Midnight Escapade

I felt like sharing this first chapter I wrote for a story I'd been planning for ages. Retellings are the most fun way to get creative with already used ideas.

Let me know what you think of this Peter Pan x Arabian Nights retelling.

1. The Midnight Escapade

It was all his fault that Wendy was running for her life. The old rickety trees loomed over her, their leaves blocking any sort of light that the moon provided. The ground was slippery with mud from the rain of the night before. She gasped for air, lungs thudding pathetically from within her chest. It seemed that all those years of staying home had finally come back to bite her in the ass. (Not that she had much of a choice in the first place.)

She didn't ask to be chased by gangsters either, no, but she had the stupid man to thank for that. She continued running; large cuts and scrapes now decorated her long brown legs, and her light blue dress that was once elegant and proper was now dirty and tattered. She didn’t know how long she could go on for. The men behind her had gotten closer, and the sound of guns piercing wood was almost deafening. One thing was for sure, Wendy was scared, and she had every right to be.

She was at the edge of the woods. The clouds glowed a seemingly red colour hiding the moon inside of its body. It was stupid of her to stop and look at the sky as if it held the answers to all her problems. It wasn’t too much of a view in the first place. The stars didn’t twinkle as bright as it did the night before, and it was more cloudy and dark, just as it was the night she met the no-good man, with his stupid brown eyes that were filled with mischief. The sound of their guns was getting closer. Wendy just about had it with all the running.

As a child, her mother had always said, “A lady must never run, but she must always be quick on her feet.” Now it just felt like she was mocking her, but what else was new?

Wendy fell to her knees, the dirt stinging her open wounds. Yet, she knew that she was still her mother’s daughter, and if that said anything at all, it would be that if there was no pain, there was no gain. She just hoped that she could get out of this forest alive.

The gasps were coming quicker now, even quicker than before as the footsteps came closer and closer. She imagined that the men were giving themselves pats on the back for catching up to her. If it was a different situation Wendy would’ve surely rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.

“Typical men,” she’d say, as if it were her catchphrase. However, this surely wasn’t the time for snide remarks.

When they caught up, one of the men chuckled to himself. “Isn't she a fast one,” he said, out of breath.

If she had kept running she would've probably escaped, but something held her rooted in place.

“Sure, but we still caught her, didn't we,” the other said, the voice a familiar bellow.

“Saul,” she scoffed. She should've known, after all. Deep down she had always known that the man was nothing but trouble.

“Wendy. It's been a while, hasn't it doll.” He smiled.

“Not long enough in my books.”

He laughed, “You were always a funny one, weren't you?” His smile disappeared as he grabbed her coiled hair.

It hurt, but Wendy didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she was in pain.

“And you were always a little bitch, weren't you? That's why we were such good friends, right?” she said, voice laced with a sarcastic venom.

Saul got closer to her ear, “I don't think you understand what situation you're in, Darling,” he whispered, his hot breath tickling against her ear, making her shiver in disgust. And maybe she didn't understand. After all, she didn't understand how this had happened in the first place, all she knew was that she needed to get out.

“Maybe I don't, but you sure can explain it real well.” She said her chocolate browns meeting his icy blue eyes.

“Maybe, but I don't wanna.”

“The boss said to snatch you up, so that's what we gonna do.” The other man said.

Compared to Saul’s short and slim body, the other man was a beast. Twice as tall as her small frame and four times bulkier, Wendy knew that she was done for.

“Who...Who do you work for?” She shouted, doing her best to calm her nerves and steady her quivering voice.

The larger man smirked, cocky, “We’re Croc-” he started, only to get cut off by Saul.

“No one you need to know about, yet.”

Wendy glared at the man who did nothing but smile knowingly, taunting her like the bastard she knew he was.

The way the two men stood over her made her want to give up. Just like she always had. Whether it was family, or friends (whatever friends she could say she had), Wendy always had to give up everything for them. It was the one thing she was really good at, and look where that brought her. In a forest at the edge of town, on the only day she had to herself, kidnapped by two men. What an idiot she was.

“Why me?” She muttered to herself.

Saul bent back down, and whispered to her once again, more quietly.

“Because,” he said. “You’re the key to everything.”

Wendy’s head snapped up to face Saul, her hair loosening in his grasp. He pointed a finger up into the trees and smiled. When she looked up, Wendy could have sworn she saw a silhouette and a faint gold glow on one of the higher branches. But that would be impossible, right?

“Do you understand now, my Darling Wendy?” Saul asked his cold eyes trained on her, his grip on her hair now completely gone. He got up from his crouch and walked back slowly to where his confused comrade stood.

Wendy just as confused sat there, her eyes flitting back and forth from the trees and the men. She knew what he was implying, and for once, she decided to put a little faith in him.

“Now,” he said. “Run.” Saul grabbed his gun and shot his partner in the leg.

Wendy, still shaken up, got to her feet and did as she was told. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she ran out of the forest, dashing into the field of grass that shielded her entirely.

The dark clouds loomed over her, her heart beating hard in her chest. She didn’t care what happened anymore. She kept telling herself that she needed to get away.

Finally, getting closer to the main road Wendy felt hopeful for what felt like the first time in forever. She was almost free, almost there. As she stepped onto the road, she waved at a car that was passing by.

A black Buick rolled up in front of her, her eyes glittering with hope as the window rolled down. Her face morphed into horror and confusion as she took a step back. She felt so stupid, of course there was no hope for her escape.

A woman stepped out of the car, her familiar eyes holding guilt.

“No.” Wendy whispered, defeated. She asked the only question that had been on her mind since this whole shit show started.

“What the hell did you two get me into.” She growled as she slowly backed away, the woman beginning to approach her.

The woman grabbed a hold of her, and before Wendy could escape, put a cloth over her nose and mouth. Her vision began to blur, becoming hazy. The last thing she heard before dozing off was the familiar voice of the woman.

“Oh my Darling Wendy” she said, her voice somehow tired and almost as defeated as Wendy’s own. “If only it were that simple.”