The next few months in Halloween Town are… strangely calm . The reign of terror inflicted by the trick-or-treaters comes to a crashing halt after their confrontation with Jack Skellington. Monsters are finally free to roam the streets again. The children are allowed to enjoy their candies and sweets with no disruptions. Even shopkeepers get to relax when the vandalism and harassment stop. The message is clear - things feel like they're at peace again.

Boogie's Boys still appear around town. But they are now under the orders of the Mayor. They run his errands and clean up around the Town Hall. Most of their chores are done with scowls, often completed haphazardly - but still completed, nonetheless. Residents are pleased to find the town looking neat and proper again. The witches are glad to have some help around their shop while the town's seamstress enjoys a hand-or-two offered to her during the day.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel are not thrilled about the situation one bit. Shock is pestered by Helgamine and Zeldaborne with their lessons on witchcraft. Lock receives several lectures from the Mayor and Jack about their previous pranks. Barrel is restricted from eating candy while they're working. He nearly throws a tantrum when the Mayor takes away his lollipop and confiscates his hidden stash of sweets. It takes a lot of willpower for the three not to snap and cause a ruckus.

In this time, Oogie assures them to wait and endure. To be patient . He promises them their reward will be the biggest they've ever received. So, they do as they're told. They imagine piles of candy as high as mountains - or an even bigger pot of his snake & spider stew. Their mouths water at the picture, steam rolling off the lid of their bowls as the smells temptingly linger in the air…


As time goes on, October arrives. Fall comes beautifully, the trees finally shedding their leaves and littering the sidewalks in oranges and yellows. Activity rises in Halloween Town - monsters scurrying down the streets excitedly while the town hall is filled with commotion. Jack Skellington and the Mayor become incredibly busy during this time, cooped up in their offices as they tend to paperwork and businesses for Halloween that year. While the officials remain unseen, the rest of the citizens happily enjoy their activities in town. Spirits are exceptionally high while creatures decorate buildings and wear their festive costumes, whistling their tunes and dancing along.

On this particular day, citizens are banded together in the plaza, watching one of the human horror films projected on the wishing well. Those wanting to watch it are cooped up in the front, peering down below while the rest sit nearby and listen. Children shove themselves near the well and watch the screen with wild eyes. Sally Finklestein and the Hanging Tree, along with his Hanging Men, are sitting at a table knitting together while listening to the screams of terror coming from afar. The sounds of someone being stabbed to death, perhaps?

"I think I've seen this one," The tree comments as he pulls his knitting needle through. "The effects were incredible for its time! The blood looks almost real."

"-The effects were great, sure , but the costumes look terrible." One of the skeletons shakes his skull. He turns and points at the ragdoll. "I bet Sally could make the clothes waaay better!"

She waves off the compliment. "Everyone gives me too much credit. I'm sure whoever worked on them did an awful job."

The rest of the hanging men begin to mumble their opinions, some in agreement and others indifferent. She is too focused on her knitting to properly listen. She feels proud with how this personal project is coming along. She's been working on making a small pair of blankets for Zero and Ophelia. To keep them warm during the night, and sleep in while they're in their beds. She's even making them matching designs! And so far, everything is going smoothly. Their sessions together have given her such an improvement..!

"I am so glad those kids stopped coming around." The Hanging Tree sighs. "Have I told you what they would do to me and my Hanging Men? They would jump on my branches, hanging onto them and swinging so harshly ..! My skeletons would get tangled together. They found it humorous and did it so often…"

She frowns at the story. "That's terrible..!"

"My arms are too short to properly help them sometimes, so I'd have to find somebody to untangle them for me. It was quite embarrassing."

"They've even tried to untie our rope and separate us!" One of the men exclaims. "They're always trying to get others in trouble like that. It's hard to fight them when we can't really move."

She drops her work to give them a sympathetic look. She's heard plenty of stories from the citizens and fellow shopkeepers. About their victimization to Lock, Shock, and Barrel's pranks and what harm they've caused them. It seems like they have a poor reputation with everybody in town. She hasn't found a single person out there who has anything positive to say about them. And when she thinks about it…she can't name a single thing, either.

"I really wanted to help them." She comments quietly. "I tried to teach them what I could and get those children to behave. But they just didn't…listen."

"I'm afraid they don't listen to anybody . We're lucky Jack can put them in line as it is." He rubs a sharp finger on his bark. "Sometimes people are incapable of changing, as much as we'd like to believe otherwise. The Beldam was given a chance to change her ways - but you recall what happened to her…"

'The old seamstress' , she thinks to herself. It's been a long time since she has heard about her. Then she remembers what she heard about Oogie Boogie…those two don't sound very different, now that she thinks about it. Killing human beings and eating them…she was told it was how the Beldam survived. Was the boogeyman guilty of something similar? Or did he just kill for the pleasure of it? That thought makes her shudder and her skin suddenly pales. She sets down her needles right away.

One of the skeletons notices the look on her face. "Miss, are you alright..?"

"Just f-fine." She sputters out, rubbing her arms. She feels cold now, for some reason…

"Is the movie too frightening for you?" The tree's smile falls as he glances back at the well.

The sounds coming from it are indescribable - mostly terrified shrieks, wet noises, and the sound of a chainsaw as well as a few crunches. Such a thing is tame for everyone here - but he understands that Sally is not like most people. She's more sensitive to these things. The ragdoll shakes her head but stands up anyway, collecting her incomplete blankets and needles. She moves from the table and bows her head at them.

"I think I'll be heading back to the shop now. Thank you for joining me. Let me know if anything else goes on..!"

"Of course." He nods. "Take care of yourself."

She bids farewell to them, waving to the skeletons, and begins her trip back in town. She's unaware of the shadow lingering at her feet as she goes. Nor does she notice the two yellow eyes peering at her from below inquisitively. She feels a chill climb up her spine instead. She holds onto the sides of her arms, shivering as she moves along.

'The weather must be getting chilly,' She thinks to herself.


Oogie knows he shouldn't be doing this. Technically, he's not allowed to. It is very much illegal. He would be banished from Halloween Land itself if he was caught! Maybe that's what made this entire thing so enticing. He's never felt this excited before. Not in a long time, anyway. He's practically chasing the high at this point, giggling feverishly to himself as he goes. He feels like a kid in a candy store!

Oogie Boogie's shadow creeps along the walls and floors of Halloween Town, looking at its surroundings with curious, glowing eyes. He has to conceal himself every time someone comes walking along in his direction. So far, he's gone unnoticed - doing his best to be as discreet as possible, constantly checking his surroundings. He isn't here to make a scene. That would be… unwise , despite how fun it sounds.

He's here to check the situation on the surface.

His henchman can supply only so much to him - they've been busy working for the Mayor and other fools in this town. He's been satisfied with the little snippets they've given him, but now he wants to see the full picture. To view things for himself - understand what is going on, after being away from it all for a long, long time. And all he can say is, he's…not really impressed with what he sees.

In fact, it makes him snort in disapproval. (He doesn't even bother hiding the noise.)

Where are all the scary things!? The sharp instruments, torture devices, fun colors, music, and games? Instead, he finds cobwebs, fake blood, pumpkins, and children running around and laughing . Like this is a carnival instead of a town housing the most terrifying holiday out there. His bottom lip quivers in disgust as he looks at it all. This entire time, his shadow can't help shaking its head, thinking of what he would put in its place instead - making imaginary improvements to the town as he slithers along.

Jack Skellington is an idiot . A downright fool , in his eyes. What King would not use his power to his advantage? You could make others fear you. Obey you. The exact thing the King of Halloween should WANT ! He feeds off the fear of humans just as Boogie does. Yet he doesn't bother to crave it. Instead, he lets the town look like… this ! Cute little spiderwebs, witches riding on their brooms, citizens sitting around and watching movies instead of bowing to his feet and feeding him the souls of humans..!

He's fed up with looking at it all. He wants to go home. Not face the reality of what Halloween Town's become. But that's when he sees….her. Sally Finklestein. Sitting at a table, innocently knitting and talking. She's with a tree. Not exactly the best protection if something happens, but…he can't exactly do anything. He'd kiss his burlap rear 'goodbye' if he so much as makes himself visible.

So, he does the smart thing and remains on the floor, moving quickly so no one stares at the pitch-black shadow for too long. He hides on the underside of the wooden table, listening in on their conversation. He's amused when it's about his henchman. The tree is complaining about its skeletons getting stuck on each other. He almost laughs. Sometimes the kids are hilarious ..!

"..The Beldam was given a chance to change her ways - but you recall what happened to her…"

Boogie perks up at this name. One he hasn't heard in…a century, at least. The Beldam ? Halloween Town's original seamstress? He remembers her fondly. Back when he wasn't banished, he'd pay regular visits to her shop, asking her to sew his sack whenever the thread came loose or busted open. And she was happy to work on him, despite how often he came by. Truth be told, sometimes he'd snag on a seam or two just so he'd have an excuse to go see her…

A sort of infatuation, maybe. She was fun. And smart.

He realizes Sally hasn't spoken for a minute. He moves to the edge of the table just to get the quickest of a glance at her…and he notices the look on her face. The fear in her eyes. He can taste it, smell it…it's radiating off of her like heat. It shouldn't hurt just to have a taste or two, right? Maybe it's a little risky if she suspects something, but…he hasn't had the pleasure of exploring someone's mind in a long, LONG time.

"Miss, are you alright..?"

"Just f-fine…"

Oh, he HAS to, now.

Normally, the Boogeyman only enters children's minds to watch their dreams. Induce some nightmares, if he is in the mood. It was his job, back in the day - although he was directed to only do it for the naughty children. Give them visions and messages, to correct their behavior. Induce some fear so that, when they woke up in a cold sweat, they'd come crying to their mommy and daddy and start sobbing about 'behaving' and 'loving them' . But that got boring after awhile. So he started giving them nightmares for the fun of it.

It's been a long time since he visited an adult's mind. The first time he'd ever visit an artificial creation's one, at that. But he figures it is worth the try. So he does exactly that – and he's surprised at how well it works, like a normal human's brain. Maybe that's what she has, after all. He doesn't know exactly what the Doc did. He doesn't really care, anyway.

He listens to her thoughts.

'Oogie Boogie doesn't sound so different from the Beldam…they kill human beings. She ate them to survive. Is the boogeyman guilty of that, too? Or does he just kill for the pleasure of it..?'

He grins wickedly. She's thinking about him . How cute.

She isn't too far off, he thinks. The Beldam and him…they had a thing together. An agreement of some sorts. He would visit the human world and find susceptible children through their dreams. Study their home life and whatnot. Then he'd supply them to her, and she'd offer him her services in return. He helped kill a few, of course - only when he had to lure them himself. If he was really, really good….and she was in the mood….she would share some with him. Who was he to deny a polite lady's dinner?

Oh, he kills for pleasure alright. But humans are delicious. As he's sure Sally will be, too….he licks his lips as he reluctantly leaves her mind, but stays on her tail. She's getting up and leaving while he does this. He grins – perfect !

"I think I'll be heading back to the shop now…""

Boogie eagerly follows her as she goes, sticking closely to her own shadow so he isn't seen. He admires the view under her dress from this angle - momentarily forgetting that his eyes are glowing and can give him away. But she doesn't glance down. She doesn't even question the coldness his shadow has brought onto her. He still can't believe she's this gullible.

'This should all go down relatively easily,' he thinks.


He wastes a little time by watching Sally in her shop and listening to nearby conversations. He learns a few valuable things - Jack Skellington and the Mayor are cooped up in the Town Hall, dealing with Halloween preparations. The entire town is currently swept up in their pre-holiday festivities. So, there aren't a lot of people on the residential hill right now…where the seamstress shop is. In fact, he notices no one is around. Just an innocent little ragdoll by herself, working on her sewing machine and singing quietly.

He can take her right now. No one will even notice. But…he might get caught carrying a ragdoll around. And if he is seen…he can't have that . He'll have to confide in his henchman. They better not let him down.

. . .

. . .

Boogie soon returns to his Lair in the Hinterlands, dipping deep into the abyss to relish in its coldness. Then he surfaces and returns to the underground casino, completing his burlap's physical form. Lock, Shock, and Barrel must've noticed his return, or heard something. They come piling down the chute like it's a slide, giggling before landing on their bottoms harshly. The pain doesn't even phase them. They get up and look at their boss excitedly, grins plastered on their faces.

"Well! Well !?" Shock asks, jumping up-and-down.

"Yeah! Did you see anything?" Barrel adds.

"What do you think?" Lock finishes.

Oogie clacks his snake tongue. They knew of his plan to 'visit' Halloween Town today. But he firmly told them to wait in the treehouse - afraid they'd give his appearance away. They are still children, he has to remind himself - and if they know he's somewhere out there, with them, in any way…there isn't a chance they wouldn't have made it obvious. He had to be safe and watch his own back. They * were * a little upset they couldn't come, but…he'll make that up to them, later.

"I gotta' say, kiddos…I'm a little disappointed." He grumbles, placing his 'hands' on his hips. "You got my hopes up, tellin' me all this stuff…but I didn't see anything exciting."

The smiles fall from their faces simultaneously. They glance at each other and begin to wring their hands together, anxious after hearing his disappointment.

"But..! But ! You saw the catacombs, right?" Barrel tries to point out helpfully. "They're dusty and they have skeletons everywhere..! It's so cool!"

"Or-Or the candy shop..!" Lock adds nervously. "There's a lot you can take from there!"

"There were some fresh bodies in the graveyards, too.." Shock's voice is quiet. "You could'a pick anyone you wanted and we would get it for you."

He waves a hand dismissively at them. "'S not your fault, kids. You're not the one I'm mad at. It's the bonehead that screwed everything up."

They lean forward, intrigued to hear more. He notices their attention and decides to humor them, dramatically taking a seat and looking off in the distance. He does feel quite a bit of frustration with what he saw…and it really * isn't * their fault. They don't have a say in how Halloween Town is run, much to his dismay. But it might work to his advantage if they see things in his perspective…

"You three weren't 'round at the time, but…" He grabs his trusted pair of dice and throws them in the air. "Back in my day, Halloween Town was scary! And I mean REAL SCARY! Ya' had ME around…givin' everyone nightmares…n' this was when bone-man wasn't a snivelin' coward like he is now!"

He stops to laugh at his own insult.

"No, we had EVERYTHING. Traps, weapons, knives…anythin' your little heads can think of..!" Their eyes light up at his words. "N' we were allowed to use 'em, too. Every year, we went out to the human world n' scared 'em out of their wits..! Hell, sometimes we'd bring the humans into OUR town and scare 'em straight! We'd give 'em a fun game or two, 'round the WHOLE place up and have our fun."

He feels nostalgic remembering these days. It makes the crushing realization of Jack's betrayal hurt even more than usual. He tries not to show it on his face as he suddenly turns away from the kids. They look at the back of his form in concern. He glances behind his shoulder. His voice turns serious.

"-But now ? Nothin'. You can't scare 'em like you used to. And this town…it ain't my town. Not anymore. There's nothin' to do here. No fun. No games. You see that, right?"

They hesitate to agree. They don't really understand. They have fun playing their pranks, visiting the candy shop, and picking on the Mayor. They even love to get on Jack's nerves when they can. But they end up agreeing, anyway, so as to not upset him.

"But I'd make it fun ." He grins wickedly. "I'd bring all those things back. The traps, the shadows and bugs…you could have everything you'd want here. All the pranks. All the candy. N' you would never get in trouble. In fact, you'd be in charge, too. People would have ta' listen to YOU. You could make THEM sweep the floors and do your laundry."

They grin. They love this idea.

"N' anyone could scare any way they want to! Be mean, be as cruel as you want! None of that baby crap Jack's making 'em do. 'We're not mean! No sharp objects! No touching them! No killing -' PHAW. What a LOSER!"

The kids begin to laugh. He's delighted with this reaction. It isn't hard to get them on his side. And he especially needs that right now. Once they've calmed down, he approaches them and lays a hand on a couple of their shoulders, bringing them closer. They look excited - does he have another plan for them? A request? They'd do anything for their master! They can't wait for their reward!

"I'm tired of waiting. I think you boys are, too." They nod enthusiastically. "You're goin' to take the ragdoll. Forcefully, if ya' have to. N' bring her down to me. This time…I intend on keeping her."

"What made you wait so long, boss?" Lock asks impatiently, stomping his shoe. Oogie gives him a glare before he cowers down.

"Patience. Remember that, children? Now that the town's goin' crazy over Halloween….they're all busy preppin' for it. You can take her no problem. Jack won't even know. It'll be our secret."

"Will we get our reward?" Barrel asks eagerly. The others shoot him daggers for asking. But Boogie doesn't mind, patting his little green head and chuckling while he does so.

" 'Course you will! By the time I'm done, you three are gonna' have the most delicious bowl of stew in your lives yet." They bounce on their heels. "Just get me Sally. And you will get your prize."

It doesn't take much for them to agree to such a demand. With the promise of their reward, along with the ever-growing frustration of helping around Town and behaving around so many people…taking Sally doesn't sound so bad, they think. They've done it before, so it shouldn't be hard to do it again..! They've always found her a little annoying when she tries to educate and baby them. It's about time she should know the *true* nature of Boogie's Boys..!


They waste no moment following Oogie's orders. Merely an hour after he's given them his request, they pack their bathtub full of weapons, restraint, and poisons. They imagine all the methods of kidnapping her and what constraints they'll use. They even sing about it while they collect their materials, delighting the boogeyman from below. Anything they use won't measure what he's going to do to her. As soon as they're ready, they ride out into Halloween Town as fast as they can. They don't want to waste another moment..!

The sun is setting in the sky by the time they reach Sally Finklestein's seamstress shop. She looks like she's about to lock up, cleaning inside and gathering the last of her materials. They quickly check around to make sure there aren't any nearby witnesses. They're fortunate to find not another soul on the streets. Maybe the town is playing another film or they're wrapping things up right now. Regardless, it won't be long before monsters begin returning home, so now is when they need to make their move.

They jump out of the bathtub and run to the entrance without stopping. They slam the door shut behind them, startling the ragdoll. She was in the middle of packing up her basket when they stormed in. She stands to her full height and notices they're wearing their masks on their faces. They are holding what she's dreaded to see before - small knives and slingshots, along with large candy bags. She hears one of the children lock the door as they advance on her, backing Sally against the wall.

Ophelia blinks from the basket and watches the scene. She hunches her back up and begins to hiss at the intruders, who ignore her.

"You should've never messed with us!" Shock points at her threateningly. "If you'd let us have that candy, the boss would've never been upset!"

Her eyes widen as her phantom heart begins to race. She knows something bad is about to happen again. After she finally got comfortable here again…She clutches at her chest and looks at them.

"What..? What is this about? Why are you holding those.. things ..?"

Lock opens his pocketknife for effect. He points it at her and watches her flinch. "I wonder how long it would take for someone to put you back together after they've cut you apart! Thread by thread.."

"Seam by seam. ." Barrel joins in eerily.

"Limb by limb ." Shock finishes.

Her eyes dart behind them and she starts to move. But that's her mistake - the moment she moves a muscle, the three jump at her and roughly pull her down to the floor. She struggles in their grasp, gasping when the blade comes closer to her seams. Ophelia leaps from the basket and attaches herself to one of the children, clawing at their neck and any exposed skin. Lock groans in pain and throws the cat off of him. He chuckles in amusement when she lands harshly on the wall.

Sally watches helplessly and whimpers. But then a blindfold is wrapped around her head and she suddenly can't see a thing. The children tie her wrists and legs together in a way where she can no longer move. She struggles and fights them back. But one is no match against three, unfortunately…Ophelia regains consciousness and launches herself at the children again, only to be thrown once more. The sound of her pained howls makes the ragdoll's chest grow cold.

"Stupid cat..!" Lock whines, wincing when he touches the scratches on his skin.

"Quick! Take her to the bathtub!" Shock interrupts, pointing for Barrel to unlock the door.

The woman thrashes in their grasp as they carry her and hoist her in. She's soon covered with a bag as a gag is promptly shoved in her mouth. Tears start to well in her eyes and fall down her cheeks, feeling the movement of the bathtub begin carrying them away. She can't yell out for help. She can't even move. All of this done in only a matter of minutes… and she had nothing to protect herself. The sobs leave her involuntarily.

These children must have kidnapped others before. Take people exactly like this, she thinks. The knots are tight and the rope is well-placed. Oogie Boogie must have taught them this. For.. what? For them to deliver his victims? She attempts to picture all the innocent humans going through this, threatened and shoved into bags…have they followed through their threats and cut others up before? She shivers as she realizes she's in the true clutches of evil.

The mockery from the kids doesn't help the situation, either.

" Hee hee! Oogie is going to be so proud!" Shock smacks her chest proudly.

"Did you see that? She barely put up a fight!" Barrel comments snidely.

"Ah! Ah! Ow!" Lock is touching the cut marks. "Says you two! You didn't have a cat on your shoulders the whole time!"

"Oh, wait! We forgot to take that, too!" Barrel regretfully looks at the small image of Halloween Town. "The boss likes animal blood…"

"Forget it! We have Sally, and that's what he wanted." Shock motions to the bag. "That stew is going to be soooooo good!"

Their laughter drowns out the sound of her muffled sobs, scared to think her end is coming in near minutes. At that time, she can only think of her beloved skeleton…her phantom heart aches. Her chest feels like ice. The tears add to the coldness.

'Oh, Jack…please come and save me…' She thinks helplessly.


Ophelia wobbles from where she stands, dazed in the unattended seamstress shop. She blinks her golden eyes and worriedly looks around. Some tables and chairs are thrown about. The door is still wide open, letting in the cold gusts of wind from the outside. The cat meows loudly as she searches around desperately for her owner, only to be met with empty rooms. She runs outside and notices the small white tub from afar, retreating up the hill and out of sight. The wind cools her fur as the feline flicks her tail worriedly.

" Mew… !"

She turns her head in the direction of the Town Square. Then she begins her race into Halloween Town - desperately climbing through the crowds and dodging nearby creatures. Her little paws lead her as fast as she can move, determinedly to the tall mansion towering over nearby buildings. The Skellington Manor…her rightful home - and housing the only chance of getting Sally back.