The Bone Collector

Chapter: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Chapter Two

Jack continued to walk through the Hinterlands. He had forgotten how easily it was to get turned around in this horrid place. He was a bit more familiar with the territory than anyone else in town. He was the one who discovered the holiday doors, after all. Still, the thought of encountering the Bone Collector bothered him greatly. He decided to stop in a small clearing and try to get his thoughts together.

Then he heard it. The voice that he recognized from twenty years ago, still as young and fresh as if it were yesterday.

"Jaaack! Help meee! Heeelp!"

Jack's eye sockets widened. "Grim?"

"Please, Jack! Heeelp!"

"Grim!" Jack raced off in the direction of voice. He ran off the path and pushed away the branches blocking his way. "Hang on, Grim! I'm coming!" he shouted. "Stay where you are!"

As Jack went deeper into the woods, the trees grew dense. Hundreds of branches were snagging on his jacket, slowing him down. Jack felt at tug at his wrist and turned to see that one of the branches was literally grabbing his arm, like a scared child with its mother. Jack panicked as he tried to pull himself free. Then another branch grabbed his other arm and two more grabbed his legs. Jack twisted and turned, but the grips were far too strong.

"JAAAAAAAACK!"

"Hold on, Grim!" he shouted again. "I'll find..."

WHACK!

Jack froze. Grim had stopped shouting and all was silent again, until...

WHACK!

Jack peered through the wall of branches to see wood chunks flying through the air. The branches were thinning away and he saw the figure hacking his way through the bramble. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

When all the branches had been cut away, the Bone Collector stood before the frightened skeleton, holding his sickle chain tightly at the blade's hilt. Jack found it difficult to breathe as he stared at the figure that haunted his dreams since he was a boy. He wanted to run away. He yearned to break free from the branches and run back to Halloween Town where he'd be safe. But he knew it was impossible. All he could do was stand there and tremble with fear.

"No...," he pleaded softly. "No, please!"

The Bone Collector said nothing as he let the chain slide through his fingers, lowering the sickle. It stopped about knee-length, then with gentle movements of his wrist, the sickle swung side to side like a pendulum. Jack followed the rhythm with his eyes. It was like the monster was toying with him. Then the Bone Collector gripped the chain tightly and began to swing his arm in a circle. The sickle cut through the air, emitting its famous whirling sound.

Mr. Hyde's words echoed in Jack's skull as the sickle spun faster: Whenever you heard his sickle chain being spun in the air, then it was far too late to save yourself. The sickle spun faster and faster until it was just a blurry circle. Jack screamed in terror as the Bone Collector released the chain and the sickle shot right towards his chest.

Jack awoke with a start. His skull was glistening with sweat and his chest was heaving. He shakily looked around to see that he was no longer in the Hinterlands. He was in his own house, sitting in his electric chair. The pumpkin cider on the table next to him had gone cold and his book slipped from his lap, making a loud thud as it hit the floor. Poor Zero awoke from his own slumber to look at his master through sleepy eyes.

The incident with the Hanging Tree had ended well over an hour ago. Jack had attempted to continue his quiet evening alone and, obviously, had dozed off. "A dream," he muttered to himself. "It was just a dream..."

Jack walked to the window to compose himself. He gazed at the Hinterlands off in the distance, past the Spiral Hill. In a few hours he would be heading through those woods, searching for the one thing he feared the most. Just like in his dream except for one difference: Grim would not be there calling for help. He stopped calling for help over twenty years ago.

* * *

Sally brushed her yarn-like hair as she was getting ready for bed. As much as she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about Jack and how he acted at the fountain. She had never seen him look so anxious before. No matter what dangers faced him - whether it was a giant spider or a horde of skeleton trolls - Jack always stood up to the challenge and fought back as brave as ever. This time, however, he seemed hesitant to protect the town.

Sally sighed as she walked to the window and gazed at Jack's house in the distance. A light bark filled the air. Sally looked to see that Zero was floating towards the graveyard with Jack slowly following behind. Now she knew something was wrong. Jack always went to the graveyard when something was bothering him. As quietly as she could, Sally crept out of her room.

* * *

Jack held his skull in his hands as he sulked among the tombstones. "Oh, Zero," he groaned, "what am I going to do? Everyone's counting on me to take care of this Bone Collector thing. I mean, I am the Pumpkin King and it is my responsibility to protect the townspeople, but still..." Jack sighed heavily as he plopped down against a tombstone. "If only the others knew what this creature was like! I can't go through this again, Zero! I don't know what to do..."

"You can start by telling me what you're talking about."

Jack jumped to his feet to find Sally standing beside him, looking concerned. "Sally! Wha...how...what are you doing here?"

"I saw you from my window," she said walking up to him. "Don't worry about the Doctor. Ever since he worked on Mo, he got motivated to pull an all-nighter. He was locked up in his lab when I left. Now then, are you finally going to tell me what's wrong?"

"I told you before," said Jack wearily, "everything's fine! I'm just...thinking, that's all."

Sally's hand touched Jack's cheek, turning his face towards her. "Jack, I know something is bothering you. You can tell me. It's just the two of us out here and I won't breathe a word to anyone, I promise. Please..." Jack looked into Sally's lovely brown eyes that were filled with trust and compassion. He knew that if there was anyone he'd share his story with, it was her.

Jack pressed Sally's hand closer to his cheek. "All right, Sally. You win, but I'm warning you. You may not feel the same about me when I tell you..."

"Let me be the judge of that." Sally smiled as she sat down on the tombstone bench. She patted the spot next to her, inviting Jack to sit. Jack did and took Sally's hands in his own before beginning his story.

"Okay...remember when Mr. Hyde said that there had been a sighting twenty years ago? He was right...and I was the one who had the encounter. I was only a boy then, about eight. My father, Ichibod Skellington, was Pumpkin King at the time and highly respected among the townsfolk. Every scare tactic and fright maneuver I know, I learned from him. I knew that when I became Pumpkin King, I'd wanted to be just like him. Not only could my father scare anything, but he also wasn't afraid of anything...which was my only flaw.

"I remembered hearing stories about the Bone Collector and how he - it - whatever, would terrorize other creatures, especially skeletons. My father told me it was just a story that mother skeletons told to their children whenever they were being naughty, but I still believed he existed...and it scared me. I never told him that, of course, for fear he'd be ashamed that the future leader of Halloween was afraid of an old ghost story. It was a secret I shared with only one person: my best friend, Grim. Grim was also a skeleton, but a bit of a trouble maker. The pranks he played on students and teachers went down in history. It seemed like every day, he was sent to the principal's office.

"Well, one night he tells me that if I really wanted to impress my father and prove myself worthy of being the Pumpkin King, I should go into the Hinterlands and face the Bone Collector myself. According to legend, if you were able to take away the Bone Collector's sickle chain from him, he'd disappear forever. The very thought of going into the Hinterlands at night terrified me, but Grim said he'd be with me and that we would face the monster together. Besides, I wanted nothing more than to make my father proud of me. So later that night, I snuck out of my house to meet Grim and we set off in the Hinterlands.

"All we had with us to light our way was a single flashlight. I tried my best to stay close to Grim, but when I looked up, he was gone. I panicked, shouting his name and looking behind every tree to see where he had gone. Suddenly, I heard him yelling for help, begging me to come as quickly as I could. I followed the shouts and when I thought I found him, instead I found...the Bone Collector! There he was, towering over me, sickle in hand, just waiting to strike. Before I could stop myself, I was running away as fast as I could.

"It was a miracle that I was able to find my way back, but when I reached the graveyard, I saw my father was already there, searching for me. He was furious, but when I told him about Grim, he quickly organized a search party and they went to look for him. All night they searched, but to no avail. The only thing they found was the flashlight Grim had been carrying. They didn't so much as find a pinky toe..."

Jack rose and walked away from Sally, feeling embarrassed, but also relieved to have told his story. "I never forgot that night, Sally. It was the only time I was ever truly scared. I've been able to fight zombie skeletons, ghosts, and monster spiders fearlessly. Even Oogie never scared me and he was one of the most feared villains in Halloween Town! But that monster, that...fiend! He..." Jack sighed and leaned against a large tombstone. He covered his face with his hands, once again feeling ashamed and confused.

When Jack fell silent, Sally merely stared at him with such empathy. She kept picturing Jack as a little boy, being so frightened and scared. "Oh Jack," she said softly. "I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"Well...now you do." Jack gazed at the stars twinkling above him. He could feel the warm glow of Zero's nose beside his hand, trying to console his master. Jack sadly scratched his ghostly ears. "When word reached the other townsfolk of what happened, it was like I did some heroic deed. 'Oh, that brave little Jack! Bless his little heart facing that horrible thing! He's just like his father.' They all thought I was brave because I survived. The only reason why I'm still here was because I was a coward."

Sally placed a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder. "You were not a coward, Jack. You were just a little boy. There wasn't anything you could've done."

"I could've tried to save Grim..."

Sally's heart sank. There was such pain on Jack's face. He didn't even look this upset the night she heard him singing in the graveyard. "I know you were scared when you faced the Bone Collector, but that was years ago. You're the Pumpkin King now and the best one this town's ever seen. You're stronger, more terrifying...and I know you have the courage to face him this time."

"But there's still a part of me that...fears him."

"And that's all right," said Sally, hugging his arm. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid now and then."

"No, it's not all right," snapped Jack, jerking his arm away from the embrace. "I'm the Pumpkin King! The master of fright and the demon of night! I am what people are afraid of! If I'm scared, it goes against everything I stand for! If anyone knew about this, they'd loose complete faith in me."

"Not necessarily," said Sally. "I don't mean to open up any old wounds, Jack, but remember the time you...well...tried you hand at a different holiday?"

Jack's face reddened. Obviously, Sally was referring to the Christmas incident and the mess he made when he tried to be "Sandy Claws". He groaned and rubbed his temple. "You had to bring that up, didn't you?"

"I can't say it was one of your proudest moments, but did anyone turn their back on you then?"

Jack shuffled his feet. "No...no, they didn't."

"They didn't because they're proud of you and they know you're not always perfect. No matter what happens tomorrow, Jack, you'll still be their hero...and mine."

Jack gazed into Sally's eyes and, for the first time that night, smiled. No matter what kind of trouble or situation he was in, Sally had always been there for him. He pulled her close and the two shared a loving embrace. "Thank you, Sally. I'm so lucky to have a dear friend like you. Still...do you think we could keep this between us?"

Sally giggled. "Of course. It won't leave the graveyard, I promise. I guess I better get going before the Doctor checks up on me."

"I'll walk you home."

With his arm across her shoulder, Jack and Sally left the graveyard with Zero following close behind. Little did they know that there was another set of ears listening in on the conversation. Lock poked his head out from behind a large tombstone, wearing his usual devilish grin. He snickered menacingly and quickly ran down the graveyard path to find his other cohorts.

Meanwhile, Shock and Barrel were busy looking for spiders, newts, and any other creepy crawlies to use during their fiendish games. They looked up when they saw Lock running towards them.

"It's about time you showed up," said Shock with her hands on her hips.

"Did you find any worms?" asked Barrel. "We haven't used worms in awhile."

"Guys, you're not going to believe this," Lock said excitedly. "I just saw Jack and Sally and..."

"Jack and Sally?" asked Shock. "What's so big about that? Everyone knows they're like the hottest couple in town."

"Why?" asked Barrel. "Did they have worms?"

"Forget about the worms!" snapped Lock. "Just shut up and listen. I heard them talking and - oh, this is too good - Jack's afraid of the Bone Collector! Like totally out-of-his-mind scared silly of the Bone Collector!"

"You mean the one that Hanging Tree said attacked him?" asked Shock.

Lock nodded. "Uh huh. Oh man, this is too sweet!"

Shock and Barrel exchanged looks. "It is?" asked Shock.

"Duh! Don't you see? This is our opportunity to play the biggest prank in the history of Halloween! We already know Jack's weakness; all we got to do is play the part!" Lock giggled happily and danced around as if his pants were filled with termites. He stopped once Shock smacked him with her broom.

"Let me get this straight," said Shock seriously. "You want to play a prank on the most powerful guy in all Halloween who, if we're caught, could have our butts kicked faster than you can say 'Trick or Treat?'"

Barrel twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Y-yeah, and what about the real Bone Collector? What if he catches us, too?"

"Relax, guys," said Lock coolly. "I bet that hanged man just got caught on a branch or something. Besides, we know our way around the Hinterlands pretty good. Remember when Oogie had us switch the holiday doors?"

"Yeah, I still can't believe Jack didn't jail us for that," said Shock.

"Or banish us," added Barrel.

"Or have our heads cut off."

"Guys! Focus!" snapped Lock. "Trust me, this'll be worth it! Now come on! Let's get back to the tree house! I'll give you the details there." And so, Lock, Shock, and Barrel headed for their tree house to set up their prank.

Chapter: 1 2 3 4 5 6