Our Nightmare

The Spiral Hill

The Mayor feels like he's suffocating when he reads through the report in his hands. It's the twentieth one in this hour alone. Its contents are similar to the others - the most prominent words being 'Boogie's Boys' , 'trouble' and 'pranks' . The sweat piles at his forehead and he promptly wipes it away with a dark sleeve. He scribbles at the list he's had to compile these past few days, to keep track of Lock, Shock, and Barrel's records with the citizens. It's grown immensely in this time, expanding to several pages consisting of their pranks and various allegations in Halloween Town.

The door opens, startling him. He relaxes his composure when he finds a tall skeleton shuffling in the room. He sets down some paperwork and sorts it in a nearby bin - addressing the Mayor with only the briefest of a glance. The shorter man huffs as he looks through his writing, the anxiety beginning to swell in his fingertips. He can't help raising his voice from the ever-growing frustration building in this silence.

" Jack!" The politician slams his hands on the table. "You've got to do something about Boogie's Boys!"

The Pumpkin King stands to his full height and turns on his heel to face him. The Mayor notices and frantically sorts through the papers, his hand shaking as he offers several to Jack Skellington. The handwriting on most is rushed and clearly written in a panic. His lip wobbles as he attempts to piece his words together.

"They've been such a hassle..! We've received nothing but complaints about them for weeks now! Every time I try to discipline them, I get pelted with rocks and called these ludicrous names..! I know you've been busy, but I just can't...I can't...I simply can't take it anymore ! This is going to take weeks to sort out, and-"

"--Mayor. Please, calm down."

He stops his words and takes a deep breath. He tries to soothe his nerves but his face refuses to switch to its happy state. Not when he's got all this stress to deal with..! He taps his pen on the table repeatedly as his tone becomes distressed.

"I know you have a lot on your mind. But you really have to punish them." He mutters as he sits back in his seat. "I don't know any other way to get them to listen. They've broken nearly every law, every code of conduct - you have to scare them straight. Please. For me?"

He returns the papers to his desk. "-I'll take care of everything. I've been meaning to pay a visit to that treehouse of theirs, anyway...I have several bones to pick with them, to say at the least."

His posture finally relaxes. He smiles when his face naturally switches and his mood lightens. "...Thank you."

Jack doesn't inform him anything more about the situation. He doesn't want to mention Oogie Boogie - that name is highly frowned upon in Halloween Town, and for good reason. He doesn't want the Mayor to worry any more than he already has. He's already turned into a mess from the trio's trouble as it is. This is something he'll have to sort out privately with them - especially when it involves a matter so personal. The moment they chose to include Sally in their mischief is the second they chose trouble with Jack Skellington himself.

He turns in the rest of his paperwork and begins his trip into the Outskirt forest of Halloween Town, a frown settling on his skull the entire way.

—-----

When Jack arrives at the treehouse, things are eerily silent. The only noise heard are the leaves rustling in the wind and the swaying of the dead trees. As he approaches the structure, it looks empty - but that's far from the truth. Those three are hiding in there, purposefully quiet. They must've seen him coming. His eye sockets scan the broken windows searching for any sign of the children. A witch's hat, a devil's tail... anything to give them away. He does this for a few minutes, nothing breaking the silence. Eventually, he calls out in its direction with a bony hand on his hip: