Lock sat bolt upright in bed and listened, staying perfectly
still. He had heard it, a faint thumping coming from somewhere in
his room, but from where? He scanned the parameter of his room,
forcing his eyes to adjust to the think darkness. Nothing moved,
nothing giggled, nothing breathed. Not even Lock. He let his
breath out slowly and evenly and relaxed his muscles. He still
expected Barrel and Shock to jump out and scream like banshees,
but then remembered that he had locked his door tightly and
neither of them had enough knowledge to pick it. Still, he didn't
dare breath to loudly or call out their names.
:Thump:
There it was again, a dull thumping noise coming from the east corner of his room.
:Thump: :Tink:
Another noise, this one sounded like a thump and them a light tap of metal. But what would that noise be coming from..?
"No way." Lock froze and thought about what was around his east wall.
"That's where the tube to the basement is." Lock thought, suddenly chilled. The basement that had stayed dormant since the death of Oogie-boogie. He knew, he just knew that the sounds were coming from down there, where else could they be coming from? He knew that other pipes ran through the length of the tree house including through the rooms of Barrel and Shock. Creeping out of bed and moving as slowly and silently and possible, Lock made his way to his door and out into the hallway, careful not to step on the squeaky spots on the floor.
:BANG:
Something shifted around the corner and he froze. Lock counted to three in his head and leapt at the figure flinging it to the floor. The figure let out a short gasp that stopped as Lock wrapped his tail around its neck. Thin fingers reached up and yanked at his hair, the same way that.
Shock opened her eyes and listened.
:Tink: :Tink:
There it was again. She wasn't hearing things. Caught between relief and fear, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and listened harder. The sound was coming from the corner of her room below her window. It sounded like someone tapping on metal, and it was coming from the basement pipe. Shock's eyes grew wide and she shuddered, desperately trying to convince herself that it was only the wind and not Oogie - Boogie.
::Waitaminute:: She thought to herself straining her eyes in the darkness. ::It's got to be Lock...or Barrel. They're trying to find their candy::
Ever since Hallowe'en, Shock had kept their stash of candy safe and hidden in her closet and gave Lock and Barrel little amounts every now and then. They didn't seem to complain, as they knew that they would make themselves sick again if they were given the opportunity. But then she remembered that she kept her door dead- bolted and no matter how good he was, Lock wouldn't be able to get in, let alone Barrel.
Once again, Shock froze with fear and cursed herself for being such a wimp. She listened again.
:Tink: :BANG:
The bang made her jump and she crept as fast as she could to her door and slipped into the hall. Leaning against the door she listened again. Silence. She decided to go wake up Lock first as he as older and his room was closer.
::Liar, you just want to see him, don't you?:: She shook the thought off. This was hardly the time to be thinking about -
Something moved around the corner and she clasped a hand to her chest. If she could only make it to Locks room she would be alright. She took an unsteady step forward and was suddenly thrown to the floor and something was wrapped around her neck. Fear like she had never known swept through her body and panic set in. Something stirred inside of her, like a distant memory. Through her quickly blurring vision she reached up and grabbed a fistful of hair from he attacker and gave it a vicious pull.
"Ow! Hey - " The grip on her neck loosened. Shock pulled harder. "OWW! Shock??"
"Lock!?" She managed, her voice coming out as a harsh whisper.
"What are you doing out here creeping around?" He demanded.
"Back at you! What are you doing sneaking around? Looking to get into that Hallowe'en candy?" She shot back.
"Oh yeah, that's it!" He whispered fiercely. He reached up and fixed his bangs. "That hurt you know.'
"So does my neck! Don't EVER do that to me again, so you hear me!" She began to shake and wrapped her hands around her neck protectively. "Don't ever touch my neck again!"
Lock was confused. Shock sounded more than irate, more than upset. She sounded terrified and he could have sworn that a sob escaped her lips. What about her neck? She had never really mentioned it before and she was always wearing those high-necked sweaters or had her hair down. Come to think of it, neither he nor Barrel had ever really seen her bare neck before.
"Uh..guys? What's going on here?" Barrel stood n the doorway to his room and crossed his arms in front of his chest. It was about this time that Lock and Shock realized the position they were in. Shock on the floor and Lock straddling her hips..
Shock blushed madly and pushed Lock off her. "This moron tackled me out of nowhere!" She said standing up and brushing the dust off her ass. Lock ran both hands through his hair.
"You still didn't tell me what you were doing out here anyway." He muttered.
"Neither did you!" She spat at him. Barrel cleared his throat.
"I thought I heard something in the basement so I wanted to get you two." He snickered. "I didn't know you two had something else in mind."
"Shut up Barrel!"
"Yeah pervert!"
Barrel knew that there had to be something going with his friends - something more than friendship. The way they fought all the time, ever since they were younger. Shock never really wrestle with him the way she did with Lock. He always caught on of them staring at the other when he or she wasn't looking. Barrel was indeed younger than Lock or Shock but he wasn't as dumb as they made him out to be He knew what was going on, he felt the same was towards on the daughters of the Vampires. But he kept his mouth shut; he knew how protective the vamps were of their offspring. He would make his move soon, but for now, he enjoyed watching her from a distance.
Lock adjusted his PJ shirt and sighed. "I heard it too, that's why I was out here. I saw something move and though it was..." He trailed off. He couldn't say he thought it was Oogie-Boogie. Think of all the fun Barrel and Shock would make of him.
"I thought it was Oogie. He used to tap on the pipes like that if he wanted something." Barrel said. Lock agreed too, relieved that Barrel said it first. Shock nodded.
"That's why I was in the hallway. That bang almost scared me out of my pants! Did you two hear it to?" The boys nodded.
"Yeah, it woke me right up." Barrel said.
"Well, what are we going to do about it? Should we go check it out?" Shock asked. Lock cast her a dark look.
"Are you insane? We can't go down there! What if.He's down there? HE'll kill us for not helping him when Jack."
"Then why don't we go see Jack?" Barrel offered. Lock shook his head.
"Because this was probably the wind. Why don't we wait to see if it happens again? If it does, then we'll go to Jack. It's bad enough that he doesn't trust us as it is. If we go to him with something like this and it turns out to be our imagination, he'll never believe us again."
"You're right. I guess we should just head back to bed then? It's really late and I have some great ideas for tomorrow." Shock snickered. Lock cocked his head to one side.
"Is that right?"
"Yes it is."
Barrel yawned and scratched his head. "Well I'll be glad to hear them in the morning. Goodnight losers." He shut his door quietly and Shock turned towards her own door. Lock reached out his arm and touched her shoulder.
"Hey, Shock?"
"Yeah? This better be good I'm wiped."
"Whatever, look...I'm sorry for strangling you earlier. I uh.thought you were someone else."
"Fine. I'm sorry for yanking your hair. Just remember what I said. Don't EVER touch my neck." Shock stormed off to her room and slammed the door. She heard Lock mutter some curse and then stalk off t his own room. Leaning against the door heavily, Shock let the nights' events run through her head like a distorted film. He neck hurt like nothing else. It always hurt as a matter of fact, but over the years she had learned how to shrug it off. Despite the pain and anger, she smiled, impressed with the strength of Locks' tail. She wondered if the rest of his body was that strong remembering his bare chest and the smooth muscles just under his skin.
::What am I thinking?! Get your mind out of the gutter and back on your shoulders where it belongs! This is Lock we're talking about!:: She thought to herself bitterly. Sighing heavily, she trudged towards her bed and flung herself upon the soft covers. In a few moments she was asleep.
Lock lay in bed for a while, his tail twitched from time to time as if it had a mind of it's own.
::Stupid Shock. She's so moody! 'Don't touch my neck, don't EVER touch my neck, blah, blah, blah':: He thought irritably. He softened though as he remembered how small and fragile she had felt underneath him. How her neck felt so thin and slender, like if he hadn't stopped when he had it would have snapped like a twig. Now, Lock knew better to think of Shock as fragile and believe it. She was anything but. He thought about all the times that had fought over things and how she would knock him over and punch his chest until he flipped her over and pulled at her hair. He suddenly felt very strange.hot even, and something inside him stirred. He thought about how she sounded earlier and how she shuddered beneath him. He wanted to feel it again. He wanted to feel Shock beneath him shudder, but not out of fear, out of something else. Suddenly he snapped back to reality, clearly aware of the hardness he felt against his mattress.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." He muttered feeling the hot redness spread across his cheeks. "I did not just get hard thinking if Shock." He paused thinking about her breath against his neck. His hardness stiffened again. "Shit, I did!" Lock rolled out of bed and paced his room trying to rid his head of such thoughts. This was Shock for fuck sakes.
He shook the thought off he best he could before slipping under the covers and drifting off to sleep.
:Thump:
There it was again, a dull thumping noise coming from the east corner of his room.
:Thump: :Tink:
Another noise, this one sounded like a thump and them a light tap of metal. But what would that noise be coming from..?
"No way." Lock froze and thought about what was around his east wall.
"That's where the tube to the basement is." Lock thought, suddenly chilled. The basement that had stayed dormant since the death of Oogie-boogie. He knew, he just knew that the sounds were coming from down there, where else could they be coming from? He knew that other pipes ran through the length of the tree house including through the rooms of Barrel and Shock. Creeping out of bed and moving as slowly and silently and possible, Lock made his way to his door and out into the hallway, careful not to step on the squeaky spots on the floor.
:BANG:
Something shifted around the corner and he froze. Lock counted to three in his head and leapt at the figure flinging it to the floor. The figure let out a short gasp that stopped as Lock wrapped his tail around its neck. Thin fingers reached up and yanked at his hair, the same way that.
Shock opened her eyes and listened.
:Tink: :Tink:
There it was again. She wasn't hearing things. Caught between relief and fear, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and listened harder. The sound was coming from the corner of her room below her window. It sounded like someone tapping on metal, and it was coming from the basement pipe. Shock's eyes grew wide and she shuddered, desperately trying to convince herself that it was only the wind and not Oogie - Boogie.
::Waitaminute:: She thought to herself straining her eyes in the darkness. ::It's got to be Lock...or Barrel. They're trying to find their candy::
Ever since Hallowe'en, Shock had kept their stash of candy safe and hidden in her closet and gave Lock and Barrel little amounts every now and then. They didn't seem to complain, as they knew that they would make themselves sick again if they were given the opportunity. But then she remembered that she kept her door dead- bolted and no matter how good he was, Lock wouldn't be able to get in, let alone Barrel.
Once again, Shock froze with fear and cursed herself for being such a wimp. She listened again.
:Tink: :BANG:
The bang made her jump and she crept as fast as she could to her door and slipped into the hall. Leaning against the door she listened again. Silence. She decided to go wake up Lock first as he as older and his room was closer.
::Liar, you just want to see him, don't you?:: She shook the thought off. This was hardly the time to be thinking about -
Something moved around the corner and she clasped a hand to her chest. If she could only make it to Locks room she would be alright. She took an unsteady step forward and was suddenly thrown to the floor and something was wrapped around her neck. Fear like she had never known swept through her body and panic set in. Something stirred inside of her, like a distant memory. Through her quickly blurring vision she reached up and grabbed a fistful of hair from he attacker and gave it a vicious pull.
"Ow! Hey - " The grip on her neck loosened. Shock pulled harder. "OWW! Shock??"
"Lock!?" She managed, her voice coming out as a harsh whisper.
"What are you doing out here creeping around?" He demanded.
"Back at you! What are you doing sneaking around? Looking to get into that Hallowe'en candy?" She shot back.
"Oh yeah, that's it!" He whispered fiercely. He reached up and fixed his bangs. "That hurt you know.'
"So does my neck! Don't EVER do that to me again, so you hear me!" She began to shake and wrapped her hands around her neck protectively. "Don't ever touch my neck again!"
Lock was confused. Shock sounded more than irate, more than upset. She sounded terrified and he could have sworn that a sob escaped her lips. What about her neck? She had never really mentioned it before and she was always wearing those high-necked sweaters or had her hair down. Come to think of it, neither he nor Barrel had ever really seen her bare neck before.
"Uh..guys? What's going on here?" Barrel stood n the doorway to his room and crossed his arms in front of his chest. It was about this time that Lock and Shock realized the position they were in. Shock on the floor and Lock straddling her hips..
Shock blushed madly and pushed Lock off her. "This moron tackled me out of nowhere!" She said standing up and brushing the dust off her ass. Lock ran both hands through his hair.
"You still didn't tell me what you were doing out here anyway." He muttered.
"Neither did you!" She spat at him. Barrel cleared his throat.
"I thought I heard something in the basement so I wanted to get you two." He snickered. "I didn't know you two had something else in mind."
"Shut up Barrel!"
"Yeah pervert!"
Barrel knew that there had to be something going with his friends - something more than friendship. The way they fought all the time, ever since they were younger. Shock never really wrestle with him the way she did with Lock. He always caught on of them staring at the other when he or she wasn't looking. Barrel was indeed younger than Lock or Shock but he wasn't as dumb as they made him out to be He knew what was going on, he felt the same was towards on the daughters of the Vampires. But he kept his mouth shut; he knew how protective the vamps were of their offspring. He would make his move soon, but for now, he enjoyed watching her from a distance.
Lock adjusted his PJ shirt and sighed. "I heard it too, that's why I was out here. I saw something move and though it was..." He trailed off. He couldn't say he thought it was Oogie-Boogie. Think of all the fun Barrel and Shock would make of him.
"I thought it was Oogie. He used to tap on the pipes like that if he wanted something." Barrel said. Lock agreed too, relieved that Barrel said it first. Shock nodded.
"That's why I was in the hallway. That bang almost scared me out of my pants! Did you two hear it to?" The boys nodded.
"Yeah, it woke me right up." Barrel said.
"Well, what are we going to do about it? Should we go check it out?" Shock asked. Lock cast her a dark look.
"Are you insane? We can't go down there! What if.He's down there? HE'll kill us for not helping him when Jack."
"Then why don't we go see Jack?" Barrel offered. Lock shook his head.
"Because this was probably the wind. Why don't we wait to see if it happens again? If it does, then we'll go to Jack. It's bad enough that he doesn't trust us as it is. If we go to him with something like this and it turns out to be our imagination, he'll never believe us again."
"You're right. I guess we should just head back to bed then? It's really late and I have some great ideas for tomorrow." Shock snickered. Lock cocked his head to one side.
"Is that right?"
"Yes it is."
Barrel yawned and scratched his head. "Well I'll be glad to hear them in the morning. Goodnight losers." He shut his door quietly and Shock turned towards her own door. Lock reached out his arm and touched her shoulder.
"Hey, Shock?"
"Yeah? This better be good I'm wiped."
"Whatever, look...I'm sorry for strangling you earlier. I uh.thought you were someone else."
"Fine. I'm sorry for yanking your hair. Just remember what I said. Don't EVER touch my neck." Shock stormed off to her room and slammed the door. She heard Lock mutter some curse and then stalk off t his own room. Leaning against the door heavily, Shock let the nights' events run through her head like a distorted film. He neck hurt like nothing else. It always hurt as a matter of fact, but over the years she had learned how to shrug it off. Despite the pain and anger, she smiled, impressed with the strength of Locks' tail. She wondered if the rest of his body was that strong remembering his bare chest and the smooth muscles just under his skin.
::What am I thinking?! Get your mind out of the gutter and back on your shoulders where it belongs! This is Lock we're talking about!:: She thought to herself bitterly. Sighing heavily, she trudged towards her bed and flung herself upon the soft covers. In a few moments she was asleep.
Lock lay in bed for a while, his tail twitched from time to time as if it had a mind of it's own.
::Stupid Shock. She's so moody! 'Don't touch my neck, don't EVER touch my neck, blah, blah, blah':: He thought irritably. He softened though as he remembered how small and fragile she had felt underneath him. How her neck felt so thin and slender, like if he hadn't stopped when he had it would have snapped like a twig. Now, Lock knew better to think of Shock as fragile and believe it. She was anything but. He thought about all the times that had fought over things and how she would knock him over and punch his chest until he flipped her over and pulled at her hair. He suddenly felt very strange.hot even, and something inside him stirred. He thought about how she sounded earlier and how she shuddered beneath him. He wanted to feel it again. He wanted to feel Shock beneath him shudder, but not out of fear, out of something else. Suddenly he snapped back to reality, clearly aware of the hardness he felt against his mattress.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." He muttered feeling the hot redness spread across his cheeks. "I did not just get hard thinking if Shock." He paused thinking about her breath against his neck. His hardness stiffened again. "Shit, I did!" Lock rolled out of bed and paced his room trying to rid his head of such thoughts. This was Shock for fuck sakes.
He shook the thought off he best he could before slipping under the covers and drifting off to sleep.