Chapter 3
Willis hit whatever was below him with a loud splash, quickly sinking down into the murky substance. He struggled against the rope tying him down, but it was no good. The knots were too tight for him to get free.
He began to feel a strange itching everywhere. He attempted to reach the top of the tank, but the contents of the vat were too thick, and he couldn't make any headway. The feeling on his skin got worse and started to burn. The pain was terrible! It felt like his skin was being stripped away at an agonizing pace. He screamed and felt the horrid liquid slip into his mouth and down into his lungs.
His eyes snapped open, but he couldn't see anything around him. The burning was everywhere: his arms, his legs, his lungs. It burned every time his heart pumped. He screamed again, a wild, feral scream born of pain and fury.
Mom, he thought, and then all thinking was gone.
Somewhere in the factory, an alarm went off. A switch in the bottom of the tank clicked, and a huge pipe began to drain the contents. Willis' still form was swept away with the murky liquid, drained to the bay, where the contents became inert on contact with the water. The only eyes that watched Willis' corpse drift with the current were the gulls on the pier.
* * * * *
In Halloween Town, things were winding down from the festivities the night before. The citizens were exhausted, and most had already retired for a good day's sleep. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, strode through town, looking happily at the decorations before they were taken down.
Noisy voices drew his attention back from his reverie, and he found the trio of Lock, Shock, and Barrel walking into town, chewing on whatever candy they had collected through the night.
"Good to see you're back, fellas," Jack called ruefully. He didn't care too much for what they did, but it was part of Halloween, so he couldn't tell them no.
Lock grinned. "It was quite a night, Jack." He popped a malted milk ball in his mouth and chewed noisily. "We outdid ourselves this year."
Jack shook his head and watched the three walk by, headed towards their treehouse on the other side of town. He liked to think they were trustworthy, but he had a nagging feeling that he couldn't quite rid himself of. Shaking his head sadly, he trudged off for home.
* * * * *
A stream of bubbles suddenly erupted from the lake situated in the middle of town. Everyone had already turned in for the day, so there was no one to witness the strange phenomenon. Had they been there, they would have seen a long, thin form bob to the top of the murky water. Loose ropes wrapped around its hands and legs, but it ripped them off with clawed hands. Stumbling out of the water, the figure stopped at the bank and dropped to all fours, shaking like a dog to rid itself of the water clinging to its torn clothes. A bushy tail shook the rest of the water off and hung down from under the figure's long, torn coat.
Willis sank to the ground. Every one of his muscles screamed in agony. He reluctantly brought a hand to his temple and attempted to rub away the pounding sensation that ricocheted off his skull walls. He felt a strange prick on his forehead and pulled his hand away. A distorted hand with long, gnarled claws greeted his fuzzy vision.
He eyes snapped open and he tried to roll away from the hideous mass of claws extending towards him. It wasn't until it followed his every movement that he realized it was his own hand he was looking at.
What the hell is going on? Willis thought, rolling onto his feet and darting upright. He jumped to the lake's edge and kneeled down in front of it, gathering water in his odd hands and splashing it on his face. He shook his head, spraying water everywhere, and gasped for breath. His eyes opened and he looked down in the murky water.
The reflection on the surface terrified him. His mouth wide open in the effort to take in enough air, he caught sight of terrible, sharp fangs lining the inside of his mouth. Long, pointed ears stuck out of long, ragged hair, and a tip of black topped his nose. His hands darted to his mouth, feeling along the top and bottom rows of sharp canines, designed for ripping into prey. He stared at the reflection of the hands in the water, claws tipping every finger.
This has to be a dream! Willis thought frantically, becoming aware of the tail swishing around in the dirt. He became aware of sounds and smells that littered the area around him. He tried to remain calm, but he was failing miserably.
Suddenly, a familiar scent drifted to his nostrils. A sweet scent, a noxiously sweet scent...
It's her! Willis thought, his lips curling back to reveal his new teeth. His nose twitched. This was all their fault. He didn't know how, but he could tell they had been here recently. Well, they were about to see the monster they had created!
Willis hit whatever was below him with a loud splash, quickly sinking down into the murky substance. He struggled against the rope tying him down, but it was no good. The knots were too tight for him to get free.
He began to feel a strange itching everywhere. He attempted to reach the top of the tank, but the contents of the vat were too thick, and he couldn't make any headway. The feeling on his skin got worse and started to burn. The pain was terrible! It felt like his skin was being stripped away at an agonizing pace. He screamed and felt the horrid liquid slip into his mouth and down into his lungs.
His eyes snapped open, but he couldn't see anything around him. The burning was everywhere: his arms, his legs, his lungs. It burned every time his heart pumped. He screamed again, a wild, feral scream born of pain and fury.
Mom, he thought, and then all thinking was gone.
Somewhere in the factory, an alarm went off. A switch in the bottom of the tank clicked, and a huge pipe began to drain the contents. Willis' still form was swept away with the murky liquid, drained to the bay, where the contents became inert on contact with the water. The only eyes that watched Willis' corpse drift with the current were the gulls on the pier.
* * * * *
In Halloween Town, things were winding down from the festivities the night before. The citizens were exhausted, and most had already retired for a good day's sleep. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, strode through town, looking happily at the decorations before they were taken down.
Noisy voices drew his attention back from his reverie, and he found the trio of Lock, Shock, and Barrel walking into town, chewing on whatever candy they had collected through the night.
"Good to see you're back, fellas," Jack called ruefully. He didn't care too much for what they did, but it was part of Halloween, so he couldn't tell them no.
Lock grinned. "It was quite a night, Jack." He popped a malted milk ball in his mouth and chewed noisily. "We outdid ourselves this year."
Jack shook his head and watched the three walk by, headed towards their treehouse on the other side of town. He liked to think they were trustworthy, but he had a nagging feeling that he couldn't quite rid himself of. Shaking his head sadly, he trudged off for home.
* * * * *
A stream of bubbles suddenly erupted from the lake situated in the middle of town. Everyone had already turned in for the day, so there was no one to witness the strange phenomenon. Had they been there, they would have seen a long, thin form bob to the top of the murky water. Loose ropes wrapped around its hands and legs, but it ripped them off with clawed hands. Stumbling out of the water, the figure stopped at the bank and dropped to all fours, shaking like a dog to rid itself of the water clinging to its torn clothes. A bushy tail shook the rest of the water off and hung down from under the figure's long, torn coat.
Willis sank to the ground. Every one of his muscles screamed in agony. He reluctantly brought a hand to his temple and attempted to rub away the pounding sensation that ricocheted off his skull walls. He felt a strange prick on his forehead and pulled his hand away. A distorted hand with long, gnarled claws greeted his fuzzy vision.
He eyes snapped open and he tried to roll away from the hideous mass of claws extending towards him. It wasn't until it followed his every movement that he realized it was his own hand he was looking at.
What the hell is going on? Willis thought, rolling onto his feet and darting upright. He jumped to the lake's edge and kneeled down in front of it, gathering water in his odd hands and splashing it on his face. He shook his head, spraying water everywhere, and gasped for breath. His eyes opened and he looked down in the murky water.
The reflection on the surface terrified him. His mouth wide open in the effort to take in enough air, he caught sight of terrible, sharp fangs lining the inside of his mouth. Long, pointed ears stuck out of long, ragged hair, and a tip of black topped his nose. His hands darted to his mouth, feeling along the top and bottom rows of sharp canines, designed for ripping into prey. He stared at the reflection of the hands in the water, claws tipping every finger.
This has to be a dream! Willis thought frantically, becoming aware of the tail swishing around in the dirt. He became aware of sounds and smells that littered the area around him. He tried to remain calm, but he was failing miserably.
Suddenly, a familiar scent drifted to his nostrils. A sweet scent, a noxiously sweet scent...
It's her! Willis thought, his lips curling back to reveal his new teeth. His nose twitched. This was all their fault. He didn't know how, but he could tell they had been here recently. Well, they were about to see the monster they had created!