Jack ran home as fast as he could, across the town square, through the gates to his house, up the stairs and opened the front door, slamming and locking it behind him.
"Jack?" came his mothers voice. "What's wrong?"
"Where's father?" Jack asked frantically, his face worried.
"He went for a walk..." his mother said, worried by the expression on her sons face.
"Why, what's-"
But before she could finish, there came a loud noise from outside and a shout.
"No way..." Jack breathed, opening the door and running quickly outside.
"Jack!" his mother called, running after him.
When Jack came around the corner, he saw his father running towards the graveyard, he called to him, but he didn't hear. Jack followed after him until they reached Oogie's house, his mother close behind.
"OZMANDO!" he heard his father shout. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
He was inside the shack. Jack ran down the slope until he tripped on the bridge and found he could get down by climbing the cable.
"It's OOGIE!" Ozmando shouted from below.
Jack's invisible heart began to race, he couldn't stand back anymore, this was his friend.
He opened the barred window at the side and slid in, shouting his name as he did.
"Oogie!" he shouted. "What are you doing? I thought we were friends!"
"Jack, get away from here!" his father snapped, tied to a wall. Jack then realised that he was standing on dinamite, set to be lit if either he or his father dared to set fire on him.
"Friends?!" Oogie bellowed. "We were never friends!"
Jack's heart sank. "What?" he said quietly.
"You heard me!"
Jack looked up at him, he saw a flash of red in his eyes he'd never seen before, but he didn't challenge it. Oogie waddled over to him and snatched him up in his powerful arms.
"Unhand him Oogie! I order you!"
"As if!" Oogie said evilly.
Jack felt anger deep inside him, he felt sadness seeping away at his bones. He wanted to shout as loud as he could, he wanted to scream from the rooftops so that everyone may hear, and he did. A piercing, unforgettable shriek came from his mouth, something no man or animal could immitate.
Rexus cringed, aghaust by his noise, Oogie roared and Jack's screaming stopped.
Now, Jack was petrified, not by Oogie, but by himself. What he had projected then was something he told himself he would never do again, but as we know, he will.
"You LITTLE BRAT!"
"Let him GO Ozmando!" Jack's mother's voice came from behind.
Oogie jumped and turned around, dropping Jack on the floor. "Funerelly..." he said passionately.
"I care not for your charm. I order you to unhand my husband and son!"
"No, Funerelly! Leave me, take Jack!"
"What?"
"Just do it!"
"I'm not letting anyone go, do you hear me, not even for you, Queeny!"
Funerelly's eyes narrowed. "You haven't changed at all, have you?"
"Believe you me. I have, my dear. I am the son of Ozmando. Oogie Boogie."
Funerelly's eyes widened. "Jack's friend?"
"Friend is an understatement, considering what he is doing now." Rexus said.
"Let the boy go." Funerelly said quietly, her face scared and almost crying. "And take me instead..."
"Mother, no!" Jack pleaded.
"You have a life ahead of you, son!" Rexus shouted. "Remember what I said, always remember the good times we've had together, understand?"
"Forget it!" Oogie shouted from above, lighting a match and running away. "You all disintigrate here!"
"JACK! RUN!" his parents shouted.
"NO!"
There came an almighty white light and a bone chilling explosion, and then, silence.
"Jack?" someone called, far away. Then, the whimper of a dog, Zero.
Jack slowly opened his eyes and as they came into focus, he saw the Mayor and Zero looking down at him.
"Jack!" the Mayor exclaimed.
"Wha-?" Jack said quietly, looking around. There were flames all around him, burning wood pieces and all that seemed to be left was a lifeless tree and the remnants of the inside of Oogie's house.
"Where? Where are my parents?" Jack said, sitting upright.
The Mayor's face turned to sad. "I-I...they...umm..."
"They cannot be with you anymore, Jack." one of the vampires said.
"What?" Jack said quietly, tears coming to his eyes. "No...they're not...they didn't!"
"I'm sorry..."
Jack's life felt like it was falling apart, like someone had taken his ribcage and not replaced it, like someone had stolen his invisible heart and given it away.
He cried into the Mayor's jacket like he'd never cried before, he felt a spreading feeling of anguish and hatred, but he couldn't remember why he hated them so much, his memory was hazy.
"What about Halloween, mayor?" one of the vampire brothers asked.
"It seems we must make Jack do it."
"By himself?"
"I will help with preparations, don't you worry about that, but now, we must let the boy mourn his loved ones."
Jack had heard these words and as he stared into the flames, he remembered his fathers words echo throughout his mind.
"Now, Jack...put your hands into the fire..."
Days passed, months flew by and years disappeared, and soon, Jack had become a gentleman, reciting Shakespeare at Town Meetings and putting out the most piercing shriek he knew. He took science lessons from Doctor Finklestein and learnt the joys of reading whilst not preparing for Halloween, but still he felt empty.
The next Halloween, he was tired from spooks, so he travelled into the woods, where he came across Christmas, and we all know what happened then.
As for Oogie, he met the likes of Lock, Shock and Barrel not so long after the explosion and he taught them to be crafty and cunning, in hopes they would make better henchmen than that of the real Oogie Boogie.
Then, when they kidnapped Sandy Claws, an urge came over him to sing, and that was the only part the real Oogie had control over, or so it would seem.
Jack arrived later to save Sandy and Sally from Oogie's clutches, and the real Oogie saw Jack with his own two eyes for the first time after 14 years and was scared by this.
"J-J-J-Jack!" he exclaimed with fear. "They said you were dead! You must be..."
Suddenly, Ozmando took control of him again and Jack rememberd why he disliked Oogie so, he had been his friend, but had betrayed him, so in a moment of anger, he ripped his seams, and forever on, they were enemies.
"Come on, come on. Put your hands into the fire, Jack."
