The five members of the small group walked down a small dark trail. Strange trees lining their path and spanning into a dense thick forest.
Dean led the way, in his hand a stick he had found on their way to the forest.
They cautiously walked forwards.
"I'd turn back if I were you" Lion spoke before growling causing them to stop.
"What?" Dean asked following the pointed finger of Lion to a crooked sign post "Oh how quaint" he stated sarcastically at the sign which read
'Haunted Forest
Witches Castle
1 Mile
I'd Turn Back
If I Were You!'
"Come on" Dean stated walking forwards
Hearing and seeing 2 owls on the branch of a tree Lion turned and ran. Luckily Tin Man and Scarecrow caught him and carried him forward.
"From now on we're on Enemy ground" Tin Man stated "You should have something to protect yourself with"
"She can have my Witch Remover" Lion stated handing Abby a spray
"Does it work?" she questioned curiously
"No but it's wonderful for threatening with" he replied nervously glancing around
"Give me that" Dean snatched it before Scarecrow could and he threw it, the spray vanishing as it hit the ground "Now we have to stick together okay" he received nods "Okay. Stay close"
"Did you see that?" Scarecrow asked
"Look out" Tin Man cried as the net Lion held flew from his hands
"You know something?" Scarecrow mused "I believe they're spooks around here"
"That's ridiculous" Tin Man exclaimed "Spooks... that's silly"
"Don't you believe in spooks?" Lion asked
"No" Tin Man shook his head "Why only... Oh" he gasped as he was lifted and carried in the air
"Oh my god" Abby's eyes widened as he fell to the ground
"Are you, are you all right?" Scarecrow asked as him and Abby helped Tin Man up
"I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do" Lion muttered his eyes closed tightly "I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks! I do, I do, I do, I do, I do!"
x-x
Watching them the Witch cackled "You'll believe in more than that before I've finished with you" she turned to the window and spoke to the winged monkeys "Take your army to the Haunted Forest, and bring me that girl and her dog! Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed! They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that. I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them. Take special care of those ruby slippers. I want those most of all. Now fly! Fly! Bring me that girl and her slippers!"
x-x
The group were still walking through the forest. Now their pace had slowed a little.
"What are you thinking?" Abby asked as she walked beside Dean
"Just trying to figure out how the hell I ended up here" he replied "Thinking up a plan of getting what we need to get home" he glanced at her "What?"
"Nothing" she smiled "Just you're always thinking about a game plan. You ever just relax and go with it?"
"Not in this job" he stated before hearing one of the group cry out in shock "Come on"
"What's that?" Lion asked trying to hit the thing from his nose "What's that? Take it away, take it away, take it away!" he danced around
"Hold still" Tin Man stated trying to get it "Hold still"
Abby stumbled as she raised her leg to place her hand on it "Damn it" she gritted grabbing Dean's arm
"You all right?" Dean asked
"Something bit me"
"Now come on you're acting silly" Tin Man said before yelling at the bug biting him
"Come on now everybody" Scarecrow yelled as well when the bug bit him soon after
"Everybody just knock it off!" Dean yelled "Jesus. Now lets all just calm down okay" he hissed and his hand flew to his neck and he yanked something off throwing it to the floor "Son of a bitch" he growled before stomping on the bug. He held his hand up "No. No dancing and no damn singing" he ran a hand over his face "What the hell was that?"
"If I remember its a jitterbug or something" Abby replied now sitting and rubbing her leg
"Wonderful" he sighed "Okay everyone listen up. We're going to get this over with as soon as we can. We're going to stick together Hetfield, Haystack you take up the rear. The hairball can take the middle. Abby you're up front with me. Okay lets go in get out and get back home"
As they readied themselves to head off they heard a strange sound from over head
"What is that?" Abby asked before slowly looking up
Dean looked up as well in time to see the winged monkey's swooping down towards them "Take cover!" he yelled knocking Abby to the ground and covering her as the group ran to hide "Lets go" he yanked her up and they began running as 2 monkey's ran in between the two of them.
"Keep going!" Dean yelled watching as Abby ran with the 2 monkey's on her heel. He squared up to the monkey's in front of him "Lets go" he taunted
"Go away now!" Tin Man stated swinging his axe at the monkey's
"Help! Help!" Scarecrow called as the monkey's grabbed him
"Why I'll" Lion doubled his fists as he stood in the centre of a group of monkey's circling around "Foul! Foul!" he cried as a monkey in a tree hit him over the head with the axe it was holding.
The two monkey's running after Abby grabbed her under the arms and flew up into the air. The two monkey's Dean was fighting retreated. He swung his fist into nothing and glanced up breathing heavily. "Damn it" he sighed "Abby!" he yelled "Abby!"
"Help!" Scarecrow called
"What happened to you" Tin Man asked
"They tore my legs off, and they threw them over there" Scarecrow nodded "Then they took my chest out and they threw it over there"
"Well that's you all over" Tin Man sighed
"They sure knocked the stuffing's out of you didn't they" Lion stated
"Don't stand there talking!" Scarecrow exclaimed "Put me together we've got to find Abigail"
"Now let's see this goes" Tin Man paused and sighed "I wish I were better at puzzles"
"Wait a minute" Lion interrupted "This is the left one. He walks bad enough already"
"Poor Abigail. We may never see her again" Tin Man said sadly
"Everyone okay?" Dean asked walking over rubbing his face "I tried to find a way through other than this path but" he shrugged and paused "What the hell happened to you?" he asked Scarecrow
"Who do you suppose they were?" Scarecrow asked And where did they take her? A fine thing, to go to pieces at a time like this"
"Now now, don't fret" Tin Man told him "We'll get you together"
"While you guys sort him out I'll take a look see what's further down the road" Dean picked up the stick again "I'll be right back"
x-x
"My dear what an unexpected pleasure!" the Witch smiled crookedly "It's so kind of you to visit me in my loneliness"
"What are you going to do to my friends?" Abby asked
"All in good time my pretty, all in good time"
"No. Don't do anything to them let them go"
"Certainly, certainly" the Witch grinned "When you give me those slippers"
"But I was told not to. Besides I've seen this movie"
"Very well" she turned to the monkey "Round up the others and drop them into the river and drown them!"
"Wait!" Abby said loudly panicked "No, here you can have these stupid slippers, just leave them alone"
"That's a good little girl. I knew you'd see reason" the Witch smiled kneeling and reaching out for the shoes before jumping back sharply glaring
"I didn't do that" Abby stated "Wasn't me" she shook her head "God I sound like that stupid Shaggy song" she muttered "You're still not going to hurt them right?" she asked hopefully
"No!" the Witch exclaimed before pacing "Fool that I am. I should have remembered. Those slippers will never come off as long as you're alive"
"So what are you going to do? Kill me? Right?"
"What do you think I'm going to do?" the Witch asked "But that's not worrying me, it's how to do it. These things must be done delicately or you hurt the spell"
"At least my friends got away" Abby stated defiantly
"Oh which is more than you will" the Witch replied "Drat you and your friends. You've been more trouble to me than you're worth, one way or another. But it'll soon be over now" she picked up a huge hour glass and turned it over "Do you see that? That's how much longer you've got to be alive and it isn't long my pretty. It isn't long" she walked to the door "I can't wait forever to get those shoes" she stated before walking out and closing the door behind her
Abby looked at the hour glass and chewed her bottom lip before looking out of the window. "Damn it Dean" she muttered "Where the hell are you?"