Chapter Two: Narrator's P.O.V:

Down in the Land of the Dead.

The streets were deserted, the lights in the houses switched off, the Ball and Socket pub empty but still open. Everyone was away, fighting for their land – all except four people.

Paul the Head Waiter, Miss Plum, Bonejangles and Emily. They stayed behind and worked at the bar, anticipating the return of the residents of the land, whether they won or lost the battle.

"How long has it been now?" Miss Plum asked Paul, whose body-less head stood on the bar counter, his cockroaches scuttling around him as he looked over at their own-made calendar.

"Nine months today, Miss Plum" he answered.

"Nine months? Already?" Paul blinked and raised his eyebrows in agreement.

"Already" he sighed.

"Where has that time gone?" she added, wiping down the cutlery with her tea towel.

At that point, Bonejangles chose to stroll in through the pub doors, his bowler hat tipped to the edge of his skull.

"I'm sure he is doll. He won't get hurt. Can't feel any pain, he's already dead."

"As are so many others from this town. Why bother fighting against people already dead? Where's the satisfaction? Where's the reason?" Miss Plum argued.

"Purely for the hell of it. Fighting to prove life after death does exist. But they already knew that. They found out when our lovely Corpse Bride returned for her wedding…" Bonejangles said, sitting down at the bar.

"Shh! She'll hear you. She's in the back." Miss Plum whispered.

"What's she doing in the back?"

"Folding napkins. Keeps her busy, keeps her mind from wondering afar. Into unnecessary thoughts."

"Like what?" Paul asked. Miss Plum simply answered by raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, him" Bonejangles returned. "Speaking of him, I've just heard the latest from my boys on the field."

"How are they coping?"

"They're asking for more of your homemade pie, and they've updated us with some…rather disturbing news."

"Which is?" Paul asked. The bar went silent as Bonejangles steadied himself to reveal:

"Our old buddy Victor…the one who stole the heart of our Emily and gained our trust whilst down here…is leading the battle against us. He's the commander for the living."

The pub was so silent; a pin could drop and would sound like an avalanche was roaring through the bar.

"Our Victor? Living Victor?" Miss Plum croaked.

"The one and only" Bonejangles sighed.

"Leading the battle?" Paul asked.

"Oh yes. According to my boys, he was one of the first to sign up. Everyone was amazed that the man who travelled 'to hell and back with a smile on his face' had decided to 'get his revenge'."

"What revenge has he got against us?" Paul asked, horrified.

"I didn't think he had any revenge in him. He was too nice a guy to even suspect of carrying such grudges." Bonejangles answered.

"Who'd of though it? Victor – the enemy?"

"Yep."

"Oh my god! We can't tell Emily."

"Why not?"

"It will destroy her. To hear the man she fell in love with is now fighting against her?"

"I didn't say her, as such. He's battling against the residents of…the Land…of the Dead."

"And she's a resident. She has been for over two years now." Miss Plum argued.

"Victor hasn't got anything against Emily" Bonejangles argued.

"Not as far as we know."

"Maybe he overlooked Emily and thought about Lord Barkis. He's part of this world now."

"Not anymore, he is. As the curse goes, the killer has to die before its victims can be freed. Lord Barkis went to hell as soon as Emily departed Victor."

"Technically, she didn't kill him, the poison did."

"Putting that aside, he's going against her and she doesn't know. And we mustn't tell her any of this. She must remain unbeknown to what's going on" Miss Plum argued, before she heard light footsteps approach from behind her.

Emily walked through the doorway leading the back of the bar, a huge pile of napkins in her hands. She was humming to herself, a cheerful tune that resonated with happiness and glee.

"Now listen to that, that's the first time in ages that she's been happy since Victor left. Do you want to take away that happiness by telling her?"

"Tell me what?" Emily asked, cocking her head towards the group of three that looked at her.

"Tell you…" Bonejangles started.

"Tell you that you've done a lovely job with those napkins, dear." Emily beamed with pleasure as she placed the remaining napkins on the bar counter.

"Oh, thank you. It really was no trouble. What else needs doing?" she asked, eagerly.

"Nothing more, dear. Why don't you take a break and head on home? You've worked so hard today."

"Oh it's no trouble Miss Plum. Um, I hope you don't mind but I meant to ask, I overheard Bonejangles saying he had an update from the field. What's the latest?"

Bonejangles looked to Emily, the urge to tell her all he knew raging through his ageing bones. Miss Plum looked to him, her eyes saying it all: "If you tell her, I will kill you!"

"Just saying they wish they had more of Miss Plum's pie with them. Nothing more."

"Oh, OK." Emily sighed, disappointment in her voice.

"Were you hoping for more news, dear?"

"Just…wondering if Victor was OK. What with a war right outside his door, I just worried about his safety."

"I'm sure he's fine, love."

"Why wouldn't he be?" Bonejangles added. He felt Miss Plum's glare upon him, but he simply looked down to the bar and tapped his bony fingers along to one his tunes.

"Oh well. Another day of no return" Emily sighed, observing the state of the bar.

"There's always hope for tomorrow" Miss Plum said, trying to raise a smile on Emily's face.

"You've said that for the past nine months" Emily replied, before turning away from the bar and walking out, trying to put on a brave face. She disappeared seconds later, leaving Paul, Miss Plum and Bonejangles alone in the bar.

"If you ever breathe a word to her…" Miss Plum pointed a stern finger at Bonejangles.

"You'll kill me, I know. Besides, I couldn't do that to her. It's bad enough we're in a war, but to learn the love of your life is amongst it – it's unbearable."

"Darn right, it is."

"But I can't help wondering if she overheard us or not."

"She didn't. Otherwise she would've said something" Miss Plum replied. She was wrong.

Emily had heard everything. As soon as she walked out of the pub, she found herself leaning against the wall, her dead heart breaking once again. She stood stunned, listening to the dead silence of the town. Before she knew it, she was sprinting towards the bench on the hill – where she and Victor spent time together. She didn't care if her legs would give way at any moment, or if she'd fall to the stone ground. She was too mortified to feel any form of pain.

She arrived at the bench; braving the steep staircase and flinging herself on to the bench, letting her tears erupt from within as she broke down and collapsed in to sorrow and sadness. How could he?! How dare he! Why would he do such a thing? And to her? She thought he loved her and that he'd do nothing to hurt her. She assumed she was wrong.

Her sadness turned to fury, and she pounded her hands on the wood of the bench, screaming her anger amongst tears.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" she cried as she repeatedly threw her fists, not caring if her wrist was at risk of falling off, as it usually did. Her anger returned to small sobs that slowly died to rivers of tears.

"Why?! WHY?!" she suddenly screamed as she turned over and lay on her back, looking up to the sky of the Land of the Dead.

"How could you Victor?! Why would you do such a thing? What powers of evil made you do such a thing to me? Didn't you ever consider my feelings?" she asked herself all these questions, letting the tears stream continuously as she closed her eyes. She lay there, letting the sounds of her sobs echo across the land. They calmed to a general weep, before Emily's eyes opened. She looked up, sniffing away the tears and sitting upright on the bench, her hands gripping the edge, her legs crossed and her head bowed, letting her mangled hair fall over her face.

"If he has the decency to move on, then so can I" she said through gritted teeth. And with that, she got up from the bench, stormed down the stairs and with fury in her steps, walked back towards the pub.