Chapter 4 is here along with the Ed, Edd, N' Eddy fandom. I hope you enjoy, as a 90's kid, myself, this whole thing really peeked my interest. I hope it does the same for you.
Piff walked at Jane's side, wrapped up in a coat and a back pack on his back. Jane floated along the side walk as they neared a bus stop.
"From what I saw on Ooogle Maps, we're going to have to take a bus to get with in walking distance of the place." Piff pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the directions he had saved.
"Very well." Jane nodded. "As long as we get there."
"It'll take us a good two hours." Piff looked up at her. "Endsville's pretty close to Peach Creek, I mean, their football team comes here for a match every season, but it's not the closest city."
"Understood." Jane stated as they came to a stop at the station.
"The bus will be here any minute." Piff informed her. He sat down on a bench and put his hands in his coat pockets, breathing out a puff of steam in the cold air.
Jane watch the smokey breath dissapate into the air, amused by the phenomenon.
"Can you do that?" Piff asked, seeing her watching.
"Not anymore." Jane sighed, coming to sit at his side in the diming evning light. "I'm not warm enough in this state."
"State?" Piff asked.
"Reapers can appear in three states; etheral, metaphysical, and physical." Jane explained. "Etheral is like an orb or will-o-wisp, metaphusical is what I am right now, and physical makes me visible to everyone."
"Wow." Piff took in the information. "Why so many states?"
"It's so we can sneak about, really. A reaper might take on the etheral state so they can only appear to the one they wish to speak to, for example. I chose metapysical because I was hoping no one would see me."
Piff smirked at her and adjusted his shades.
"I guess that didn't work." He chuckled.
"I guess not." Jane laughed lightly.
A long moment of silence settled between them as the sun continued to sink below the street. Piff shifted a little and looked over at Jane.
"So, I was curious about something..." He looked down at his pockets.
"What's that?" Jane asked, looking at him.
"You were alive once, right?" He asked cautiously.
"Yes." Jane answered.
"What did your aura look like?" He asked, looking up at her.
"Well, I only saw it once, only for a split second, but it was a mix of blue and gold." She answered. "Most of my kind had a double layered aura, all very similar to each other."
"So, it's possible for people to have multiple layered auras?" Piff asked.
"Oh yea." Jane nodded. "It's just as comon as having a single layered one."
"I didn't know that." Piff thought for a moment. "I guess you really do learn something everyday."
"I guess so." Jane chuckled.
The bus rolled up not two minutes later and Piff gathered his things and made his way up the steps where he paid the toll and walked to the back of the bus so he could speak in privacy with Jane.
The bus was mostly empty, say for two other people who looked like they were too busy sleeping to pay any attetnion to their surroundings.
Piff chose a seat close to the back and sat down, scooting over to the window to make room for his invisible friend. Jane sat down, humoring him, more than anything and slouched into the seat.
"So, have you ever been around these parts before or is this your first time?" Piff asked quietly.
"I have been to Endsville a few times for various reasons, as have the others, but I have only ever seen Peach Creek through a looking glass." Jane answered.
"What is a looking glass?" Piff asked.
"It's like a mirror, but it lets us see other places on other worlds, albeit only a small portion." Jane explained.
"Oh." Piff nodded. "That sounds handy."
"It is." Jane glanced over at him.
"Hey, Jane?" He asked.
"Yes?" Jane looked at him fully.
"When we get there, to the actual place, will we be able to see the dome of confusion?" He inquired.
"Good question." Jane sighed. "I've never seen one, so I have no clue."
"Yikes..." Piff's brows raised. "Could it hurt us, too?"
"Typically reapers aren't affected by what ghosts are, and humans don't usually have so much as a clue as to the supernatural activity surrounding them." Jane answered. "So, no."
"That's good news." Piff sighed in relief. He looked over and out of his window into the blackness. Night had fallen and the stars were out. The lights of the city passed by like burry shooting stars and before long, the darkness swallowed them.
The bus was in between cities and the population had declined significantly. Street lights lined the rod as the large vehicle stopped at a station and opened its doors. Piff looked over at Jane, who got up and began floating towards the front of the bus. He quickly gathered his things and joined her before gettong off and watching the bus vanish down the road. He dug his phone out of his pocket and began looking at the directions.
"It's close by, about a ten minute walk." Piff told his spectral friend.
"Good." Jane nodded. "Let's go."
"Alright." Piff began walking, Jane floating at his side.
The night air was chilly, everytime Piff would exhale, a cloud of smoke would appear and then dissapate. He tugged at the neck of his coat, bringing it up to his chin, the cold being uncomfortable against his neck. He looked over at Jane who was totally unaffected by the temperature and envied her for only a moment.
The road around them was sheltered by trees and was dark, the only light being offered by dim street lights. The sounds of night creatures echoed into the blackness ahead of them as they neared their destination. Any normal person would have never done this, ever. Piff, however, had accepted that he was so far outside of the normal definition that nothing could make him fit in. Normal to others was going to the movies, getting food, having sleep overs, but normal to him was talking to dead people, following a reaper around, and going into obviously haunted areas that no one had any business around.
An owl in a tree nearby cried out and startled him slightly, but he continued to walk. In the distance, coyotes howled and yelped in packs and frogs screached along the roadside. This concert of noise was constant and unchanging for quite sometime when suddenly, something echoed out that didn't belong.
Both of the travelers stopped in their tracks and looked at one another.
"Did you hear that?" Piff asked.
"Yea." Jane nodded. "We're close. Really close."
Jane floated ahead, Piff following her as they continued down the road. As they went, more sounds met them, the faint becoming increasingly louder.
"What is that?" Piff asked.
"Voices, listen." Jane glanced back at him.
He went silent and really focused. Suddenly, he could hear it. It was, indeed, voices. There were yelps and screams and laughter all mixed together. Piff looked over at Jane, confused.
"Kids?" He asked. "Out this late? I thought no one lived in the area anymore."
"They don't." Jane answered and floated ahead once more.
Piff was confused, but he followed her none the less. A light pierced the a hole in the darkness, shinning in from not too far away. Houses came into view in a small neighborhood and the sounds were growing louder and louder.
"That's the place." Piff pointed straight ahead.
Jane and Piff, both, picked up their paces slightly and neared the cul-de-sac. They crossed the street over to it and could now see what all of the ruckus was.
They stood in the middle of the road and watched as kids, no older than thirteen, ran about, playing a tag game of some sort.
Piff's mouth dropped open slightly, suddenly realizing the kids before him had no aura.
"They're just children." Piff whispered.
"I know." Jane replied softly. "They've been trapped here for a long time."
"Grim's feeding off of these kids?" He looked up at her as she floated down to the earth.
"I'm afraid so." Jane answered.
"That sick bastard." Piff hissed.
"You can't catch me! I'm the fastest in the cul-de-sac!" A red haired boy wearing a red hat suddenly crashed into Jane and fell backwards onto the ground. He shook his head and looked up at the new faces. "What... who are you guys?"
The cul-de-sac grew quiet as the kids noticed the presence of the two travelers.
Jane reached her hand out to help the boy up, but he got up on his own instead and backed away from them.
"I am Jane and this is my friend Piff." Jane introduced them. "I am one of the new reapers and my friend, here, can see ghosts."
"You're a reaper?" A blond girl asked, hidding behind the red haired boy. "What do you want with us?"
"Yea?!" A short boy with a loud voice called, obviously irritated.
"We only want to set you free." Jane answered, glancing over at an increasingly nervous Piff.
"Set us free?" A small pale boy with head gear asked, holding the hand of a shorter red haired girl.
"Just what are you tryin' to pull?" The girl spoke up, her voice harsh.
"No tricks." Jane put her left hand up in defense as her right was wrapped about her scythe. "I have seen what Grim has done to you. I want to fix it and stop him."
"Why?" the short and loud boy asked. "What's in it for you?"
"Yea, what are getting out of it?" The red haired boy asked.
"A weight off of my shoulders knowing that you all are not trapped here by a maniac in a black robe." Jane answered.
"Black robe?" The blond girl seemed frightened. "You know the man in black?"
Jane gave her a questioning look as the area grew silent.
"He told us we couldn't cross over." She went on. "He said we had to stay here because there wasn't any room for us."
"That is a lie." Jane stated. "He was lieing to you."
"He had one of those, too." She pointed to the scythe. "He said he was the only one who could cross us over and he said there was no room."
"He wasn't telling you the truth." Piff tried.
"Then why is it that when we try to leave, we can't go passed the creek or the road?" The red haired boy asked.
"There's a dome around this place." Piff glanced over at Jane for validation. "The man in black put it here to keep you in."
"Then how did you get in?" The pale boy with head gear asked, looking at Jane.
"I can do what you can't." Jane explained. "That's why I am here, I can help you."
"I don't believe you." The red haired boy snarled.
"She's telling the truth." Piff attempted. "Please, we want to help you."
"We're just fine!" The red haired girl yelled. "Get out!"
"Yea!" The short and loud boy echoed.
"Beat it!" The red haired boy frowned at them.
"We're not going anywhere until we help you." Jane stated sternly.
"Well, you're gonna be here a long time!" The short and loud boy yelled.
"Let's get out of here, guys, this party's been crashed." The red haired boy said as he began leading the kids away.
Piff looked over at Jane as the children retreated to their homes.
Jane then noticed that one had stayed behind, his knees shaking and his hands figiting as he approached.
"H-hello, there." He extended his hand to Jane. "I'm Eddward, but my friends call me Double D."
Jane took his hand gently and shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Double D." She nodded.
Double D extened his hand to Piff, who tried to shake it, but found his hand going straight through the other's.
"Oh, yes, that's right." Double D retracted his hand, a blush on his cheeks. "We can't touch the living when low on energy."
"Well, it's still nice to meet you, anyway." Piff smiled.
"Quite, quite." Double D nodded. "Would you like to come inside, out of the cold? I can't feel it, of course, but you must be freezing out here."
"That would be great, thank you." Piff nodded. He looked over at Jane who gave an approving nod and they both followed him to his home.
Double D opened the door with a light push and allowed them entrance to the dark house.
"I do apologize." He figited as he shut the door. "There is no power. There hasn't been for a long time. When the last family moved out, they cut the power off."
"It's alright." Piff smiled at him. "It's warmer in here than it is out there."
"Please, make yourselves at home." Double D smiled as he walked over to a few candles in the corner. He picked up an old box of matches and lit the candles, bringing a little light to the room they were in. "I apologize for my peers' reaction. They aren't very trusting of other spirits, especially ones like you, miss Jane."
"Please, just call me Jane." Jane smiled at him. "And it's quite alright. It's understandable, considering what Grim has done."
"I'm sorry, Grim?" Double D questioned. "Might I inquire as to whom you are speaking of?"
"You called him the Man in Black." Jane explained. "But he's actually the old Grim Reaper. He's been replaced since you all have been here but he hasn't let go of his little tricks. Several others, myself included, have become the new reapers and we are basically cleaning up his mess."
"I see." Double D nodded. "I had an idea that something was wrong with what he was saying. When you examine the theory of energy and then the vastness of our own univers you would naturally come to the conclusion that there is an endless amount of space outside of this plane of existance."
Piff looked over at Jane with raised eyebrows and then back at Double D.
"I apologize, my tongue gets away from me from time to time." Double D figited. "I guess what I was trying to say was... the afterlife can't run out of space."
"You are correct." Jane nodded.
"I also discovered something else." Double D looked out of a near by window. "Before I had that idea, I couldn't go passed the creek, as Kevin stated, but... after I began thinking more and more about it, and the less and less sense the Man in Black, or Grim, made... I found out that I could go passed the creek."
Jane's brows furrowed and she looked over at Piff, who was tapping his chin with his finger.
"It sounds like, to me, that you have figured out the weakness to the dome Grim has around this place." Jane spoke carefully. "As long as those who are trapped here believe they are truly trapped, they are. But you, on the other hand, began questioning the validity of Grim's words and then began to disbelieve him, therefor, you weakened the dome's power over you."
"You keep mentioning a trap or trick." Double D sat in front of the two. "What do you mean?"
"Grim was pretty powerful at one point in time." Jane looked over at Piff quickly. "He began to abuse his power. After he became a slave to Billy and Mandy..."
"Two humans he lost a bet to." Piff interjected.
"... He placed a thing over this area called a dome of confusion." Jane continued. "That's why you haven't been able to go very far. He's trapped you here to drain the energy you all gather from your surroundings."
"Like the creek." Double D's eyes widened.
"Yes." Jane nodded. "He's using you to keep his strength up after the two humans drain his abilities."
"That explains why we all get weak every so often." Double D thought outloud. "It all makes sense now. When we would get weak, we'd all go to the creek and either swim or lay around it and within the hour, we'd begin to feel better. The kenetic energy of the water must be charging us up and then The Man in Black must be draining us periodically."
"Exactly." Piff nodded. "Which is why we have to get you out of here. This is cruel."
"I couldn't agree more." Double D agreed.
"Honestly, you could go ahead and go if you wanted." Jane looked at Double D. "You've figured it out."
"But what of the others?" He asked. "I can't leave without them. Sure, they're loud, obnoxious, rude, hateful at times, and Dear Lord, their hygene..."
Piff raised his brows and looked over at Jane who only cracked a small smile.
"... But, they're all I have now and... I wont leave without them." He stated finally.
"Alright." Jane nodded. "Then you can help us out."
"How?" He asked. "My peers aren't... intellectuals."
"They don't have to be." Jane spoke. "This whole thing is based on belief and everyone has their own set of beliefs and reasons behind them. All we have to do is explain this in a way that they can understand."
"I am dreadfully sorry to say this, but..." Double D looked at the two. "Good luck. My small circle of friends, myself included, aren't well liked by the others."
"Neither was I." Piff chuckled. "But I promise you, Double D, we will help them."
Double D looked at the two for a moment before sighing and smiling at them.
"Thank you." He spoke softly. "I've been waiting so long for this."
"We know." Jane nodded. "We know."
A good while later, Piff unpacked a blanket and a pillow from his back pack and made a spot for himself on the floor. He settled in quickly, laying on his back, his arms behind his head, his eyes looking up and out of a window where the moon shone it. Most people would lose their minds sleeping in a house with ghosts, but for Piff, this was his reality. This was normal.
"Hey," He called over to Jane, who was sitting in the corner near by. "You gonna sleep?"
"Reapers don't sleep." Jane answered.
"Really?" Piff asked. "Like, at all?"
"Not usually, no." Jane answered. "Sometimes we sleep for pleasure, but as far as needing to sleep, the need doesn't exist."
"Oh." Piff nodded. "Okay then. Good night."
"Good night." Jane gave a single nod.
Piff closed his eyes and focused on sleeping.
Please continue to the next chapter for more awesome.
