How We Saved Halloween

by GodlyJewel

It's been about four months since Will was mysteriously taken to Halloween Town, but now it's Halloween night and Will has decided to take Al with her to party with Jack and the rest of the ghoulish gang. However, things don't go as planned when Jack follows the girls back to the Human Realm, leaving Halloween Town vulnerable, and an old enemy has returned to seek revenge.

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Hunt for Igor's Biscuit

(Will's POV)

Al and I continued glaring down Jack as he stared at us with wide-open eye sockets. Truth be told, I knew in the video game Jack could use fire. I also knew he was fireproof since in the movie he set himself on fire, and he'd done it again at the Halloween party. But to find out now — after all the danger and enemies we've faced — he just now remembered this little power of his? Good thing Dad hadn't given me Grandpa's gun yet, or I would've blown Jack's skull right off his neck!

"Seriously!? You have powers!?" I shouted.

"Well… Yes."

"And you just now decided to let us know that you can use them? What a fart!" Al said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Well, I don't use them except for a few tricks at Halloween," Jack defended.

I slapped my palm against my forehead. "Jack, do you realize how many times that little bit of information could have helped us?" Jack was silent. Clearly he did realize but obviously he didn't want to discuss it. "Just what, exactly, can you do, Mr. Pumpkin King?"

Jack sighed. He took a step away from Sally and told all of us to stand back. Once Jack deemed we were far enough, he closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate. Suddenly, his whole body was encased in flame. Al stared with sheer amazement on her face, and I also couldn't take my eyes off the sight. Jack's pinstripe suit had shifted into the pumpkin-headed scarecrow look I recognized from the beginning of The Nightmare Before Christmas. A tattered red shirt, with ripped flared sleeves and ragged tailcoats, replaced his dress shirt and jacket. His legs looked two thin, pole-like bales of hay tied with string at his thighs, knees, and ankles. His boney hands looked like they had turned to wood, remind me of a pair of branches used for a snowman's arms. And to top it all off, a flaming jack-o-lantern now replaced Jack's head.

"Holy flaming pumpkins, Batman!" Al said, pointing wildly. "You look like a badass, sir!"

"Okay, so you look pretty frightening, but just how does this invoke your so-called Pumpkin Fire?" I asked, still slightly annoyed.

Jack didn't answer but instead raised a twig-like hand and gestured for us to wait. Then he turned and, carefully aiming at a far off tombstone, he inhaled and blew a stream of fire about ten feet. The tombstone was charred to an ashy black, along with anything else that stood in the line of fire.

"Okay, I'm impressed," I said.

But Jack wasn't done yet. He ran over to the tombstone and paused for a moment. Then he brought his hands to his center and thrust them out to his sides. As he did so, a ring of fire burst forth from his core and scorched everything around him within a five-foot radius. When the flames subsided, Jack returned to normal self and walked back over to us.

"Not to shabby, sir, but that would have been very helpful earlier," Al complained. "That would have handled numerous skeletons that we wasted energy on smashing!""

"Sorry I didn't tell you, but as I said, I really only use it for show?" Jack explained.

"So you need to be looking like a scarecrow to use that firepower?" I asked.

Jack blanched. "Well…not necessarily. I can throw a few fireballs on my own, but taking on my Pumpkin King form allows me to summon more powerful attacks."

"Again, really could have used those earlier." I saw out of the corner of my eye Al nodding in agreement.

"Well, might as well put that 'new' power to good use and go get the good-turned-evil mad doctor," Al said, shrugging.

"Yeah, lets go. Sally, will you and Hanging Tree be okay here?" I asked. I knew Sally couldn't come with us, but I wondered how Jack would react to leaving his girlfriend after the spider incident.

"No! I'm not leaving Sally!" Jack protested. As if to further his decision he placed an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. His stance literally had "Mine!" written all over it.

"I'll keep an eye on Sally," Hanging Tree volunteered. "You have to stop Oogie Boogie."

"But-"

"Jack, they're right," Sally piped in. She gently placed a hand on his chest. "I'll only be in the way. Please, rescue Doctor Finkelstein and save the town from Oogie."

J

ack sighed. He couldn't refuse Sally, but he didn't want to leave her either. "Sally, I know but… I just can't leave knowing you could be taken again. I just got you back."

I figured Jack would be reluctant to leave her behind, and now that I thought about it, Sally could easily be kidnapped again if we left her alone. It had already happened, and who's to say it wouldn't happen again? Oogie could easily use Sally as leverage against Jack, and that would only complicate things further.

"No, Jack has a point. Al, give her your sledgehammer. Sally is coming with us, and she'll need something to fight with."

"What?! No way! I've already lost Chopper and now you want me to give up Sledgy Baby?" Al asked, cradling her sledgehammer.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine." Al could be such a baby when it came to her weapons. I walked over to Sally and gave her Al's baseball bat. "Here. Use this."

"Yeah, that works way better. Batarang will take great care of you, and is way lighter than Sledgy Baby," Al said smiling.

I smiled and walked over to Al. I slipped her machete off my belt loop and handed it to her. "And you can take this, since your meat cleaver melted."

"Macho! You have returned to me!" Al cried, cuddling the machete.

"Okay, with that out of the way, lets go!" I said.

I watched as Jack kissed Sally one more time before grabbing her hand, and running ahead of me to the Doctor's manor. Al and I followed after them and soon we were back in town. Luckily there weren't any more enemies when we reached the gate. Jack went in front and used the key.

"I sure hope the Doctor is okay…" Jack muttered to himself. Once the gate was opened we all stepped inside. Then we saw why there weren't any monster in the Town Square. The entire path leading up to the Doctor's manor was filled with electric fences. They were too high for us to climb over, and there was no room to slip between the electric bars. We couldn't climb around them, because the surrounding frame was made of metal, making a perfect conductor for the electric currents.

"Holy electric fences, Batman!" Al cried.

"Al, enough with the Batman puns," I groaned. "Not everyone here understands them."

"Well, fine then!" Al said, mock pouting. "I'll stop with the Batman puns…for now."

I just ignored her. Right now we had to focus on shutting off the electricity. "Well, any ideas?"

"I think Dr. Finkelstein has an off switch down that way," Sally said. She was pointing down an open path with a large metal structure. "The switch should be just inside that tower."

The pathway seemed clear but there was a little red flag going up in my mind. Still, if we didn't shut off the power then we'd never get into the Doctor's manor.

"We're going down there, aren't we?"

"Look's like…" Al said. She started running down the pathway. Just as she reached the tower, something popped up from the ground and began to attack her. "Aaaaah!"

"Al!" I unsheathed my katanas and raced to her side. She was on the ground as vampire teddy bears and Gumpies attacked her. I slashed at them until Al was able to get to her feet. She drew her machete and hacked limbs off the vampire teddy bears before sheathing her blade and taking up her sledgehammer to smash the parts into nothingness. I looked back to make sure Al was all right when I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder. I dropped to the ground and turned to see a spiked ball had hit me. They were being shot from a far off gargoyle statue.

"Will, you okay?" Al asked.

"I'm fine." Though my shoulder stung from the pain, I didn't have time to notice. The vampire teddy was coming my way and I had to defend myself. Using my good arm, I raised my katana for attack. Suddenly the teddy was ripped from my path. I looked over to see Jack using the soul Robber to strike the demonic toy. He had his left arm around Sally, trying to use his body to shield her from the attacks. In a way, it reminded me of a scene out of Indiana Jones.

"Will!" he yelled as another Gumpy attacked. "Get to the switch! We'll hold them off."

I nodded and made a break for the electric switch. I checked the bottom but it appeared I would have to climb to the next level to get to it. That was perfect. I get a busted shoulder and I have to climb. But I couldn't do much to help with the monsters, so taking a deep breath I began the climb. The strain pulled at my shoulder, and I had to grit my teeth against the pain. I kept climbing but there was a problem. There was no way for me to reach the next level. I looked around and saw the structure was next to a cobblestone wall. The wall was higher up and would provide an extra lift, but I could've been wrong. I slid off and ran to the wall, ducking and dodging the fighting. Al and Jack were doing pretty good by themselves, but Jack was having more trouble since he had to protect Sally.

Thinking quickly, I called out, "Sally, little help?"

She looked to Jack and getting a nod from him, ran over to help me. We climbed up the wall and after giving me a boost (it was higher than I'd originally thought), I helped Sally up to the top. Looking around I was surprised there were no monsters waiting for us.

"There's the switch," Sally said, pointing to the other side of the platform. We ran over to it, but the path was boarded up. Sally and I tried to pry them open, but they were too strong. Taking the baseball bat from Sally, I bashed at the boards until there was an opening big enough for us to get through.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I grabbed my shoulder and winced from the pain. Pulling my hand back, there was a little blood.

Seeing I was preoccupied, Sally quickly rushed over and turned off the switch. I heard the electric buzz die down, telling me we'd found the correct switch. Once done, Sally rushed over and examined my shoulder.

"It's not deep but we'd better wrap it up."

"Why does it feel like you're always patching me up every time I visit?" I joked.

She smiled and then helped me over to the side. Looking down we could see Jack and Al waving at us. Apparently the monsters had left once the fences were turned off. I smiled until I realized Sally and I needed to climb down. Great! More pain for my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and sat down near one of the platform's metal legs. I eased myself over until my feet were against the metal. Once I felt secure, I began to the climb down. I looked up to see Sally following behind me. I was about halfway down when I felt two boney hands on my waist.

"Here, let me help," Jack offered. I let go of the bar and Jack placed me on the ground. He repeated the action for Sally, and soon we were all back together.

"Um, you've got some blood on you…" Al said, pointing at the now dried blood on my shoulder.

"Just a scratch, but it'll probably be a bad bruise." I turned to Jack. "Think I could borrow that bottle of fountain water?"

His smile turned to an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry, but during the fight I got hit and the bottle was broken."

"Hey, not your fault. I figured it was bound to get smashed, being in your pocket the whole time. Seriously, once we save the Doc, we should really think about getting a backpack or something to keep all the important stuff in."

"I agree. Now, let's head that way," Al pointed with her machete toward the manor. "Tallyho!"

We all headed off down the pathway after her. We were a good ten feet away from the manor when we had to stop. Dr. Finklestein's lab assistant, Igor, stood in the center of the path, his arms outstretched to prevent anyone from passing.

"Igor!" Jack exclaimed. "Where's Dr. Finklestein!?"

Igor lowered his arms and shook his head. "Sorry, Igor under strict orders. Not let anyone pass."

"But, we're here to rescue the Doctor from Oogie!"

Again, he shook his head. "Igor sorry… But Master says if Igor let anyone through, no biscuit."

"Please, Igor, you must let us pass," Sally pleaded.

Igor patted his growling stomach. "Ohhh, Igor starving! … Th-the Witch Shop… You get Igor biscuit, huh?"

"A biscuit? Seriously? You're going to make us go all the way back to town to get you a biscuit? Why don't you let us pass and go get it yourself?" Al asked, gesturing with her machete before almost hitting me, so she sheathed it with an apologetic smile. I glared at her, but she did have a point. Honestly, Igor wasn't much of a fighter. It would be easy to pass him.

Igor shrieked and began to tremble violently. "No, no! Igor no do that! Master be angry, very angry!"

"He won't move. Igor has never disobeyed Dr. Finklestein," Sally said sadly.

Jack sighed, and started to talk to Igor like he would a small child. "Okay, Igor. If I bring you a biscuit you'll let us pass?"

Igor got really excited. He began clapping and jumping up and down. "Yes, Igor do for Jack! Hurry… Igor starving!"

"Let's go get the flipping biscuit," Al groaned, making fists and stomping away.

Everyone began walking away, but halfway I stopped. Sally noticed and motioned for the others to stop.

"Will, what's the matter?" Jack asked.

"Honestly, do all of us need to go buy the biscuit?" I asked. "I mean, there's four of us, and it just seems simpler to go around Igor."

Al facepalmed herself. "Gosh, sometimes, the old brain just turns off."

"But I already promised to get Igor a biscuit," Jack said.

"Jack, Will and Al have a point." We all turned to look at Sally. "Well, what I mean is, we could always look for another way inside."

Jack pondered the thought, but then he shook his skull. "No, I made Igor a promise. But if you know of another entrance, Sally, then perhaps…"

"Believe me, Jack, if I knew of another way in, I would have used it instead–" Sally quickly shut her mouth. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks took on a pink tint. "N-Never mind. Let's go to the Witch Shop."

"Sally?" Jack reached out for her but she kept walking.

"You know something, Sally," Al said, jogging in front of her. "Spill little lady!"

"R-Really, i-it's nothing," she stuttered.

"Sally, something's bothering you," Jack said. "Please, tell us what's wrong."

Looking at the conflicting emotions on her face. Suddenly I figured out why Sally was so nervous. Apparently she and Jack had yet to discuss her previous living conditions with the Doctor. I decided to cut her a little slack.

"Guys, don't we have a town to save. Now, how about Jack and I go get Igor his biscuit, and Sally and Al can go look for a possible entrance. Hey who knows? Maybe you guys will find another Crystal Skull. Ally, you said you wanted to go on a Scavenger Hunt."

"Oh yea! That cool with you, Sally?" Al asked, smiling brightly at her favorite character.

"Oh yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea," she quickly agreed.

"Great." Before Jack could voice his protest, I grabbed his arm and ran off to the Witch Shop. At least I bought Sally some time, but honestly, you'd think they would have had this talk already.

In no time we arrived back in town. Jack pulled me over to the fountain and insisted I put some water on my shoulder while he went to buy the biscuit. I rolled my eyes, but dipped my hand into the water. That was definitely a weird experience. It felt like any other time I'd stuck my hand into water, yet at the same time the fountain's water had a slight slimy texture to it. At first I thought there might be some kind of algae or sludge, but when I looked at the water cupped in my hand it was just water. I shrugged and splashed it onto my shoulder. Once the water touched my skin the cuts from the spikes vanished, and the purple and blue bruise that was starting to form also disappeared. I loosened up my shoulder to test how much better it had gotten. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. I turned to see the area around the Witch Shop had been closed off. Oh great, here we go again. I ran over to see Jack being taunted by Oogie's childish henchmen.

"Hey, Jack. I don't think you'll find me as forgiving as Lock," Shock taunted. She was standing in front of a wall where Lock and Barrel stood. Lock had his plunger slung over his shoulders, groaning at Shock's mention of his failure.

"I let you win before!" he shouted.

Barrel rolled his eyes and punched Lock, shouting, "Quiet you!"

Shock rolled her eyes as she placed her mask on her face. Uh-oh! I knew where this was going. "Time for some help!"

As she raised her broomstick, ghosts began rising from the ground. The moaned and began lunging for Jack. I couldn't do anything to help him. I tried looking for a way in when I spotted Lock, Shock, and Barrel laughing at Jack's expense. There had to be a way to reach them. I ran along the wall and looked for any way in. I searched until I was on the opposite side. There I saw the trio. Luckily their focus was on Jack, so the boys never saw me coming. I crept up behind them and grabbed Barrel, making sure my hand covered his mouth. He panicked and tried to wriggle free but I held on. Looking around I spotted a garbage can. I smiled and causally walked over and deposited Barrel inside. There was a large rock next to the can, so I placed in on top of the lid, preventing Barrel from escaping.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" I turned to see Lock glaring at me. He growled and charged. I unsheathed my katanas and readied to defend myself. Lock began attacking, but this time I decided not to hold back. I blocked his every swing before go into the offense. With one swing I sliced his precious plunger in half. Seeing he was without a weapon, Lock dropped the other half and gave me an innocent smile.

"Ha, ha. I was just playing. I'll be good, promise."

"Oh no! That only works on Jack." I took a step forward and grabbed him by the tail of his costume as he tried to run. "You've been a bad boy, Lock. Time for a time-out!"

I lifted him up and placed him into the same trashcan as Barrel. Inside I could hear the boys bickering about whose fault this was. I took my katana and beat the handle against the side of the can, earning a few moans.

"Be quiet! There's no talking during a time-out. Now, you boys can come out when you've learned your lesson… Or until I feel like letting you out, whichever comes first." I slung my katana over my shoulder and headed back to the Witch Shop. I crawled over the opening where I grabbed Barrel and saw Jack was alone.

"Hey!" I waved and got his attention.

"Will, where were you?" Jack asked.

"Just…taking out the trash." He shook his head and headed into the Witch Shop. I jumped off the wall and followed after him. We walked in and saw Helgamine at the counter.

"What's the matter, Jack?" Helgamine asked.

"I'd like to buy a bone biscuit."

"A bone biscuit? I'm sorry, but Corpse Kid just came in here a moment ago and bought the last one."

"What!?"

"You sure there aren't any in the back?" I asked.

Helgamine shook her head. "I'm sorry. With Oogie taking over the town, our shop is low on supplies."

"Well, I guess we better find Ethan," Jack sighed. He began walking away and I followed after him until something caught my eye. It was a black and gray bag, and looked like it was made from leather and fur. There was a flap over opening with a button closure, three outside pockets with button closures, and adjustable straps. But what made it truly unique were the set of batwings on the back.

Helgamine had apparently noticed I was staring, and asked, "Oh, you like it? It's a new satchel we were trying out. That bag you brought during your last stay here inspired Zelda. Those are real wings on the back."

"Helgamine, can I borrow this?" I asked. "We need something better to carry our stuff in. With the Holiday Doors being shrunk down, I'm afraid they'll fall out if we keep carrying them in our pockets. Plus, we already lost our bottle of healing water."

"Oh dear, that is a problem. I hope you haven't lost that shrinking potion either, Jack. Zelda and I cannot make anymore."

Jack turned and pulled the vial from his jacket. It was still intact, though how had the other vial broken and not this one? Seeing the predicament, Helgamine agreed to let us take the bag, but I noticed Jack slipped her a few souls when he thought I wasn't looking. Seriously, where is he keeping this stuff? He took the bag and handed it to me along with the shrinking potion and the Halloween Door. I placed them into the small pockets on the front and then slipped the bag over my shoulders. It instantly formed to my body, making it comfortable and lightweight. Once on, we set out to find Corpse Kid.

We didn't have to look far. Once we left the shop, Jack spotted Ethan over by the fountain. Luckily he hadn't eaten the biscuit yet.

"Ethan!"

He looked up and waved once he spotted us. "Jack, Will. Did you find Sally?"

"We did, but now we need to get into the Doctor's lab, but Igor won't let us pass," I explained. "We'll need your bone biscuit to get into the lab."

"What? You want my bone biscuit? No way! This is mine!" Ethan exclaimed, clutching tightly to his treat.

Jack leaned down to Ethan's level, and calmly spoke to him, though I could hear the frustration in his voice. "My fine boy, we need that biscuit to save the Doctor from Oogie Boogie's clutches."

"Oh…but this biscuit's mine! Still, I guess you need it more than I do…" I could see Ethan struggling with the decision. He wanted to obey his Pumpkin King, but he was a child and giving up your favorite treat wasn't exactly easy. I had an idea.

"Ethan, why don't we play a game? If I win, I get the biscuit but if you win, you get to keep it. Sound fair? You can pick the game."

"Hmm… Okay but what game should we play." I watched as he thought over the possible games, but I had a pretty good idea what he would say. "I know! If you can pass my quiz, the biscuit is yours. It's about Halloween Town, so it should be easy for you, Pumpkin King, so you can't help."

Yes! Just as I thought.

"Will, are you sure about this?" Jack asked.

"Please, Jack. This will be easy." I turned back to Ethan. "Hey, just to make it more fun, if I can't answer every question right, you take half the biscuit."

"Will!"

"Deal." Ethan and I shook hands and then the game was one. "Alright. Question 1: What is the name of the town in which Jack lives?"

"Halloween Town. Too easy."

"Question 2: What day is Halloween?"

"October 31st. Come on, Ethan, make it a challenge for me."

"Question 3: What is Jack's last name?"

"Skellington."

"Question 4: How many fingers does Jack have on one hand? And no looking!"

"Again, too easy. Four."

"Question 5: What color is Sally's hair?"

I smiled and thought Jack was itching to answer. I'm glad I took this quiz. Jack would probably spend twenty minutes describing Sally's hair. "Red."

"Question 6: What shape is Jack's doorbell?"

"A spider."

"Hmm, okay those were all easy but now I'm gonna give you harder questions." Ethan looked determined, but so was I. "Question 7: The water in the Halloween Town Fountain is what color?"

"Green." I noticed he was about to protest, so I stopped him. "And no I didn't peek behind you."

Ethan turned and I could see he had forgotten we were standing right in front of the fountain. "Okay, that was bad, but I can think of harder questions. Question 8: What is the most basic element of Halloween?"

I smiled. "Thrills and Chills."

"Question 9: How many Hanging Men are on the Hanging Tree?" he smiled, but Ethan didn't know that we had to collect the Hanging Men earlier, so I had gotten a good count.

"Five total."

Now Ethan was smiling. "I know you won't get this next one! It's my last question, and only someone from Halloween Town would know it. Question 10: How many bolts does Dr. Finklestein have on his head?"

"Eight." Both Jack and Ethan looked at me stunned. I hadn't even hesitated in my answer.

"That's right!" Ethan exclaimed. "Wow! You got all the answers right! Great job! Well, a deal's a deal. Here's my biscuit." He handed me the biscuit. I thanked him and then started running back to the Doctor's manor. Jack quickly caught up, but he was still looking at me funny.

"What?"

"How could you possibly know how many bolts the Doctor has?" he asked.

I smiled. "That's my little secret, Jack, and I don't plan on sharing."

We ran back and found Igor waiting in the same spot where we'd left him. I didn't see Sally or Al, but I figured Al was probably busing herself looking for more Crystal Skulls. Well, that, and probably trying to get Sally to spill about her little secret. I ran over and handed him the biscuit. Luckily I pulled back fast, or I'd have lost a few fingers. Igor gobbled down the biscuit as if had hadn't eaten in weeks. "Ohh… Biscuit tastes good!"

"Now then, Igor. You promised to move aside," Jack reminded sternly.

"Igor keeps his promise." He moved aside and allowed us to pass. Jack and I walked about five steps before a low buzzing sound caught my attention. I looked up to the Doctor's manor just as a bolt of lightening shot down from the rooftop. Jack quickly dodged before it could hit him. Luckily, I was behind him so the bolt didn't hit either of us.

"What was that!?" Jack exclaimed. He looked at me and I shook my head. Then we turned and saw Igor trembling in fear. "Hmmm… Where is that thing getting its power from?"

"Doctor have big generator behind the door over there," Igor explained, gesturing with his head the direction of the generator. "Jack smash circuit with something to make lightening stop."

"I bet that won't stop it for long… I'd better get back quick or I'm fried."

"Don't you mean we're fried," I corrected.

"Oh no! I am not letting you get involved in this."

I ran in front of him down the corridor Igor pointed put. "Too bad," I called over my shoulder. I kept going until I almost ran over the edge. Below I spotted the generator, but it was surrounded by a maze of electric fences and junk piles. I heard Jack behind me and figured he was wondering how we were going to get to the generator.

"Any ideas?" I asked.

Jack looked around and spotted a large rock. "Maybe I can use this rock… If I grab this rock and take it through the maze, I can smash this junk and shut down the machine."

"Okay, good plan, but how are you going to carry that thing all the way there?" I looked down and noticed there were also a few of those gargoyles that shoot spike balls. I winced as I remembered the blow to my shoulder.

"Hmm…" Jack considered his options, but by the sound of his sigh he didn't like his answer. "I can take care of the obstacles, but I'll need you to hold the rock for me."

"That or you could just go and use that rock sitting next to the generator." I pointed to the rock.

Jack saw it and smacked his palm against his forehead. Then he turned to me with a stern look. "Stay here!" Jack ran down to the front of the maze and began to walk through. As he went, I noticed he really only had the electric fences to worry about. From where I stood I could see how often the electricity went on and off. I called out to Jack each time this happened, making it easier for him to avoid being shocked. Finally he made it to the end. At first he tried to lift the large stone with his hands, but being without any muscles made it challenging.

I shook my head. "Jack, use the Soul Robber to lift it!" I shouted.

He nodded and did as I said. Lifting it high over his skull, Jack swung the rock around a few times before launching it into the generator. The blow smashed its circuits and the power died down. I cheered but Jack wasn't as happy. He ran quickly back through the path. He used an elevator to reach me and grabbed my wrist, urging me back to the door.

"Hey, where's the fire?"

"We need to move, fast!" Jack explained. "When I smashed the generator, a timer went off for a backup power supply. We have one minute and thirty seconds to get into the lab before the power comes on again."

We ran back to the door, but Jack's sudden stop caused me to crash into him. I looked around and saw an ambush of killer vampire teddies and Gumpies. Jack pushed me back and turned to his Pumpkin King form. He then rushed out and began blasting the creatures, clearing a path. I barely had time to grab my katanas as I rushed after him. Aside from the flying demon toys, the path was littered with lunging bear traps. I had to practically dance on my toes to avoid loosing a chuck of my legs. This continued all the way to the manor. Jack kept blasting the creatures with his Pumpkin Fire, and I managed to strike a few with my swords. Finally we managed to reach the top. Jack pushed me to the front, and I hurried to open the door. Behind me I could tell Jack had stepped out a ways to use his full blast attack, making sure I was far enough away to avoid the flames.

I got the door open and urged him back inside. He returned to his regular form and rushed inside. We quickly shut the door before any of those monsters could get in. I was just catching my breath when Jack nudged my shoulder. Looking up, I was stunned to see Sally and Al waiting there for us. I felt my jaw drop and I looked to Jack. He was just as stunned as I was. Without another word, we ran over to them.

"What the– How did you guys get in here?" I demanded.

"Sally threw her leg through a window and we climbed up. Super cool!" Al responded calmly.

"Seriously?"

"Yup. It was fun. I felt like a ninja," Al replied, smiling.

"Sally, are you alright?" Jack asked. He rushed to her side and took her hands on his own.

"Yes Jack, we're both fine," Sally said with a smile.

"Seriously, how did you guys get past all the traps? Jack and I have to maneuver through lightening bolts, smash a giant generator surrounded by electric fences, fight a hundred nightmarish dollies, mace-throwing gargoyles and biting bear traps, and you two just climb in through the window!?" Needless to say, I was ticked off.

"Like I said, ninja!" Al said, smirking. "Or sheer dumb luck…or both."

I wanted to say something, but a small irritatingly familiar voice stopped me.

"Jaaaack! I was wondering when you'd get here!" We all turned to look above us. Standing at the top of ramp was Shock. She sneered at us. "Think you can reach me? Try it. It's fun. I know I'm having a ball!"

She used her broom to trigger a new trap. Above her a large pipe rattled until a large metal ball came out, and it was coming right at us! It was about the size of a boulder, and I could see flames through the open vents. Shock laughed and placed her witch mask over her face. "I don't want to crush your spirit, Jack… Just your body!"

Seeing the large ball coming down the ramp Indiana Jones-style, I suddenly couldn't help myself. "Duh, duh, duh, duh! Duh, duh, duh! Duh, duh, duh, duh–"

"NO!" Al shouted.

"… Killjoy…" I muttered.

"Nice idea but there has been enough singing thank you very much," Al said apologetically.

"Point taken, so, any ideas how to get past the Flaming Balls of Death?"

"Hmm…" Jack looked around the ramp. "It looks like there are a few doorways. If we duck into those passages each time a ball comes, we should be safe. But we have to time this right."

"Great…more timing of dodging things," Al muttered.

"Come on." We all started up the ramp. We ducked into the first doorway just as the ball came down the ramp. Once it was gone we were on the move again. We barely made it to the next door as a second ball came our way. We were about to try again, when another ball came our way. We barely got away.

Above, we could hear Shock laugh. "Too slow, and down you'll go!"

Al growled. "This is why I'm considering not having children," she muttered.

"You three stay here," Jack insisted. "I can dodge the balls long enough to reach the top, and shut off the device."

"Jack, no! You'll be crushed!" Sally protested.

"Uh, Sally, I actually think he'll be fine," I said. "This is where be an impossible thin and tall skeleton works for him. I've noticed the balls don't get too close to the walls, so Jack should be able to press up against the walls and avoid being crushed. And if not, his longer strides will help him get to the doorways faster."

"This is true," Al agreed.

Sally was not as convinced. Jack caressed her cheek before running out onto the ramp. We watched as he ran up and ducked in each doorway he could when another ball came rolling down. As he paused in one of the doorways, he looked puzzled. He leaned out and called down to us.

"This is your old room, Sally. But, why is it nailed shut?"

Oh you have got to be kidding me? "Can we worry about that later?" I shouted at him. "Flaming Ball of Death coming your way!"

"Hurry up ya Boney Butt!" Al yelled.

Ignoring Al's comment, Jack waited for the ball to pass before continuing. He only had to do it once more before reaching the top. As the last ball dropped, Jack ran at it. Sally gasped, thinking Jack was going to be crushed. But instead, Jack jumped and used the Soul Robber to grab to pipe. He swung over the ball and landed safely on the other side. He then reached up and shut off the machine.

"All right, you can come up now," he called down to us.

I nodded and led Al and Sally up the ramp. Before meeting Jack at the top, I stopped outside the last doorway Sally had already past us and ran to Jack's arms. While they played Kissy Face, I turned to Al and lowered my voice. "Hey Al, if I remember the game correctly, there should be a Crystal Skull in that room."

She grinned and ducked in, brandishing her machete as she snatched the Crystal Skull before darting back out. "Got it!" she said triumphantly.

"Sweet!" I turned so she could put the skull in my backpack. Once she placed it inside, we headed up the rest of the ramp. When we got to the top, we spotted Jack standing with hands on his hips, a very cross look on his face. Sally stood by his side, her arms folded over her chest. Meanwhile Shock was waving a white flag on her broom.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I was only playing a trick…" she said. It was like listening to metal claws scraping a chalkboard.

Jack looked both stern and annoyed. "Stop helping Oogie. I mean it!"

"Okay…" she said sweetly, but Al and I could see she had her fingers crossed.

"Liar!" Al coughed.

Shock turned and stuck her tongue out at Al before scurrying away. Al returned the immature gesture.

"Al, you're supposed to be the mature one, you're nineteen," I scolded her. "Besides, you're supposed to do this." I turned to look over spot Shock and blew her a raspberry.

Al laughed. "We'll never grow up. Never I say!"

XXX

GodlyJewel: For anyone who was confused by what Will was singing, it was the Indiana Jones theme.

CosmicHorse: I love Indiana Jones theme but enough singing!

GodlyJewel: You put your name together?

CosmicHorse: Yup, a while ago actually. It just felt right.

GodlyJewel: Alright then. On to the next chapter! ... Which involves another song!

CosmicHorse: Dear God no! … Urg! Fine, let's go.