Chapter 13: Scavenger Hunt

(Jack's POV)

I couldn't believe the girls had found another Holiday Door. I watched as Will removed her pack and took out the vial of shrinking potion. Once the door was small, she placed that and the vial back in her pack. Then I noticed she was about to place something else in her bag.

"Will, what is that?" I asked.

Will looked at the item in her hand, and then back at me. "Some key I found lodged in the pumpkin." She handed me the item.

"Why, this is the key to the Residential Area. What's this doing here?"

"Beats the heck outta me." Will placed the key in her pack, and then stood up. "Maybe we should ask the little blabbermouth trying to sneak out?" She pointed over to the mouth of the pumpkin where Barrel was trying to sneak out.

"Get back here you whelp!" Al shouted. She rushed to the exit, but Barrel managed to slip away. Will and I ran to her side, only to see Barrel waving back at us as one of the ghosts carried him off.

"Better luck next time, old lady." He cackled till he was out of sight.

Al scowled. "I ain't an old lady, you good for nothing little bastard!"

"Ally!" Will warned. "Do you kiss Zack with that mouth?"

"What else would I kiss him with? My hand?" Al said sarcastically.

Will just slapped her hand over her forehead. "Why did I even ask?"

Pressed for time, I urged the girls to get moving. "Come on, we better get back to town. The Mayor is still in danger. I don't think I want to know what those little pranksters have done."

"Do we really have to save the Mayor? He's kinda annoying…" Al whined but trudged after us.

It took a while, but we managed to make it back to town without running into too many of Oogie's monsters. We ran through the gates, but I had to stop so the girls could catch their breath. They were both exhausted, and a little battered and bruised from fighting off monsters. I ushered them to the fountain and had them dab the water over their injuries. Once they had a second wind, we ran over to the Residential Area. Not surprisingly the gate was locked. I took the key from Will's pack and unlocked the gate. I slipped the key into my jacket pocket before running inside. I still had no idea what had happened to the Mayor, but I had to wonder what else lay in store for us. Dr. Finklestein and Mr. Hyde said the entire town was booby-trapped. After all the traps we encountered, I worried what might be waiting for us.

"CAN'T STOP! NO BREAKS!"

The scream stopped us in our tracks. "What was that?"

"Sounds like when me and Cesario ran into a rogue yellow leaf." Al laughed a little.

"Do you think its another one of Oogie's traps?" Will asked.

"Only one way to find out." I ran down the path and was surprised to see Helgamine standing along one of the walls. "Helgamine!"

"Jack, oh thank goodness," Helgamine exclaimed. I ran over to her, hoping for an explanation. "I'm glad you're here. I was on my way home to get some more supplies when I heard someone screaming and saw Clown riding around. It seems those Oogie baddies installed some kind of engine in Clown's unicycle! Jack, I wonder if you might have something in your bag of tricks that could slow him down."

"Hmm… Maybe I could try using one of the Doctor's scare devices." I tapped the pin Sally gave me and switched to my Sandy Claws outfit. I grabbed my bag, and listened for Clown's screams to get closer. When he was about ten feet away, I reached into my bad and pulled out a couple of scare devices. Suddenly, I spotted Clown. He was screaming in terror. On his unicycle, I spotted the mechanism that was causing him to ride around uncontrollably. All I had to do now was wait for him to come close enough.

As soon as Clown came close enough, the scare devices activated and brought Clown to a screeching halt. I reached to pull him off the unicycle, but as soon as I reached for his shoulder, the engine revved and Clown took off again. I tried to make another grab for him, but Clown had turned around, and I barely managed to dodge as his unicycle charged at me.

"HELP! CAN'T STOP!"

"Jack, are you okay?" Will asked, holding out her hand to help me up.

"I'm fine, but I don't think I can stop Clown."

"Hmm…" Helgamine pondered our predicament for a moment. "I guess the only way to stop Clown is to remove that engine, and not even my spells can do that. If you had some kind of tool, you might be able to take it out while he's stopped. I wonder where one could find such a tool…"

"A tool…" I racked my skull for ideas. The answer came to me in an instant. "There might be something in Doctor Finklestein's lab we can use."

"Seriously? Do we have to run all the way back to the lab?" Al whined lightly

"He's the only one in town who could have the tool we need," I insisted.

"Jack, Al has a point," Will argued. "Who knows what kind of damage Clown could do if you get sidetracked. There's got to be another way to get that device off."

I thought about it, but shook my head. "No, we should go back to the lab. We already know the scare devices are able to stall the engine on Clown's unicycle. Once we have the right tool, I just have to stall the engine long enough to remove it."

"Okay then, but just to be safe,"—Will looked over her shoulder to see Clown running past us—"someone should make sure Clown doesn't hurt anybody. Or himself, for that matter."

"Creepy clown… I'm going on a walk!" Al said, marching off.

"Looks like Al's going with you, Jack." She looked back at me with a half smile, and then turned to run after Clown. Before I took off after Al, I heard Will call out, "Just hurry back, okay?"

Seeing that their minds were made up, I nodded to Will and went after Al. We raced back to the lab, which was much easier to enter the path now that the monsters and traps were cleared. As we made our way through, I noticed many frogs were scattered all over the path. I halted and spun around when I heard a shriek behind me.

"Al, are you alright?"

She was looking at me with a large smile on her face. "He's so cute!" she said, scooping up a rather large, mint-green frog with pale yellow eyes. "I'm gonna keep him and he shall be called Frank, and he shall be my Frank."

"Ribbit!" The frog seemed to be fine with now being Al's Frank. I turned and continued down the path. Once we reached the front door, I ran in, wasting no time in rushing to the Doctor's lab on the top floor.

"I forgot how long this was…" Al muttered before starting after me.

I ignored her, too focused on getting Clown out of danger. As I reached Sally's old bedroom, I had a quick look inside. Nope. They weren't in there anymore. I continued running until I reached the elevator. I waited for Al to catch up. She trudged up the ramp and walked over to the elevator. As she entered, she slid against the wall and sat on the floor. "I hate up hill running."

"Ribbit!" her frog croaked in agreement. Al's frog, or Frank's cheeks looked a little more bulgy than normal, prompting Al to poke his cheeks. He revealed a crystal skull from his mouth. "You cheeky bugger!" Al said, hugging the frog.

Though I was surprised when I saw the Crystal Skull sitting in the palm of her hand. Odd, even for me. Al tucked the skull into her sash around her waist, while I pressed the button and waited as the elevator took us to the top. When I stepped out, I noticed the lab was back to abnormal. Over on the other side of the lab, I spotted Sally leaning over the operating table. She was preparing everything Doctor Finklestein would need to replace Jewel's brain. She looked..determined… I thought she could never have looked lovelier.

I shook my head. Now was not the time, I needed to help my friend. Looking around, I spotted Igor devouring his biscuits by the bookcase, and Doctor Finklestein was at the table. Beakers, blueprints, and test tubes surrounded the tabletop where the Doctor's nose was buried in a book. On his left sat a jar with the brain inside. I recognized it as the one Oogie had used to control him. It no longer had the dead eyes, but still had a sickly green hue.

I walked over to the Doctor, not wanting to waste anymore time. "Doctor Finklestein."

"Oh, is that you, Jack?" He turned around. The poor man looked exhausted. No telling how long he'd been working.

"Yes, Doctor," I answered. "I hate to disturb you, but we need your help. Oogie's minions have sabotaged Clown's unicycle. We need some sort of tool to remove it."

"You say you need a tool? Help yourself, they're over there." He pointed to a toolbox on the opposite counter. "Say, Igor's been babbling about something. Would you mind listening to what he has to say?"

"I'll talk to him," Al said, and before I knew it, she was heading towards Igor. I thanked the Doctor, then went for the toolbox. There were all kinds of tools in there. How was I supposed to know which one I needed?

"Looking for something, Jack?"

I turned around and smiled when I saw Sally. "Yes, I need to remove a device that was attached to Clown's unicycle."

"Why not use this?" Sally reached into the toolbox and pulled out a bonedriver. "I've heard Doctor Finklestein say it's an all-in-one tool that will fix almost anything."

Remembering the engine had been screwed to Clown's unicycle, I decided to take it. I gave her a smile. "Thanks Sally. This is just what I need. So, how is everything?"

"Not to good, I'm afraid." Sally frowned and looked over toward the Doctor. "He's been working nonstop since you left. He's gone through all his books to find a way to undo the damage Oogie did to her brain. He's exhausted, but try as I may, he won't rest till he cures Jewel."

"Don't worry, Sally." I place my hand on her shoulder. She turned to me and I offered her my encouragement. "If anyone can bring Jewel back, it's the Doctor."

She smiled and squeezed my hand. As much as I wanted to stay, I knew I was needed elsewhere. I grabbed bonedriver, and — after a quick kiss to Sally's cheek — went to get Al.

"Alright Boney Butt, lets go," she suddenly called. I was surprised to see she was already waiting for me in the elevator.

As I joined her, I had to ask, "Well, what did Igor want?"

"Some stupid spider took his biscuits," she explained. "Rather than going after said spider, I just gave him a new one. In return, he gave me this!" She held out a Crystal Skull. Al also had a big smile on her face. She tucked the skull into her sash along with the other one, and then cuddled her frog. I'm surprised that thing hadn't tried to hop away yet.

"Well, that's interesting. I wonder where he found it. And where did you get a Bone Biscuit?"

Al winked. "My little secret," she said with a laugh, cuddling her frog closer. I looked at her skeptically as I hit the elevator button.

As soon as we left the lab, Al and I ran all the way back to the Residential Area. I could still hear Clown screaming, so I urged Al to move faster, which proved difficult because she was trying not to loose the Crystal Skulls, and she still clutched the frog she had found. As we got closer, I saw Helgamine and Will by the wall. Will was lying against the wall with her right leg stretched out, and Helgamine was leaning over her.

"What happened?" I asked once I reached them.

"Will injured herself," Helgamine answered. "She tried to find a way to slow Clown down, but I'm afraid he ran her down. I'm using a spell to relieve the pain, but it's not going so well."

"Jeez Will, that looks gnarly," Al said, kneeling next to her friend.

"You try stopping a clown on a psycho unicycle, and not get injured. While I was trying to keep Clown from running into the walls, I spotted the gate leading to the Mayor's house. Bad news: its locked– Ouch!" Will hissed as Helgamine hit a sore spot.

"Hey, try this!" Al quickly pulled out the Crystal Skull she had gotten from Igor. "Igor gave it to me for a biscuit. Maybe you could do something with it."

"Oh, this will work perfectly, dear," Helgamine said, taking the skull from Al's hands.

"Leave it to you to find another Crystal Skull." Will smirked. "So, you get that tool from the Doc?"

"Yes, now I just need to stop Clown. Al, stay with Will and Helgamine."

I left them at the wall and went to stop Clown. I waited for him to pass me again before setting up my trap. Tapping my pin, I changed in my Sandy suit and pulled three scare devices from my sack. Once they were in position again, I tapped my hat to return to my usual suit. I hid behind a wall close to my trap, waiting for Clown.

"SOMEBODY! HELP ME!"

As soon as I heard that, I grabbed the bonedriver from my jacket pocket. I watched as Clown flew past me and came to my trap. The packages sprung and caused Clown to scream, but it also caused his unicycle to halt. Now was my chance. I sprang from my hiding place and made quick work on the engine. I managed to remove two screws when the engine started to rev again. Working faster, I managed to remove the last one just as Clown took off. This time he was going a normal speed.

"Alright, Jack!" Will cheered.

"Way to go, Boney Butt!" Al added.

I nodded and then turned to the engine in my hand. Concentrating, I used my Pumpkin Fire to destroy it. Satisfied, I turned my attention back to Clown. He was balancing on his unicycle, trying to regain his balance.

"At last… I've finally stopped! Whew! My eyes are spinning!" He looked a little green as he rushed over to a nearby trashcan. He retched into the can, clearly having gotten nauseated from his ordeal.

"Are you all right, Clown?" I asked.

"Yes, thanks to you," he responded when he could speak. "I hope those Vampire Brothers up the street are okay. I saw some of Oogie's monsters headed that way when my cycle went psycho."

"I hope so, too, but that gate is closed and we can't get through."

"No problem. There's a secret lever on the top of my house. I'll open the gate for you, and the Mayor's house is on the other side." He took off down the street, but paused next to the girls. "Oh, sorry about running you over, Will."

"No problem, Clown. Heck, wasn't even your fault," Will assured him. "You warned me. I'm the idiot who stood there like a deer in the headlights." He smiled as she laughed, and then went on his way.

As soon as he was out of sight and earshot, Al shivered. "Clowns… Kinda creepy…even for me…" Frank croaked in agreement.

"So… With Clown opening the gate for us, I guess this mean we're going to the Mayor's house." Will got to her feet, dusting off her pants a little. "Or are we gonna go check on the Vampires instead?"

"I know we need to get to the Mayor, but after what Clown said, I'm worried what might have happened to the Vampire Brothers."

"I do like the vamps over that Harvey Two-Face," Al said, lacing Frank on her head.

"Why do you have a frog on your head?" Will asked. "You better not think about keeping him. The landlord barely lets us keep Mogwai and Crepe."

"Zack would like him!"

"Girls! I don't think this is the time, we need to get going," I insisted. "Helgamine, I think it might be safer if you went back to the shop."

"Alright, Jack," she pointed to the next block, "but my house is just around the corner. I really do need to get some supplies."

"Oh! Could you take this?" Al handed her the Crystal Skulls. Will also has one in her backpack."

"I almost forgot about that." She pulled off her pack, and pulled out the Skull.

Needless to say, Helgamine was impressed. "Congratulations! This means you've found four Skulls. I'll take these back to my shop. If you get the chance, come by and I'll have a Crystal Bottle for you."

"Thank you." We thanked her and watched as walked back to her home. "So, you girls ready to go?"

"Heck ya!" they answered together. They grabbed their things and then we set off towards the Vampire Brothers' house. I just hope nothing happened to them.

XXX

CosmicHorse: Say hello to Frank!

GodlyJewel: She really wanted a pet since there are no horses in Halloween Town. Sorry again for the wait, but Finals are over and Summer Break is here!

CosmicHorse: Freedom! And, also, meet Zack! Al's boyfriend!

GodlyJewel: Yeah, he'll be making cameo appearances along with Kat. Anyway, please leave reviews, and let us know what you all think.

CosmicHorse: We enjoy reading them.

GodlyJewel: Yes, yes we do.