Oogie's Muse (Jack Skellington x Reader)

29 - The Sound of Death

"How was your day, Jack?" I asked as he slumped down on the couch next to the fire place, the shadows casting vicious shadows to snap their jaws along the sombre walls. The portrait of Jack in his classic Pumpkin king apparel glaring down at me from above the fireplace like a dictator. A nervous shiver encased my body in a blanket of cold. Jack placed a bony hand to his temples, rubbing soothing circles onto his cranium. I knew by the terse expression on his face that it was a long day.Jack's voice was hoarse and wry, a dark sense of humour riddled in every word.

"Peachy, just peachy." He replied. It was odd to hear the sarcasm in his typically optimistic voice, but since I wasn't deaf and prone to realism it was clear that something was bothering him. Edging around the moody male, I perched upon the recliner opposed to the couch. I leant my lengthened arm over the coffee table (which looked more like a coffin) and took his fingers in mine, giving them a gentle but reassuring squeeze. His lightless eye sockets bore into my face in a manner that was unfamiliar to me, as if he was trying to read my mind. 

I probed, "What happened today, my love? What's gotten you so upset?" 

Jack's tense expression folded into one of pity, of profound remorse that I did not understand. But I accepted the change in demeanour happily, not wanting my fiancé to be a wreck. 

"Mayor called me in today, said that there was an issue that he needed resolved immediately. He suggested that I bring you with me, " He took a deep breath, "but after he told me that it might be dangerous I didn't want to take the chance. "

Intrigued, I edged closer to him.

"What did he need resolved?" I said barely above a whisper, my insides contorting as a sudden thought raked its delicate fingers along my cranium, "It wasn't anything to do with the disappearance of Lock, Shock and Barrel - was it?"

Jack shook his head, seemingly dazed. The Pumpkin king shrugged off her hand, pacing to the fireplace with his skeletal back facing her. Through his suit, she could see the faint edges of his delicate spine. The light from the fireplace casted a menacing shadow to drape from Jack's body, engulfing my face into darkness.

"There's bigger problems than that at the moment, (Y/n)." His voice was chiding and his tone hollow. Turning around very slowly on his heel, he faced her yet again.
He continued, "I went to the Town Square expecting some sort of news on the children, but what I saw was even more horrific." He took a gulp of air, "There's an epidemic in town, stretching across worlds. Infecting only a few monsters."

"Well that's good isn't it? An epidemic for Halloween always makes them more gruesome." I interjected, so moved by my argument that I stood up as well.

Jack shook his head again, "You don't understand, (Y/n). It isn't anything beneficial to Halloween like a normal human epidemic; smallpox, measles, the plague, etcetera. It's a monster epidemic."

It felt as if years had gone by as the words soaked in, carried down the halls in an echo. The grim look on Jack's face made me understand the seriousness of his words,but I couldn't believe it.

"That's impossible."

"Five have been affected in the worlds of holidays so far, only two in our midst." Jack corrected.

"Who?"

"The Werewolf and one of the Vampires," He stated remorsefully," There's nothing we could do."

I gasped, a hand flying to my mouth. Horror and fear churned my 'stomach' into absolute chaos.
"You don't mean..." I couldn't bring myself to say it,"they're dead?"