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Chapter Three
The sun was already well up in the sky when Jack ventured towards the Hinterlands. Most of the town had gathered on top of the hill and among the tombstones, cheering on their king. Even the town band had come to play a haunting victory song. Jack did his best to be confident as he waved to them. I can't believe I'm doing this, he thought.
As he reached the outskirts, he saw Sally standing there with her hands clasped in front of her. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Did the whole town have to show up?"
"They just wanted to give you encouragement," she said as she grasped his bony hands. "You'll do fine, Jack. If there really is a Bone Collector out there, you'll take care of him."
Jack nodded and was about to enter the Hinterlands when Sally stopped him. "Jack wait." She placed a small kiss on his cheek. "For luck..."
Jack's whole skull went red, but felt a twinge of confidence run through his marrow. "Thanks Sally," he said, then whistled for Zero to join him. The crowd cheered loudly as Jack entered the Hinterlands. Sally watched him go until he was no longer in sight. "Please be careful, Jack..." she whispered.
* * *
For what felt like hours, Jack walked deeper and deeper into the Hinterlands. Memories flooded his skull as he thought of the other adventures he had in this confusing place. That fateful Halloween when he discovered that there were other holidays besides his own, when the Hinterlands were littered with Oogie's minions as they desperately tried to defeat Jack. But the one memory that stood out the most was the first time Jack entered the Hinterlands as a little boy. To this day, he still couldn't figure out how he got separated from Grim. It was like he vanished into the thin air. Had he gotten scared and tried to run off? No, Jack thought. Grim would never have done that. They had been best friends.
Zero's barking awoke Jack from his daydream. The ghost dog floated towards him, carrying a black and orange swirled lollipop in his mouth. Jack picked it up and studied it. "What's a piece of candy doing out here?" Jack said himself.
Not far off the trail, Lock watched Jack intently. He sat on Barrel's shoulders who sat upon Shock's shoulders, causing her great discomfort. "Shouldn't I be on top?" she groaned.
"Nah, you got stronger feet for the job," sneered Lock as he pulled the dark hood over his head. Overnight, the troublesome trio had put together a Bone Collector costume. They used their old bed sheet as a hooded cloak. They managed to find a long chain, but instead of a sickle, they taped a hatchet to the end of the chain. Lock and Barrel thought it looked convincing, but Shock (who was always the more sensible one) knew they'd be caught for sure. Still Lock refused to listen to her criticism.
"Ok, there he is," Lock whispered to his partners in crime. "I'll do all the talking. Barrel, you swing the chain and Shock...just try not to trip over anything."
"Well, it's kind of hard to when you can't see anything!" she snapped.
"Lock, I don't know about this," he groaned under the sheet. "What if he..."
"Shh, here he comes! Shock, move forward!"
Although they tried to be convincing, the tall gangly figure sneaking up on Jack was more comical than frightening. Lock did his best to keep his voice intimidating while dodging Barrel's swings. Shock struggled to keep her balance as she supported the two trick-or-treaters. "Oooh," moaned Lock. "I am the Booone Collectooor! (Barrel, watch it!) I am coooming to geeeet yooouuu--OW! Stop pinching me!"
"I didn't! You kicked me in the eye!"
"Will you two quit squirming! Gees, Barrel! How much candy did you have this morning?"
"Just one or two....bags."
"WHAT? You better not have touched my spider truffles!"
"Shut up, you guys! He'll hear us!"
"Ow! You're stepping on my ear!"
The three continued fighting, unaware that Jack had already spotted them. Hiding behind a tree, he watched the spectacle and recognized the voices immediately. A wave of relief washed over him. This meant that there was no Bone Collector; just a sick, horrible prank. Jack's relief was replaced with a mixture of anger and mischief. "Lock, Shock, and Barrel?" he whispered to Zero. "So, the three little pranksters want to kick it up a notch, huh? Fine! It may be their trick, but it'll be my treat!" Jack then snuck around the arguing trio, becoming one with the night.
Meanwhile, as Shock and Barrel continued arguing, Lock looked through his hood to see that Jack was gone. "Hey! HEY! You two shut up!" he snapped. "Where'd Jack go?"
"How should I know?" asked Shock, rather annoyed. "You're the head, remember?"
"But he was right there a second ago..."
Just then, Jack leapt out in front of the trio, unleashing his most bloodcurdling screech. Lock jumped back, knocking Barrel and Shock off their balance. All three crashed to the ground, tangled in the bed sheet and homemade sickle chain. Lock was the first to poke his head out from beneath the sheet, followed by Shock and Barrel. Much to their dismay, they found Jack standing over them with scornful expression.
"We are so dead!" squeaked Shock.
Lock chuckled nervously. "Uh, hey there, Jack! H-how's it going?"
Jack's expression didn't change. "Isn't it a little early to be trick-or-treating?"
"It's not what you think!" cried Lock. "We were just trying out our costume for next year. That's all we were doing, honest!"
"Yeah," said Barrel. "We weren't trying to scare you because you're secretly afraid of the Bone Collec-OW!" Barrel was silenced by Lock's fist.
Jack's eyes narrowed. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Lock and Shock put on a look of innocence as Barrel continued nursing his jaw. "We have no idea!" said Lock.
"Yeah, we don't know what he's talking about," said Shock.
"Besides, it's not like Lock told anyone else," said Barrel, only to be kicked in the rear by Lock.
Jack grabbed Lock by the tail and hoisted him upside-down, looking him square in the eye. "What exactly do you know, Lock?" he growled.
Seeing that he had no choice, Lock gulped and relayed his story. "Well, I kind of overheard you talking to Sally last night about...how you were scared of the Bone Collector and I wanted to play a little prank...PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! It was just a joke!"
Jack's grip on Lock's tail tightened. "Does it look like I'm laughing?" he yelled, dropping Lock on his head. "That's it! I'm getting sick and tired of letting you kids off the hook! When we get back to town, I'm going to see that you three finally get what's coming to you!"
Lock, Shock, and Barrel huddled close together, shivering in fear. "W-what are you going to do?" asked Barrel.
A dastardly grin crept onto Jack's face as he pondered. "Hmm...I know! Just the thing for nasty trick-or-treaters. For three months, you're all sentenced to eating nothing by fruits and vegetables, followed by brushing your teeth twice a day!"
Their faces dropped. Good nutrition and dental hygiene: a trick-or-treaters worst nightmare. "Oh no, please!" cried Lock. "Not that!"
"That's cruel and unusual punishment!" screeched Shock.
"Perfect!" said Jack, smiling. "You're all cruel and unusual, so it's just the right punishment. Now march!"
Knowing their fate had been set, Lock, Shock, and Barrel gathered up their costume and sulked down the path with Jack and Zero close behind. "Told you it was a dumb idea," Shock muttered.
"Don't you start!" snapped Lock.
"Don't either of you start," Jack scolded, "or do you want me to add flossing to the sentence?" They quickly fell silent. "And before we break out the toothbrushes, I want each of you to apologize to poor Hanging Tree for scaring him last night."
Lock stopped in his tracks to face the Pumpkin King. "Waitaminute! That wasn't us!"
"Yeah," added Shock. "We weren't anywhere near the Hinterlands that night."
"We were just trying to scare you!" said Barrel.
Jack, however, wasn't convinced. "Nice try, kids, but until I see proof, you three are being held accountable for the attack."
Barrel's eyes widened as the pointed behind Jack. "Uh Jack? I-is that good p-proof?"
Before Jack could scold Barrel for once again trying to scare him, the sound behind him froze him to the spot. That sickening, whirling sound of metal cutting the air. Ever so slowly, Jack turned around to find the one thing he dreaded the most. There stood the Bone Collector, spinning his sickle chain madly. The creature shot out his arm, sending the missile hurtling towards Jack.
In the nick of time, Jack came to his senses and dove to the ground as the sickle buried itself in a tree. As the Bone Collector advanced towards Jack, Lock, Shock, and Barrel ran as quickly as they could away from the frightening scene, leaving Jack alone to face his adversary.
Panic overwhelmed Jack as he scooted away from the Bone Collector, feeling his back hit a tree. The Bone Collector stood over the frightened skeleton, about to strike again when Zero sailed forward and barked in his face, his orange nose glowing brightly. Although his face was covered by a hood, the Bone Collector screeched and shielded his face, giving Jack enough time to get to his feet. He ran through the trees, the branches grabbing at his coat. It was exactly the way his nightmare had gone.
I've got to get back to town, he screamed in his mind. Please let me get back to town!
* * *
Sally paced on top of the spiral hill, looking for any sign that Jack would be returning. Did we do the right thing, she asked in her mind. Should we really have sent Jack in there alone? No, he wasn't alone. Zero was with him.
"Any sign of him?"
Sally looked up to see Hanging Tree had come up to join her. "No, not yet," she said sadly. "Do you think he's all right? Maybe we should send someone in there to check up on things."
"Don't worry your pretty stitched head, Sal," said Flip.
"Yeah, Jack knows what he's doing," added Skip.
The sound of voices screaming alerted Sally and Hanging Tree. They looked down to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel running from the woods with a large rag and chain dragging behind them. The three didn't stop to answer any questions from the townsfolk as they ran until they were out of sight.
"Lock, Shock, and Barrel?" asked Chip. "What were they doing in there?
"And what were they running from?" asked Sally.
A second scream erupted from the Hinterlands. "Help! Somebody please help me!"
Sally recognized it immediately. "Jack!" Before Hanging Tree or his men could stop her, the rag doll bolted down the spiral hill as it unraveled quickly to keep up with her. When she reached the bottom, Jack sprang out from the trees, his clothes torn and tattered and he had a wild look in his eyes. Zero followed as he flew around Jack's legs.
"Sally!" he cried, grabbing her shoulders. "Sally, it was him! The Bone Collector! He tried to...h-he almost!" Jack paced in a circle as his fear shone upon him like a beacon.
The townspeople hurried to the hill to see what the commotion was. Much to their confusion, they saw Jack panting hard and shaking like a leaf in the breeze. The Mayor pushed his way through the crowd to approach the Pumpkin King. "Everyone stand back, give him some air!"
Sally placed her hands on Jack's back as she calmed him down. "It's ok, Jack, you're safe now. What happened?"
"It was horrible, Sally," sobbed Jack, oblivious to the other townspeople. "It was just like before! I can't believe I got out of there in one piece!"
"But you did take care of him," asked the Mayor hopefully. "Didn't you, Jack?"
Jack looked around him, finally noticing his audience. A great shame overwhelmed him as he stared back at the worried faces. He tried to find the words to give an explanation, but his mind drew a blank.
"I don't believe it," muttered the werewolf. "Jack got...scared?"
The crowd broke out into a gaggle of whispers and mutterings.
"But Jack's never been scared before!"
"We must really be in trouble!"
"What if that thing comes to town?"
Although his sad face still showed, the Mayor once again tried to calm the crowd. "Everyone please, let's not panic! I'm sure Jack has a way to help us, right Jack? Jack?"
The Pumpkin King wasn't paying attention. In a daze he walked through the crowd as they slowly parted to let him pass. He made eye contact with no one as the shock of what had happened finally penetrated his brain. He had failed. As leader of Halloween, he had betrayed the sacred rule. He got scared.
Sally was the only one who followed him, leaving the townspeople to deal with their own questions. They were almost to the gate when Sally finally tried to talk to the dazed skeleton. "Jack....dear?" asked Sally timidly. "Are you all right?"
"Did you see the way they looked at me?" Jack mused. "The shame, the disappointment...."
Sally sighed heavily. "Jack, don't start that again. They aren't ashamed of you! They're just concerned, that's all."
Jack shook his head. "No, Sally, this is just the beginning. Don't you see? The Bone Collector won. He did the one thing no one's ever done before: he scared a Pumpkin King."
As much as Sally wanted to console her friend, there were more important matters on her mind. "Jack, I know this is hard for you, but you've got to pull yourself together! Right now, the town is scared and confused and, more than ever, they need the guidance of their leader. What if the Bone Collector tries to get into town?"
"What do they expect me to do?" Jack said bitterly. "They saw how I reacted! Everyone knows the truth now: Jack Skellington, the feared Pumpkin King of Halloween, is afraid. How will anyone ever have faith in me? I'll never be able to show my face in town again!"
Sally's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she heard this. "I don't believe this. That's what you're so worried about? Your reputation? Jack, the town's more concerned with this Bone Collector and what to do if he makes another attack! You're the only one who..."
"No I'm not, Sally!" Jack snapped. He had never spoken to Sally in such a tone that the poor rag doll was taken off guard. "Don't you get it? Once a Pumpkin King gets scared, that's it! I don't know what to do or say that'll stop this thing. I'm just not strong enough anymore! The town's just...they're just going to have to get themselves out of this one. Without me!"
Tears flooded Sally's eyes, but they were filled with anger instead of sadness. "Fine Jack!" she said tensely. "Go home and feel sorry for yourself while everyone is wondering why you turned your back on them. If you really were the Pumpkin King, you'd think about the town's wellbeing instead of your stubborn pride. I wasn't ashamed before...but I am now!"
Sally ran back towards the Spiral Hill, sobbing as she left behind a very stunned skeleton. Jack wanted to run after her. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was, but the motivation didn't come. He looked down at Zero who simply gave his master a look of concern. "Come on, Zero," he said opening the gate. "Let's go home..."
* * *
Alone in the graveyard, Sally wept among the various tombstones. The townspeople had left hours ago, possibly having an emergency town meeting (which she and Jack were obviously not taking part in). Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Sally gazed up at the large cream-colored moon. She couldn't believe she and Jack had a fight. Ever since the night they fell in love, Jack and Sally had always found ways around their adversities. Now, the rag doll didn't know what to do. She still loved Jack dearly, but his attitude towards this whole ordeal was unacceptable. She couldn't fathom how Jack was more worried about his title than the safety of his people.
She heard a soft meow from nearby. Sally looked up to see Wicca, the little black cat that followed her around. She sniffed as her feline friend leapt from the tombstone and into her arms. Wicca purred softly as she tried to console her friend.
"Oh, Wicca," moaned Sally as she held the cat out in front of her, looking into her yellow eyes for an answer, "what are we going to do? Jack's being so stubborn about all this and he's our only hope! I know the town hasn't lost faith in him. They would never..."
Wicca suddenly leapt out of Sally's arms, bounding up on the nearest tombstone. The cat arched her back and hissed loudly, clearly frightened. "Wicca?" Sally asked. "What's wrong? What is it?"
At first, Sally thought that she had done something to upset the cat, but then she felt a dark presence behind her. A bony arm grabbed her waist while a hand covered her mouth, muffling her screams. She tried to pull the hand away from her lips, but the grip was like a vice. The strong figure carried the frightened rag doll off into the night, leaving Wicca alone and helpless.
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