The Seventh Child
Prologue
"Now, you stay close to Uncle Pete, okay Nick? Nick?"
Nick could hardly listen to his mother due to how excited he was. He had dreamed of this moment for all his life, but now it was happening. Today his peers would finally accept him by walking into the St. John's Pizzeria, watching the Dairy Band perform, and play the arcade games he had only heard about in class. Sure, he had to attend a birthday party for Michelle, a person he truly despised, but he would be there. He wished that he could have a birthday of his own at the pizzeria, but there was no way his mother could afford it.
"Boy, listen to your mother." His uncle snaps, bringing him out of his thoughts. The seven-year-old sheepishly looks up and nods.
"Yes, mom…"
The older woman smiles and kisses his head, knowing full well how thrilled her little boy was, and how rare it would be for him to go to the pizzeria again. "You have a great time there, Nick. Do what Uncle Pete says, be nice to Michelle, and have fun with Luke."
"Yes, mom."
"And make sure you say hi to Ginger the Cat for me, okay? She was always my favorite."
Nick beams and nods as her brother gives her a quick hug. The butterflies grow in his stomach when Pete unlocks the truck and motions the boy to follow him. Nick waves at his mother and holds his uncle's hand until they reach his old pickup truck. Pete helps him get buckled in before jumping into the driver's seat. Nick can't help but notice that his usually calm Uncle Pete seems anxious for some reason.
"I want you to be aware of your surroundings when you're in that pizzeria, boy," Pete finally says as the car starts up. "That place makes me nervous."
"Why?" Nick asks. How could a place as happy as St. John's could make anyone nervous?
He can hear his uncle sigh and presumably rub his temples, hesitant on what to say. "Look, Nick, remember in school when you had a lesson about stranger danger?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, some kids haven't gotten that talk, and they wandered away from their parents while they were at the Pizzeria-"
"Yeah, but the policemen found them right, Uncle Pete?" Nick smiles and plays with the strings of his hoodie. "They got to be with their mommies and daddies and everything was okay!"
There was a long pause before Pete responded, making Nick grow a little nervous. It wasn't like his uncle to pause or be this worried. "No, son," he finally says quietly. "They were never found."
"Oh…" Nick slumps back in his seat and frowns. "Is that why you want me to be careful?"
"Yes, son. You know your mother and I would be devastated if something were to happen to you." His uncle replies as the truck pulls into the parking lot.
Nick can't contain his excitement when he sees the face of Biscuit St. John, the canine mascot of the pizzeria, smiling at him from the sign. The little boy squeals and kicks his legs happily.
Pete can't help but chuckle at his nephew's joy and helps him out of the car. He hands him the gift he would give to the birthday girl, and holds the small boy's free hand.
"I'm so excited!" Nick cries and beams at his uncle. "This is the happiest day of my life!"
Pete's smile drops as they walk to the entrance of the pizzeria, loud carnival music greeting Nick's ears before Pete even opens the doors. It's everything he imagined and more.
As they enter Nick can see the rows of tables and benches decorated with pink and white polka dot covers. The stage where the Dairy Band would perform was at the front of the room. One table is dedicated with large presents and he can't help but feel guilty that he could only afford to get Michelle a gift card. At another table, Nick can see the parents chit-chatting with each other. He smiles when he sees Luke's parents and heads towards them.
Luke's father, Howard, ruffle's the child's hair. "Hey, Nick! How're ya doin', kiddo?"
"Good, Mr. Porter."
"Luke's over in the arcade room, so you can put your present on the table and meet him there," Howard replies and points at the other table. Nick does as he's told, and when he comes back Pete hands him fifteen dollars, a lot of money for him.
"Enjoy yourself, boy," Pete says when he notices his nephew gasp at the money. "Maybe later we'll get ice cream, too."
Nick grins and races to his best friend in the arcade room. He ignores most of his other classmates, who sneer at him, as he enters the game area. The hundreds of machines that were lined in rows were calling for him to play them. He finally spotted Luke playing Frogger and ran to him. "Luke!"
The brunette boy looks up at him and beams. "Hey, I never thought you would show up!"
"Sorry, I forgot what time the party started!"
"No, it's cool, man," Luke replies before going back to the game. "I'm trying to beat the high score on this."
"Why?" Nick asked as he watched his friend play.
"Danny St. John told me I would get a prize if I did, that's why!" The other boy said as he rapidly moved the joystick, pressing buttons quickly.
"Doesn't the Scarecrow give you prizes?"
"Yeah, and the Scarecrow's my favorite!"
Nick rolled his eyes and watched his friend play for nearly twenty minutes before he felt the urge to go to the bathroom. Finally, Luke lost all his lives and his score came in at a whopping one million.
"I beat it!" He cried and raced for the massive amount of tickets coming out of the game. "I just got to tell Danny that I did it!"
"You'll be the coolest kid in school if you get a prize from Danny St. John, Luke." Nick frowns and looks down at the carpeted floor. He can feel Luke gently nudge him.
"Hey," Luke begins. "If you think I would forget about you for one second you're crazy, dude. We'll be best friends forever!"
"Really?" Nick whimpers.
Luke smiles and takes off his red baseball cap, placing it on his friend. "Of course, no matter what."
Nick takes off the hat and runs his thumb over the yellow C embroidered in the center. "You're giving me your hat?"
"Yeah, I have enough tickets to get one with Biscuit on the front, and I know you wanted a hat, too."
Nick embraces his friend and puts the cap back on. "Thank you, Luke… This-this means a lot to me."
"No problem, man."
"Here," Nick starts as he begins to walk to the bathroom. "I'll be right back!"
Luke scoops up the rest of the tickets and winks at him. "I'll show you my prize when you get back!"
Nick did his business and raced back to the Frogger cabinet, but Luke was gone. He's probably getting his prize from Danny, he thought and sat down on the floor. He waited for five minutes, which turned into ten, fifteen, twenty, and finally thirty. Nick looked down at the fifteen dollars Pete had given him and sighed. The band would perform and give out pizza soon, and if Luke didn't come back shortly, he would have no time to do anything!
So, Nick went off and played several of the games close to Frogger. After nearly another thirty minutes of playing Pac-man, Burger Time, Street Fighter, and X-Men, he noticed Luke had still not returned. Maybe he's out front with his parents… He thought as he grabbed his tickets.
"Little boy!" He freezes when he hears the stern voice of a man. He turns around to see a security guard staring him down. The guard sported a goatee, shaggy brown hair, and a hat with a badge shaped like a pizza on the front.
"Y-yes, sir…" Nick stutters and shrinks back. He hoped he wasn't in trouble, he didn't even do anything wrong!
The guard, who's named Troy, judging by the name badge on his shirt, rolls his eyes. "It's time for pizza."
Nick relaxes. "O-okay," he sighs and bites his lip. "Uh…"
"What?"
"I'm lost…"
"Jesus Christ!" Troy yells and rubs his temples, muttering several swears under his breath. After a few seconds, the guard exhales and crosses his arms. "Alright, I'll walk you back, kid."
"Thank you, Troy!" Nick smiles and holds the guard's hand. Troy stiffens and clenches his teeth.
"Let's just get this over with." The guard mutters and almost drags the boy as they head to the front. However, the slamming of a door and screaming make them pause.
A young guard no older than twenty is shoved out of a blackened room and lands on his back. He wears a red and yellow baseball cap and a similar uniform to Troy. His brown hair is styled into a mullet and he's beginning to grow a mustache.
"What the fuck, Danny!" The guard cries as he bolts up. He pulls up his sleeves and puts his hands into fists.
Standing at the entrance of the door is none other than Danny St. John, and to Nick, he looks terrifying. His hair and shirt were messy and dirty, his eyes were bloodshot red, and he looked like something or someone scratched his face up. He glared at the guard and pulled him by his tie.
"Don't you ever go into that room again, Kenneth, or I will make sure your job ends right here and now." He hissed before shoving Kenneth back to the ground.
Troy ran to separate the two men getting ready to brawl. Nick gasped and hid behind the Spiderman cabinet. "Hey!" Troy cried as he went between them. "The hell is wrong with you two!"
"I accidentally went into the maintenance room and the next thing I know Danny-boy here is about to beat my ass!" Kenneth cries and points at Danny. "The fuck is your problem?!"
Danny scowls and seems deranged as he shakes in anger. "I have this room locked for a reason. The animatronics have been acting strange and I think someone's been tampering with them."
Kenneth begins to curse and cry while Troy seems almost unnaturally calm. Nick notices how the guard's stare at Danny is full of hate, but he still says nothing. Troy seems to almost examine Danny, looking him down from head to toe. Nick watches as Danny's expression changes from anger to nervous while Kenneth looks befuddled at Troy.
"I'm sure someone is, Danny." Troy finally responds coldly before smiling. "That's why I installed cameras during my night shift last night."
Danny's eyes widen and Kenneth looks concerned at the normally aggressive man's calm behavior. However, Danny's behavior changes when he sees Nick peeking out from the cabinet. A grin grows on his face and he motions the boy towards him.
"Come here, son."
Nick gets chills and walks to them, making sure to hide behind Troy, who protectively puts a hand on his back.
"Aren't you a handsome boy," Danny replies as he turns his head to see Nick. "Sorry about that, Kenneth was being a bad boy."
Nick sheepishly nods and frowns. "Have you seen Luke? He was going to get a prize from you…"
Now Troy's the one who's terrified and Kenneth is even more confused by his co-worker's terror. Danny only chuckles and kneels down to Nick's level.
"He never came to get his prize," he begins with a smile. "But, I'm sure he's somewhere around here. I was busy fixing the Scarecrow in there. Now, you better go get your pizza before it's all gone. You don't want to miss the band, do you?"
Nick shakes his head, making Danny's smile grow wider. "Then I suggest you get back to the dining area, son."
In an instant, Nick is being picked up by Troy, who is almost shaking in fear. The guard seems to ignore Kenneth calling his name and races to the showroom. Once near the entrance, he puts the boy down and kneels to his level.
"Whatever happens, don't be scared," Troy whispers before Pete approaches them.
"Nick, there you are!" Pete begins and walks him to his chair and pizza. His chair and pizza that was next to Luke's, which showed no evidence of the other boy being there. "Have you seen Luke?"
Nick quickly shakes his head and begins to get nervous. "N-no…"
Pete's smile drops and he bites his lip. He looks at Howard, who is eating happily, but the other man shakes it off.
"Don't worry, Pete," Howard says between chewing. "That boy will show up. He loves to be fashionably late."
Nick watches as his uncle sighs and motions him to eat his pizza. Nick drinks his soda, eats nearly two slices, and waits another twenty minutes for Luke to come, but he never does. Nick can't help but think something is terribly wrong.
Suddenly, the lights darken and the curtains of the stage open. Andy St. John, Danny's much more charismatic brother, sits on the edge of the stage and waves at the children.
"Hey, kids!" He cries, getting the children excited. "You ready for the Dairy Band?"
The other children cheer and shout except for Nick, who is staring at Luke's still empty chair and now cold pizza.
"Alright!" Andy laughs and smiles. "We had a little delay because Danny was making sure everyone was okay. Lord knows what goes on in there; Danny's very focused on his work! Mama and I aren't even allowed in there!"
Nick looks to his right and sees Troy and Kenneth leaning on the wall, their faces both darkened and furious. Troy's, however, softens when he sees Nick, and before Nick can wave at him, the loud sound of cheering and singing makes him turn to the stage. The Dairy Band is there.
Biscuit St. John, Ginger the Cat, Adam the Horse, and Mortimer the Mouse begin to play their songs to the crowd. Nick should be cheering along with them, but he doesn't have the energy to. Finally, after several songs the band stops and begins to talk to the children.
"H-Happy Birthday to Mi-Michelle!" Ginger squeals as she slowly turns to Michelle, who seems bored. "We-We- all- love (hate) you and wish-wish you (die) have many- great years to come!"
Michelle, after a few minutes, climbs up on stage and begins to touch the animatronics, making Andy and the security guards anxious. Her parents were unaware and seemed to be too busy on their phones to care.
"You're all old and dumb!" She starts and kicks Biscuit's shins. The robotic dog doesn't respond and begins to talk to the children about his bone collection. "I didn't even want my birthday at this stupid place!"
"Ma'am," Nick sees Andy approach Michelle's mother. "You've got to get your daughter down from there."
"She's not causing any harm." She replies and continues to text. "It's her birthday anyway, and she wants to play with them."
"Ma'am, please," Andy starts nervously. "Our rules state that we can't have anyone close to the animatronics."
Michelle's mother sneers at the man and rolls her eyes. "You're ruining my daughter's birthday."
Nick can see Michelle continue to kick Biscuit's shins. "Stupid dog!" She says and turns to the children who are gasping. "Look, he doesn't even do anything!"
This gets a few uncomfortable laughs from the other kids except for Nick, who watches Troy approach Michelle.
"Get down," Troy demands and crosses his arms. "Get down right now."
Michelle sneers and kicks Biscuit again; the animatronic kneels to her level. "You're not my mom, so you can't tell me what to do. You're just a loser!"
Biscuit seems to twitch and his voice begins to deepen and slow down, his large blue eyes seem to blacken.
"You-know-what's-the-best-about-bones (flesh)?" He stutters and twitches. Michelle and Troy's eyes widen and the partygoers grow silent. "Y-You-can-open-your-mouth-ree ALLL yy-wide-and-take-one-big-bite!"
Troy makes a mad dash towards Michelle, grabbing her by the waste in an attempt to pull her back, but it's too late. They all watch in horror as Biscuit lunges towards Michelle and Troy, squishing both of their heads with his large, metallic teeth. Blood sprays on several of the children, including Nick, and in a matter of seconds the crowd is screaming.
Kenneth cries and rushes towards them, desperately trying to separate them from the animatronic, but it won't budge. The kitchen door opens and Brenda St. John emerges with the cake.
"What the hell, Andy-" She stops when she sees the horrific scene on stage. "Oh my god!"
The next thing Nick knows he is being picked up by Pete and raced out of the restaurant in breakneck speeds. Nick turns to look at the game room before it goes out of view and sees Danny St. John emerging from the maintenance room. In his hands is a small, bloody baseball cap with Biscuit on the front. The hat Luke wanted. Danny scoffs and throws the hat in the trash and smiles to himself.
Nick is thrown into the truck and watches everyone run out of the restaurant screaming. Pete juggles his cell phone before dialing his sister, telling her what had just occurred.
Nick stares at his bloody hands as Pete drives away, hearing the sirens of ambulances and several police cars speed by in the opposite direction. He would discover later Howard would call the police when his search for Luke ended in vain.
They never found him.