Shock laid her head against the black walls of her room and released a content sigh. She let her eyelids fall, inhaling the thick scent of nightshade. The pipe in her hand was still burning so she put it back to her lips. While holding the bowl with one hand, she used the other to spark the lighter. The flame touched the nightshade that was packed into the bowl and she quickly sucked in all of the toxic smoke, filling her lungs to their limit. She put the pipe down and let the fumes sit for a second, before blowing them out. Smoke twirled through the air in gray spirals, its scent filling her nose, her room would reek for at least 3 days. But she enjoyed the smell. Much better than the typical grotesque musky, rotting scent that drifted into her room from the casino. Lock and Barrel's rooms never smelled bad, but hers always did. Most likely because she was right above the boogeyman's torture chamber, whilst the others were further away. Another factor was that her own body and clothes smelled of the boogeyman, her skin had been tainted by him. Lock and Barrel didn't have that problem.

She took another hit from the pipe, this time not breathing it out. Her mind began to drift away from reality. That was the goal, forget about the truth. But that damn smell, she couldn't get it out of her mind. It kept bringing back memories. She needed to forget. She needed something stronger. Her fuchsia eyes brightened. There was a bottle of Wolf's Bane whiskey in the fridge that she had recently stolen from Sally. What that rag doll planned to do with it, she had no idea. But it didn't matter because now Shock could have some real fun.

...

"She's been acting really weird lately." Barrel spoke as he joined Lock at the kitchen counter.

"I know." Lock responded before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Barrel looked down at the bowl of cereal in front of him. "I'm worried. Why is she being like this?"

Lock's crimson eyes flicked to the stairs. He desperately wished Shock would walk out of her room. He was just as worried as Barrel, if not more. The teen witch had been avoiding her two cohorts all month and every time she appeared, it would be obvious that she was stoned to oblivion. Barrel didn't really notice, but Lock could smell the deadly nightshade creeping from Shock's room even now. That stuff was addictive, it was dangerous. Shock knew that, but it was clear she didn't care.

"Let's not talk about it." Lock muttered to his best friend, who whined in response.

"But this is serious and-!"

Suddenly, the door to Shock's room flew open and both boys turned their heads. They watched their friend walk down the stairs, wearing the same dress she always wore. It was purple and black, a short thing that seemed more like lingerie than a dress, and it would be if it didn't puff out at the bottom. Lock liked it, he liked it a lot, he just didn't want her wearing it in front of Barrel, the town, and especially not Oogie. She, however, couldn't care less. Her dark eyes locked with his as she swiftly strode by. Her wavy black hair was tossed over her shoulders, he knew she hadn't brushed it or washed it, yet it still looked gorgeous. Just like her. Everyone knew she was the most beautiful girl in Halloween town. But she was also the scariest. The only person who wouldn't admit to her beauty was Lock, for he was much too prideful to compliment someone else. Shock was very similar to him in that manner, she didn't fish out compliments, she wasn't a nice girl. None of them were nice. But that was because of their master. Oogie taught them the harsh reality of life and they learned not to take anyones bullshit. It made their lives a lot easier. But Shock still would much rather deal with a harsh reality than the boogeyman.

She opened the fridge and dug into the back, pulling out a large bottle of whiskey. Lock's eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

She closed the door and twisted the cap off the bottle. Her gaze fell on his. "Forgetting."

He wanted to say more but she turned and retreated back upstairs, slamming the door behind her. Barrel looked to the devil boy with an 'I told you' expression. Lock glared and slipped out of his seat, going up to his own room.

...

"Lay down." His deep voice ordered. She quickly did as she was told, finding her usual spot and extending her arms above her head. He crept around the table, rotten scent trailing behind him. She felt his rough skin brush against hers as he locked the cuffs in place. She shifted slightly and cursed as spikes dug into her wrists. Of course he chose these chains, he could probably smell the nightshade on her, this was the punishment. Suddenly, he slammed his fists down onto the table and her heart began to pound. "I told you to stop." He stated.

She pulled at the chains, causing the spikes to pierce her skin and force blood to trickle down her arms. She loved the pain, it kept her calm and helped her mind to drift away from the monster standing before her.

"Not even going to plead your case?" He touched her hair and she flinched away, hating his gentle teasing. She never accepted any gentleness from him because then the pain would hurt so much more. "What a shame. My little Shock has lost her fire."

Her teeth clenched. She hated when he called her his.

A cold object grazed her cheek and she knew it was a knife. If he even considered using that thing to cut off her clothes-

"Although I suppose Lock always was the one with the fire." He paused and leaned dangerously close to her, she could see his shadow but not his face. The tone of his voice was menacing, he was threatening her. "Maybe I should smother it."

She closed her fists. "Touch him or Barrel and our roles will change."

The boogeyman released a dark chuckle that echoed through his large chest. Then he slashed the knife across her cheek, leaving a deep enough gash for blood to puddle out. She held back a whimper. "Like you could do anything about it, sweet heart."

Her anger rose. Damn, she shouldn't have drank so much whiskey. Not like she could have known that he would call her down for 'an emergency.' He had smelled the nightshade through her floorboards, of course. She rolled her eyes. She always had the best luck.

"Wolf's bane?" He murmured, moving to the front of the table so she could see him. His hollow eyes locked on hers, they were petrifying, absolutely terrifying in every way, but she refused to release her gaze. Besides, she was used to the boogeyman's stare. Nobody was forced to look into his eyes as often as she was. Anyone who got this close and met his glare wouldn't live to ever look again. Should she be proud of that? No, she could be proud when she finally escaped her torturous master.

She watched him twirl the knife in his hand before he drove it into the table beside her leg. She jumped slightly. His eyes trailed from her black boots, over her sheer tights connected to a garter belt beneath her short dress, up to her slightly exposed chest, and finally rested on her lips. Whenever Lock was running errands for Oogie, or discussing missions, the boogeyman would many times talk about Shock. He would describe how smooth and creamy her skin was. How perfect her body was. Beautifully slim and curvy, just incredible. He'd talk of her blood; a gorgeous deep crimson, tasting of spice. His favorite, however, was her lips. Deliciously thick and plump, dark. His words, "Her tongue tastes of whiskey, but her lips are of poison." He had said that to spark jealousy in Lock. The devil boy had always been protective of Shock, anyone would be, with a demon-like monster living beneath them and summoning her to his lair every night. But Oogie had never kissed her, she would never let him. Hell would break loose if he even attempted to touch her like that. She had more tricks up her sleeve than he realized.

"You're still growing." The boogeyman spoke, grabbing her attention. His hand rested on her thigh as he walked over to her side. "Soon you'll be of legal age." His tentacle-like hand squeezed her skin.

She narrowed her purple eyes. "What do you mean?" She questioned slyly.

He tightened his grip. "You know what I mean."

Her legs moved closer together instinctively. "What does legalization matter to you?"

"Oh, my dear Shock, I would never take something as pure as your virginity away from you before you're even fully developed." He grinned, an evil, sadistic twinkle in his black eyes.

She built up the courage to snap back, "Who says I haven't rid of it already?"

His grin dropped for a split second before he yanked the knife out of the table. "I'm smarter than you know, darling. I see the fear in your eyes."

She scoffed. "You think I fear losing something as meaningless as that?" Her gaze went dull. "There is nothing I have left that you can hurt me with."

Oogie pressed the knife to her throat and to his surprise, she didn't move away, she leaned into the blade. His eyes followed the drips of blood that flowed from her skin.

"Do it." She stated.

He pushed the knife against her jaw instead and made a quick slice into her flesh. Then another on the side of her neck. One above her knee. Another near her wrist. Soon blood was coating any skin that was showing. Shock hardly felt a thing, thanks to the nightshade and whiskey. But she knew what Oogie was doing. He was cutting her where her cohorts would be able to see.

"Lock and Barrel." The boogeyman snickered. He lifted her chin with the blade, glaring straight into her eyes. "That is the one thing left that can hurt you."

And he was right.