Nightmare After Christmas

Chapter 10

Scarlet stepped out of the trapdoor and looked around. She knew this was the graveyard, the same graveyard that held the memory of a troubled day. Jeremy looked around with a whistle, "Cool place you have here." Scarlet nodded before she slowly looked at the direction of the last place she thought she'd never visit again. Scarlet's legs carried her to the location. Jeremy followed, but did not speak. The more they walked, the more eerie the feeling came. "Um, Scarlet, where are we going?" Jeremy asked looking around. Scarlet glanced at Jeremy, but continued to walk. Once she stopped, she waited. The air seemed still, and the wind sung like the spirits that mourned at night. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the future Pumpkin Queen." Said a voice. The two looked over to see Lock,  Shock, and Barrel. "You brought a human boy too. That just makes it even funner." Shock said. Out of instinct, Scarlet stepped forward in front of Jeremy. The three snickered. "Calm down, we're not here for the boy, we're here, for you." Barrel said. Scarlet removed her mask and dropped it on the ground. "Aw, you should have kept that on, it did take Oogie Boogie so long to make it." Lock said with a smirk. Scarlet's eyes widened. Jeremy leaned to Scarlet's ear, "Oogie Boodie, like...the Boogeyman?" He whispered. Scarlet slowly nodded and looked around, 'Where is he then?' The three must have read her mind. "Oh don't worry, he's just, fashionably late as usual...or right under your nose." Shock said. Without even looking, Scarlet grabbed Jeremy and jumped away, looking back, she realized that she and Jeremy had dodged a moving vine. A deep cackle echoed through the graveyard. Scarlet felt a presence behind them, Jeremy must have felt it too, because they both slowly turned their head behind. Jeremy's eyes widened, "No way..." Scarlet's eyes too widened, if only she could open her mouth to scream. "Look what we have here, the Pumpkin King's little daughter herself, I must say, you've grown since I've last seen you." The voice said. Stepping forward, there stood Oogie Boogie, but he was different. His body was made of vines and thorns, bugs crawling around him, cloths that were unfinished, like he was trying to rebuild himself. Oogie Boogie again stepped forward, while Scarlet and Jeremy stepped back. "Don't worry, I only need you to lure my arch enemy here, so while we wait, why don't you, hang out!" He said sending vines at Scarlet and Jeremy. Scarlet was too paralyzed to move, and maybe Jeremy was too. The vines swirled around the two teens, tying them both tightly like snakes with their prey. Scarlet and Jeremy both tried to struggle out of the vines, but that only ended with the vines getting tighter. "Now now children, you have to behave, once Jack comes to find you, he won't know what will hit him." Oogie Boogie cackled to himself, as if he had told the best joke. Jeremy opened his mouth to say something, but a couple vines wrapped around his mouth, and he muffled out in frustration. "We can't have you spoiling the surprise human." Oogie Boogie said with a hint of annoyance. Jeremy only glared at Oogie Boogie, but Scarlet looked down, tears threatening to fall, 'Father will get hurt, and it's all my fault.'

With Jack, he flew back to Halloween Town. What Scarlet didn't know was that Jack was the type of man who knows where everyone was, or at least, he knew where she was. Jack entered his home. He smiled as he opened the door and called out, "Sally I'm home!" Sally looked up with a smile as Jack walked inside, "Hello Jack, how was Scarlet's birthday?" Jack slowly looked at Sally, "Well didn't she tell you when she came home?" This time, it was Sally's turn to turn slowly at Jack, "Jack...Scarlet never came home, wasn't she with you?" Jack's skeleton eyes widened, "No, I saw the trapdoor open in the graveyard, I knew it was her, where could she be?" Sally's expression quickly became worried, "There was a mystery gift for Scarlet." Sally walked away, few seconds later she came back holding a note. Sally gave it to Jack who read the note. Jack frowned and he looked up at Sally, "Sally, I have to go to the graveyard I'll be back." "What? No, I'm coming with, I've faced many conflicts in my life, Scarlet is my daughter as well, so I will go with you." Sally said. Jack stared at Sally before he nodded and looked back at the note, "What could she have possible seen?"