Chapter 15: Vampire Hunters
(Al's POV)
"Hey, not fair, Bat-Girl!" I shouted after Will as she and the other bat took off. Lucky bugger gets to fly while we're stuck hoofing it? So not fair! I noticed Jack was no long beside me. He must have already gone ahead. Turning to look ahead, I became so distracted by the swinging axe that I slowly started to get hypnotized. Frank croaked; we were getting a little too close to the blades for his taste.
"Al, come on!" Jack called from the other side, but I had yet to move. Without fully realizing what was going on, I found myself on the other side of the blades. I had strolled right through, not even being hit by the axe. Weird.
"How… How did you do that!?" Jack asked.
I violently shook my head and glanced around. "How did I get here?" I asked, glancing behind me. "Ah… Zombie Mode."
"Zombie Mode?"
"Yea, that usually happens after I pull an all-nighter during school. I just walk around in a daze and actually don't hit anything… Weird, right?" I said, shrugging it off. "Come on, let's roll."
I jogged off to the next swinging axe and let myself slip into Zombie Mode again. I strode through unscathed, though Frank was not enjoying the axes one bit. Thanks to my Zombie Mode and Jack's natural — not to mention extremely flexible — gymnastic skills, we went through the axes rather easily and ended up in some sort of secluded area. We ran past some stairs and managed to even bypass a King Skeleton as we rounded a corner.
"We're heading into the Slums," Jack called to me over his shoulder.
"You guys have Slums? Not cool, bro," I muttered as I spotted the green sewer water. I also noticed that there were several overflowing trashcans in every corner, and several rats were running all over the place. As we ran through the Slums, Jack and I battled several zombie skeletons. All the while we kept our eyes (and eye sockets) open for any bats matching the Vampires' description. At one point, Jack spotted a covered area that had an opening large enough for a bat to crawl through. He suggested we search it, and I followed him inside.
The moment we stepped inside, two King Skeletons showed up. Our weapons were out and the battle was on, the King Skeletons hacking at us with their axes. "Bloody hell! My brethren are trying to kill me!" I shouted, hacking back at them with Bertha.
"Brethren?" Jack asked, attacking with the Soul Robber.
"Yeah, I'm Norwegian. Thus, I'm of Viking blood. These guys are like Vikings, and thus, they are my brethren… Though they are trying to kill me," I said, surprising myself that I was able to keep talking while battling these guys. Jack's battle buddy roared and tried to crush him under his foot, while, the one I was facing took a swing at me, nearly slicing my head off. "Not nice Uncle Olaf and Grandpa Leif!"
"Al, I'm pretty sure none of these monsters are related to you," Jack said as the King Skeleton slashed at him with his axe. He fought back with a double hit combo to the monster's spin. It took a long time, and much chainsawing, but we finally managed to defeat the King Skeletons.
While we took a breather, a small glint caught my eye. I turned to see a crystal skull hiding behind a large crate. "Pretty!"
"Al…" Jack gave me a hesitant look.
"Sorry! I have slight A.D.D. … I'll explain what A.D.D. is later, okay?" I said, rushing off.
Taking note of my tone, Frank snatched the Skull up with his tongue. He retracted his tongue, and held his prize up for me to take. Luckily I'd picked up Will's pack and stashed the skull into the main pocket. Then I turned to Frank and cuddled him.
"I'm glad I picked you up, Frank," I said, snuggling my face into his side.
"All right, you two. Let's go!" Jack called as he raced outside. "We still have three missing vampires to find."
Making sure Frank clung securely to my shoulder, I followed after the tall skeleton. As we searched, we came across a boarded up bridge. Jack used his Pumpkin Fire to open a path for us, twice, before we were able to get across. And just my luck, at the end was a very long, very high staircase waiting for us.
"My arch enemy. We meet again," I said, glaring daggers at the stairs.
Jack took the lead and we climbed up the three flights of stairs. By the time we reached the top, I was exhausted and hating stairs even more than I usually do. But we weren't done yet. Apparently we had to swing over what looked like a twenty-foot drop to reach the other side. Jack was ready to go, but I just stared down at the cobblestone below, my fear of heights kicking in to the maximum level. This was worse than when we were jumping around the Big Pumpkin Head. At least if I fell there, I'd land on dirt or mushy pumpkin guts. One wrong move here, and I'd be street pizza.
"We're going to have to cross," Jack said, breaking my train of thought. He whipped his Soul Robber over to the other side, and held out his hand for me. "Come on, Al."
I shook my head and backed away. Just to clarify, when I was a child, I fell from a really tall ladder, and ever since, I've had have a HUGE fear of heights. Clearly the fear was shown on my face because Jack lowered his hand and gave me a concerned look.
"Al? Are you all right?" he asked, taking note of my wide eyes and trembling body.
"I…uh…don't do well with heights…" I explained. "Remember, back at the Big Pumpkin head? I wasn't exactly happy 'bout jumping down eight feet. This is much, much worse."
Jack nodded his head and before I could say another word, Jack lifted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and swung us across. I screamed bloody murder until he placed me back on my feet. Once I felt the ground beneath me, I instantly relaxed…until I turned back to glare at him.
"I am no sack of potatoes!" I yelled at him. Then I realized he was just helping, so I softened a bit. I turned and crossed my arms over my chest. "But thanks for getting me over."
"No problem." He grinned. "Shall we go?"
I turned and gave him my classic smirk. "Let's roll, Coco-mo!"
We were about to run across the platform when a King Skeleton appeared. Seriously?! These guys just didn't know when to quit. Jack hit it with a triple combo attack, knocking the axe from its hands. Then I snuck in with a fatal swipe with my chainsaw, beheading the Skeleton. Jack gave me a thumbs up and started running, only to run right smack into another King Skeleton.
"Jack, duck!" I shouted, but the King Skeleton had knocked him down, and struck Jack in the head with the butt of its axe. The adrenaline surged through me, and I launched myself at the Skeleton. Frank blocked its sight for a moment, while I hacked off its legs. Then Frank leapt off its head, freeing me to stab it in the rib cage and carve up, cutting the King Skeleton in half. Its bones crumpled to the ground and I stood back to catch my breath. I heard a croak, and turned to see my little frog staring at me. I gave Frank a thumbs up. "Good work!"
"Ribbit!" He hopped over and perched himself on my shoulder.
I heard a groan, and looked over to see Jack staggering to his feet. He was trying to clear the stars from his head and he swayed as he walked. I rushed over and offered him my shoulder to balance on.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he insisted. "Just a little dizzy."
"Here. This might help," I said.
He groaned again, and turned to lean on the wall. I set Bertha down, and removed Will's pack to search for the Crystal Bottle. I found the bottle, chuckling when the image of Will getting a lisp popped into my mind. I handed Jack the bottle and he took a swig of the green Spring Water. While he waited for the healing water to take affect, a large purple structure drew my attention. Without thinking, I ran over to it, making Jack double take.
"Where are you going?" he asked. I ignored him and stopped once I reached the structure. It was shaped like a giant snake, reminding me of something belonging to Slytherin, but Tim Burton styled. A hand on my shoulder startled me. I turned to see Jack, holding Will's pack in his other hand.
"Do you even know where you're going?" he asked as I took the pack, and placed it on my shoulders.
I shrugged. "No idea. I'm just making this up as I go," I said. He shrugged his shoulders and then we over to the structure. Once we stepped on it, it stared to spin and descend.
"Almost nap time," I said, resting against the wall. Frank croaked in agreement.
"I think this leads back down to the Slums," Jack observed, but I was too tired to really care.
The structure suddenly stilled. We walked carefully off the structure onto a lower jaw of a stone snake's head. Jack jumped down, but I wasn't as sure. Then I noticed that as I stepped onto the snake's tongue, it sort of perched next to a similar snake figure. I looked down its throat and spotted an opening. I suddenly got the feeling to duck into that opening.
"Al, where are you going?" Jack called from below.
I ignored him and raced across the snakes' tongues, ignoring the nine-foot drop leading into either the green sewage or the hard cobblestone. I ran into the opening and came into a room that looked like an old medieval-style dungeon. The walls and ceiling were lined with cobblestone and cobwebs, and a few coffins. But that wasn't all. A hoard of skeletons met my eyes, as did a Vampire Brother bat. As I was revving Bertha, I heard Jack run in behind me.
Not wasting any time, I shouted, "Jack, get the bat! I'll hold them off!"
Jack nodded and launched the Soul Robber, snatching the bat right out of the air. "Nice catch!" I called, backing madly away from the opening after Jack. To bad, I didn't even get to hit any zombies. The skeletons stayed in the opening as we regrouped outside. The bat Jack had caught began screeching and flapping, trying to free itself.
"Calm down, Mr. Vampire!" I said, pulling the bat from the Soul Robber and hugging him.
"Al, I think you made him pass out…" Jack said, pointing to the now motionless bat.
"Oopsies…" I mutter, looking down. I shrugged and tied the bat securely where my meat cleaver used to hang. I turned to see Jack had disappeared. Where the heck did he go? Honestly, if he was trying to be funny and try to scare me…
"Al, jump down!" Jack called. I looked over the edge to see Jack standing on the ground below. I was about to join him when he was blindsided by a large spiked ball. I watched as he got back to his feet, and used his Soul Robber to take down one of the booby-trapped gargoyles. I thought once that was gone, it'd be safe to jump. Wrong again.
As soon as the gargoyle was gone, four zombie skeletons with clubs appeared. Jack took out the first one, then grabbed the second with the Soul Robber and threw it at the other two. One was able to reanimate itself and charged at Jack. He countered by with a triple slash to the zombie's ribcage, which sent it crumbling to the ground. A fifth zombie skeleton appeared and smack Jack in his should with its mace. Jack was knocked back, but he quickly paired, and used a spin attack. The Soul Robber finished it off, and everything went quiet apart from the rushing sound of the sewer water.
"It safe now?" I called.
"Come on down," Jack called.
I nodded and, taking a deep breath, jumped down. Jack caught me and set me on the ground before we starting running again. We rounded a bend, only to find the path ended. I looked around for a bridge, but looked like the only way to go was up. Great! More heights. I took a hold of Jack and we swung up on to the balcony of the building to cross over to the other side. We jumped down, and we continued on, keeping our eyes open for the remaining two Vampire Brothers.
"Al, this way!" Jack ducked into another alley. This one looked like the face of a frightening phantom with teeth. I followed after him, only for us to end up right back where we started, in the Residential Area where we had bypassed the Troll Skeleton. Jack raced around the corner, this time heading up the stairs.
"Joy! More stairs." Seeing, how I didn't have a choice, I trudged up the stairs, muttering under my breath, "Hating this, hating this, hating this!"
When I reached the top, I spotted Jack heading towards what looked like some odd bell tower. He grappled up to the top and started looking around. I was a little annoyed at being left behind, though part of me was glad I didn't have to tackle any more heights. Suddenly the ground shook and I looked up to see something huge popping up from the center of the tower. It had to be at least one hundred feet tall, and looked like some gnarled fish bone of a barracuda. It reflected the brownish, green-yellow color of the toxic cesspool it sprang from. The way it snapped its jaws and had spinning blades rotating all the way down its spine made me realize it was a giant shredder.
"Goodness! That looks like fun!" I laughed. Hearing me, Jack turned and jumped back to the edge just in time to avoid the blades. While he kept his eye sockets on the shredder, I noticed another Vampire bat. "Jack, bat off the starboard bow heading aft!"
Jack gave me a strange look. "Right side moving back!" I repeated in plain English.
He turned around and tried to grab it with his hands, but the little bugger flew just out of his reach. Frustrated, Jack whipped out the Soul Robber and caught the bat. It struggled and flapped about trying to free itself. Jack kept a tight grip on it, and began searching for the last bat. He searched along the border, swinging over the pit each time the shedder sank down, but there was no sign of the last bat. He spotted an outcrop and used it to disappear to the top.
I waited about five minutes before shouting, "Find anything yet?"
Jack shook his skull. "No, nothing. I found a bridge connecting to the rooftops. I'll search over that way."
No way I was waiting here by myself. As much I knew I would hate it, I had to get up there. "Wait for me!"
"You sure?" He looked at me, slightly surprised that I wanted to go higher off the ground. I nodded my head and he whipped the Soul Robber. It hit me, and wrapped tightly around me waist, before pulling me right to the edge of the bridge. Once it released me, I slung myself over the edge and got to my feet. I was about to say thanks when the Town's cat alarm went off.
My dearly abhorred denizens of Oogie Town!
"Damn, not again." I slapped my palm to my forehead.
Thanks to my own thanks to my own diabolically ingenious thinking, I have decided to become ruler of not only Oogie Town, but all the holidays as well. We will soon be able to celebrate "Oogie Boogie Day" seven days every year! Preparations have already been made. I will go secure the final remaining holiday myself. After all, I have a debt to repay. Soon I shall be the Seven Holidays King, so stay tuned! Ba ha ha ha ha!
The speaker turned off and it was quiet again. I looked over and Jack looked like he was about ready to go John Wayne on Oogie's sorry ass. I cautiously removed the still struggling bat from his grasp before taking a step back, worrying Jack might go Postal Pumpkin King and burn the whole building down any second. Seeing a cluster of bats flying of the left, I snuck away to find the last Vampire bother while a certain someone cooled down. I ran down a ways before pausing to deal with a certain bat refused to calm down. I slung Will's pack off my shoulders and opened to main pocket to shove the persistent flapper inside. I clamped one hand over to top to prevent escape, while using my free hand to retrieve the unconscious bat from my sash. I slipped him inside then zipped the bag shut. The other bat flapped around frantically, but he wasn't getting out.
I slipped the pack back on my shoulder then went in search of the last bat. I spotted one bat and ran after it. I was getting close when a spiked ball nearly hit me. I really had no time for this. I whipped out Bertha and slashed the statue in half. Looking around I saw several other gargoyles waiting up ahead, and the rooftops were crawling with so many bats, I had not idea how I was supposed to find the last one.
"Bloody hell… Bertha, you hungry for some stone darling?" I asked my chainsaw. I revved Bertha's engine, making her bade blaze to a burning red fire, and charged. I hacked up two more gargoyles and scanned several bats, but still no sign of the bat I was looking for. Just as I was heading down a bridge leading back to where I had left Jack, when I heard someone shout.
"Al, watch your head!"
I spotted Jack on the other side when a large black shadow dove towards me. I dropped to my knees before the very bat I'd been looking for swooped over my head. I was about to stand to grab for it, when I had to duck again as two more bats flew straight at me. "It's in my hair!"
One of them turned around and chirped in my face. I looked up to see two peeved off blue eyes looking down at me. "Oh… Hi, Will."
She nodded then took off after the other bats. Bloody rats with wings! I decided not to say it aloud since Will would probably claw me with her new talons. I watched as she chased after the other two bats. She was flying circles around the other two, all of them screeching at each other. Man, I wish I could speak bat.
"Glad you're all right." I jumped when Jack's voice suddenly appeared behind me.
"Geez man. You really are the Master of Fright."
"Sorry, force of habit." His smile faded and he reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Al, I apologize for losing my temper. Its just, I can't help but think this is all my fault."
"Hey, I'm part Redhead. I get loosing tempers. We're cool, Bone Man," I said, offering him a fist.
Jack looked puzzled and hesitantly copied my gestured. I laughed, and bumped his fist. "It's called a fist bump, dude."
I laughed as he looked at his first, trying to figure it out. Suddenly, I heard several small chirps above me. I looked up to see Will flying towards us, two bats following behind her.
"Woohoo! Go Will!" I fist pumped the air as the approached.
XXX
(Will's POV)
Hey Al, look who we caught, I chirped. Boy, I wish she could understand me. I was so happy Bela and I had finally caught up with Lon. I hadn't realized how fast a frightened bat could fly when he didn't recognize his friends.
"I don't know what you said…" Al said, looking a little confused.
Sorry, I chirped in apology.
Let me out! Let me OUT!
That sounds like Max, Bela said, flying up next to me.
Agreed brother, Lon added. But I do not see him.
Listening carefully with my now sensitive ears, I noticed the screaming came from behind Al. I flew behind her and saw my pack was moving around on her back.
"Gah! Get away!" Al all but screamed.
Sorry! I tried to apologize. I forgot Al had a little problem with anyone being behind her where she couldn't see them. I flew next to the pack and used my feet to undo the zipper. The moment it opened, two more bats flew out of my backpack.
Max! John! Bela screeched in delight and flew to greet his startled brothers. Thank Halloween, you are all right.
Bela, is that you? Max asked. He flew in a circle around his brothers, happy to recognize them. John, Lon. Wonderful. I thought I had lost you after the transformation.
We all would have been lost, Bela explained, had Jack, Will and Al not discovered our note. But, not all is well, my brothers.
He's right! We must get back to our coffins if we want to be our old selves again, John said.
Well, then what are you boys flying around for? I asked. Let's get back to your place, and get you all fixed up. Also, might wanna think about throwing out that tomato juice, so we don't have to play hide-and-go-shriek, bat version again.
Who is that? Max asked, pointing his right wing at me.
That is Will the human. I'm afraid the girl found Oogie's elixir, Bela explained.
Look we can give you the whole story on the way, but right now, less chatting and more flapping. I circled them once and then hovered next to Jack and Al. I tugged on Jack's tie to interpret we were ready to go.
He nodded and then started off running. I heard Al groan as she tried to match his pace. Meanwhile, the Vampire Brothers and I flew overhead. Now that we were all together again, I could warn Jack and Al of any dangers up ahead. By the time we got back to the Vampires' house, Jack and Al had defeated four King Skeletons and were able to avoid getting hit by the swinging axes. Bela and I had also gotten the other vampires up to speed on what had been happening, and I got some compliments from John and Lon on my new form. Man was I glad Al couldn't hear them. They were being nice, but honestly, telling me my bat features looked adorable made me feel like I was five years old.
Al walked in first, but Jack held open the door as the Vampire Brothers and I flew in. I followed them up to the rafters, and perched myself next to Bella. Once we were all inside, Jack walked over to the coffins.
"Alright, lets get you all back to your frightening selves."
First up was Max, since he was the eldest. He flew down and allowed Jack to help him into his coffin, the one that appeared to be a regular bed. Once he was inside, Jack closed the lid and stepped in front of the next coffin, this one belonging to John. John flew down from the rafters and allowed Jack to help him inside his dresser-shaped coffin. Once John was in, it was Bela's turn. I waved at him as Bela flew down to be placed into his clock-coffin. Jack placed him inside, and then it was finally Lon's turn. Jack eased him into his couch-coffin, just as he had done the others, and closed the lid.
Jack took a step back and we all waited for something to happen. Though we didn't have to wait long. Soon, all the coffins began to rattle, and smoke started seeping out.
"Ooo epic…" Al said in awe.
One by one, the Vampire Brothers emerged. All of them were back to there old, vampiric forms. Max sighed. "… Aaah. At last I'm my old self!"
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"My brothers and I opposed Oogie's plan. We told him this isn't the Halloween you wanted. So he tricked us and trapped us in our bat form. Sorry, Jack. While I was a bat I couldn't recognize you. Ohhh, my strength…" Max began to fall forward.
Jack quickly ran forward and caught him before he could fall over. "You look undead tired. You should rest."
Max shook his head, having more he needed to say. "For generations we vampires have been entrusted to guard the key to the Mayor's house… Jack, take this…" He handed Jack a piece of the key from his pocket. "My brothers will have the remaining pieces of the key."
"Here Jack…take this…" John reached into his pocket and withdrew the second piece of the key. He held it out and Jack took it from him.
Bela did the same, and then Lon presented Jack with his piece. "This is the last piece," he said.
"Thanks." Jack took the four pieces and walked over to Al. He placed all the pieces in the center outside pocket, before turning back to the vampires.
"Now the way to the Mayor's house has been opened to you, Jack," Max said before his expression became serious. "We have to tell you about Oogie's plan. He used his henchmen to abduct the other Holiday Leaders."
"They dragged the leaders here, then took away the Holiday doors so the leaders couldn't return to their own worlds," John added. "Lock, Shock, and Barrel then hid the doors in each area of the town so they wouldn't be discovered."
"The poor Easter Bunny!" Al exclaimed.
Al, Easter Bunny ain't the only one in trouble, I scolded. Too bad she couldn't hear me.
Jack looked horrified. "So the leaders of Valentine's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the other holidays are being held prisoner somewhere in this town!?"
Bela nodded. "Precisely. Oogie's plan is to take over the holidays and become the Seven Holidays King."
"The Seven Holidays King? This is intolerable!"
"Crappy title," Al said. "I think I heard him say that earlier. Oogie has bad naming skills." I chirped in agreement.
I remember hearing that, but didn't he also say he had secure the final holiday? I asked. Then I remembered the date and shrieked. Crap! That's less than a few hours away!
"Um… Will is making bat communication noise." Al looked up as I tried desperately to tell her and Jack what was happening.
"Will has realized the final step in Oogie's plan," Bela explained. Man was I happy someone could understand me. "She is trying to tell you that Oogie has yet to take over Christmas Town. But, I'm afraid you cannot enter that world without the Christmas Door, and we have no idea where it is."
So, what are we supposed to do? I asked
"First you have to find the holiday doors," Lon explained. "Otherwise you won't be able to return the leaders even if you find them. Take back those doors, and find out where the leaders are being held."
"Already done, sort of." Al cheerfully pointed to the pocket with the shrunken doors.
"Very good," Max said through a yawn. "Forgive us, my friends, but we must rest if we are to replenish our strength."
"Thanks again for all your help," Jack said as both Max and John slipped into their coffins. "Rest easy now."
They nodded and closed the lids. Bela was also beginning to fade. Like his brother, he was exhausted. "We're counting on you." He yawned and sank back into his coffin.
"Goodnight," Jack said, "and unpleasant dreams."
I flew down from the rafters and perched on Jack's shoulder. I was hoping I could ask Lon if he knew of a way for me to turn back into a human. Just as I was about to ask,
Al picked up her weapons and headed for the door. "What are we waiting for? We already found some of the doors, so we're slightly there. So let's get all the way there!" her frog croaked in agreement.
I chirped sharply, and clenched my talons on Jack's shoulder. When I saw him wince, I relaxed but continued to glare at Al.
"Uh, Al," Jack began to say. "We have one more problem."
She stopped and turned her head. "What now?"
I wonder if she could see me rolling my eyes. I flew over and chirped in her face, flapping my wings against her cheek. "Oh crap, I forgot about you." She turned to Lon, pointed at me and asked, "Do you know how we fix this problem."
My hopes began to fade when I saw him frown. "I'm afraid not. As vampires, we have the natural ability to shift our forms, so the potion was designed to keep us trapped in that state. However, since young Will was human when she took the potion, I know not how to return her to her human form."
"Hmm… This is a problem." Jack pondered for a moment before getting an idea. "Perhaps Helgamine and Zeldaborne can turn you back to normal."
Of course, the witches had all kinds of crazy potions in their shop. They must have one to turn me back into my old self. It should be simple enough. What are we waiting for? Lets go! I cheered.
Lon chuckled. "Yes, I understand your excitement, little one. But are you sure? You make a lovely bat."
Sorry Lon, I apologized. I will miss the wings, but I also miss being able to walk. Plus, this would make family reunions a little awkward.
"Would you two quit having a private conversation!" Al said. "I feel left out…"
Man, I hated when she pouted. I felt bad and perched on her shoulder to nuzzle her cheek. Another thing downside to being a bat: I couldn't talk with my best friend. Al lightly pouted and looked generally sad.
"I… I miss my normal Will."
"Well, then I guess we better get to the Witch shop," Jack said, gesturing to the door.
Al and I looked at each other and I flew up in the air. Let's make me human again.
XXX
GodlyJewel: Anybody have any ideas about turning someone human?
*off screen chorus*
You got to dig a little deeper
Find out who you are
You got to dig a little deeper
It really ain't that far
CosmicHorse: NO! No singing!