Once Upon a Walker

Chapter 8

Henry's eyes widened as he watched Beth and Merle fall into the thick field of corn. Several of the stalks were knocked down as they landed. But a moment later, the slight opening in the field filled back in, giving the illusion that they were literally swallowed up by the corn. Mary Margaret and David darted in after them. And the moment they disappeared from view, Henry could no longer hear them calling out.

The sound of flapping monkey wings was all around them. Carl gestured with his hand, motioning for Henry to move partially behind him as he lifted his gun and began to fire on the animals as they landed. He was a good shot. Carl hit each of the frightening creatures he aimed for dead center in the middle of the head. They dropped to the ground one after the next. But with the amount of monkeys that were flying down out of the sky, what little damage Carl was managing to do was like a drop in a bucket. In a moment, they'd be completely mobbed by the creatures. And Carl's magic reloading gun wasn't going to be enough to keep them from being torn apart.

One of the large fanged creatures hopped close, swiping at the boys with one long taloned claw. The monkey was knocked back with a fireball blast of magic. And then Regina was wrapping her arms around him. He smelled the magic before he saw the colored swirl of smoke. Henry locked his hand into the back of Carl's shirt, pulling the other boy into the void with him.

Henry's head spun when he felt his feet hit solid ground again. But Carl wasn't as used to the feeling of magical transportation as he was. The other boy stumbled, falling to the hard packed dirt on his hands and knees. Regina released her grip on Henry, moving to retrieve Carl's hat and help him back on to his feet.

"Are you both okay?," she asked. Henry was the first to nod. Carl took a few deep breaths and looked around first.

"I think so," he said. "...but where are we?"

Henry looked around. They were somewhere inside the cornfield. But the corn wasn't quite as thick in this area as it was in the spot where their companions had been swallowed up by it. They were surrounded by it. But it wasn't pushing in against them. And in one direction there was a long and perfectly even path through the stalks.

"I'm not sure," Regina admitted. "I tried to transport us past the cornfield. But I think we hit some sort of magic barrier."

"At least the monkeys are gone," Carl said, sounding less concerned with their current position than Henry felt. Regina smiled slightly at the boy, clearly taking what he said as a compliment to her magical transportation abilities. "Should we go this way?," Carl asked, pointing down the narrow path in the corn.

Regina turned, lifting her hands until there was a swirling ball of fire between them. She shot it out, sending the fire into the corn in the opposite direction that the path would take them. The corn stalks turned black and crumbled into the dirt. But a moment later, they sprouted. The entire path she cut filled back up with corn in a matter of seconds.

"I don't think we have any other choice," she said. Regina turned, expecting an objection from her adopted son. Lately, it felt like Henry was disagreeing with her no matter what she said. But when Carl nodded his agreement to her observation, Henry nodded his head right along with the other boy. And together the three of them started down the narrow path in the corn, nervous to see where it might lead them.

As they walked, the dirt became flat stone under their feet. And then the stones changed to large pavers that looked like they were made of colored glass. It was Carl that noticed the change in the corn. One ear of it stood out on its tall stalk, the husk partially peeled back to reveal bright yellow kernels. He reached up and plucked a kernel from the ear, displaying it for the rest of them. It was not a kernel of corn but a piece of candy corn. Henry moved to the opposite side of the path, peeling back the husk on another ear of corn and laughing when he found a bunch of reese's pieces shaped to resemble the vegetable he'd expected to find.

"Don't eat any of that," Regina warned. They were in Oz, not Wonderland. But there was still no telling what effect the candy might have on them.

As they headed further down the path, the boys peeled back a few more ears of corn. Like the others, they were sweet treats in the shape of corn. And as they went, the stalks began to look less realistic and more like they'd been built out of edible sweets. When the path opened up into a small clearing, Regina wasn't totally surprised to see a lifesize gingerbread house in the center of it.

The clearing was as picturesque as the house itself. Everything was made entirely out of cake and candy. There was a path lined with giant candy canes. The roof of the house was covered in pointed turrets, each one tipped with a brightly colored candy ball. The windows were made of spun and blown sugar. It looked like a picture out of Henry's book come to life.

Henry and Carl stepped into the clearing, looking around in awe. But when Regina moved to follow them she hit an invisible barrier she didn't know was there until it tossed her backwards down the path. Henry and Carl rushed to her rescue, helping her up. She kept the boys behind her this time, moving forward with her hands outstretched until she could feel the barrier just on the other side of her palms. Like the rest of what she'd encountered since they arrived in Oz, the spell wasn't one she recognized or had the power to break. Whatever magic was at work in this land, it was so powerful it frightened her a little. She closed her eyes, pressing her hands almost right up against the barrier as she tried to get some sort of feel for what it had been put there to protect. The barrier was created with powerful magic. But it wasn't Zelena's. Regina knew the woman well enough to know that whatever was inside the house in the clearing, someone else had put it there. And deep inside the bubble, Regina could feel the pull of a powerful object. Something even stronger than the magic barrier that had been created to protect it.

"There's something in there," Regina said. She lowered her hands, glancing at Henry and Carl. For whatever reason, they were able to pass back and forth through the barrier without any ill effects. She wasn't eager to send her son and his new friend into a place where she would have no power to save them. But she also knew they were going to need the magical artifact that was hidden inside if they wanted to defeat her sister. Like the walk down the pathway through the corn, there was no other way.

"What is it?," Henry asked. "We can go in and get it."

"I'm not sure what it is," Regina admitted. "But I can feel it. Whatever it is, it's powerful." Henry watched as she pressed her hands together. When she lifted them apart, there was a small white ball in her palm. She extended her hand towards him, handing him the object she'd just conjured. It felt colder than he expected against his skin. "It will glow brighter the closer you get to the object inside the barrier," Regina explained. Pulling Henry against her, she sighed when he actually hugged her back for once. "Be careful," she warned.

Henry agreed almost too quickly for her liking before he tugged on the sleeve of Carl's shirt and headed through the invisible barrier. Regina noticed that in addition to watching for danger a lot more closely than Henry appeared to be, Carl also had his loaded gun up. She wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse about sending the two boys into a possibly dangerous situation. Either way it was too late to do anything about it now. There was nothing she could do but wait and hope for the best.

Henry watched the way Carl moved, trying to copy the other boy. He clearly had more experience in dangerous situations than Henry. So when Carl motioned for him to pull the gingerbread door open so he could point his gun inside, Henry was quick to comply. Carl glanced around the room with his gun up. But so far, there didn't appear to be anything inside besides more candy. The furniture appeared to be made from normal wood. But the tabletop held a full on buffet. There was any and every kind of sweet treat a person could imagine. And Henry found himself drawn to a large steaming mug of hot chocolate that was sprinkled with cinnamon just the way he liked it.

"Is it me?," Carl asked. "Or does this place look a lot bigger inside than it did outside?"

The other boy's question snapped Henry out of his trance. He looked down, jerking his hand back when he realized it was dangerously close to the handle on the large white ceramic mug. From outside, the place appeared to be no larger than a large one room cabin. But inside, Henry could see there were several rooms and a staircase that led up to an equally spacious upper level.

"Let's check down here first," Henry suggested. And from the way Carl quickly nodded, he guessed the other boy wasn't any more eager than he was to traverse the stairs and enter an area that hadn't been there before they stepped inside the place. They moved from room to room. Henry watched the small glass ball in his hand for any change while Carl pointed his gun around. The other rooms they entered were done up similarly to the fist. There were large opulent displays of candy and cakes everywhere. From giant glass displays full of flavored gumballs to tiered birthday cakes, the place had it all. The smell was almost overpowering. And Henry had to lift his hand a few times to wipe his mouth.

After a quick search of the downstairs, the boys headed for the narrow staircase. They glanced at each other for a moment. And then Carl let the way up. The banister looked like a giant candy cane. Henry tried to avoid touching it since it looked like it might be sticky. About halfway up the stairs, the small ball in his hands finally began to take on a slight glow. Henry held it up for Carl's inspection, excited that they finally seemed to be on the right track.

Once they reached the top, Henry held his hand out. He moved it back and forth, heading in the direction that seemed to make the ball glow a little bit brighter. The entire building seemed to be expanding around them. The hallway seemed to go on for longer than would be possible given the size of the lower level. And while this felt like a great adventure when they opened the downstairs door, suddenly Henry wanted nothing more than to find whatever they were looking for and get the heck out.

The hallway darkened until the small ball in Henry's hand was the only source of light. The fact that it was steadily growing brighter as they moved was the only thing propelling them further down the hallway. The door to the last room was open. And Henry's eyes widened as he peeked inside. He held his finger to his lips, motioning for Carl to stay quiet. The house's mistress was relaxing back into the cotton candy that covered the large bed in the center of the room. Henry recognized her from the story of Hansel and Gretel. She was the blind witch. The one that ate the children she caught sneaking around in her house. At the moment, her unseeing eyes were closed. Her hands were clasped across her chest. And under them, Henry was sure he'd found the object Regina sent them into this candy covered nightmare to receive. He wasn't familiar with every magical object in the fairytale realm. But he knew this one on sight. The wavy blade of the dagger was black with silver scrollwork. And as he crept cautiously closer, he could see Zelena's name etched on its surface. Henry sucked in a hard breath as his mind raced with the implications of this. Not only had she taken up residence in the emerald palace, Zelena had somehow managed to gain the powers of the dark one.

"Go for it," Carl whispered, gesturing to the dagger as he aimed his gun at the head of the sleeping witch. "I'll cover you."

Henry could feel his hand shaking as he reached across the bed. He felt like his heart was racing a mile a minute. When his hand closed down over the handle of the most powerful magic weapon in the history of fairy tales, he felt the surge of energy pass into him. Henry jerked the dagger out of the witch's hands and jumped back. She awoke with a terrifying hiss, sitting up and popping her milky eyes open. Carl didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger on his gun, shooting her right in the face and then firing off a few more rounds into her chest for good measure. Henry let out a rather unmanly scream. And the two of them took off at full speed back the way they came.

Carl and Henry stampeded down the hallway, which seemed even longer now than it had been on the walk here. But they still reached the top of the stairs before the witch regenerated enough to come after them. It wasn't until they raced through the lower level of the house and realized they were locked inside that they started to panic. Henry jerked desperately at the doorknob as Carl began to throw anything and everything he could at the windows. Glass shattered and cake splattered the walls. He even tried shooting one of the windows out. But it was to no avail. They were stuck inside the house and Henry could hear the witch coming down the stairs after them.

"We've gotta get out of this house," Henry squeaked.

"The gun didn't kill her," Carl gasped. "What else can we use?" Henry paused, looking down at the magical dagger in his hands. The dagger of the dark one was probably strong enough to kill anyone. He held it up, showing it to Carl. "You think that'll do it?," Carl asked. Henry nodded, allowing Carl to take the long sculpted blade from his hands. Carl shoved his gun at Henry, gesturing for the other boy to hold it in both hands. "You distract her," Carl said, "...and I'll stab her in the back with this."

"Okay," Henry agreed. This wasn't the best plan he'd ever heard. But it was better than nothing. And unlike Carl, Henry knew what was coming if they were caught by the blind cannibal that lived in this place. Henry lifted the gun, aiming it towards the bottom of the staircase. When the witch appeared he began to taunt her, telling her he was going to blow her head off in the hopes that it might keep her from hearing Carl sneaking up behind her. His ruse worked. Maybe a little too well. Because the next thing he knew, the witch was inches away from him, raking her long pointed fingernails down his cheek. Henry shrieked, pressing himself back against the door as she sniffed him.

Carl moved in behind the woman. Lifting the blade, he didn't hesitate to sink it into her. He expected blood and gore, like what happened when he killed a walker. But instead, the woman vanished into a puff of black smoke, leaving him standing there with the magic dagger still in his hands. Henry turned, finding that he was now able to turn the knob and open the candy coated door. Before they ran from the place, Henry turned to Carl.

"Put that knife away in your belt," he instructed. "...and whatever you do, don't let my mom have it."