*Chapter 3: Halloween Town Under Attack*
The Boogie Boys watched Oogie walk on the hill and look over the graveyard. He smirked and brought his arms up, letting out a chant. Lock, Shock, Barrel, and Viol look over the edge and see skeleton hands pop out of their graves. They could hear growling noises and moaning sounds from thin air. There are ghosts with green highlights, flying around the graves, moaning. The skeletons crawl out of their graves and see Oogie stood above them.
"Ha ha! Our army has come back from the dead!" Oogie laughed. "Soon the town will have a new ruler!" The tricksters look over the hill to see the army of skeletons and evil ghosts. They haven't seen anything like them.
"Creepy." Barrel whispered.
"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when the army breaks into town!" Shock giggled. Lock smiled, agreeing with her.
"So, tomorrow night, they will attack?" Viol asked.
"Or we could attack by dawn." Oogie replied. "I want to be sure that everything was set. And make sure you four are ready. It will be a bumpy night!" He let out a laughter.
The Mayor was strolling down the streets of the neighborhood, humming a tune to himself. He made a stop by his house. He got out of his vehicle and grab the plans for Halloween. He was excited for tomorrow night. Things will be horrific! Before he could reach to the front door, he hears moaning. He turned his head around to look behind him. No one was there. Just a morning pumpkin sun coming up.
"Hmm. Must be one of these ghosts on a morning routine." The Mayor spoke, shrugging. When he unlocks the door, a green highlighted ghost appeared through and made a shriek. The Mayor made a scream and fell backwards. The evil ghost snarled at him. "What're you doing?! This isn't funny!" The Mayor cried out, backing up. The ghost continued to growl at him, floating towards him. The Mayor got on his feet and ran off down the street, calling for help. The green highlight ghost let out a howl, calling out the army.
XX
Noir and Snowflake stood under the black umbrella outside their uncles' house. They hear screaming coming from their right. The Mayor is running away, screaming for help. Noir faces his sister in wonder.
"What's up with him?" He asked. Snowflake looked over to see highlighted ghosts appearing, groaning. The ghosts see the young vampires and start to charge at them.
"Run." Snowflake whispered.
"Huh?" Noir turned to see the evil ghosts. He let out a yelp. Two vampire children ran back to the house, ditching their umbrella. But that didn't stop the ghosts. They went through the door and begin terrorizing the vampires. Screaming can be heard.
XX
The witches approach their shop to open it, but they can hear screaming throughout the neighborhood on the other side of town. The short witch turned around and see skeletons came around the corner with their weapons, growling at the witches. The tall witch notice this.
"Get inside! Now!" She told her sister. The two witches rush inside their shop and shut the door and lock themselves in. The skeletons started to bang on the door, trying to break inside the shop.
The witches press themselves against the door, frightened by this situation.
"What do we do?" A short witch asked.
"I don't know! There is evil around these skeletons!" A tall witch replied. "Where do they come from?"
"I hope Jack can see what was going on! This isn't normal!"
XX
The whole town was filled with evil ghosts and skeletons, attacking citizens who scream for their lives, crying for help. Jack came out of his front gates and see madness going around the plaza. He couldn't believe it. Army of skeletons and highlight ghosts are terrorizing the town and try to harm his citizens. Where do they come from?
"Jack! What's going on?" Sally called from the front door. She sees chaos across from her.
"Sally, stay inside! It's too dangerous! Keep the kids inside!" Jack said.
"But, Jack-"
"Don't argue with me! I can handle this!" Jack got fire in his hands and started to shoot fireballs at the skeletons and ghosts. Sally grew worried and run inside the manor.
She rushed upstairs where Jaxon and Joan are looking out the window. They are asking their mother what was happening. Sally wish she knew, but she had no idea. Not even Jack. She told her children to stay in the house no matter what happens. Sally left the room to get outside to help her husband. Jaxon continued to look out the window.
"Where do these guys come from? Why are they attacking the town?" He wondered.
"I don't know." Joan said. "What should we do? We can't just sit here and wait for this to go away." Jaxon nodded at her. He thought the same thing. Their parents can't handle this alone. Their friends could be in trouble as well.
"Let's go." Jaxon said, running out of the room. Joan followed her brother. Zero whimpered as he watched, but he had to follow them. He didn't want them to get hurt.
The poor citizens are scrambling around town, avoiding the attacks of these strange monsters. Some hide in the sewers, in their own homes, or in the Town Hall. Jaxon and Joan ran out of their house and see their father fighting off the skeletons. Jaxon has fire in his hands, throwing fireballs at the skeletons and ghosts. Joan got out her pink soul rubber from her pocket and prepare for fighting alongside her brother and father. Jack noticed this and see his children fighting the monsters. Joan grabbed one of the skeletons with a soul rubber and threw it aside. Zero watched in horror. If only he could do something to help, but he had no idea.
"What are you doing here?! Go back to the house!" Jack cried out with a look.
"No way! You can't fight them alone!" Jaxon said. He threw another fireball at a ghost that lunges at him. "No time to argue! We can get rid of these guys!"
"Ugh! How many of these things are there?" Joan said, ducking down from being attacked by one of the ghosts. Before Jack could tell them to leave for safety, he hears a cry coming from the main gate. There is Sally being dragged away by the skeletons.
"Jack, help!" She cried out.
"Sally!" Jack shouted.
"Mom!" Jaxon and Joan cried out. Jack told them to get to safety while he is heading out to save his wife. Jaxon and Joan remain in the plaza, surrounded by army of monsters. Jaxon took his sister's hand and drag her out of the plaza.
"Where are we going?" Joan asked.
"I know a safe place! They won't get us there!" Jaxon exclaimed. He pushed the gates open to get in the pumpkin patch. Beside the siblings, pumpkins explode and reveal more evil ghosts. They growl at them, trying to attack them, but Joan uses her soul rubber to strike them. "Keep running!" Jaxon said, helping his sister get across the bridge.
"I am!" The two ran down the pumpkin patch, almost tripping over the vines. Jaxon stopped by a giant pumpkin. He pulls the vines away and there is a door. He pulled it open and told his sister to get down. Without any other choice, Joan jumped down and Jaxon followed and shut the door above him.
XX
Jaxon lit up the torch and the hidden place was revealed to Joan. Before the rag doll girl could question him, they hear sounds coming from above. Jaxon and Joan remain silent, listening to the sounds of those monsters above. Hopefully they won't find the hidden door and come in here. After a few moments, the sounds die off. It's now quiet. The children let out a sigh of relief.
"That was close." Jaxon said.
"Tell me about it." Joan commented. "Now, where are we? And...how do you know about this place?"
"This is my secret hideout." Jaxon said. "I found it last year and thought this could be a place where I want peace and quiet." Joan stared at him for a moment. How come he never told her about this? "Since those creeps are bad news, I thought we should stay here until things settle down."
"But everyone needs our help out there. Mom and dad could be in trouble." Joan told him. "Why are those monsters attacking us?"
"I have no clue." Jaxon replied. "For right now, let's wait a while. Those things could be lurking around above us." Joan nodded. They have to stay hidden until it's clear. Why does this have to happen? Who was responsible for all this? Sooner or later, they will find out.
Oogie arrived in Halloween Town with his four minions and see the town is deserted. Except there is his army lurking about. Shock noticed some bones are lying around the plaza. She knew Jack was the one who destroyed them. Oogie chuckled a little.
"Seems like the Skellingtons are going to be taken care of. This town is mine!" He said. "Come along, children! Let's get inside the Town Hall and make the announcement!"
"Some people may be hiding in there." Viol spoke.
"If they want to live, they will have to obey us!" Lock said, cracking his knuckles.
"This is going to be fun!" Shock said. Barrel didn't say anything but follow them up to the Town Hall. This town was going to be taken over by Oogie Boogie.
