Doll Face

Another Selfish Scum

October 29, 1998

The sky is velvet grey in Halloween Town. The citizens, though as strange as they may appear, are quite friendly this time of year. They hustle and bustle on the cobblestone streets, while some sit on the patio at the Spider Web Café, sipping down a mug of their famous Casperccinos. The Mayor, as professional as he is, always tends to freak out at the most random of occasions concerning the next Halloween. Today, he's in quite the hurry.
Mr. Wolfman, with his sharp-toothy grin, greets the Mayor as he crosses the street on Jack-O-Lantern square, grumbling under his breath–– something about bad politics. He enters the Spider Web Café and asks for a Ms. Chapel Winters.
She's a gorgeous creature in a tight black dress under her purple cafe apron and tattoos all over her body. She halts in place when she sees the wolf; a look of terror traces her face as it slowly shifts to a devious snarl, "What are you doing here?"
"Well hello to you too. It's been a long time dear old friend," Mr. Wolfman grins.
Chapel crosses her arms, "Can't say I'm thrilled to see you."
"Wait 'til you hear what Oogie's got to offer. Then you can tell me if you're thrilled or not."
After a few unimpressed heartbeats, Chapel sighs, "Okay, what is it?"
"I think it's best if he tells you in person. Let's go and we can catch up along the way."
"Nah uh, I'm not going anywhere with you. So you can either tell me or get lost."
"Miss Winters please, it's Oogie we're talkin' about here, he won't take no for an answer." Mr. Wolfman grins with his vicious teeth. He looks at her like she's something to eat and salivates a little.
"I mean it," she snarls. "I've made a good life for myself since I left and I don't plan on leaving it any time soon. You can tell Oogie to fuck off and find another hussy to do his filthy business."
She turns away as Mr. Wolfman grabs her by the shoulder out of desperation. She yelps as he claws her. His smile is sinister as he reveals rows of sharp teeth, "Miss Winters please you can't turn this down. He's offering way more than you can ever imagine!" He sounds like a begging child. "Plus he... he threatened to kill me if I come back to his lair empty pawed! You understand Miss Winters, I need ya to say yes!"
Chapel thinks about this for a moment, "Oh, well in that case..." But yanks her shoulder from his grasp, "No." Her long raven hair falls to her face from the struggle. "Like I said Mr. Wolfman, I'm done with that part of my life."
She starts to walk away from him as he cries out after her. "Didn't you hear me you bitch? He's gonna kill me, I said he's gonna kill me!"
"Not my fucking problem!" She says as she struts away.
Mr. Wolfman remembers something and calls out,"He tortured you too." Hoping she'd take the bait. She halts with her back still facing him. Mr. Wolfman continues, "Just like me, only you had it worse didn't you? He wasn't just torturing you... he did other things." He can't see, but Chapel's face is fixated in horror as her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach.
The scars from her past untethers. All those old feelings she thought she had buried away forever have broken free. Now far more painful than ever before. She can't bear the realness of this awful nightmare. Now is the time to wake up. She clenches her fists tight until her fingernails leave crescent moons on her skin.
"I used to pity you, sweetheart. I thought maybe you'd still be that terrified little girl, the one who saw the good in people... people like me, but I can see clearly that Boogie sure did a number on you. Now you're just another selfish scum like the rest of us."
That was enough for her to charge towards him. "I am nothing like you and I don't need your goddamn pity. Now get the fuck out of my face!"
He mumbles as he heads towards the door, "You know where to find me if you change your mind, sweetheart."
She scoffs, "Don't count on it!"
Anxiety takes over the werewolf's body as he stands there astray, and utterly daunted. "Oh, what do I do? What do I do?" He growls out to all of Jack-O-Lantern Square, moping down the walkway. "I need a bitch to bring back to Oogie Boogie or else I'm screwed!" At that moment something thumps him in the head. Someone threw a bone at him. He picks it up and rubs his furry head. "...The hell?" Suddenly three little teens giggling amongst themselves, confront him. He rolls his eyes, knowing exactly who they are, "What do you brats want?"
Shock, explains with her high-pitched voice, "Oogie told us to check up on you." She's got on a purple sweater with black shorts and knee-high stockings in stripes. Her dark blue hair is in French braids. She smacks her gum obnoxiously.
"Fuck off, I'm working." He shoves them aside, trying his best to ignore them.
The smaller one, Barrel, asks, "Weren't you supposed to convince Chapel to get her old job back?" His neon green hair is pulled down in his face over his Halloween mask. He's got on a black denim vest over his skeleton shirt and black cargo shorts.
"Yep," he growls as the kids continue to follow him.
The devil boy, Lock, wonders. "Well, where is she?" This one is in a leather jacket and jeans in a lousy attempt to seem cool. His fire-engine red hair messily blows in a chilling gust of autumn wind.
"I couldn't get her, alright? Geez, stop pesterin' me."
The three of them chant, "Someone's gonna get in trouble!"
"No, I ain't," he mumbles.
"Oogie specifically told you to bring Chapel Winters to him by sundown or else–– hee hee–– lights out for you." Shock giggles as they all burst out in laughter.
He stops walking, which causes the three of them to bump into him one by one. "No, he said to bring back a girl, whether it's Chapel or whoever, it doesn't matter. So long as I don't return empty pawed I'll be just fine!" It angers him that he has to explain himself to a bunch of spoiled teenagers. "Besides, he gave me an extension. I got a whole other day now."
"I don't see any girl, do you Lock?" Barrel looks over to the devil boy.
"Nope, how about you Shock?"
"Besides me? No!" She cackles.
"I ain't found her yet alright!" He screams at the three teens. He groans, "Don't you kids got school or somethin'?"
"Oogie says education is for suckers," Shock hisses.
"Yeah, plus school is boring," Barrel agrees.
"Whatever, get outa my face. I got work to do." Mr. Wolfman continues down the walk toward All Hallows Avenue where all the easy women stroll.
"Oh Mr. Wolfie!" They holler after him.
"What?"
"Oogie says you'd give us cash for cigarettes," Lock insists. The three of them hold out their hands.
This is not what I signed up for... he thinks to himself and rolls his eyes as he pulls out his flesh-skinned wallet. "Alls I got is a twenty."
The three of them look at each other with suspicious grins, "Yoink!" Lock says before snatching the twenty-dollar bill from his hand and running away as quickly as their feet will let them.
"You damn kids are gonna burn in hell, ya hear me!"
They run off laughing and cackling.
Now broke and empty pawed, he continues his search for a young pretty girl, any girl. As long as his life is on the line, nothing else matters to him.