"So jack…" Sam said as the team headed for the vampire brother's house. "These vampires…they don't…you know…"
"Guys, relax," said jack. "They're not dangerous. They just like scaring people, just like everyone else in Halloween town."
"Man I should've brought my silver bullets." Said jonesy.
"jonesy, you were around them last year, I don't see why you want to harm them." Said jack.
"Aw, come on, guys!" said jimmy. "Vampires are cool!"
"Jimmy, you think cats are cool," said jonesy.
"Here's their house," said jack, pointing to a giant mansion in front of them. "I hope they're okay."
"Yeah…" said jonesy uncertainly and taking out his pistol and taking out one clip and loaded and cocked his pistol.
The team entered the mansion.
"Hello?" jack called out. "Anyone home?"
But there was no one there.
"Four empty coffins," said Sam, looking at them. "But where are the vampires?"
"Hey, another note!" said jimmy. He walked over to a small table and picked up a small piece of paper. "You read it, Sam," he said, holding it out.
But Sam was uncertain. "There's dried blood on it, jimmy," he said.
Jack sighed and took the note from jimmy.
"What's it say?" asked jonesy.
Jack had to squint because the ink was faded. "Oogie…has transformed us…into four…bats," he read slowly. "Find us…and put us…back in our… coffins."
Jonesy shuddered. "And I thought vampires were bad enough…" he said.
"Now, jonesy," said Sam. "I do admit bats are a bit…how can I put this…unique…but I suggest that we just grin and bear it for now."
"Fine," jonesy grumbled.
"Find the bats, find the bats, find the bats…" jimmy chanted as the team went back outside.
"How the hell are we supposed to find them?" asked jonesy.
"Well, the vampire brother bats don't look like normal bats," said jack. "So they should be easy to spot."
"Like that one right there?" asked jimmy, pointing.
The gang and jack looked. Right in front of the house was a big bat flying around.
"There's one right there!" exclaimed jack. "Good work, jimmy."
"So how do we get it?" asked Sam.
"Our turns!" said jimmy and Caitlin, running toward the bat. But as soon as the bat saw jimmy and Caitlin, he went flying in the opposite direction. "We got it!" jimmy and Caitlin called over and over again as they ran after the persistent bat. "We got it! We got it! We got it!"
"Well, that's one down," said jonesy. "Let's go look for the rest."
"Are you sure they'll be okay?" jack asked, looking at jimmy and Caitlin.
"Oh, they're not going anywhere," said Sam. "I suggest we split up to look for the bats. That way, we'll get it done faster."
"Fine by me," said jonesy. "Where else would these bats be?"
"My guess is that we should search deeper into the town," said jack. "Come on!"
---
Jack and the gang walked deeper into the residential area, and quickly learned that it wasn't much better. Swinging axes had been set up in the paths all over the place. Somehow, the gang and jack dodged them all. Soon they got to two flights of stairs in the path; one led up and the other led down.
"Now what?" asked Sam.
"Well, since jonesy and I are the only ones who can grab onto things, we'll go up," said jack. "Sam, you take Joe Fred Samantha jen Wyatt Jude and nikki with you and take the other path."
Sam looked down the stairs. "Down there?" asked Sam.
"That's what I said," said jack.
"What about helping jack out, Sam?" asked jonesy.
Sam sighed in defeat. "Curse my polite ways…" he mumbled as he and the others headed down.
"So that means…" said jonesy.
"Only one way to go," said jack.
"Up!" they said together.
So jonesy and jack climbed the stairs. But they stopped when they saw what was at the top. "Whoa…" said jonesy.
Below them was a giant hole filled with the same green water from the fountain. But that wasn't the frightening part. Swimming around in it was a giant skeleton fish the size of a whale!
"Uh…"no bats here," jonesy said quickly. "Let's go."
"Hold it," said jack, pointing. On the other side of the gap was another one of the bats. "We can swing across it. Unless you're too scared…"
jonesy growled. "Hey buddy, let me get something straight to ya," he said. "jonesy Garcia is afraid of nothing!"
"If you say so," said jack. He waited until the giant fish skeleton submerged, then lashed out the soul robber onto one of the overhead hooks, swinging to the other side. "Come on!" he called to jonesy.
"Uh…right," jonesy called back. He readied the yo-yo mace and followed suit. And "unafraid jonesy Garcia" screamed the whole time he swung across.
"Not afraid, huh?" asked jack as jonesy landed.
"Oh funny, funny, funny," said jonesy.
"I'll take care of this bat," said jack. "That hook there leads up to the roofs of the houses. "You'll probably want to look up there."
Jonesy looked at the hook. "Piece of cake," said jonesy, grabbing the hook and swinging up.
"We'll all meet back at the vampire brother's house," said jack.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," said jonesy as he walked on the roof.
For some reason, all the houses were connected with the bridges, so jonesy had stable ground to walk on. He looked around. The roofs were swarming with bats, but one stuck out. This one was bigger than the others.
"Bingo," said jonesy. But as he took a step forward…
MAAAAAAAAOWWWWWWWWW!
"Oh, great…" jonesy grumbled. As he chased the bat across the roofs, Oogie's voice once again rang throughout Halloween town.
"My dearly abhorred denizens of Oogie town. Thanks to my ingenious thinking, I have decided to not only become the ruler of Oogie town, but all the other holidays as well. We'll be able to celebrate "Oogie boogie day" seven days every year, and I shall be the seven holidays king! The plans are already set. I'm off to secure the final holiday myself. After all, I have a debt to repay. Stay tuned. Ba ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Uh… that is all"
As the microphone feedback faded, jonesy jumped up and snatched the right bat.
"A debt?" jonesy asked as he gently held the bat by the tip of it's wings. He stood there in silence for a moment. "Right," he said. He began to head back to the vampire brother's house. "Gotta ask Sam what that word means."
---
Jack had just made it back to the vampire brother's house with his bat. He wasn't surprised by what he saw. Jimmy and Caitlin were still running in circles, chasing the frightened bat.
"Hold still for a second, guys," jack called to them.
Jimmy and Caitlin froze.
With his free hand, jack took out a scare device that wasn't activated yet and threw it in front of him. The curious bat stopped its frenzy and flew over to the scare device.
"Now try it, guys," said jack.
Jimmy and Caitlin quietly walked over to the bat and grabbed it just as the scare device popped open.
"We got it, jack!" said Caitlin. "We got it!"
"You two certainly did," said jack. "Let's go put them back in their coffins."
Jack jimmy and Caitlin entered the vampire brother's house and stood in front of the four coffins. Just then, the door opened.
"Well, it wasn't easy, but we got it," said Sam, holding a bat. He closed the door with hi free hand. "I do hope jonesy's had just as much luck with…"
"Please tell me you guys heard Oogie," jonesy said, swinging the door open with a BANG!
"Unfortunately, yes," said jack. "All the more reason to stop him."
"Hey sam," said jonesy as he held tightly to the thrashing bat in his hands. "What's "debt" mean?"
"Well, let's see…" said Sam. "A debt is a returning action to someone's generosity. Returning a favor, if you will."
"Returning a favor?" asked jack. "Who on earth would Oogie have to return a favor to?"
"I don't know but…" jonesy began, but he stopped as the bat he was holding began to thrash around more violently. "Okay, this thing's making me nervous," jonesy blurted out. "Can we please get this over with?"
"My thoughts exactly," said jack. He walked over to the first coffin with his bat. "I hope you guys are paying attention," he said. "We might get some more clues."
"Oh, we're watching…" said Sam.
"From way over here," said jonesy as he readied his pistol just in case any of the vampire brothers try anything tricky.
Jack looked behind them. Jonesy Sam and jimmy had let go of their bats, and were standing on the other side of the room. It wasn't that far away, but it was still a good distance.
Jack sighed, placed his bat into the first coffin, and shut the lid. The coffin started rattling, and so did Sam's knees. The lid burst open, and up rose the first vampire brother.
"Ah, at last," said the vampire brother in his thick accent. "I am my old self."
"What happened?" asked jack.
"My brothers and I opposed Oogie's plan," the eldest brother explained. "We told him this wasn't the Halloween you wanted. But then he tricked us and trapped us in out bat forms."
"Then I take it you brothers are stuck as bats too?" Sam asked from the other side of the room.
"Yes," the vampire brother answered. "But I'll need help finding them." But as he tried to walk, he ended up stumbling. "Oh…my strength…"
"You look undead tired," said jack, helping the vampire brother. "You should rest."
"Undead tired?" asked jonesy. "I don't think even "I've been that tired."
"For centuries, we've been entrusted to guarding the keys to the mayor's house," said the vampire brother. "my brothers have the remaining pieces of the key." He than sank into his coffin and shut the lid.
"Well, it looks like we need the other vampire brothers," said jonesy.
"Oh!" said jimmy, pointing up. "There they are!"
Jack reached up and grabbed the second bat. Then he placed it in the second coffin. Like the first one, it shook and opened, revealing the second vampire brother.
"Here, jack," the second brother drawled. "Take this." He handed jack the second key.
"Thanks," said jack. "Rest easy now." The coffin closed.
"Well, this isn't so bad," said Sam.
"Then do you want to do the next one, Sam?" jack asked, taking the third bat.
"No!" Sam blurted out. "Uh…I mean…I'm fine here, thank you."
Jack put the third bat in the third coffin. The third vampire brother appeared.
"Here, jack," he said. "We're counting on you."
"Good night," jack said as he took the third key. "And unpleasant dreams."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Um…"
"Who?"
"Huh?"
"Uh…"
"Jimmy…"
"Why?"
Jack looked at the eleven teenagers standing behind him.
"Uh…sorry," jonesy mumbled.
Jack shook his head in disbelief. "You guys never cease to amaze me," he said as he put the last bat in the final coffin.
The fourth vampire brother appeared. "This is the last piece," he said.
"Thanks," said jack, taking the fourth and final key.
As he did, the three coffins opened, revealing the other three vampire brothers. The gang jumped. Of course, jimmy didn't.
"Thank you so much, guys," said the first vampire brother. "Now we can tell you about Oogie's plan. He kidnapped all the other holiday leaders."
"He dragged the leaders here," said the second vampire brother. "Then he stole the holiday doors from the hinterlands. Lock, shock, and barrel hid the doors in each area of the town so the leaders couldn't return home."
"So you're saying that the leaders of thanksgiving, Easter, Valentines Day, and the rest of the holidays are being held prisoner somewhere in the town?" asked Sam.
"Precisely," said the third brother. "Oogie wants to take over all the other holidays and become the seven holidays king."
"The seven holidays king?" jack repeated. "This is intolerable!"
"Yeah!" said jonesy. He turned to Sam. "Quick!" he whispered. "What's "intolerable" mean?"
"However, unless you find the holiday doors and return them to the hinterlands, you won't be able to return the holiday leaders, even if you find them!" said the fourth brother. "Take back those doors and stop Oogie and his army!"