Chapter 2: Store Madness

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Dufort walked down the sidewalk avoiding the other people who walked passed him. Zeno was walking in front of him as usual, although he didn't exactly know where the destination was. Most of the time he does. That's why he walks in front of his book owner. But this time he hoped that there was no mamodo today. He really wanted a break. They did bring the book however.

Zeno stopped walking which made Dufort almost bump into him. "Zeno. Why did you stop?"

The little white mamodo looked up until he saw Dufort upside-down from his view. "I forgot where we're going."

The man sighed disappointedly. "We're going to get your cereal. Remember?"

"Well I want Fruit Loops."

"Zeno. You said you wanted Apple Jacks."

The mamodo paused and blinked before speaking again. "Can I have both?"

"No. You know I can't afford two boxes in one day."

"Why not?"

"I only have enough money to last us for this week until I get more."

"How do you get more money?"

Dufort pushed Zeno slightly forward to keep him going. "Let's just keep walking. We're blocking the way."

Zeno did what he was told as they both continued to navigate across the sidewalk. "Dufort. Do you have a job?"

"No."

"Then how do you get more?"

Dufort stopped walking and just glared at his mamodo. "Let change the subject okay?"

Zeno nodded. "Alright. Can I still have both cereal boxes?"

"I told you. No."

"Awe, C'mon. Please."

"NO!"

"Can I at least pick what kind of milk I want?"

"As long as you don't spit it on my face again."

"Well then I want chocolate milk."

The book owner slapped his hand on his forehead. "Zeno. How many times have I told you? Chocolate milk doesn't go with Apple Jacks or Fruit Loops."

"Yes it does!"

Before Dufort could argue with his mamodo any longer a man in a large and fluffy pink bunny suit jumped behind Zeno and scared him until he was whiter than usual. "HIYA!"

"AHHH!" Zeno screamed and hid behind Dufort. "DUFORT! IT'S A GINAT PINK BUNNY! HELP!" He started throwing dirt and mud at the man in the suit.

"Zeno, stop it." Dufort took Zeno's arms and stopped the mud-slinging. "It's just part of the store. We're here now."

The small boy was on the verge of tears. "Dufort. I want to get inside before the bunny eats me." He held Dufort's hand.

Dufort sighed as they both walked in through the double doors. "And I thought you were the big bad prince of the mamodo world."

"I am! I just don't like that rabbit!"

Dufort released his hand from Zeno's grip and pulled out a shopping cart. "Come on. You'll be safer in here."

"In what?" Zeno's question was answered once his feet were removed from the floor and he was placed in a small seat behind the cart's bar handle. Dufort buckled him in securely.

"There we go." Dufort pushed the cart forward as they both roamed around the store through the isles. "We'll reach the cearls soon."

"What is this?" Zeno asked still looking at the cart's seatbelt.

"Just sit in there and behave." He grabbed the chocolate milk from the frozen section and placed it in the cart behind Zeno. He pushed the cart down the next isle where boxes of crackers and cereal were. Zeno pointed at almost every single box.

"Dufort! Dufort! Look, Honey Nut Cheerios! OH! Lucky Charms! Oh my God! Frosted Flakes!"

"Zeno. We only came back for one box of cereal."

"But I want them all!"

"But I can't afford them all."

"Then go get a freakin' job!" Zeno didn't feel sorry for what he just said.

Dufort slammed a bag of hot dog buns in the cart. "Fine! I'm tired of you yelling at me all the time!" He left Zeno and the cart alone in the isle.

Dufort went to the front of the store and found a woman at a small desk. "Excuse me, but I would like a job here."

"Of course, here's an application."

He took the paper from her hands and filled it out with a black pen he found nearby. The woman asked him if he came here often and Dufort said he did. It's the only place he shops. He finished filling out the paper and handed it to her. She told him that he can start next week. Dufort thanked her and went back to the isle to look for Zeno, but when he returned the cereal boxes that were on the shelves were ransacked and ripped wide open. Pieces of cereal were on the floor everywhere, and Zeno was nowhere to be found.

"Zeno!" Dufort called as he ran up and down the isles with the cart. "Where are you?!"

His prayer was answered when he heard people yelling. He followed the sound into the fruit section where he saw Zeno eating all the produce on the shelves and in other people's carts. Dufort tried pulling him away. "Zeno stop eating everything. You know you have to pay for it first."

"No." Zeno corrected his sentence. "I don't have to pay for it. But you do." He took a watermelon from the isle.

"Put that watermelon down Zeno. Now!"

"No. Besides, I'm hungry. Waiting to buy it would take too long." He took a bite of the watermelon and chewed. The red liquid oozed from his mouth and went down his chin onto his white cloak.

"Zeno stop you're staining yourself. Looks like I'll have to give you another bath."

The boy stopped eating the melon. "NO! NO BATH!" He dropped the melon and ran deeper into the store.

"Zeno wait!" He stopped once he stepped in a pile of smashed watermelon. He didn't want to but he had to look at the price to see how much the watermelon would cost. It was 5 dollars for one watermelon. "Oh jeeze..." Dufort hung his head low. No way could he afford that, used to be watermelon, and all the cereal that Zeno opened back at the other isle.

He tried chasing after Zeno and calling his name until he found him eating bags of peanuts. Dufort picked Zeno up upside-down and shook him. "Spit those out Zeno! Spit those out right now."

The boy spat the nuts out and wiped his lips. "Those were too salty anyway." He looked around the store some more until he saw a giant tank with lobster in it. "Dufort! Look! Fish!"

"Zeno, those are lobsters. Not fish."

"But they swim around in the water just like fish. I say they're fish."

"Lobster."

"Fish!"

"Lobster."

"Fish!"

"Lobster!"

"FISH!"

"Zeno, let's go home now. You've already ruined almost half the store."

"But I still want to see the candy section."

"I will NOT buy you candy."

Being a brat, Zeno dashed away from Dufort to find the candy isle. Dufort sighed deeply. "Zeno, come back."

When he reached the isle that Dufort was in Zeno was seen reading the labels of the bags of candy. Dufort snatched the bags and placed them back on the shelves. He crossed his arms. "We're going home now Zeno."

"I'm not leaving until I get the candy!" He took another bag off the shelves.

"No! How many times do I have to say it?" He took the bag and put it back again. "No means no, Zeno. Let's go now!"

Zeno responded by just smiling and showing his shark-like teeth. His purple eyes glowed with light madness. Dufort was afraid of this. "Zeno? What are you thinking?"

The boy's smile faded into a frown and his eyes watered with fake tears.

"Not again." Dufort hung his head low for he knew what was going to happen next.

Zeno's mouth opened wide as it let out a scream. He fell on the cold tiled floors and banged on it with his fist and tiny shoes. He began rolling when the rest of the people saw Zeno's crying on the floor. Dufort tried to pick him up, but the boy refused to stand up just like in the apartment. "Zeno, stop it!"

"BUT I WANT THE CANDY! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT!"

Dufort was about to give up when an old man walked up to him. "Hey sonny, Is that there boy yours?"

"Unfortunately." He told the old man.

"Well then you should have used a condom. Then maybe you wouldn't be dealing with this right now."

Dufort froze in disgust.

Zeno stopped crying. "Dufort. What's a condom?"

"You're too young for that now."

Zeno managed to struggle free from Dufort as he pointed down the isle. "Dufort! Look. There's a bunch of people coming our way. For some reason they all seem to be holding pitchforks and fire torches."

"That's an angry mob. We'd better run out of here fast."

"Oh that's easy. I'll just teleport our way back and- Oh! Look! Marshmallows!"

"Oh, Zeno." Dufort grabbed him and managed to run out down the isles as Zeno kept putting more snacks and other foods in the cart. He ran out of the store filled with unpaid items.

"Don't worry Dufort." Zeno said while hanging on his book owner's shoulders. "I'll get us out of here." The mamodo extended his cloak around himself, Dufort, and the cart until they were transported in front of the apartment door. "Done."

The cloak was removed from Dufort's sight as he stared at his home. "Thanks Zeno."

"Ahh, it was nothing. It was the least I can do for you buying me all those things."

Dufort stiffened. "What things?" He turned to look at the cart to be filled with all the fruits and snacks that Zeno wanted. "Zeno! I didn't buy any of this stuff!"

"Oh well. That's the beauty of stealing."

"But stealing is bad Zeno."

"And I'm a bad guy." He laughed.

Dufort sighed for the last time before finding his keys to open the front door. He was distracted suddenly by a small note taped to the door. He removed the note and read it carefully. "Zeno. We're invited for lunch later on."

The little boy scratched his head. "To where?"

"This map says...right next door."

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I don't think it's as funny as the first chapter, but I still like it!

Fop-chan