Egon watched as the shredded remains of the boogieman's letter burned in the fireplace; turning into ash and ember as the rain outside continued to pour. Egon just wished this was all a nightmare. Maybe then he could wake up and escape to find himself at home safe and with his parents. Egon just slowly sat on the carpet with a blank stare towards the fireplace. Before long, he finally cracked. He buried his face in his knees before he began to sob quietly; thinking it was all his fault that his parents were taken by the boogieman.
"What am I going to do?" He questioned in a tearful whisper. "What am I going do? I can't call the police or anyone for help; no one would believe any of this."
Kitty watched from the hallway as Egon just went still. The grey cat blinked as she looked down at the floor. She had no idea what was going through his head. But she knew that this was all too much for him. With a quiet purr, she made her way over to Egon and sat next to him. Slowly, she moved herself onto his lap. Egon quickly noticed and uncovered his face; showing his glasses all fogged up and eyes red from crying. Egon just gently picked her up and held her; finding a small amount of comfort from the feline. Egon looked up at the mantle above the fireplace as he stood up with Kitty in one arm.
Egon reached towards an item on the mantle among the decor. A framed photo of him and his parents. Egon blinked as he looked at the sepia tone of the photograph. He looked at least six or seven in the picture while his parents only looked slightly younger. And happier.
Egon could not quite remember what the occasion was for this photo. But it made him realise something about this horrible situation.
"They're not coming back." Egon spoke with an uneasy tone.
Kitty blinked as Egon looked down at her with an uneasy stare.
"Not without help." He finished.
Egon turned towards the hallway; remembering that his closet was still boarded up. As Egon continued to stare, his expression slowly changed from uneasy to determined. Putting the photo back in its place, he knew what he had to do.
Kitty watched as Egon began to grab things from around the house and the shed outback. A flashlight, a box of matches, a wire cutter, the knife that Danny gave him, the ring tied to his neck and a few wax candles. He put all that could fit inside of a spare satchel he had laying around. Kitty watched in interest as Egon grabbed the crowbar and made his way into his room. When he got there, Egon took a look at the boarded closet; knowing how much trouble he was getting into by doing this. But he could not care less. With a determined thrust, Egon jammed the tool in between one of the boards and pushed and pulled until it came off. He repeated this until the door was clear.
Egon took a step back as he dropped the crowbar beside himself. Kitty watched as the boy took a deep; taking a match and a candle out to light it. Egon blew out the match and tossed it aside before reaching for the door. Egon mentally prepared himself for the blinding light show in his closet as he turned the handle. Telling himself to do it, he slowly opened the door. To his surprise and fear, there was no blinding light. Only a dark corridor. Egon took a deep breath as he stepped forward; the candle in his hand as the only light he had.
"You know you're walking into his trap, right?"
Egon looked down to see Kitty walking beside him; giving him a rather disgruntled look in her eyes. She must be able to speak in between the bedroom and the boogieman's world through the closet. Egon just shook his head and looked forward.
"I know I said I didn't want to go back. But he has my parents." He spoke with determination in his voice. "I can't leave them. While I'm at it, I should save those kids as well."
Egon felt his insides turning cold as he thought about the three ghost children; unable to imagine the horror they may have gone through.
"No one deserves to die like they did."
Kitty nodded in agreement before looking at Egon with idealistic stare.
"Well, I think you should challenge him." She spoke rather vaguely.
Egon glanced at her in question before looking forward again.
"What do you mean?" He asked for clarification.
"Challenge him to a game of wits or skill. He won't play fair. He'll use your own fears against you; but he won't refuse. He has a rather disturbing obsession with games." Kitty explained more thoroughly.
Egon thought about it for a moment. He knew very little of what the boogieman would do to him when he comes back. But maybe a challenge him to some kind of game could work to his advantage.
"What kind of game?" The boy asked as he slowly continued forward.
"Perhaps a scavenger hunt or-"
Egon stopped in place when he heard Kitty make a sound of distress before completely going silent. Egon quickly turned to gasp in horror when he realised that she disappeared.
"Kitty?!" He called out as he moved around frantically. "Kitty!?"
Egon began to breath heavily out of stress as he continued to look; feeling like something was going to jump out at him in the darkness. His stress skyrocketed when a gust of cold air blew out his candle; leaving him blind in the dark. He had already walked far from the entrance. He had no light sauce. Egon panicked as he frantically searched for the matches he had in his satchel. But he fell still as a dim light coming from the direction he was facing. Egon looked forward to see a doorway just a few feet away from him. His ears perked up as he heard something that sounded like music. Egon took a step forward and heard the music more clearly when he realised that the boogieman's world was right in front of him.
Children, have you ever met the Boogeyman before?
No, of course you haven't, for you're much too good I'm sure
Don't you be afraid of him, if he should visit you
He's a great big coward, so I'll tell you what to do:
Hush-Hush-Hush
Here comes the Boogeyman!
Don't let him come too close to you
He'll catch you if he can
Egon stopped for a moment as he took a breath. This was definitely the point of no return. Clenching his fist and tossing the used candle aside, Egon marched forward into the monster's hideaway.
Egon walked through the doorway to find himself in a room. The walls of the room were all distorted and multicoloured to the point where it would make someone sick if they looked at it for too long. Three doors where in different corners of the room, but they seemed like they were closed off. A fireplace was in another corner with a shelve sitting above it with misshapen decorations like surreal art pieces. A photo frame was in the middle of them; but Egon could not see what it was from where he was standing. An old and beat up looking record player was sitting in the corner; playing the song about the Boogieman. But what got the boy's attention was a set of chairs sitting across from each other with a small table between them. A game of chess was on the table with all the pieces set up. Before Egon could wander who it belonged to, a familiar chuckle came from one of the chairs facing away from him.
"You would think I would find this song rather insulting with how the lyrics go."
Egon thought he was talking about the song being played as the monster talked.
"But I actually find it rather amusing how this Henry Hall thinks doing all these things can keep me away." The boogieman continued with a quiet laugh. "Cats don't frighten me. I just think they're disgusting little pests and crocodiles are nothing but little reptiles compared to me."
Egon felt his blood boiling as the boogieman boasted about himself. But he could not let that get to him. He had to focus on why he came back to this horrific place.
"Where are my parents?" Egon questioned with hints of venom in his voice.
The boogieman just chuckled at the question as he slowly emerged from the chair and stood up. Egon tried to keep on a brave face as the creature turned his head with that evil, sharp toothed smile.
"Goodness, Egon; I have no idea where your parents have gone." The blue skinned devil lied with a sick grin. "Perhaps they grew bored of you and ran away to Chicago."
Egon clenched his fist harder as the boogieman laughed at his expense.
"Don't lie to me you demonic bastard!" The boy yelled out with a swear. "You left that note when you kidnapped them, and I saw them calling for help in the mirror! You wanted me to come back here!"
The boogieman watched with interest as Egon crossed his arms and stood his ground.
"Well guess what? I'm here, and I'm going to find them and save them weather you like it or not!" Egon spoke with a rather demanding tone.
The boogieman tilted his head as he put his hands behind his back. With a quiet chuckle through his teeth, he slowly made his way over to Egon; making the boy drop his brave facade as the creature stood over him.
"Yes. You are here."
Egon almost let out a fearful squeak as the Boogieman grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground with a grin.
"But you're not leaving any time soon." He teased as he reached into his coat.
Egon watched with fear as the boogieman reached into his coat. He thought the monster was going to try and web him up like last time. Kitty was not here to get him out. But to Egon's confusion, the boogieman did not take out a mass of sticky web. He pulled out a copper coloured key. With swift movement, the Boogieman moved back to the chairs and placed Egon in the one across from his before quickly moving back to the entry way. Egon watched anxiously as the boogieman pushed a door closed and locked it with the key with a loud click. This was it. No going back now. Egon watched as the boogieman took the key and swallowed it; probably so Egon not take it and escape. The boogieman turned back and made his way back to the chair; sitting across from Egon at the small table.
"Now then." The blue skinned monster folded his hands as he rested his elbows on the table with a sickening grin aimed at Egon. "I suppose you're wondering what I'm going to do to you?"
Egon sat very still as he swallowed a bit of built up spit out of fear. But he kept a straight face as the eyes of a monster stared at him.
"I can't imagine it would be fun or good for me." The boy replied with a lowered tone.
"It would be quite enjoyable for me." The boogieman laughed as he played with one of the black chess pieces. "But I don't want to do anything just yet. I want to play a game first. Do you know how to play chess?"
Egon blinked as he remembered what Kitty told him. The boogieman must be trying to try with him by offering to play a game with him. Egon saw his chance to use this to his advantage.
"I was actually thinking about another game." Egon counter offered as he crossed his arms with blank face.
The boogieman stopped playing with the chess as he stopped smiling. But then he gave Egon a rather intrigued look before putting the piece back.
"What kind of game do you have in mind?" The large headed creature asked with a grin of interest.
"A finding things game. Like a scavenger hunt." Egon narrowed it down plan and simple.
"And I take it the thing you'll be finding will be your parents?" The boogieman assumed with a rather mocking stare. "Sounds a bit too easy."
Egon clenched his fist as the boogieman began to laugh; but he chose not to react too much. That was just what he wanted. But knew he had to raise the stakes.
"And the souls of the ghost children." Egon quickly added another objective to the game as he stood up out of his chair.
The boogieman stopped laughing and blinked at the boy with a confused face; wondering how the boy knew about the others before him. Raising one of his eyebrows, he stood up out of his chair; towering over Egon in a bid to intimidate the boy.
"What if you don't find them?" He asked for the conditions of the game.
Egon took a quick and deep breath before answering.
"If I fail... you can keep me here like you did to the other children." The boy spoke with a steady voice even though a small amount of nervous sweat was dripping down his forehead. "And you can do whatever you want to me. You can take all my fear until there's nothing left."
Egon felt his stomach turning into a knot as the boogieman smiled at the thought of devouring the boy's fear until there was nothing left.
"And if you somehow win this little game?" The blue skinned monster asked with a mocking grin.
"Then you have to let me go. Me, my mother, my father, the dead children; everyone you have trapped here." Egon clarified the conditions if he were to win.
The boogieman let out a light chuckle as he held out his hand for Egon to shake.
"It's a deal then." The large headed child snatcher wanted to seal the agreement.
Egon just gave the monster a distrustful and angered look out of spite.
"You have to give me a hint first." The boy crossed his arms, so he did not have the shake his enemy's hand.
The boogieman returned a rather displeased frown as he took his hand back.
"Alright." He spoke in a mildly frustrated tone.
Egon watched as the boogieman began to walk around behind Egon's chair as he thought of a vague hint. The monster smiled as he thought of something.
"In each of three familiar memories of places Where you have been and seen, the soul of a forgotten child is lost in plain sight." The boogieman recited as he put his hand into his coat. "But you must be cautious of the clock, for time is not your friend."
Egon blinked as the boogieman took out a golden pocket watch with a chain from his coat and dangled it in the boy's face. Egon processed the boogieman's riddle as he grabbed the watch and exclaimed it; only making a quiet hmph sound as he made sure to remember the clue.
"And my parents?" Egon asked for a hint about his mother and father as the boogieman stood behind the boy's chair.
The boogieman did not respond with words. The blue skinned devil only drummed his finger nails against the wooden frame of the chair as he hummed an unnameable tune; much to Egon's annoyance.
"Fine. Don't tell me." The boy hissed as he turned away with his arms crossed.
Egon took a few moments to think about this. The boogieman was not going to make this easy. If that creature was not going to give a hint to where his parents are, then he would have to free the ghost children first. With a brief sigh, he turned around.
"It's a deal."
Egon was expecting the boogieman to be behind him with his hand ready to shake. But instead, the boy let out a quiet gasp and looked with wide eyes when he saw no one there. Egon looked around the room; the boogieman was nowhere to be seen. Only the boy was there with a watch in his hand. Egon put the object up to his ear as he listened. The watch was real; it was definitely ticking. He looked at the hands that told the time. There was only one hand inside it. Egon remembered the boogieman's riddle. Time was not his friend. He understood that he must be on a time limit. But the first part of the clue, he had trouble understanding.
"What did he mean by memories of places I've been?" He questioned out loud.
Just as Egon tried to think about it, he heard a loud click in a corner that sounded like something was unlocked. The boy turned around as he heard the sound of a door creaking open. He saw one of the doors in one of the corners opened wide. Egon blinked as he thought that this must be the start of the game, and the door was leading to the first challenge. With a deep breath and exhale, Egon put the watch away in his nightshirt pocket and walked towards the door; seeing a familiar sight inside as he entered.
AN: Reviews make me write faster. Just saying.
