They entered the tunnel, the walls of the channel were formed from the tree's roots that had grown around each other and were covered with a thick layer of brown sludge. The light from the outside was disappearing quickly, yet the visibility never changed. It soon became apparent that a florescent fungus was producing light as it lethargically devoured the trees from beneath.
As they progressed the rate of decomposition increased. They could no longer make out the shapes of tree roots bound together, instead there was a mass of the same kind of solid opaque resign that emitted a strange and foul smell.
The group came to a small chamber where three tunnels sat, two next to each other and the third resting above them.
"Which way do we go?" Jack asked.
"I suspect that Morticia will be residing in one of the lowest chambers." Pitch said, his tactical experience proving wise. "It should be either of the two lower tunnels."
Elsie looked ahead. "I guess it's a fifty fifty chance then."
They eventually decided on the left one.
The tunnel led at a downwards angle and became very dark as the luminescent fungus became less available and the stench became stronger. They continued in silence for nearly half an hour listening for the tell tale sign of bones rattling that would signify the approach of the creatures or of their intended enemy.
A light shone at what they perceived was the end of the tunnel and they sped up their descent. The tunnel's exit was located approximately thirty six feet from the floor of the large chamber they came to. The light source that had drawn them was produced by a large florescent green dome covered by a film of bio mass that collected and dispersed in cavities over the florescent bulb like dozens of blinking eyes.
Their sights then came to rest upon a group of things attached to the wall. They were large fixed globs of mucus. No not mucus, but a gelatin like mass held together by a sticky membrane, throbbing and quivering in their spots on the wall. They noticed odd shapes floating within, distorting the nearly transparent bodies, as if something was moving within and suddenly what they saw resolved itself and those odd shapes became arms and legs. Two people within. Struggling. Alive.
Jack gasped.
Tooth put a hand to her mouth not sure if she was holding in a sob or vomit.
Before any of them could speak something dropped from the ceiling and landed with an audible splat. A dark grey sack sat un-moving on the ground, a skeletal claw burst forth. One of the creatures, bones, fur, maggots and all tore it's way out from within the pus filled sack. It stood upon it's rotted legs and sniffed the air of it's surroundings. It turned, chose a nearby tunnel and exited.
The group looked up from where it fell and were horrified to see dozens, no hundreds of the grey sacks hanging from the ceiling by ropes of slime. By the light of dome they could see the skeletal forms twitching within. Now they froze from their want to rescue the trapped people, not wanting to awaken the horde of monsters above.
A shrill scream emanated from the tunnel the creature exited. The screaming grew closer and two creatures, whose likes have not yet been seen entered. Their bodies were strange and large, hulking pounds of rotted meat covered in bio mass, like that of the walls. Large jagged bone fragments and splinters stuck out all over their backs. Each had an arm made entirely by a large bone sharpened into a blade. But the worst thing about them had to be their faces, their faces would've looked human had they not been merged to a second face in the middle. The first looked like a cross between a man and a bear, the second had the features of a woman and a wild boar. They were carrying someone alive. Some badly wounded, dripping blood, but alive and struggling, wailing, sobbing, thrashing and kicking as they neared the mucus glob.
"Morticia why are you doing this! Don't let them take me!" A woman in black and orange now stained red with blood, long straight black hair matted down with the same liquid.
North's heart leaped into his throat.
Bunny put a hand to his mouth and recoiled.
"Eve." North whispered. They didn't know what to do. How could they rescue her without alerting the creatures.
"We have to do something." Elsie whispered desperately.
"We can't, not yet." Nature whispered in dismay.
"We just can't do nothing." She whispered back harshly.
Eve wouldn't stop screaming, even though her voice was ripped to shreds she shrieked and screeched, begged and pleaded, all her terror and desperation echoed around the chamber ringing in their ears as the monsters lifted the Halloween spirit and pressed her against the mucus glob. And then she really started screaming.
Elsie couldn't stand it any more. With a roar that seemed more beast than human she lept from their hiding spot in the tunnel, shadow claws already formed she rushed the monsters. Slicing one's head clean off she quickly proceeded to tear the other one to shreds with a fury none knew she had, not even herself.
The others came to their senses and jumped down.
Elsie pulled Eve from the disgusting glob and spirit grasped onto her savior, as a child grasps their parent, and began sobbing heavily. Elsie brought her over to the group, when she saw them Eve threw her arms around North, who tried to console her. Elsie turned back to the other mucus sacks, her rage returning. She tore at them with her claws, spilling their jelly like insides onto the ground along with struggling bodies.
They sputtered and coughed bringing up lungfuls of thick slime. She reached down and helped them to their feet. One was a rather short red haired man dressed in a green lounge suit. The other, also a man was about six feet and was well cut, dressed in a permed press white and pink tuxedo which was now stained lime green by slime and torn in many places.
After having cleared their airways the two men gazed at Elsie and the guardians.
Eventually the ginger one spoke. "I think we owe you our thanks lass." He said in a heavy Irish accent.
Bunny hopped over. "Patrick, Cupid you blokes are still alive? We thought Morticia had killed you."
Cupid shook his head. "That's what we thought she was going to do to. Her monsters knocked me out and when I had awoken they were forcing me into that thing." Cupid shuddered and tried to wipe more of the goop off his tux.
"Aye they did the same with me." Patrick nodded. "Now I don't mean to sound ungrateful but what are you all doing here? And with Pitch and Mother Nature too?"
North gently pulled Eve off himself, who had calmed down a deal and was wiping the leftover tears from her face. "We're here to stop Morticia. Manny had us gather the others so that we'd stand a chance."
Cupid eyed them warily. "Well I hope your all up to the job. She's gotten a lot stronger."
"We know. But we have to try. If we don't defeat her by the coming there will be nothing to stop her."
The two's eyes widened.
"Well then," Patrick said exasperated. "There's no time to waste. Morticia had me brought to the thrown room before having me dragged down here. I can take you there."
"Cupid do you and Eve want to remain here, Eve's got a badly injured shoulder. She can't fight." North asked as he stripped a piece of clothe from his coat and bandaged the woman's bleeding shoulder.
Cupid glanced up at the hanging sacks. "I don't think it'll be much safer here than anywhere else in this hell. Better safety in numbers"
Patrick led them out of the chamber and through a few corridors. Occasionally they had to stop and hide, sometimes for an hour or more as the hordes of skeletal and humanoid creatures went about their rounds. One of the lumbering giants spotted them, but before it could sound off an alarm it was cut down by Pitch.
They eventually came to a large ornate door at the end of their tunnel.
"Here it is." Patrick said.
"Okay Smith and me are in front, Sandy Jack and Pitch next, then Nature, Tooth and Elsie. Patrick, Cupid and Eve you take the rear and try to stay behind us." North gave the order and they all got into formation, each drawing and forming their weapons. "Pitch would you do the honors?"
"Gladly." The door was obliterated with one powerful blast of nightmare sand.
They rushed in weapons at the ready.
"It's over Morticia! Your finished! Surrender and come quietly!" North shouted fiercely.
As the room descended into silence only the gentle sound of a slow clapping was heard, followed by the sight of a particularly cruel smile.