"Where did you say they found him?"
"He was just walking down the street. A neighbor identified him."
"Has he said anything?"
"No, and the police need to speak to him. His parents…"
Peter looked out the window as the rain ticked against the glass and thunder rumbled in the distance. Wrapping his fingers around the screen in front of the window, he watched the rain slither down the glass and blinked his eyes a few times.
"Peter," the nurse whispered as she placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned his head, his chocolate brown eyes glaring at her. "Come away from there."
"I'm not crazy," Peter said softly as the nurse led him away from the window and he looked at the other children in the room. One of them was thumping her head against the wall while a nurse whispered to her and one of the other children was talking to someone who wasn't there. None of them would believe him if he told them what happened to his parents. He still heard his mother's scream and could still see Jerry's face after he dropped her body to the floor.
"You're next, Boy," Jerry had snarled, but he had run away and hid somewhere Jerry couldn't find him. Why Jerry hadn't come after him, he didn't know. All Peter knew was he was all alone in the world. Children and Youth Services had agreed to place him in the mental ward after he was taken to the hospital and he sighed, brushing some of his hair from his eyes
No, he wasn't crazy and he wasn't about to be sent to a nuthouse as he looked at the doors and softly smiled. Not sure if they were locked, Peter slowly walked toward the doors while the nurse looked at him then he slowly turned his head and gave her a blank look. He heard the nurse call out as he ran to the doors and the doors slammed open. Peter cheered inside his head as he ran and the alarm bells rang in his ears. Peter dodged the interns trying to stop him then ran toward the nurses' station, jumped on top of the desk and the interns stood on the other side of the desk.
"Easy, Boy, we're not going to hurt you," one of them said as Peter smiled and arched an eyebrow. In one swift motion, Peter ran along the top of the desk then jumped as the lift doors opened and he ran inside the lift. The doors closed just as the interns skidded to a stop and Peter leaned against the wall. His finger pushed a button while the lift moved down then stopped and the doors opened. Looking around, Peter walked down the hallway when he looked into some of the rooms and saw children sleeping, watching the television or chatting with friends and family and he ducked into an empty room when a nurse ran by. He could hear the alarm bells ringing as he stood against the wall and held his breath. He held his breath when Jerry was hunting him, but he knew that he must have heard his heart thudding in his chest just as it was now.
"But why didn't he come after me? Why did he spare me?" Peter thought as he stood against the wall and blinked the tears out of his eyes.
"Are they looking for you?" a small voice asked when Peter jumped and looked around the room. The room was dark, but he could just see a bed with a curtain next to it, a night table, three chairs and a table near the wall. He didn't see anyone as he breathed softly through his nose and inched closer to the door. He jumped when the door slammed shut and he felt the air turning ice cold. "No, don't go!"
"Who's there?" Peter demanded while something moved in the shadows and a blue light shimmered behind the curtain. He couldn't hear the alarms anymore, but something was making a soft squeaking sound and he looked at the blue light. The blue light moved from behind the curtain while his eyes widened and a small boy around seven years old stood on the other side of the bed. He was surrounded by a blue light as he smiled at Peter and Peter slowly walked toward the bed. The boy had black hair and green eyes and a scattering of freckles on his cheeks. His face was long, but his cheeks were still full and he was thin. He was wearing white pajamas and he held onto a metal pole that looked like something they hung an intravenous bag.
"My name is Daniel. What's your name?" Daniel asked.
"I'm Peter," Peter said then held his hand out and Daniel looked at it. Mentally slapping himself, Peter lowered his hand and Daniel titled his head to one side. "Um, why are you glowing like that?"
"I'm dead," Daniel said in a matter of fact tone and Peter nodded his head.
"Then why didn't you move on?" he asked. Peter had seen enough horror movies to know that ghosts are supposed to move on and Daniel sighed, tightly holding onto the metal pole.
"I can't. Not until I find them," Daniel said and one of the chairs started shaking.
"Find who?" Peter asked, moving around to the other side of the bed and stood in front of Daniel. From the waist up, Daniel looked normal, but when Peter looked down, he saw that Daniel didn't have legs. He was just floating off the floor and Peter slightly bugged his eyes. "Blimey."
"Don't look at me!" Daniel shouted as a cold blast of air sent Peter to the floor and he looked up at Daniel. Both of them heard voices as someone pounded on the door and the door handle moved back and forth. "Hide, they're coming!"
Not having to be told twice, Peter slid behind the curtain then knelt down when the door was banged open and the intern turned the light on. The intern walked into the room as he slowly walked toward the bed and Peter held his breath.
"I'm coming for you, Boy!" Jerry's voice said as Peter closed his eyes and felt his heart squeezing inside his chest. Suddenly the intern yelped when one of the chairs flew at him and the intern ran out of the room.
"You didn't tell me that was Daniel's room!" the intern's voice shouted while Peter heard the voices fading and peeked out from behind the curtain. The door slowly closed when Peter stood up and Daniel appeared next to him.
"That was so cool!" Peter said as Daniel smiled then floated to the window and Peter followed him. Daniel waved his hand as the window opened and Peter walked closer, feeling the rain on his face. Gasping, Peter felt himself lifting into the air then out the window as he looked down and saw that he was dangling over the car park. Looking at Daniel, he nodded his head as Daniel lowered his hand and Peter floated to the ground. The rain soaked him while Peter looked up and could just see Daniel standing at the window. Smiling, Peter nodded his head then turned and ran into the darkness.
The children clapped and cheered as Peter did a bow and Ginger smiled, rolling her eyes. She didn't know why he performed once a year at the hospital, but he seemed happier afterwards as she saw him walk from one child to another. She then saw him standing near the shelf where the board games were while the nurses ushered the children out of the playroom and Peter seemed to be talking to no one.
"What's that all about?" she asked as Peter smiled and folded his arms over his chest. Over the years, Peter had thought he had forgotten the little boy ghost he had met that dark day, but he was still there and came whenever Peter performed his magic for the children. Peter had learned Daniel's last name and found out that Daniel had died twenty years ago when he, his four year old brother and his parents were in a car accident. His parents were killed immediately, but Daniel and his brother were taken to the hospital, where his brother had died from his injuries. Not wanting to upset Daniel due to his heart being weak, his grandparents had decided not to tell him that he was the only survivor. He had figured out that something was wrong and during the night of a violent thunderstorm he had gotten out of bed, but didn't realize until it was too late that his legs had been amputated. The resulting crash to the floor was enough to stop his heart and Daniel refused to leave the hospital because he believed that his family was still alive.
"Quit laughing," he said as Daniel covered his mouth and Peter rolled his eyes.
"Sorry, you just look so funny," Daniel said and Peter bugged his eyes out.
"Well, remind me not to come back next year then!"
"No, don't do that!" Daniel said then looked down at the floor. "Still no word?"
"Sorry, Mate," Peter said then sighed, looking toward the window. "Hm, looks like the light's back."
"I'm not going."
"Mind telling me why you don't want to go?"
"It's because…" Daniel said as he looked at Daniel and smiled.
"It's because you'll miss me?" he asked with a grin and Daniel nodded. "Aw, that's nice, but I do think it's time."
Daniel nodded when a white light surrounded him and Peter watched Daniel's legs forming. Daniel slowly let go of the metal pole while Peter watched him walk toward him and Peter felt the tears in the corners of his eyes. Peter felt the coolness around his waist as Daniel hugged him then let go and Peter softly smiled down at him. The white light grew brighter as Peter watched Daniel slowly walking closer to the white light when Daniel's eyes widened and he looked back at Peter.
"They're here!" Daniel said while Peter smiled and Daniel waved goodbye before fading into the white light. Waving back, Peter watched the white light fading when Ginger walked closer, sliding her arm around his waist and looked toward the window.
"What are you doing, Love?" she asked as he looked at her and softly smiled.
"Just saying goodbye to a childhood friend," Peter said as she gave him a confused look then shrugged and they left the room while the doors slowly closed behind them.