Jack lays next to the bouquet, watching them as if expecting any movement. A single, lonely bug crawled over one of the petals, took a bite, then resumed its journey to the far end of the cave where it will inevitably crawl into some little crevice and get ripped apart by a spider, and Jack will still be laying in his own misery, watching silently as the spider chews the head off of the squirming bug unknowing of its own fate. Hours pass. Oogie Boogie does not return. Jack does not move. He would have stayed this way forever, gathering dust and collapsing into a pile of bone at the lightest touch if a familiar voice had not prompted him from behind the door. He opens up the beetle-lock, more familiar now with its functions.
"How can I help," Jack asked. There is a sense of urgency in the air; Dr. Finklestein with a fearful look over his machinery as it whirs gears
"It's almost done. I would estimate the day after tomorrow at the earliest, but I can feign malfunction if we need more time."
"What is his plan? What's your plan?"
Dr. Finklestein presses a button and the machinery ceases. It's quiet. Dr Finklestein sits at his desk and overlooks the bulk of his work like a sad creature poking out of its burrow.
"Oogie Boogie is going to swarm HallowenTown. These machines- Blegh! Ugly things! They disgust me, Jack. He will release them and capture everyone in his net, and when he has everyone under his control he will declare himself the King of HalloweenTown."
"But I'm the king of HalloweenTown." Jack said, a determination and hope growing within him. He perks up, straightening out his back and appearing taller than he had been before, "And I won't let him hurt any of my people. Tell me, friend, how can we stop him?"
"If my plan succeeds, he will not get away with it. But, Jack. I have a favor to ask."
"Anything, my friend."
"Stay with me. For just a few moments longer. It is so lonely and I am tired."
"Of course,"
Jack sat down next to Dr. Finklestein, and he can observe now that Dr. Finklestein is within his wheelchair however it is bound by a chain. Dr. Finklestein, for the first time since his unwilling arrival into the terrible lair of Oogie Boogie, was able to close his eyes and rest. He slept for hours and Jack stayed beside him, comforted by a friend, yet unable to feel safe as he kept watch on the door for Oogie Boogie's return. The crusts of nitre-infected walls, where the gambling decor does not stretch to cover this chamber, seemed to glow by the flicker of the desk light. Jack looked and found constellations, odd shapes which mused him and took familiarity as stars where they did not dare to shine.
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Oogie Boogie's Prisoner (Jack x Oogie Boogie Fanfic)
FanfictionJack goes to visit his friend Dr. Finkelstein but discovers that he is not home, which leads him to the lair of Oogie Boogie, where he plays a game with more on the line than just his friend's safety! cover art by ME xoxo
