Chapter Text
Sally’s feet had barely touched the floor when the world itself shifted, throwing her violently to the cold metal slats. She cried out as the crazed shaking continued, watching helplessly as books toppled off shelves, as her sewing machine rattled around like a thing possessed before falling over with a crash. Her desk and chair bounced against the floor, the few dresses she’d been able to stitch together from scraps fluttering from their hooks like exhausted ghosts.
She didn’t dare try to get up, instead crawling toward the only thing that still seemed sturdy—the thin frame of her bed bolted to the wall. Her pillow had already fallen off, and she snatched it as she ducked into the barely big enough gap beneath, wrapping it around her head in a feeble attempt to block out the noise. She clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to see the tower fall down around her, the jagged wreckage that would pile up and bury her alive, her cloth and leaves ripped to shreds.
The terrified rag doll had lost all sense of time and direction when the quaking finally tapered off. She couldn’t bring herself to look at first, feeling cold tears soak into her cheeks as the ringing in her ears slowly faded.
It was then she noticed the voice.
“Sally! Igor!”
It was weak and raspy, filled with emotions she’d never thought she would hear, her leaves trembling anew as she jumped to her feet, only for her head to smack against her bed frame. Groaning, she waited for the room to stop spinning before she crawled out from her hiding place, straightening as slowly as she could, then tossed her pillow back on top. The fact she could feel pain in that way, but not when a needle pushed through her skin over and over, had never made sense to her, but there was no time to focus on that now.
She hurried to the door and threw it open, every stitch going colder than the grave.
The long ramp that spiraled the height of the tower had partially collapsed, leaving gaps that no one could jump across. The floor far below was littered with the fallen pieces, as well as chunks of the walls where supports had been ripped out. The few framed paintings had fallen, a bookcase facedown, books scattered around it, the doorway to the kitchen blocked by debris. The front door was completely hidden by a section of the ramp, most of the lights either flickering or out.
“Sally!”
The word was flooded with relief, yet coated in fear. She looked up to see Doctor Finkelstein in the doorway of his lab, his goggles askew, several fresh cuts gleaming wetly on his pale face. There even looked to be a dent in his head plate. She gasped when she realized he wasn’t in his wheelchair, and she could only imagine what the rest of him must look like, after having to drag himself through whatever disaster filled that room. He grunted, pulling himself closer to the sheer drop where the ramp had been.
“Is Igor with you,” he called down. “Are you both in one piece?”
“I-I’m fine,” she shouted back. “But I don’t know where he is!”
Not thinking, she moved to step on the slick metal before her door, wanting only to find the last member of their weird little family.
“Don’t,” the doctor cried. “There’s no telling how stable it is, you’ll have to find another way!”
She gulped, pulling back into her room. The landing itself wouldn’t hurt for long, but she couldn’t risk making any damage worse, not when they had no idea if Igor might be buried or trapped somewhere. She looked around quickly, her leaves jumping when she saw the window.
It was barred, the hinges stiff, and the lock often jammed. It was also at least two stories up, promising an uncomfortable landing, but there was no other choice. After making sure she still had her needle and spools, she moved as fast as she dared across the room, hoping the shaking hadn’t forced it shut for good.
The grind of metal on metal as she pushed it open had never sounded so amazing.
Sighing in relief, Sally stared down over the sill, seeing the large pile of dead leaves she and Igor had swept up the day before, to replenish the stock of them the doctor kept on hand for her. It had collapsed during the shaking, but there was enough left to cushion her fall, hopefully to the point she wouldn’t need to waste valuable time reattaching severed limbs. She threw herself over without hesitation, eyes shut tight against the wind rushing past her, crying out as she slammed into the leaves.
Her eyes snapped open, and she groaned aloud when she saw her leg seams had split, her right arm bent awkwardly over the top of a large stone she’d completely forgotten was buried in the dirt. She sat up, yanking her needle from its place behind her ear, almost breaking the thread in her rush to push it through the eye. It only took a few minutes to repair the damage, but it still felt like far too long—she jumped to her feet and took off toward town as fast as she could, not wanting to lose another precious second.
The square was in chaos when she stumbled to a stop, her leaves burning from exertion. It looked like at least half the town had fallen to rubble, the rest not far behind. Dark smoke smeared across the early morning sky from scattered pockets of flickering flame, filling the air with an acrid stench. Bright green water had spilled over the edges of the fountain, and most of her fellow creatures were huddled together near it, many of them sporting cuts and bruises, some even worse wounds. A few who seemed uninjured were trying to douse the flames, and she hoped the fountain wouldn’t run dry before they could finish.
The Wolfman was curled in on himself, whimpering as he licked helplessly at a swollen rear paw laying at an unnatural angle. The Vampire Brothers sat in the slowly growing sliver of shadow against Town Hall beneath their umbrellas, dabbing at their pale faces with even paler handkerchiefs that were stained with blood. Ethan, a young zombie, Mummy Boy, and Winged Demon were clinging to each other, all three of them trembling and crying. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were in a similar state, though they stayed well beyond the fringe of the crowd. The Mayor’s face was twisted to the blue upset side, his tall hat missing, his ripped suit covered in dust and dirt.
Rapid footsteps sounded beside her, and Sally whirled to see Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, sprinting up the path from the graveyard, his ghost dog, Zero, close at his heels. Even the normally immaculate skeleton was a wreck this terrifying morning, his suit filthy and torn, his dark eye sockets wide with worry as he made his way into the midst of creatures.
Sally watched in awe as he leapt easily on top of the fountain, everyone’s attention snapping instantly to their ruler. He called for every able-bodied monster who wasn’t fighting the fires to collect any supplies they could, and for those injured to gather on the steps of Town Hall. He then turned to the Mayor, demanding to know if everyone was accounted for.
“I don’t know, Jack,” the shorter man panicked. “I-I can’t even—”
Jack waved a hand to stop him from rambling, then scanned the square intently, Zero panting anxiously by his feet. Those who could walk soon returned with armloads of blankets, bandages, anything they’d been able to salvage from their ruined shops and homes. It was then Jack’s gaze fell on Sally, and he jumped to the ground, quickly closing the distance between them. There were dark smudges on his skull, his forehead marred by a small, jagged crack.
“Are you all right, Sally?”
She nodded, unable to keep from trembling.
“Yes, but Igor and the doctor are trapped! I had to jump from my window just to get out of the tower!”
He went stiff, then turned back to the crowd. The Mayor was already trying to direct those who’d gathered supplies to help the wounded, still looking on the verge of a breakdown himself. Jack put two fingers to his lips and whistled sharply for Zero, the little ghost dog promptly flying over.
“I can rescue them,” the skeleton assured her. “But I’ll need your help.”
Sally nodded again, hardly able to keep up as they took off toward his manor, the closest thing to the isolated observatory she called home. She had never noticed before just how fast Jack was, his long limbs nearly a blur until he stopped short at his gate. It stood ajar, one side hanging loosely with a broken hinge.
“I just need some rope,” he said, hardly panting. “I’ll be right back!”
He sprinted up his front steps and disappeared inside, all before she had even caught her breath. Her eyes wandered to the tower situated on the next hill, the oversized telescope pointing high like a beacon. She knew it was almost impossible for anyone in Halloween Town to die, but that thought brought no comfort, as she couldn’t stand knowing people were in pain, even if they hadn’t always treated her as they should have.
She jumped when Jack’s door banged shut, watching as he hurried down with a long coil of soil-colored rope looped over his shoulder, a large, sharp hook gripped tightly in his fist.
“Do you know where they are,” he asked urgently, though not unkindly. She swallowed hard.
“The doctor’s in his lab at the top, he didn’t have his wheelchair,” she explained. “But we don’t know where Igor might be.”
He jerked his head toward the tower, about to sprint again when she grabbed his arm.
“Most of the ramp inside collapsed,” she added quickly. “The doctor’s worried the rest isn’t stable, and the front door and kitchen are blocked.”
He nodded once, then whistled for Zero again. The little dog flew to his side, still whimpering anxiously, but always willing to do as his master asked.
Again, Sally fell behind as they rushed to the tower, leaves scattering as Jack slid to a stop in the pile she had landed in. He uncoiled the rope from his shoulder, gauging the distance before tightening his grip on the end tied to that strange hook. He glanced at her.
“You might want to stand back,” he said with a small smirk.
She did so, watching in awe as he twirled the rope in faster and faster circles, then released it, the hook flying upward. Zero followed it, taking the line in his mouth when it began to fall, flying higher and higher until he could drop it through the long hole in the top of the dome. It caught on the edge as Jack pulled at his end of the rope, making sure it was secure before tying it tightly around his hips.
“I’ll bring them out to you, Sally,” he took the rope in his hands. “Just wait here.”
She nodded, wishing there was more she could do as he started climbing, hoping all of them would make it out in one piece.