use this baby."
"Should I even ask how you know?" I said, with a slight chuckle in my voice. He grinned, shrugging once.
"Let's just say I took out my anger down here on some innocent trees," he said and I chuckled again, shaking my head in disbelief. Good to know that he was shooting things when I was mad at him... "Come on, I know a place."
And just like that, we were off again.
+++
The Underworld's forest was nothing in comparison to Neverland, where both life and darkness resided in. This forest reeked death and pure coldness, where the trees looked like their wood were screaming, like souls were trapped and in a constant state of terror.
My bottom lip dropped and a paused before entering. The red haze didn't even come out this way – it was dark blue and gloomy and a cold breeze I could finally feel. But it was a haunting breeze, something that made me rather frightened.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Pan walked back over to me and with a one-sided smirk, stroked the curve of my chin.
"You scared, love?"
I quickly slapped his hand away.
"No," I snapped back but all he did was chuckle warmly, turning on his heels and heading into the forest. I hesitated again but after letting out a groan, followed in after him. This better work.
Walking into its depths, I looked over my shoulder to see the Underworld fade from view and my stomach momentarily twisted. Jane wouldn't attack now, right? But I ignored my doubt. There was no point worrying.
We reached a part of the forest that gave us enough room to set up a shooting station, which was literally just me aiming at a tree directly in front of us both. Pan leaned down and unclipped the brief case, revealing the gun. It was silver and glistening, and I noticed an engraving but couldn't make out the words. As I watched Pan take it in his hands and load the gun, I folded my arms and took a deep breath.
"He's given us one of his best rifles," he mumbled, still rather emotionlessly. "I'm surprised."
Pan, surprised? I raised an eyebrow but all he did was shrug.
"I'm not the most liked person around here."
"And you're not the most hated, either," I said, smirking just a tad. As he loaded the gun, I saw the corner of his mouth tilt up.
"That's true," was his response and a couple seconds later, he stood up straight and held out the gun. I was genuinely nervous, as I was accustomed to bows and arrows, daggers and swords. Taking the weapon from his hands, I narrowed my eyes just a bit and lifted it, with Pan walking around to stand behind me. "You need a steady position, so relax but remain on edge," he started and his hands slid themselves onto my arms, lifting them up just a tad more. He then went on to change how the rifle was sitting on my shoulder as I remained utterly still and once he was behind me again, he gently moved my hair behind my shoulders, revealing my neck. "Do you feel comfortable with the gun, love?" he asked and I noticed a touch of lust purring out in his words.
I smirked, holding onto the gun rather confidently and my finger curving around the trigger.
"Of course," I said, closing one eye to focus and look through the scope. I analysed my target, which was merely a tree. And as I pressed more pressure onto the trigger, it was like I could hear someone screaming out, reminding me of how life-like the trees were.
It wasn't like I hadn't fought before, but there was a big difference in weaponry styles: this gun could instantly kill. And yes, so could bows and swords, but there was a higher chance of killing with this rifle. I hated to admit it, but I liked this modern power, this gun were I could aim like I was firing an arrow but kill easier and cleaner.
I felt Pan's lips snake themselves onto my neck's flesh, beginning to kiss and put me off guard. Just as I was about to tell him to piss off, he beat me to it.
"You're going to have to deal with distractions and a moving target," he slurred and I rolled my eyes, keeping my focus on the tree in front.
"Nothing like I haven't done before."
"That's my girl," he purred again and placed one last messy kiss against my neck before I pulled the trigger, hitting the tree perfectly. I lowered the gun, releasing a sigh. Would I be the one to kill Jane? Now that I think about it, I haven't actually taken a life. Even though she's already dead... But I couldn't' start to feel guilty. "Serena." Pan said my name quietly and honestly and when I turned around to see him, he took the gun from my hands. "I'm still going to teach you how to use the rifle but...I grabbed something before closing up the store. I thought it would be the right...time, and I know it's not Neverland's forest but –"
"Peter," I said with a smile. He's so cute getting all flustered like this – I haven't seen this side to him before and it's adorable. He blinked a couple of times and I saw his Adam Apple bob as he placed down the gun and took out something that sparkled, but couldn't quite see it. My bottom lip dropped as he closed the gap between us, taking my left hand in his beautiful ones. If I were alive, my heart would have been racing, my mind would have been spinning but the most I could feel was warmth in my chest and the slight feeling of happiness residing in my stomach. Then, he slipped the most beautiful ring onto my finger and he admired it for a second, smiling down at it. It was gold and simple, with a couple of flower-shaped diamonds on it. It reminded me of the flowers on Neverland, in all honesty. And it wasn't traditional or too extravagant either, it was stunningly simple and I loved it with my undead heart. I could feel my bottom lip quivering in overwhelming excitement and I leaped forward, throwing my arms around his neck and planting my lips onto his. But neither of us could feel each other's warmth and touch, and it broke me more than anything. I know we'll get out of this, I know we can defeat the Underworld and live our second chance at life that's yet to start. And if I had to wait a thousand years, I would.
He pulled away and wrapped his arms around me, the side of my face against his chest as my arms also wrapped around his torso; his fingers purring themselves through my hair.
"I love you," he said softly and I closed my eyes, letting out a breath I didn't realise I was holding. I will never be used to him saying those words.
"I know," was all I said and I smiled, my arms around him tightening as I dug myself further into his embrace, like I was forcing myself to feel something...but we couldn't.
Pan was willing to do anything for our happiness, and we was serious about our second chance.
And now, so was I. And if that meant killing...I would.