(A/N - I'm very sorry to say that this is the second last chapter in Seven
Days. Thanks for all your reviews - they really kept me going. Enjoy! To
get the full picture of this next little scene - you should download "Sad
Piano Theme" from the Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack. It adds to the effect
^.^)
Though the ride was only a few minutes, to Shock it seemed like an eternity. The blackness swallowed up the tiny cage and she began to feel very claustrophobic. So many thoughts spun through her head, though she was not scared. Shock thought about how Sally must feel at home, by herself, not knowing for sure if Jack would ever return to her again. She thought about her life in Hallowe'en Town and even reflected on her scattered memories of her life in the mortal world. When she was alive. She thought about what Death had whispered to her.
"Shock, they are sorry."
She knew that Death was referring to her parents and, in spite of her better judgment, felt tears brim in the corners of her eyes. She had never given them much thought after she died. Lock and Barrel were her only family now and, given her current feelings towards Lock, she felt that family was too loose a word to describe their bonds. Tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as the cage descended still and silent into what was probably the end. She could feel Lock beside her and she reached out her hand and linked her cool fingers into his. It gave her a feeling of hope. She wasn't alone anymore. Even if this was her final journey, she wasn't making it alone.
The elevator finally stopped at the bottom of the pit and Jack stepped out onto the cold stone floor. It was the first time he had entered Oogie's former lair in seven years. It was cold and musty, and it reeked of decay. Also, it was eerily quiet. He expected Hariti to jump out of the darkness any time now, but the place remained still.
"She's probably out hunting." He whispered to the others. Jack shuddered at the thought and half-hoped he was wrong. Although he was the King of Hallowe'en, the thought of children getting hurt was unbearable.
"Then let's wait here until she comes back and bust her up at the door? She'll never see it coming!" Lock suggested.
"What if she's here already and waiting for us?" Barrel said. Shock nodded.
"She's here. Listen." She cocked her head to one side and listened. A faint tapping noise could be heard from somewhere inside the abandoned casino. "Lets get this over with." Shock whispered proceeding further into the room. Jack drew two daggers from his coat and held them firmly in his bony hands. Lock lit a match and pale yellow-orange light cut through the blackness, giving them some guidance.
The tapping continually got louder and louder as they approached the center of the casino but Hariti was still nowhere to be seen. Lock found a large stick on the ground and picked it up to examine it closely.
"What are you doing?" Barrel whispered harshly. Lock flashed a toothy grin and spit on the end of the wood.
"Dude!? What the fuck?"
"Shut up, Barrel! Watch this." Lock put the match to the end of the wood and it lit up like a torch, sending light splashing across the walls. Barrel looked impressed.
"How long have you been able to do that?!"
"Long enough." Lock replied shrugging lightly and waving his tail back and forth. "It was like getting a really awesome prize at the bottom of a really shitty tasting cereal box when I died." Shock crossed her arms over her chest.
"I hardly think that flammable saliva is a prize."
"You only know the half of it. I'll really show how it works one of these times." Jack cleared his throat audibly.
"Yes, well, if you two are done, let's not lose sight of the task at hand." A thundering bang and a brutal wind whipping down the corridor cut anything else Jack could have said off. Lock's coat billowed about his body and the torch went out, leaving them alone in the dark once again. A ragged, strained breathing noise cut through the still air and the stench of one thousand murdered children attacked their nostrils. Shock gagged and grabbed onto her neck, which began to ache terribly. Lock and barrel removed their daggers and held then tightly and ready to strike. Another rumble and windstorm sent them stumbling backwards. Hariti was there in the room with them, but they couldn't see her. All they could do was stumble around blindly and choke on the foul stench in the air.
Hariti surrounded them, her black mass engulfing the terrified group and sending them backing into the middle of the room.
"We can't stay like this!" Jack managed. "She'll kill us for sure right now. We have to split up and attack from all sides!" He yelled above the howl of the wind and the sound of the strained breathing.
Barrel felt like he was in the eye of a hurricane - the wind and noise was so overbearing. It began to suffocate him and old memories rushed to him head as though something had opened a floodgate. He gripped the dagger in his hand and slashed blindly in front of him. Hariti screamed in pain and the darkness seemed to dissipate when the knife had cut through. Lock did the same, with Jack and the group moved about the darkness. Hariti retreated to a corner and found an old oil lamp. She turned it to high and flung it at Lock, who had also chosen to recuperate in one of the corners. Kerosene splashed on his coat and the flames trapped him there. Fire crept up Lock's coat, but he flung it off before it could reach his skin. He was pinned behind a wall of flames and panic was beginning to set in. He remembered how frightened he was when the flames began to rip through his house. He was so afraid; all he could do was hide in his mothers' closet. No matter how hard he yelled, no one herd his screams, and it didn't take long for the smoke to overpower him and he fell into his endless dreamless sleep.
"LOCK!"
He snapped back to reality as Barrel rushed towards the small inferno. The youngest trick-or-treater reached his hand through the fire and grasped Lock by the arm.
"Barrel - what are you doing! You'll hurt yourself!" Lock yelled.
"Fire won't affect me, bro. Now get out of there!" Barrel gave a sharp yank and pulled Lock from the blaze seconds before the fire completely engulfed the area. Barrel thrust his hand before Lock's face. There wasn't even a smoke mark.
"You weren't the only one who got a prize when you died." Shock came running up and flung herself at Lock, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck.
"Lock you idiot! If something throws a lantern at you, don't just stand there - MOVE!" She yelled. He nodded and pulled her off gently.
"Aw, Shock, you were worried!"
"Asshole!" Shock punched him hard in the solar plexus. They were interrupted by another brutal storm. Hariti had enough rest and she was powering up again. Shock caught sight of one of the demons glowing eyes in the shadows and began to run towards her. Shock removed one of the small daggers and aimed with deadly precision at Hariti's eyes. She threw the dagger as hard as she could and hit her target straight on. The demon screamed with fury and pain and swiped a long tendril at Shock. It connected with her legs and sent the small girl tumbling backwards. She scrambled to her feet and retreated back a few steps. She readied another dagger and let it fly at her other glowing sight hole. It sunk into Hariti's skull and she let out another howl. Jack, and the others decided that now was the time to attack. They lunged at Hariti, swiping and slashing with their knives and daggers. Just as they all thought that Hariti might be defeated, she let a deep growl escape her throat and slung her tendrils wildly about. One connected with Jack's chest and sent him sprawling into the mangled remains of Oogies toy soldiers. The same ones he dodged and danced upon all those years ago. He weakly lifted his head and tried to stand, but fell unconscious, unaware that one of his own knives had buried itself in his back.
Barrel and Lock, who were fighting very close together were sent through the corridor and smashed into the very back of the elevator cage. The door slammed shut from the force and Hariti made sure to break to lock so they couldn't get out. Shock, who managed to dodge the attack, gripped the handle of her last throwing knife and struggled against the rising panic in her mind. Every thought, every heartbeat screamed for her to run and not to look back, but she stood her ground She couldn't keep running. She had to get Barrel and Lock out of the cage- they were still conscious. They were the only ones who could help her now. She sprinted this way and that way, skillfully avoiding Hariti's long black arms as she made her way to the cage. Hariti was far too quick for her though and with all of the demons strength, slammed into the tiny frame of Shock and sent her backwards violently. The dagger slipped from her fingers and she landed with a vicious crunch. Pain shot through Shock's body and she thought that every bone within it was broken. She wanted to get up, she had to, but her body was numb and nothing worked.
Lock watched the whole ordeal from within his iron prison. He was still a little dizzy and the he felt as if he was watching the events unfold from underwater. Thinking fast, he wrapped his tail around one of the bars and jammed the end of it into the deep lock and struggled to pick it, to free himself and Barrel. His tail was fairly deep inside the old-fashioned lock and it was taking longer than usual to break free. He assumed it was because Hariti had broken it. He could almost feel the click and release mechanism open when the demon turned her attention on him.
"Oh shit!" Before he could get his tail out, Hariti wrapped a powerful arm around his tail and bar and gave it a sadistic twist. There was a faint popping and cracking sound followed by Lock's agonizing scream. He retrieved his tail from the lock and brought it up to his face. It was savagely bent at an odd angle and painfully obvious it had been broken. Lock gritted his teeth and shuddered. The pain was incredible. He stumbled backwards and fell onto Barrel who comforted his friend the best he could.
Shock saw the whole thing happen in slow motion and struggled to her feet with great determination. Anger clouded her eyes as she stumbled forwards. She wasn't going to die down here. She wasn't going to let her friends die down here. Shock reeled with dizziness and she could feel the blood pounding in her temples. Hariti turned towards her and rapidly closed in. Shock felt the demon slam into her body once more and something slip around her neck. It felt like..just like..
Through the tears that had collected in his eyes, Lock watched at Shock took another brutal beating from the She-demon. Hariti towered above Shock and for the first time, Lock saw how small she really was. Hariti twisted and manipulated one of her shapeless tendrils into a noose and slipped it over Shock's neck.
"No!! Shock!" Lock called out in vain as their friend was slowly lifted from the ground by her neck. Shock kicked her legs wildly and choked out a terrified gasp. She grabbed onto the "rope" portion of Hariti's noose and pulled herself up, relieving some of the pressure. She couldn't keep that up for long, though, her strength was slowly draining with every passing second. Hariti turned Shock in the air to look at her. Shock noticed a small light source within the demons black mass and figured that must be her weakness. It might have been her soul, even her heart. Hariti let another deep growl escape her form and Shock gagged again on the smell of decay. She could have sworn that she saw a smile spread across her dark face. It suddenly dawned on Shock that she still had Dreams' dagger and she let go of the rope briefly to grasp the handle in he hands. Shock sucked in the deepest breath she could and with the beautiful ornate knife, cut the rope. Shock fell to the ground and with her last bit of strength, plunged the dagger deep into the light within Hariti. Shock was enveloped by the sound of a thousand screaming children and the last thing she saw before her lids slipped closed was the trapped souls of all Hariti's victims overtaking her evil form and the demon dissipating as the winds howled and the created storm raged on.
Barrel rammed into the side of the cage until his shoulder bled. Eventually, the cage gave in and he and Lock tumbled out. Hariti screamed and writhed as the souls of all the children she had murdered ravaged her body and took her into the underworld. Barrel saw Jack lift his head from the twisted metal of the toy soldiers and pull himself up. He wrapped a long arm around his middle and pulled the knife out, letting it drop to the floor.
Lock tried desperately, but he couldn't make it through the winds to Shock. With one last howl, Hariti sunk into the floor and was dragged down into the depths of the underworld. When it was over, three young wraiths stayed behind and hovered over Shock's still body. One, a young girl reached down and touched her mutilated neck and stroked it gently. There was a faint ringing noise, like a telephone in the distance, and then they were gone.
Lock was the first to reach Shock. He turned her over and held her close to his body. She felt very cold and her face was a light minty colour. He stroked her cheek lightly and whispered her name over and over. Barrel shook her shoulders and called out for her.
"Shock! You can't go! We're supposed to be friends forever!" Barrel dropped his hands and looked to the sky. "Liar." He whispered. Lock felt a hot tear slip down his cheek and he sniffed lightly.
"Shock? Shock, wake up!" He looked at Jack, desperately searching for an answer. The Pumpkin King could only look forlorn and shake his head. Lock began to shake and he brought Shock's body to his. He let his tears roll free down his cheeks and drip off his chin. He sobbed out loud as Barrel wrapped his arms around them, tears flowing from his eyes as well. Shock's fingers twitched slightly and Lock and Barrel stopped crying.
"Shock..?" Barrel whispered. Lock touched her cheek again and her eyes fluttered open.
"Lock..? Barrel..? Is it over?" She asked weakly. They all exchanged relieved looks.
"Yeah. It's over." Jack helped Lock to his feet with Shock in his arms.
"Come on you three. Lets get out of here."
Though the ride was only a few minutes, to Shock it seemed like an eternity. The blackness swallowed up the tiny cage and she began to feel very claustrophobic. So many thoughts spun through her head, though she was not scared. Shock thought about how Sally must feel at home, by herself, not knowing for sure if Jack would ever return to her again. She thought about her life in Hallowe'en Town and even reflected on her scattered memories of her life in the mortal world. When she was alive. She thought about what Death had whispered to her.
"Shock, they are sorry."
She knew that Death was referring to her parents and, in spite of her better judgment, felt tears brim in the corners of her eyes. She had never given them much thought after she died. Lock and Barrel were her only family now and, given her current feelings towards Lock, she felt that family was too loose a word to describe their bonds. Tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as the cage descended still and silent into what was probably the end. She could feel Lock beside her and she reached out her hand and linked her cool fingers into his. It gave her a feeling of hope. She wasn't alone anymore. Even if this was her final journey, she wasn't making it alone.
The elevator finally stopped at the bottom of the pit and Jack stepped out onto the cold stone floor. It was the first time he had entered Oogie's former lair in seven years. It was cold and musty, and it reeked of decay. Also, it was eerily quiet. He expected Hariti to jump out of the darkness any time now, but the place remained still.
"She's probably out hunting." He whispered to the others. Jack shuddered at the thought and half-hoped he was wrong. Although he was the King of Hallowe'en, the thought of children getting hurt was unbearable.
"Then let's wait here until she comes back and bust her up at the door? She'll never see it coming!" Lock suggested.
"What if she's here already and waiting for us?" Barrel said. Shock nodded.
"She's here. Listen." She cocked her head to one side and listened. A faint tapping noise could be heard from somewhere inside the abandoned casino. "Lets get this over with." Shock whispered proceeding further into the room. Jack drew two daggers from his coat and held them firmly in his bony hands. Lock lit a match and pale yellow-orange light cut through the blackness, giving them some guidance.
The tapping continually got louder and louder as they approached the center of the casino but Hariti was still nowhere to be seen. Lock found a large stick on the ground and picked it up to examine it closely.
"What are you doing?" Barrel whispered harshly. Lock flashed a toothy grin and spit on the end of the wood.
"Dude!? What the fuck?"
"Shut up, Barrel! Watch this." Lock put the match to the end of the wood and it lit up like a torch, sending light splashing across the walls. Barrel looked impressed.
"How long have you been able to do that?!"
"Long enough." Lock replied shrugging lightly and waving his tail back and forth. "It was like getting a really awesome prize at the bottom of a really shitty tasting cereal box when I died." Shock crossed her arms over her chest.
"I hardly think that flammable saliva is a prize."
"You only know the half of it. I'll really show how it works one of these times." Jack cleared his throat audibly.
"Yes, well, if you two are done, let's not lose sight of the task at hand." A thundering bang and a brutal wind whipping down the corridor cut anything else Jack could have said off. Lock's coat billowed about his body and the torch went out, leaving them alone in the dark once again. A ragged, strained breathing noise cut through the still air and the stench of one thousand murdered children attacked their nostrils. Shock gagged and grabbed onto her neck, which began to ache terribly. Lock and barrel removed their daggers and held then tightly and ready to strike. Another rumble and windstorm sent them stumbling backwards. Hariti was there in the room with them, but they couldn't see her. All they could do was stumble around blindly and choke on the foul stench in the air.
Hariti surrounded them, her black mass engulfing the terrified group and sending them backing into the middle of the room.
"We can't stay like this!" Jack managed. "She'll kill us for sure right now. We have to split up and attack from all sides!" He yelled above the howl of the wind and the sound of the strained breathing.
Barrel felt like he was in the eye of a hurricane - the wind and noise was so overbearing. It began to suffocate him and old memories rushed to him head as though something had opened a floodgate. He gripped the dagger in his hand and slashed blindly in front of him. Hariti screamed in pain and the darkness seemed to dissipate when the knife had cut through. Lock did the same, with Jack and the group moved about the darkness. Hariti retreated to a corner and found an old oil lamp. She turned it to high and flung it at Lock, who had also chosen to recuperate in one of the corners. Kerosene splashed on his coat and the flames trapped him there. Fire crept up Lock's coat, but he flung it off before it could reach his skin. He was pinned behind a wall of flames and panic was beginning to set in. He remembered how frightened he was when the flames began to rip through his house. He was so afraid; all he could do was hide in his mothers' closet. No matter how hard he yelled, no one herd his screams, and it didn't take long for the smoke to overpower him and he fell into his endless dreamless sleep.
"LOCK!"
He snapped back to reality as Barrel rushed towards the small inferno. The youngest trick-or-treater reached his hand through the fire and grasped Lock by the arm.
"Barrel - what are you doing! You'll hurt yourself!" Lock yelled.
"Fire won't affect me, bro. Now get out of there!" Barrel gave a sharp yank and pulled Lock from the blaze seconds before the fire completely engulfed the area. Barrel thrust his hand before Lock's face. There wasn't even a smoke mark.
"You weren't the only one who got a prize when you died." Shock came running up and flung herself at Lock, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck.
"Lock you idiot! If something throws a lantern at you, don't just stand there - MOVE!" She yelled. He nodded and pulled her off gently.
"Aw, Shock, you were worried!"
"Asshole!" Shock punched him hard in the solar plexus. They were interrupted by another brutal storm. Hariti had enough rest and she was powering up again. Shock caught sight of one of the demons glowing eyes in the shadows and began to run towards her. Shock removed one of the small daggers and aimed with deadly precision at Hariti's eyes. She threw the dagger as hard as she could and hit her target straight on. The demon screamed with fury and pain and swiped a long tendril at Shock. It connected with her legs and sent the small girl tumbling backwards. She scrambled to her feet and retreated back a few steps. She readied another dagger and let it fly at her other glowing sight hole. It sunk into Hariti's skull and she let out another howl. Jack, and the others decided that now was the time to attack. They lunged at Hariti, swiping and slashing with their knives and daggers. Just as they all thought that Hariti might be defeated, she let a deep growl escape her throat and slung her tendrils wildly about. One connected with Jack's chest and sent him sprawling into the mangled remains of Oogies toy soldiers. The same ones he dodged and danced upon all those years ago. He weakly lifted his head and tried to stand, but fell unconscious, unaware that one of his own knives had buried itself in his back.
Barrel and Lock, who were fighting very close together were sent through the corridor and smashed into the very back of the elevator cage. The door slammed shut from the force and Hariti made sure to break to lock so they couldn't get out. Shock, who managed to dodge the attack, gripped the handle of her last throwing knife and struggled against the rising panic in her mind. Every thought, every heartbeat screamed for her to run and not to look back, but she stood her ground She couldn't keep running. She had to get Barrel and Lock out of the cage- they were still conscious. They were the only ones who could help her now. She sprinted this way and that way, skillfully avoiding Hariti's long black arms as she made her way to the cage. Hariti was far too quick for her though and with all of the demons strength, slammed into the tiny frame of Shock and sent her backwards violently. The dagger slipped from her fingers and she landed with a vicious crunch. Pain shot through Shock's body and she thought that every bone within it was broken. She wanted to get up, she had to, but her body was numb and nothing worked.
Lock watched the whole ordeal from within his iron prison. He was still a little dizzy and the he felt as if he was watching the events unfold from underwater. Thinking fast, he wrapped his tail around one of the bars and jammed the end of it into the deep lock and struggled to pick it, to free himself and Barrel. His tail was fairly deep inside the old-fashioned lock and it was taking longer than usual to break free. He assumed it was because Hariti had broken it. He could almost feel the click and release mechanism open when the demon turned her attention on him.
"Oh shit!" Before he could get his tail out, Hariti wrapped a powerful arm around his tail and bar and gave it a sadistic twist. There was a faint popping and cracking sound followed by Lock's agonizing scream. He retrieved his tail from the lock and brought it up to his face. It was savagely bent at an odd angle and painfully obvious it had been broken. Lock gritted his teeth and shuddered. The pain was incredible. He stumbled backwards and fell onto Barrel who comforted his friend the best he could.
Shock saw the whole thing happen in slow motion and struggled to her feet with great determination. Anger clouded her eyes as she stumbled forwards. She wasn't going to die down here. She wasn't going to let her friends die down here. Shock reeled with dizziness and she could feel the blood pounding in her temples. Hariti turned towards her and rapidly closed in. Shock felt the demon slam into her body once more and something slip around her neck. It felt like..just like..
Through the tears that had collected in his eyes, Lock watched at Shock took another brutal beating from the She-demon. Hariti towered above Shock and for the first time, Lock saw how small she really was. Hariti twisted and manipulated one of her shapeless tendrils into a noose and slipped it over Shock's neck.
"No!! Shock!" Lock called out in vain as their friend was slowly lifted from the ground by her neck. Shock kicked her legs wildly and choked out a terrified gasp. She grabbed onto the "rope" portion of Hariti's noose and pulled herself up, relieving some of the pressure. She couldn't keep that up for long, though, her strength was slowly draining with every passing second. Hariti turned Shock in the air to look at her. Shock noticed a small light source within the demons black mass and figured that must be her weakness. It might have been her soul, even her heart. Hariti let another deep growl escape her form and Shock gagged again on the smell of decay. She could have sworn that she saw a smile spread across her dark face. It suddenly dawned on Shock that she still had Dreams' dagger and she let go of the rope briefly to grasp the handle in he hands. Shock sucked in the deepest breath she could and with the beautiful ornate knife, cut the rope. Shock fell to the ground and with her last bit of strength, plunged the dagger deep into the light within Hariti. Shock was enveloped by the sound of a thousand screaming children and the last thing she saw before her lids slipped closed was the trapped souls of all Hariti's victims overtaking her evil form and the demon dissipating as the winds howled and the created storm raged on.
Barrel rammed into the side of the cage until his shoulder bled. Eventually, the cage gave in and he and Lock tumbled out. Hariti screamed and writhed as the souls of all the children she had murdered ravaged her body and took her into the underworld. Barrel saw Jack lift his head from the twisted metal of the toy soldiers and pull himself up. He wrapped a long arm around his middle and pulled the knife out, letting it drop to the floor.
Lock tried desperately, but he couldn't make it through the winds to Shock. With one last howl, Hariti sunk into the floor and was dragged down into the depths of the underworld. When it was over, three young wraiths stayed behind and hovered over Shock's still body. One, a young girl reached down and touched her mutilated neck and stroked it gently. There was a faint ringing noise, like a telephone in the distance, and then they were gone.
Lock was the first to reach Shock. He turned her over and held her close to his body. She felt very cold and her face was a light minty colour. He stroked her cheek lightly and whispered her name over and over. Barrel shook her shoulders and called out for her.
"Shock! You can't go! We're supposed to be friends forever!" Barrel dropped his hands and looked to the sky. "Liar." He whispered. Lock felt a hot tear slip down his cheek and he sniffed lightly.
"Shock? Shock, wake up!" He looked at Jack, desperately searching for an answer. The Pumpkin King could only look forlorn and shake his head. Lock began to shake and he brought Shock's body to his. He let his tears roll free down his cheeks and drip off his chin. He sobbed out loud as Barrel wrapped his arms around them, tears flowing from his eyes as well. Shock's fingers twitched slightly and Lock and Barrel stopped crying.
"Shock..?" Barrel whispered. Lock touched her cheek again and her eyes fluttered open.
"Lock..? Barrel..? Is it over?" She asked weakly. They all exchanged relieved looks.
"Yeah. It's over." Jack helped Lock to his feet with Shock in his arms.
"Come on you three. Lets get out of here."