Doll Face

Love is Strength

No one knows what to expect when they descend down the stairs to Oogie's lair. They fear the unknown and they fear the possibility of what they might find. This place isn't far from hell. They know this, and for that, they hope they won't have to be here much longer.
"I don't see them anywhere," Sally sighs as she and the rest of the group look around for any sign of Chapel or Velma.
Eddie hollers at the top of his lungs, "Chapel? Chapel!" He feverishly searches the entire floor, running from one side of the room to the other, looking behind giant robotic soldiers and peeking in the three iron maidens Oogie has propped up against the wall. It takes him longer than the others to realize Chapel is nowhere in sight. Eddie says, "Maybe she's escaped?" But he has a difficult time believing that.
"Maybe..." Samuel agrees.
"We can't stop looking now, c'mon," Jack announces with determination and heads back to the stairs. Maybe the girls are in the tree house, he thinks to himself, but something stops him in his tracks. A chill runs down Jack's spine as he dares to take a single breath.
"Or maybe..."
They all turn to face the source of the voice, a deep growl.
"She ain't never comin' back."
Oogie appears from the shadows of the darkest corner. He stands there tall and mighty with his hands on his fat hips and a hauntingly malicious smile on his face.
"It's been a long time, Jack." He says and turns to Sally who has clutched on to Jack's arm for dear life, "And welcome back, Rag Doll."
Eddie snarls, hissing as his fangs drip out from his blood-red lips, "What have you done with my girlfriend you bastard?!" He charges at Oogie, but Oogie stands there unclenched and literally blows him away. Eddie flies across the room and slams up against the wall with a bone-crippling THUMP. His strong vampire-structured body is unharmed and Eddie stands himself up glaring at Oogie with his dead eyes.
"Relax Fang Boy, she's alive." He pauses, and then adds with a smirk. "For now..."
Jack holds Eddie back before he can charge again. "Tell us where she is," he demands, "Or else––" He struggles to keep a grip on the young, bloodthirsty vampire.
"Or else what, Bone Man? You gonna slay me good like you did last time? Hee hee, look where that got you. Trust me old man, nothing can defeat me. Besides, she came here on her own accord."
"Give us Chapel, and we'll leave you be," Samuel says from behind Eddie, struggling to hold him back as well.
Oogie contemplates this for a moment. "Hmm, tell ya what, daddy-o. Let's make this more interesting." He pulls out a silver coin and tosses it lightly in one hand while the other rests lazily on his hip.
"We're not here to negotiate. Tell us where she is and we'll be on our way," Jack does his best to hold in his short temper.
Oogie just says, "Heads or tails?"
"We're not doing this!" Jack's voice grows louder.
"Heads. Or. Tails?" Oogie says once more with trying patience.
Sally hollers as she grips onto Jack's shoulder, "Heads!" The three guys look surprised as they glance her way to see for certain if it was her voice they just heard.
Everyone's breath lingers in their lungs as they watch Oogie fling the small coin high in the air and catches it in the palm of his hand. He flips it over by slapping it onto the back of his other hand to reveal the result.
"Tails." He says with upmost delight. "Looks like I won the jackpot." He grabs Sally, pulling her away from Jack, their hands ripped from one another. She shrieks at the top of her lungs for dear life, begging to be released, begging for Jack to save her. It happens so fast. Jack tries to reclaim his wife but two hairy arms restrain him. Mr. Wolfman growls and slobbers as he salivates by the smell of bones.
Oogie tosses Sally on his shoulder, she dangles from his back as she squirms and claws at him, her legs kicking his stomach. "You're wastin' your time, girl." Oogie snarls at her. Nothing stops her from fighting for her life. She continues to scream and pound her fists with all her might. Oogie cackles as he hastily puts her down, slamming her up against the wall and restraining her arms with chains.
Samuel and Eddie each sink their fangs into Mr. Wolfman's arm to release Jack. The werewolf howls in pain as he clenches his bloody wound. Eddie continues to slurp and suck the blood from his forearm, tempted by the sweet taste. Samuel just licks his lips of the red juices and runs after Oogie. It takes all the force in the world for Eddie to stop drinking. With liquefied rubies dripping down his chin, he wipes the stain from his mouth and lunges after Oogie. Samuel and Eddie leap onto Oogie's back and bite into his neck, while Jack rips the chains off the wall. At last, the two vampires disarm Oogie while Mr. Wolfman lies on the floor useless and dying as he bleeds out. Sally unstitches her arm to smoothly slip off the metal cuff and proceeds to do the same to the other arm. The two vampires use the chains to bind Oogie.
"Let's tear him apart and burn the pieces," Eddie growls with bloody spit flying out of his mouth, pure hatred aflame in his bloodthirsty eyes.
"It won't be that easy." Jack states, knowing better than he did five years ago. "He's an evil spirit. We need the Enchanted Sisters on this one. Only Helga and Zelda have the knowledge and power to destroy such demons. I'll call them now," Jack says as he heads towards the stairs with Sally following him closely, but before they get any farther they are welcomed by the sound of rushing footsteps descending down the stairs. Jack gazes upwards and his bones are filled with relief and joy, Sally beams graciously. Jack cheers, "Velma, Chapel, you're okay!"
Velma runs into Sally's arms in tears. "You're alive, you're alive!" She sobs. "Oh, thank you God!"
Eddie runs to Chapel, the two of them embrace as they reunite at last and he lovingly says, "Pumpkin."
Chapel is happy to be in his arms but is taken aback as to how he ended up in Oogie's lair. "I'm so, so sorry for the way I left things. I should have told you the truth right from the start." She wants to kiss him but she's ashamed for how she's treated him and feels he deserves better.
"I don't care about that anymore. I'm just glad you're safe." Eddie pulls her close and kisses her with such passion; the others have to look away for such a private, intimate moment.
When they separate she licks her lips in a strange and curious manner. "Is... is that blood I taste?"
"While I'm sure you six are enjoying your reunion you should know there are still a few unfinished matters at hand, matters we've agreed upon. I can most certainly say with confidence that I am a man of my word... the only question is... are you... Miss Winters?" Oogie sinks his dead eyes deep into her.
She finds his stare chilling as the hairs on the back of her neck rise up. She backs away from Eddie and quickly glances at Jack. "Deal's off. I'm not interested. I'll find another way to get my kids back."
"You think you can back out now? We shook hands. We agreed." Angrily, Oogie tugs at the chains, whipping them as they rattle against the hard stone floor. "The deals not off unless I say it's off."
Chapel shakes her head. "No, I'm not doing your dirty work anymore. You can't make me do it."
"Hmm..." Oogie takes a moment as he puts a stop to his noisy chains. "We'll see about that." Suddenly the lights flicker until it's pitch black. Everyone panics until the black lights come on and the colors become neon and vibrant in the darkness. The lair grows silent except for the sound of Chapel stumbling to the floor. She whimpers and moans agonizingly on the floor. Soon, the room is filled with her screams. Everyone tries to tend to her but they are forced to stand completely still. Her screaming rips apart their ears like a never-ending song straight from a nightmare. It echoes, one after the other after the other.
Eddie calls out through her cries, "CHAPEL," He tries to touch her but he is forced to stand perfectly still, feet glued to the ground while he watches her struggle. It kills him that he can't protect her from her pain. "CHAPEL, I'M HERE, I'M HERE, IT'S OKAY," he tries his best to sound calm.
"Eddie," she struggles to let it out. "Eddie I... I lov––," just then, she's surrounded by a green light. She retches as millions of itty bitty spiders crawl out from her open mouth, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as her tongue transforms into a snake still attached to her throat. It hisses at Eddie while the little spiders scatter behind her head and into her hair. Eddie is completely mortified as he gawks at her.
Suddenly her voice changes as it transitions to enticing laughter, deep and horrific. "Looks like you ain't the only one who's gotten a taste inside the Winter Ride, eh Fang Boy?" He smiles as he lies there in Chapel's body. Her arms and legs are bent in unnatural positions. Her eyes still rolled to the back her head. Oogie has a difficult time adjusting to this new body. It takes him a while to stand himself up, but soon he's driving her body like a pro. He admires her hands and her hair that falls down to her waist. "Lovely." He says while smelling her locks. With one foot in front of the other, he begins to control Chapel's legs to move, like a baby learning to walk. Everyone is still stuck in place as they just stare at what's happening in terror. Chapel-Oogie notices this and chuckles. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" As he says this, the snake from her mouth slithers out from her throat and spirals down from her neck to her waist to her leg and into a dark corner where it vanishes completely. He makes his way to Jack and places his hands on each side of his skull. Chapel-Oogie forces himself to rip off Jack's head but something prevents him from doing so.
Chapel screams through her lips, "No, I can't!" Her hands tremble around Jack's skull as she uses all the strength she can muster to take control of her own body. Her arms grow weary.
Oogie's voice booms instantly from Chapel's lips, "You can and you will. We made a deal!"
Chapel cries out, "No!"
"If you want your precious brats, you better let me do this or Jack won't be the only one losing his head tonight."
Chapel grunts, "No..." Her hands tremble violently as both she and Oogie pour all of their strength and energy in their arms, wrapped around Jack's skull.
"You can do it, c'mon just do it! Let yourself go. Let me take control. Let go, Chapel, let go. C'mon ole girl, let go," Oogie grows impatient.
Chapel's teary eyes meet Jack's empty sockets, filled with remorse. They share an unspoken understanding as they exchange a slight nod.
"It's okay," he wants to say, "Do it for your children."
Now sobbing, "I'm not afraid of you Oogie." They both continue struggling with their arms wrapped around Jack's skull. "All my life­–– for as long as I can remember–– you've forced my soul to rot here in hell with you and your minions. You've treated me like a slave, your very own show pony. You do what you please, even if someone's life is on the line because life means absolutely nothing to you. You may look scary and you may act scary, but deep down you're nothing but a burlap sack full of shit." As she says this, her hands start to separate from Jack's skull, gaining strength. "You don't scare me, not one bit. Now do me a favor," the space between her hands grow wider and wider as she speaks. "And get the fuck out of my head!" At that moment, her arms fly out into the air as an invisible force shoves her back, landing on the floor.
The black light shuts off and the main lights return. Jack, Sally, Samuel, Eddie, and Velma are free from their frozen spell. They all rush to Chapel's care. They caress her face and brush a few strands out of the way. Eddie takes off his leather jacket and places it on her head as a pillow, taking her hand and caressing it. Velma takes the other hand; she bends down to kiss it and wipes a few tears from her own eyes. Jack tells Samuel to call the Enchanted Sisters. By the time the two old witches arrive Chapel slowly awakens with a supermassive headache and pain striking her entire body. They tend to her immediately and demand everyone leaves the place at once while they do. Eddie refuses to leave her side. Sally gently takes his hand and leads him up the stairs.
"Where do you think he's gone?" Eddie asks Sally as the two of them follow the gang up the stairs.
"I don't know. He's probably hiding in the darkness somewhere."
"The coward."
"It doesn't matter now Eddie. The Enchanted Sisters will make sure he never sets foot in this town again." When they reach the top of the stairs, they are faced with a door. The others are already inside the tree house so it's just Eddie and Sally on the stairway. Sally opens the door but Eddie quickly forces it shut.
He asks in a deeply hurt tone, "Did you know about Chapel?"
Sally's face shows a sign of sympathy mixed with her naturally kind aura. "I know she had fallen in a not-so-good crowd when she was young. We can't be held accountable for the things we did in our past." She adds, "She regrets her mistakes."
Frustrated. "But why didn't she just tell me?"
"She loves you, Eddie. She didn't want to scare you away with the skeletons in her closet. She didn't want to ruin what she has with you. She lost her brother long ago because of it, she didn't want to risk losing you too."
He asks, puzzled, "Her brother?"
Sally nods. "He tried to help her escape Oogie's brothel but one of his cronies got ahold of him and..." she turns away. "She blamed herself."
"I see..."
"She's had a rough life, but you make her so happy."
"She makes me happy too."
"Demons like Oogie can only get stronger if you feed it. But with the love you share with others, there's nothing to be afraid of. Chapel defeated Oogie because of the love she has for you. It allowed her to stand up to him and it's how she freed herself from his hold." Sally softly pats his shoulder. "Love is strength," she says before opening the door to the tree house.
Eddie is left on the stairway alone. He stares at the closed door and then down towards Oogie's lair where the two witches are healing Chapel. He's tinged with a warm feeling inside of his chest followed by the impulsive urge to hold her. The smell of her fragrance haunts his brain; the way she smells like pumpkin spice lattes and rosemary, her intoxicating smile with her black lipstick, the way her eyes roll when she eats pecan pie or when she looks more confused when she's frustrated, her laughter, her annoyed sighs whenever he tells her a corny joke. "If love is strength," he whispers to himself. "Then I'm invincible."