#hhb2024

Well, Jack Howl and Ruggie Bucchi were about to die on Spiral Hill. Not by their Housewarden or some other disaster at Night Raven College, but by an ancient fae about to destroy them for several reasons that include letting the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington, get away, mentioning Skully J. Graves, and insulting said powerful fae right in his face.

"This is all because you had to say something unnecessary and now Swing's totally lost it, hasn't he?!" Ruggie glared at his kouhai while dodging lightning and cosmic magic. 

Jack Howl rubbed the back of his head, still sore, along with Ruggie as they both ducked. "Honestly, even I didn’t expect him to get this angry!”

"Oh, ya think insulting him with the King of Halloween’s name wouldn't do anything?!" 

"Who are you calling pathetic?" Swing spoke as he stomped towards the two boys, causing them to back away with each step. "Who are you calling a loser? WHO SAID I COULDN'T DEFEAT SKULLY J. GRAVES?! Skully isn't even worth mentioning. The truth is, I was the one who won! And he ran away from me to a place I can never steal from!"

Both beastmen gulped, knowing full well that the fairy meant the afterlife, and they did not know how to feel about that. 

"I want Halloween no matter what." Swing continued seriously before his greed took over, and he grinned. "No, that's not all. I'll take Halloween, Christmas, everything, every last holiday! Mr. Swing will claim them all! Then, it will FINALLY be Mr. Swing's victory, won't it? Isn't that right?!" 

"... So, from the very start, you planned to hog every holiday for yourself? You WERE planning to use Oogie Boogie too, weren't you?!" Jack Howl growled. 

"Of course I was. That's what it means to be King of Desire, isn't it? EVERYTHING belongs to Mr. Swing! ALL OF IT!" Swing stretched out his arms wide as his centipede tattoo stretched out from his neck, clicking its mandibles together hungrily while Swing laughed maniacally. Before anyone could make a move, however, someone else spoke up. 

"I heard that just now... So THAT'S your true nature!" 

"Huh?!" Swing, Jack, and Ruggie turned to see Oogie Boogie coming out of nowhere, charging at the dark fairy.

"Oogie Boogie, why are you here?" Swing asked, genuinely surprised to see the Boogeyman out of his lair. He was so shocked that he did not notice a shadow pulling Jack and Ruggie away from him. 

"Jack! Ruggie-senpai! Are you okay?!" Deuce exclaimed as he rushed towards the students along with the rest of the group and Jack Skellington. 

"Deuce and everyone else, too." Howl grinned before wincing in pain, causing the shadow to retract its hand from his cheek. 

"You and Ruggie are completely beaten up," Silver noted in worry.

Lilia smiled at Ruggie, who huffed in annoyance. "Looks like Jack's voice managed to reach Ruggie after all."

"Well, this is annoying." The dark fairy deadpanned. "Why are you in a place like this? And with that Jack Skellington, you hate so much, no less. What about Santa? Christmas? What in the world is going on?!” 

Oogie crossed his arms, leaning towards Swing as he glared at the other. "I heard everything from these guys that you tricked me! Taking all the holidays for yourself, huh? Blowing me away and that I ain't fit to rule, right?!" 

"What? Tricked you? I would never do that to you, Mr. Oogie Boogie! You don't trust Mr. Swing?" Swing gasped and frowned, his ears drooping as his eyes watered in a creepy-cute way. All he earned was a dismissive stub. 

"SAVE IT! A little Spade and Shadow convinced me otherwise. I can't believe this. What a joke!" 

Cater chuckled along with Rook and Lilia when they watched the heated exchange take place, "There's no way he'd believe you now~!" 

"In the end, it seems you couldn't gain anyone's trust," Lilia added smugly. 

"Quietly admit your crimes and surrender!" Silver demanded, taking out a sword that he had borrowed from a giant Nutcracker in Christmas Town.  

"If you do it now, I'll forgive you by just giving you a tiiiiight squeeze~!" Floyd grinned while cracking his neck. As every human, beastman, monster, and other beings closed in on the fairy, Swing had a delayed reaction to a previous comment. 

"Wait... Little Shadow?" 

“Not anymore~!" Oogie cooed, stepping back as the shadow from before marched to Swing and poked Swing's chest. 

“How dare you...?” The shadow lifted its head, revealing a glaring Yuu from beneath the hood. “How dare you treat my friends so shamefully? Do you know who you are dealing with?!” 

“What’s this all of a sudden? Since when did you grow a backbone? Did Mr. Swing miss something?!"

Yuu pulled off the shadow jacket from their shoulders and threw it into the air, letting it disperse into bats. They wore a dark brown zoot suit with white pinstripes, a black buttoned shirt, a yellow and black striped tie, burlap patches all over the suit, a matching fedora with white trim, a long black and red skirt that resembled a roulette wheel, a bracelet on each wrist with spikes poking out that reminded Yuu of buzzsaws, and a familiar purple spider sitting right on top of their fedora. Their curly brown hair flowed with the movement. 

“I am Yuu Imamura of Ramshackle House,” Yuu stated with confidence as they pulled out a mage pen from their pocket and let Grim, who was wearing a black and white fedora, hop onto their shoulder. The NRC students smirked, Skellington clapped his hands, Oogie felt his ego grow instantly, and Swing’s face fell into an eye-twitching wall of envious disbelief. “Our dormitory is founded on the Creativity of the Boogeyman. We live our lives to the fullest and strive for the best experiences. It does not matter how odd we are. We come together to play games, eat feasts, and defeat any opponent. I do not need to be called great. I know we are the best by luck and skill alone.”

“Yer in trouble now, Swing! With my Hench-Human and the Boogeyman on our side, you’re gonna taste defeat by Grim the Great!” Grim boasted with a grin as he pointed to the fae. Yuu patted his head, then frowned as they hugged themselves, knowing their previous actions. 

“Jack Skellington, please tell Santa I’m sorry.” 

Skellington blinked, surprised. “Whatever for, Yuu?”

“I’m on the Naughty List and Boogie List. Not only for my desires and flaws, but for what I did and about to do. When Swing first did Switch the Doom, I noticed something familiar within me and remembered something. Before we opened the book, a friend of mine used his unique magic to keep an eye out for Grim and me. A part of that magic had traveled with us. Because of this, I found out that I have swapped my unique magic with him. Since you’d thought I would never have powerful magic like you or my peers, you overlooked me to the point that you didn’t notice I held onto the spell when you recast your magic.”

"You cheated?!" Swing frowned, recalling an itch that he had in Halloween Town when he recast his magic, but he thought nothing of it at the time. 

Yuu gave a somewhat tired grin, “It’s called a hustle, Sweetheart. Granted, it got me tired and woozy, but it'll be worth it. It took a spirit of Halloween to give me the tools to your weakness."

“And that would be?” 

Sensing what was about to happen, but somewhat unsure, Ruggie took out a pair of sparkling red dice from his pocket and threw them to Yuu while whistling. Yuu caught the dice, cupped them with both hands, and closed their eyes, concentrating their energy while praying for a holiday miracle. When they opened their eyes, the pupils were brown with a hint of green among them, while the rest were hollow.

“On the roll of the dice," Yuu and Oogie spoke out loud as Yuu shook the dice with both hands, and the full moon above them shone as bright as the sun. "Let’s live life and kick things up a notch! HIVE JIVE!" 

With a strong throw, the pair of dice flew a few feet away, landing just below Spiral Hill with the moon shining on it like a spotlight that Oogie’s shadow helped project. 

The dice’s silhouette on the moon showed twelve as a result. 

The Housewarden smirked, cracking their neck in anticipation. Perfect. They called out to their friends, “Are you guys all for being a swarm?”

Remembering his promise, Howl handed Ruggie a ladybug pin, which the hyena accepted with some hesitation. Ruggie then grabbed a few items from behind him: three masks. Ruggie gave Howl a brown mask with eyes, threw a blue mask to Deuce, and then donned his ladybug mask. He did not know why, but it felt right to wear. Everyone then glanced and nodded, expecting to go along with it to help with their plan. 

“Ready, Mx. Housewarden!”

Oh well, at least it was the thought and solidarity that counted—it worked. 

Twelve shadow bugs went from Yuu’s feet to the twelve mages, each of them feeling the shadows tap their bodies. All pairs of eyes turned hollow, and the pins glowed brightly. The eyes widened before they narrowed with fiendish and determined glee. 

“Ramshackle, represent!” Thirteen voices exclaimed in unison. 

Swing scowled, crossing his arms. "Tch... is that all? It's just a glorified spell to make you bugs more of a hive than you are. Either way, it seems the stitches on my mouth loosened up a bit too much. Fine then. I'll just take all your lives along with everything else in an All or Nothing brawl! Now then, who should I dispose of first~?"

Everyone glared at the smug Swing, taking a step back. Yuu made sure to put the dice in their pocket. 

"Times like this call for a coin." Swing reached into one of his pockets for his lucky coin... only to freeze when he felt nothing. "Hm? It's not here." Panicking, he and his centipede checked through every pocket, coming up with nothing. He pressed both his hands on his head, beginning to hyperventilate. "It's not here... no, no, NO, IT'S NOT HERE!" 

"What's he looking for?" Grim asked among the hivemind.

"He seems extremely flustered," Ortho noted. 

It was then that Ruggie laughed. "Shehehehehe! Is this what you're looking for~?" He pulled out a familiar coin that glittered in his hand. 

"That's Swing's coin?!" Jack Howl shouted in shock. "When did you--!" 

"You were guarding it so carefully, I figured it had to be something really valuable. So, I couldn't help myself. I just had to take it when I got to you!" 

Swing growled, remembering how Ruggie turned into a hyena and bit him hard. That must have been when he got the coin without detecting anything.

"Way to go, Ladybug! That's the Ruggie we know!" Yuu squealed in delight, hopping a little and clapping their hands. 

The hyena nodded to Yuu, then glared at Swing. "But it turns out it's just a toy. Totally worthless..."

"GIVE IT BACK!" Swing suddenly roared, pouncing on the beastman, but Ruggie dodged him and took off quickly.

"WHOA?!" 

"Swing's shaken. Now's our chance!" Lilia exclaimed. 

"Combining everyone's strength," Deuce snarled as everyone got ready to work together. He held hands with Yuu as they both stood with Oogie Boogie, who grinned with anticipation. "This time, we settle it once and for ALL!" 

Yuu smiled. "And I got a few ideas that would make this interesting~!" 

Meanwhile, Ruggie was, once again, running for his life across the graveyard with the nocturnal fairy hot on his trail. He tripped on a rock and landed on a gravestone, keeping the coin in his hand as he struggled to get up. From a distance, he spotted the others, specifically Yuu, Grim, and Oogie, as his hollow eyes sparkled and a strange feeling came over him. His eyes darted back to the opponent, the Funeral's March playing in his mind as the message was clear:

Felix's third and final favor for Ruggie? DEFEAT MR. SWING.

"Well, we're doomed." Ruggie deadpanned, bracing himself for the charging Swing, only to stop with the fairy when they heard something in the background that caused the grounds to glow an iridescent color. 

"Huh, music?!" 

Swing decided to ignore it as he snarled at Ruggie and charged again, "Return it. That belongs to Mr. Swing!" 

Ruggie dodged again, "We didn't think you'd get this worked up!" 

"Skully did mention it. That Swing will never let go of anything he's gotten his hands on!" Jack Howl exclaimed as he rushed in to help his senpai. As the others got into different positions, Oogie Boogie seemed to take center stage as he stepped forward with his arms crossed. 

"Well, well, well... ya came at a bad time!" He drawled with amusement, feeling as if he had a whole crew of henchmen at his beck and call, not noticing Skellington's intrigued stares as the boogeyman taunted Swing directly. "But you just crossed the line. Ya wanna get wild?" 

With a wave of his stub, the hivemind who called themselves Ramshackle got into motion, crying out, "Okay, WE'LL SHOW YOU WILD!" 

Ruggie summoned his Jack-in-the-Box along with Howl and Deuce as he paced with quick feet, getting into the rhythm of the music as he sang.

"Better come right, better luck tryin' gettin' to our level. 'Cause you might die, never the time, tryna start a battle!" He flipped the coin a little before passing it to Deuce as Swing jumped towards him. "Here, catch!" 

"C-Catch?!" Deuce stammered, trying not to drop the coin as he hid it from Swing’s line of sight. 

Yuu nodded at the strategy. "Good idea, Ladybug! Let's play keep away with Swing's coin until we can beat him. Just because he lost his focus doesn't mean he lost his power. Be careful!" 

"Yes, Housewarden!" The mages responded through the hive as Jack Howl stepped up to the plate, catching Swing a little off guard by throwing punches towards him while he was distracted. 

"Bleeding isn't in our blood. You'll be crying when we're done. Beating you is what we do, do, do, yeah!" 

Deuce tossed the coin to Howl when Swing got too close before taking out his pen and dodging each of Swing's punches in some sort of battle dance. He then waved his finger before pulling back. "Body on body. We're naughty! Not even sorry, and when you pull up, we'll pull up a little late to the party!" 

"Locked and loaded, we were born for this," sang Yuu as they pulled the trio into a huddle, protecting them with their body like an older sibling would. When Swing came from behind to attack, Ruggie growled and grabbed Yuu by the shoulders, twirling with them away. "There ain't no point in avoiding it. Annoyed? A bit. We're gonna beat ya. Where's the clock? Our time is ticking!" 

"Knocking you out like a lullaby," Deuce sang as he cracked his knuckles, fire forming from within his floating box and fists. 

"Hear that sound ringing in your mind." Howl snarled, summoning vines on his limbs and flora magic in his box. 

Remembering his promise, Ruggie twirled Yuu towards Oogie, patting the prefect on the head as he snatched the coin as if to tell Yuu to leave the magic to the professionals. Both Ruggie and Yuu exchanged hollow glares before Ruggie rushed off with water spheres, and his box crackled with ice. 

"Better sit down for the show 'cause we're gonna show you how it's done, done, done!"

In a rhythmic beat, the three jack-in-the-boxes burst open with magic, hitting Swing right in the face and sides. The trio then threw spells at the fairy, keeping him in the middle as they tossed the coin amongst themselves. While this was going on, Yuu pushed their concern away for now and decided to strategize as they always did. Too bad they did not have their stim toy at the moment, and they did not want to risk losing the dice. 

With encouragement from a nearby Floyd, Yuu reached for Oogie's stub, rubbing their fingers against the burlap as they relaxed their body and activated their brain. They then spoke through the hivemind:

“Swing has probably a thousand years of experience and is driven by desire alone. He can take a lot of hits, is unpredictable, knows every physical and magical element known to most mages, and makes everything a game before annihilating his prey. Once something of his gets taken, however, Swing's focus only targets getting the item back. His greed can be his downfall, but we can't underestimate him now either. He still has tremendous power." 

“Like a horror monster in a film or a cockroach? He can’t go down easily.” 

“Exactly, Carrion Beetle! We're evenly matched for now if we play our cards right. We chip away at his health until he passes out, or we find a better plan. If he gets that coin back, we’re done!"

With a new goal in mind, the other mages got their pens, weapons, and present boxes ready, throwing spells at the fae just as he held the coin in his hands. 

"Ramshackle don't miss, how it's done, done done!" 

The coin flew into the air towards the full moon. Howl, Ruggie, and Deuce raced to retrieve it on Spiral Hill. Once they had reached the top, they turned to find Yuu following them with three full cups of liquid. 

"Hey, Ramshackle, don't quit! How it's done, done one! Run, run, we run the town. The whole world playin' our sound, Turnin' up, it's goin' down..."

"Thank you, Housewarden!" Deuce smiled as he took his cup along with his two friends. 

"Um, Yuu? What is this?" Howl stared at the questionable glowing and squirming liquid that seemed to hiss and chitter.

"We grabbed some cups of stew before we left in case you boys need some!" 

Ruggie groaned and rolled his eyes. "Great. Our last meals are snakes and spiders. And why does it look like lava?" 

"Boys, who's trackin' the coin?!" Oogie reminded the teenagers, motioning to the falling coin as it fell beneath thorns and brambles that covered a large patch of the cemetery before them. The three boys, Yuu and Swing from nearby, also stared in the direction where the coin went. 

"Ramshackle, show this, how it's done, done, done." 

"What meaning does that coin even have?" Deuce asked incredulously.

"There is no meaning." Swing muttered before he roared and rushed towards the brambles like a train. "It's just that Mr. Swing hates having what belongs to Mr. Swing stolen!" 

"Is that guy's greed bottomless?!" Howl exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeeeaaaaaah, this cemetery's gonna be trashed." Ruggie droned before he, Jack Howl, and Deuce chugged their stew, smacking their lips in satisfaction. "Hmm, surprisingly not bad." 

With determination, Deuce smirked and cast a water spell with his Jack-in-the-Box, "Okay, let's do this. You're up, Grim and Yuu!" 

"Right! Let's go, Hench-human!" Grim hopped off a gravestone and rushed towards the thorns. Yuu called out to the water Deuce had created. 

"Friend, help Grim keep the coin away from Swing!" The water shaped into ribbons, then, with the aid of Yuu's flowing arm movements, the ribbons pulled away at the vines while giving Grim cover. Yuu laughed, "Yeah, something about when you come for the crown. That's so humbling, huh?"

"All of a sudden, you're running away from a fight you've started, like what?" Grim sang tauntingly as he swept the coin away with his tail. Zero ran with Grim to help toss the coin around. Swing attempted fire spells to evaporate the water ribbons, but Victor's flying spider webs stopped the magic.  

"Nothing to us. Run up, you're done up, we come up from sunup to sundown, so come out to play!" Victor and Yuu sang as a water tendril tripped Swing straight into the thorns. 

Grim cheered as he grabbed the coin in his paws, Zero barking happily… until Swing brushed away the webs and thorns, then snatched the coin from Grim. "We won either way, we're one in a million! We kill 'em, like, really? You want it? Okay!"

“Ya think taking my coin away would stop Mr. Swing?” Swing panted a little, having a moment of triumph when he grasped the coin, only for the last of the water to flick the coin away from his fingers. 

"Wanna bet?" Ace challenged Swing with a smirk as he and his team began their next attack while passing along the coin amongst themselves. 

"Heels!" Ortho kicked Swing’s shins with all the power he could muster. Swing barely dodged it.

"Nails!" Ace threw a punch that Swing caught, but Ace elbowed him with his free arm before pushing himself back. 

"Blade..." Silver thrust his sword towards Swing, but the fairy dodged, then almost fell when Floyd came to pounce and squeeze him.

"Mascara~!" Floyd pushed Swing towards a mausoleum where Rook was leaning against a wall, using a pocket mirror to check himself.

"Fit check for my Napalm Era." Rook put away the mirror and pushed Swing into a clearing using a frosty wind spell. 

"Need to beat my face," Kalim sang, putting an arm around Swing's shoulders as best he could. Lilia joined in, popping from behind while upside down.

"Make it cute and savage~!"

Cater jumped in to do a surprise selfie with the Pop Culture Club members and Swing, the three members winking while Swing looked confused. "Mira, Mira on my phone, who's the baddest?”

"Us, Hello~?!" Kalim and Lilia laughed, pushing the fae back. Swing glanced around, trying to track his coin again. 

"I'm not finished with you yet!" Jack Howl exclaimed as he rushed to Swing with Zero joining in on the chase. 

"Knocking you out like a lullaby," Jack Skellington plucked the coin out from behind Yuu’s ear with a grin. Oogie tried to bump his enemy out of the spotlight, causing the former to drop the coin near Spiral Hill. "Hear that sound ringing in your mind. Better sit down for the show 'cause we're gonna show you!" 

"We're gonna show you!" Howl, Deuce, and Ruggie readied their ice magic while their peers summoned barriers. "We're gonna show you how it's done, done, done!" 

"GIMME MY COIN!" Swing demanded, tired of the shields and barrages of magic, having lost sight of the coin. He was promptly ignored. 

“We don't talk, but we bite, full of venom.” Rook smiled as he made sure Yuu looked presentable. 

Floyd added while pushing Yuu towards the spotlight, “Spittin' facts, you know that's how it's done, done, done!”

"Okay, like I know I ramble, but when shootin' my words, I go rando! Took blood, sweat, and tears to look natural!" Cater and Lilia stood back-to-back, sharing lyrics in syncopated rhythm. 

"That's how it's done, done, done!" Everyone then lined up in a row, extending their arms towards their approaching Housewarden. 

“Hear our voice unwavering," Yuu stepped forward, singing with determination as the moon shone brightly on them and a burst of magical energy released throughout the cemetery, causing Swing to stumble back, "Till our song defeats the night. Makin' fear afraid to breathe 'til the dark becomes the light!" 

Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie watched the dreary atmosphere come back to life with magic as the visitors from Twisted Wonderland chanted with excitement, "How it's done, done, done! Run, run, we run the town. The whole world playin' our sound. Turnin' up, it's goin' down. Ramshackle, show this, how it's done, done, done!”

Deuce and Yuu exchanged subtle looks, nodding to each other before Yuu took off. 

“We hunt you down!”

"Down, down, down!" 

"We got you now!" 

"Now, now, now!" 

"We show you how!" 

"How, how, how!" 

"Ramshackle don't miss, how it's done, done, done!" 

Swing, who had just recovered from an onslaught of magic and physical activity, slumped onto the floor in front of the posing mages.

“Great job, everyone! The magic of Twisted Wonderland is so spectacular!” Jack Skellington cheered, ever encouraging, whereas Oogie pressed his stubs against his forehead in frustration, lamenting that he had once been associated with the Pumpkin King. 

Floyd laughed in relief. "Wow, that was easy. Devil Stinger got all tuckered out!" 

"Now we could make sure he never gets that coin again. Yuu’s going to get rid of it right now. We’re saved!" Ace grinned triumphantly. 

There was a pause, then Ortho spoke up. “… do you think he’s finished?” 

“Nope!” Suddenly, Swing appeared behind the twelve students, glaring at them with a manic smile. “But you are~!” With his centipede and cosmic magic, he barreled over the teenagers in hot pursuit.  

Yuu was about to reach the Hinterlands when a voice startled them. "SHADOW!" 

Yuu yelped and dashed towards the trees, only to trip when Swing's centipede flew towards their ankles and wrapped its body around them. Spits crawled underneath their fedora.

"You dare to challenge me?" Swing hissed as Yuu fell to the ground, and the centipede pulled. They gripped the ground with their fingers, but their nails dragged as they were getting pulled. "Attempt to defeat me? Try to take something away from me, the King of Desire?!" 

The centipede loosened itself from Yuu’s ankles, only for Swing to grab their ankles and tug them harshly, sending Yuu crashing into a gravestone that crumbled on impact. He then marched his way over to the groaning Housewarden, the latter making sure they held onto his coin tightly. "I, who have spared you and taken you under my wing. I, who knows all your secret desires, accept them. After all I've done for you, ya betray me?!" 

Swing narrowed his eyes, focusing on the prefect’s neck, which was bruised a little with a recognizable handprint. His emerald eyes widened.

"Don't tell me. You took the pain with that wolf bug. Why? For them?!" Swing grabbed Yuu by the neck and presented them like a ragdoll, forcing them to look at their peers: the students of Night Raven College. Grim. Skellington. Zero. Oogie. "The ones who ignore you? Who takes you for granted every day for their own gain? For being weak?!" 

Ruggie and Jack Howl snarled, about to intervene when Deuce and Lilia held out their arms. 

With his free hand, the King of Desire forcefully opened Yuu’s fingers one by one to release his coin, Yuu crying out with each tug. "They're doing this to pity you! To make you feel special. You don't need that pity. Can’t you see that none of them will ever understand you as I can? For we are of the same cloth whose desires blend to one source.” When the coin got free, it fell into Swing’s hand. He dropped Yuu unceremoniously, sucking his teeth as he glared down at the human and placed his boot on their chest as if to crush them underfoot. 

“Don’t make Mr. Swing your enemy and destroy you. For we are smarter, we are stronger, we are invincible, we have the power, we are superior to them, AND WE SHALL RULE!" 

Yuu choked a sob, their right hand still extended as it shook with pain. Swing lifted his foot off and kneeled to Yuu, gently taking their hand and raising them back to their feet. He spoke calmly with an enticing smile. 

“All we have to do is work together. Little Shadow—Yuu—join me."

It was then that Yuu realized the key difference between Swing and Felix: Felix would never hurt them on purpose. They hung their head low, which Swing accepted as a defeat, walking with them hand in hand.

"That's better. See? Was that so hard? All you have to do is listen to Mr. Swing—" 

With a snarl, Yuu suddenly pulled at Swing's arm at the wrist, opened wide, and bit the arm hard, drawing green blood. Swing screamed, letting go of the coin. Yuu caught it and held it behind their back.

"No, you listen!" Yuu snarled in an Oogie-like sneer, their fangs bared as green blood dripped a little. "We've dealt with you for too long, and we'd never join you. That's because..." 

"We are stronger," Floyd and Yuu giggled, their eyes sparkling with sadistic glee as Yuu hid the coin in their pocket. 

"We are tres magnifique," Rook and Yuu flipped their hair majestically with a wink. 

"We are invincible," Deuce and Yuu cracked their knuckles, the latter silently reminding Deuce that they needed his rebel side fully out. 

"We are persistent," Silver and Yuu took a determined stance against the fae. 

"We know about our desires and get them ourselves!" Howl and Yuu crossed their arms with confidence. 

"We have the power," Cater and Yuu proclaimed with a flourish. 

"We have to protect them from you!" Yuu then pushed Swing back before he could protest. As they advanced towards the fairy, they did not notice that a few of their allies had run off somewhere. 

"It's you who is to be feared!" Lilia and Yuu glared at Swing, elbowing him roughly.

"'Cause you are a monster!" Grim and Yuu exclaimed, clawing Swing’s face. 

"You are scary!" Kalim and Yuu shoved Swing, who doubled over. 

"You are greedy!" Ruggie and Yuu barked, a sweeping kick sending Swing falling backwards to the ground. 

"You are dangerous!" Ortho and Yuu stomped on Swing's chest. 

"You are the unlucky one!" Ace and Yuu sneered, clutching Swing's collar and pulling him close as if going to punch him. 

"And you're... not… him!" Yuu shouted, a new baritone voice blended in as they sobbed tears of blot from their widened eyes, letting go of Swing. Then their lips quirked upwards, shaking their head in disbelief as Swing got back up to his feet. "... which makes you fair game." 

"Angler-Shrimpy!" Floyd cried out with a grin as he rushed back into the cemetery with Skellington, Rook, Howl, and Silver following close behind. "Oogie's shadow and Skellington took us to a lake this town has that apparently dried up. Who knew? Don't worry. We got the water back and expanded it so it could reach this spot! Try it; the skeleton fishies are so cool~!" 

Shit, Swing cursed in thought. After all that trouble of drying up the lake so that the Butterfly of Ramshackle did not get any ideas. Green translucent water seeped from the ground, covering the graveyard with half a foot of water. Swing instinctively hopped to the surface, thankful that he was a bug fae. 

A large wave formed from the lake water, the tip of it extending like a head as it lowered to press against Yuu's awaiting palm. Yuu smiled, patting the water like a close friend. One glance around, and the lake understood who the foe was. 

Yuu took off their shoes to become barefoot and briefly took off their fedora to wrap their hair in a bun before placing the fedora back in place. Despite their sore body, Yuu gave Swing a manic grin as they tilted their head up and sang in a menacing whisper while holding out their pen,

"When Mr. Oogie Boogie says there's trouble close at hand, ya better pay attention now 'cause we're the boogeyman." 

The pen glittered in their grip, and Yuu threw the pen in the air towards the moon. Under the moonlight, the pen magically grew and shifted into a cane with a microphone attached to it, the main microphone piece consisting of the same violet magestone Grim usually wore. The moonlight also shifted slightly into blacklight. The mages' clothes and pupils glowed bright, Oogie's brown burlap changed to green, and Yuu's outfit changed to a neon green, blue, and purple. 

Their friends stood in alarm at first, recognizing the song as a silly melody that Felix would sing to himself sometimes. With devious grins, the mages joined in. "And if you aren't shaking, there's somethin' very wrong!" 

"'Cause this might be the last time you hear the Boogie Song." Oogie chuckled with delight. 

Yuu crooned to their microphone with their friends responding to their call. The water rippled, changing itself to different shapes such as spikes, tendrils, and buzzsaws to attack Swing. Yuu then sang while keeping the coin away, "We're the Ramshackle dorm!" 

“Ha! I spent a month in Oogie’s lair. This is child’s play!” Swing boasted as he dodged the water shapes with a sarcastic laugh. “Finally, you’re getting interesting, Shadow! I’d be glad if it weren’t for my coin being stolen!”

"Did you know that some butterflies are parasitic?" Yuu asked out of the blue, poking at their fangs. "And did you know that in Ramshackle, we can hunt someone down by blood and targets?"

Swing's eyes darted to the fresh blood still on his arm, then to the mages and the rippling water by his feet. Echolocation came to mind. 

"And did you know that while you were so busy looking down at us bugs, you forgot that we're connected to your biggest threat~?!" 

Swing blinked and stopped, getting splashed by water spikes in the process. Wait. The bugs were connected due to powerful magic. One of the bugs was the Spade Beetle. When Swing beat up Yuu, he had also beaten up Spade Beetle, who would give the pain back. Double shit. Now, Swing had to avoid Deuce at all costs. 

Oogie and the young mages laughed at Swing’s face. "It's funny! We're laughing! Ya really are too much!" 

With a smooth motion, Yuu smirked and slid over to Swing, glancing up at him menacingly despite their head probably reaching Swing’s chin. "And now, with your permission, I'm going to do my stuff!" 

"... what are you going to do?" 

"I'm gonna do the best I can~" Yuu promised before throwing the coin over to the hyena nearby. "HIT IT, LADYBUG!" 

He can't forgive even a single coin being stolen, Ruggie thought as he caught the coin and flipped it a few times. Yeah, I totally get how that feels. He then spoke aloud, "If this is that precious to you, then you should've kept it somewhere safe."

Sensing something was wrong, Swing’s face fell. "Hey, wait a second. What are you planning? Don't tell me...!" 

"Something that's yours... We'll do this to it!" After giving Oogie a look and the two nodding, Ruggie threw the coin straight to the other, letting it flip in the air. Swing reached to nab it, but Oogie inhaled deeply like a vacuum, pulling it closer to him as he opened wide and caught the coin in his mouth. 

"Noooooooooo!" Swing cried out in agony as Oogie swallowed the coin whole. "STOP IT! What do you think you're doing?!" 

As Swing held his head with both his hands in panic, Ruggie and Oogie smirked and crossed their arms with the former laughing, "Ya really thought no one could ever take anything from you, huh? That's pretty naive!" 

"Swing is flustered, and his magic is unstable, which means..." Lilia mused in pensive thought when a familiar sensation returned to his being as he exclaimed, "Our original magic has returned! Everyone, now's the time! Give it everything you've got!" 

"YEAH!" The Ramshackle hivemind cheered at the news, devious smiles on their faces. 

Swing’s eye twitched. "Excuse me...?" 

Chains and shackles made of water wrapped around the nocturnal fairy’s wrists. 

“Ya ain’t excused!” Everyone droned as Swing yelped and got pulled into a thick wall of lake water. 

The NRC students got prepared. Grim spat out fire. Kalim summoned a pillar of water. Cater created a clone. Everyone tested out their original spells happily. "Whoa, the sound of rolling dice to us is music in the air!" 

"'Cause I'm a gambling Boogeyman, although I don't play fair~!" Oogie and Yuu exclaimed in exuberant harmony, the red dice rolling in between Yuu's fingers.

Swing spat out water, annoyed as he emerged from the wall. Welp. It was time to rip apart a sack of bugs for his coin. He had done more unusual actions in centuries. He charged at Oogie, only for ice, water, lightning, fire, leaves, and cosmic magic to hit him relentlessly. It did not help when multiple arrows came flying at him, a few of them landing on his body. Rook had his bow and arrow at the ready, joined by Phobos from the shadows. 

"It's much more fun, we must confess!" The assassins grinned, fist-bumping each other in an opportunistic truce. 

Floyd used the nearby water to partially transform, forming webbed hands and eel features as he slid over Swing’s feet while singing, "With lives on the line!" 

"Not ours, of course, but yours, old boy. Now that'll be just fine!" Oogie's grin grew when Swing got hit by Floyd, then got pounced on by a large white wolf. 

"Ugh, stop it! Let go! Hey, you're being too persistent!" Swing winced, struggling to break free from the tight grip, but Howl shifted back to his humanoid form and kept Swing at bay. 

"The power of those you looked down on so much... feel it for yourself!" 

When the timing felt right and the mages of Night Raven exchanged looks, Lilia politely tapped Yuu's shoulder. "Mx. Yuu, if you're up for it, we want to give you the second half of your Christmas present." 

"We want you to perform the finishing blow!" Cater winked while Ace and Floyd smiled mischievously. The Housewarden of Ramshackle gasped at such an honor. They did not deserve such friends or gifts. And Swing's previous words did not help matters. Their face fell as they tied their microphone to their back, their confidence melting into insecurity as they backed up. 

“I’m not sure," Yuu hugged themselves, biting their lip as they glanced at the floor warily. "I'm not magical or powerful like you guys. I don't even know how to dance that well. I might mess up or slow you all down."

“We don’t care.” Everyone replied. “You deserve this. We’ll help you!”

Deuce went up to Yuu, grasping their hands into his. "You think Oogie cares if he messes up?" 

Yuu's eyes darted to Oogie for a second, then they shook their head. Deuce smirked. 

"Then let's give it our all! For one special night, you are the strongest mage of Twisted Wonderland. Don't think about it. Just do what feels right!"

Yuu thought for a moment, daydreaming about what they wanted to do as Victor popped out from their fedora and whispered in their ear, helping create a clear image of what they desired. They smiled brightly. 

“I got something, but I’ll need a head start!” They cheered as they ran to the main gates of the cemetery that led to Halloween Town, with Deuce following close behind. 

“A HEADSTART?!” Swing exclaimed, having a feeling that this final blow would involve the Spade Beetle's signature spell. Triple shit! He struggled to get out of Jack Howl’s grip. “Hell no! Get off me! Release Mr. Swing right now!” 

"Oh brother, you're somethin'! You put us in a spin~!" Oogie spun around with sadistic glee. 

The rest of the mages sang as they surrounded Swing menacingly, "Ya aren't comprehending the position that you're in!"

"It's hopeless!" scoffed Ruggie. 

"You're finished!" Howl snarled. 

Grim crossed his arms smugly, "Ya haven't got a prayer!" 

"'Cause we're Ramshackle dorm," Oogie motioned to the group dedicated to him, accepting them full-heartedly as he sang proudly. "And you ain't going NOWHERE~!" 

Powerful magic coursed through Yuu’s veins as they grinned at Deuce with a flourished bow. "Wanna play a game, blue beetle?" 

"Let's dance until we're dead, Mx. Yuu!" Deuce called back, alerting Yuu to run to Spiral Hill. 

The dance began like this: 

The Flea blew fire to trap the centipede. 

“FNAH!” Grim blew his blue fire to surround Swing in a ring, then shouted to Yuu. “Do us proud, Hench-Boss!” 

The Fly gave the Butterfly a breeze. 

“Knock ‘em out of the park with some wind, Yuu!” Ace smirked, adding some of his wind magic to surround Yuu’s body and feet. 

The Blue Beetle joined the Butterfly's dance. 

"Mind if I join in on the fun?" Deuce laughed as he joined Yuu in racing to the top of Spiral Hill, holding hands as if they were both dance partners. Deuce's unique magic flowed through his and Yuu's limbs, gathering their stored energy. 

The Ants gave support, however they could.

“Yaas, King!” Both Caters cheered as they took their phones and snapped pictures of Yuu and Deuce. “Slay, literally~! We’ll hold him down for you!” They then joined Howl by holding Swing’s legs in place.

The Ladybug brought luck and stilled the foe. 

"Fly, bugs, fly! Laugh With Me!" Ruggie threw his remaining ladybug luck to the duo, then activated his signature spell to trap Swing further. 

The Wolf Spider snarled and held his prey back. 

Jack Howl still held Swing in a vice grip as he snarled and closed his eyes, using the hivemind to apply part of his Unique Magic to the runners. “Faster, sharper, stronger!” Yuu and Deuce ran faster to Spiral Hill as they felt stronger and their eyes glowed with sharp intensity. 

The Millipede provided a shield. 

“Just like we taught ya, Angler-Shrimpy! Bind The Heart!” Floyd also applied his Unique Magic to the duo, blocking any frazzled spells from Swing and his centipede. 

The Scarab gave the partners water. 

“You can do anything, Yuu! Oasis Maker!” Kalim summoned extra water that hovered close to Yuu and Deuce's bodies, forming wings.

The Mosquito focused on his mark. 

"Spade-Trickster, aim for the base of the jaw or the jugular! Roi du desir is open for your attack!" Rook instructed, using magic to indicate Swing's weak spots. 

The Carrion Beetle checked their vitals.

"Usage of blot within the hivemind is 25%." Ortho analyzed the magestones, then cheered, "You are clear for impact!"

The Bedbug stayed with the rest to wait for prey. 

Silver stayed in the background for defense, waiting with the rest so they could capture Swing while also praying for Yuu and Deuce to succeed. 

The Bat blessed the dance. 

"I bless that your aim be true, and that your endeavours with Swing will be met with success!" Lilia clasped his hands, adding fae magic to the duo.

Swing struggled against the grip of the teenagers, barraged a second time by spells as he gritted his teeth. "You... you lot...! YOU MISERABLE LITTLE BUGS!"

And the Butterfly fed its hive.

Yuu and Deuce got to the top of Spiral Hill, red sparkles appearing on their bodies as they leapt into the air. Their bodies covered the full moon as they raised their fists, resembling a flying butterfly and beetle about to attack. The Boogeyman and the hive sang once more. 

"Whoa, I'm the Oogie Boogie Man!" 

"The Ramshackle Dorm!" 

"The Oogie Boogie Man~!" 

"Bet The Limit: Midnight Special!" Deuce and Yuu exclaimed, socking Swing right in the jugular and jaw respectively. 

The Unique Magic and two fists collided with Swing so hard that a fang flew out of his mouth, and he flew twenty feet away to the side, his body tumbling in a spin as he dropped to the ground. Deuce and Yuu almost collapsed in a heap, but Oogie caught them in time. 

"Whoa, that was a mean right hook!" Ace whistled, impressed. 

"Get 'im before he gets up!" Grim shouted. As everyone pounced on Swing, Deuce, Yuu, and Oogie stood back on their feet, panting heavily with proud smiles on their faces. Yuu's eyes sparkled with tears, their hands trembling with adrenaline and magic. They turned to hear Swing shouting with everyone's hands and paws on his body. 

"No, let go of me, you rotten little bugs! IT'S MINE, I TELL YOU! MINE! GET AWAY FROM ME!" The fae then glared at Oogie. "You can't do this to me! I thought we were brothers!" 

Oogie scowled and crossed his arms. "Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice? No dice! Now, for the final coin toss…"    Suddenly, Yuu's eyes glowed a soft gold color. It surprised them that it took a while for their perception to shift. In their mind, they saw a man in a blue zoot suit and fedora, butterfly wings on his back as he took out Swing's former coin from his pocket. The man grinned at Yuu, placing a finger to his lips to keep the human quiet before he flipped the coin and caught it in the air. He smirked, showing Heads while mouthing, Mine now. Then, he nodded to Oogie. 

“Ramshackle? He’s all yours~!” Oogie nodded knowingly. The mages proceed to beat Swing up with fists and tie him up with anything they got their hands on. 

Victor emerged from Yuu's hat, calling out while showing his webbing. “May I join? I got threads!” 

“The more, the merrier~!” The Ramshackle Hive cheered. 

“Perfect! I may be biased when I say this, but I like you twisted fellas~!” Spits hopped off, then shifted to his humanoid form as he joined Deuce in adding to the swarming heap, holding his webs like a rope. Yuu stayed with Oogie, their twisted perception shared with Oogie and Swing as they all watched the scene change. 

Swing was in a torn, black burlap sack with several bugs all over his sore body, the creepy crawlies nibbling on his skin. A large millipede hugged his waist in a tight squeeze. A bat bit his shoulder and drank his blood. A large wolf spider wrapped around his throat while Victor worked tirelessly to wrap Swing's body with webbing in a sewing motion. A ladybug and a blue beetle scittered on his face as he attempted to drag himself out of the swarm and sack. In the altered state of reality, the bugs were eating him alive. 

Yuu stayed at their spot, golden eyes widened as they occasionally winced at some of the injuries being inflicted. 

"You rotten bugs! Let go!" Swing rasped, desperate to escape and tear everyone apart as he thrashed. The human shook their head, creating a water barrier between them and Swing, tears trickling down their cheeks. Swing glared at his former friend and shadow, raising a weak arm to them. 

"IMAMURA!" He roared, reaching once more to an item he would never get back, before he was consumed by the darkness and living beings he looked down upon.

“Johnny, do you really believe that after facing beings from other dimensions and realities, there is nothing beyond what you can see? “You replied, folding your arms.

“It's not that I don't believe in weird stuff, you know I've seen it all,” he said, extinguishing the small flame with a wave of his hand. I'm just saying that cursed books and stuff like that sound like the plot of a bad horror movie.

However, everything changed when Reed Richards led a mission. He had detected a disturbance at an archaeological dig in Egypt. Reed asked you to accompany Johnny to investigate, and although Johnny initially protested, he finally agreed.

As we flew over the dunes, Johnny kept making jokes about finding a cursed mummy or being haunted by some ancient spirit.

“Just make sure you don't light up near the relics, Johnny,” I said with a sarcastic grin. We don't want you reducing something millennia old to ashes.

“Relax, I always have everything under control,” he replied, leaning back in his seat.

Although Johnny took everything lightly, you knew that these kinds of artifacts were not to be underestimated.

The Egyptian sun beat down hard, and Johnny complained about the heat, which was ironic considering he himself could turn into a ball of fire whenever he wanted.

The head of the dig greeted them enthusiastically, showing us the latest finds: a series of subway tunnels that ran deep into the earth. The archaeologists had found hieroglyphs that mentioned an ancient sacred text, and Reed believed it might be connected to the Book of the Dead.

“This place is incredible,” you said as we walked through the tunnels. The texts tell of a pharaoh who tried to conquer death. The book we're looking for could be related to those rituals.

Johnny rolled his eyes.

“Sure, because nothing says 'fun' like a pharaoh obsessed with immortality.

As we moved deeper into the ruins, the walls were covered with symbols you didn't recognize, but which radiated a dark energy. Johnny, who up to that point had been making sarcastic comments, began to get more serious.

“Hey, don't you feel like the air is getting... weird in here? “he asked.

You nodded, feeling how the temperature seemed to drop strangely, despite the heat outside.

Finally, they came to a hidden chamber. In the center of the room, on a stone pedestal, was a book, the covers of which were made of what appeared to be ancient leather, and on them were drawn intricate symbols that seemed to move in the dim light of our lanterns.

“That must be the Book of the Dead,” you whispered.

Johnny approached slowly, inspecting the book with a raised eyebrow.

“It doesn't look so scary,” he said, reaching out to touch it.

“Wait! “We don't know what could be triggered if you touch it carelessly.

“Okay, I'll let you handle it. But if anything goes wrong, I'll light up and we'll get the hell out of here.

You nodded and pulled out a pair of special gloves Reed had designed for handling mystical artefacts. Carefully, you lifted the book from the pedestal. As soon as you did, the air in the chamber seemed to thicken, and a faint whisper filled the space.

“I think we woke him up,” Johnny murmured.

You knew you shouldn't be alone at that hour. The city has changed in recent months. Rumors of strange disappearances were the topic everyone was talking about. People who simply ceased to exist, without a trace. But you couldn't help it.

You were walking down a narrow alley when a strange noise caught my attention. At first, you thought it was a stray cat, or maybe a drunk staggering in the distance.

“Who's there? “I asked, my voice shaking more than I would have liked.

The alley was still deserted, and you decided to walk faster; just as you turned onto the next street, you saw a figure on the corner.

He was tall, with a lean but muscular build. At first glance, he could have passed for an ordinary man, but something about his posture and the way he looked at you made you pause. There was something in his eyes, something that made you take a step back.

“Lost?

You didn't answer, the figure took a step towards me, and then, I could see him more clearly. His skin was pale, his eyes reddish, glowing with a voracious intensity, as if hungry for something.

The name Morbius echoed in your mind, though you had never seen him in person. Newspapers and rumors described him as a modern vampire, some said, an abomination created by science, according to others. Whatever it was, it was in front of you.

“Morbius... “you whispered.

“Ah, you've heard of me. 

Suddenly, the reality became clearer. It wasn't just a terrifying presence; it was a hunting creature. And you were its prey. Without a second thought, you spun on my heels and ran. Footsteps echoed on the wet pavement as you tried to get away as fast as possible. You knew he was following you, you could feel it. You could feel his hunger.

Suddenly, you felt an impact on your back, and you fell to the ground, when you raised your head, he was on top of you.

“Are you afraid? “he asked almost in a whisper. I can smell it.

You tried to scream, but the words wouldn't come out of your throat. You were paralyzed with terror as he came closer, his mouth dangerously close to your neck. You closed your eyes, expecting to feel the bite, the sharp pain of his fangs piercing your skin.

But what I felt was something far worse.

It wasn't a quick bite. It wasn't a vicious attack. Instead, I felt its mouth open on your neck. It wasn't just going to drink your blood. It was going to devour you. 

“Please...” you managed to whisper. “Don’t...”

His lips brushed your neck, and then you felt the first bite. It was no ordinary bite. It was a deep, stabbing pain. Your body convulsed from the pain, but you couldn't move enough to escape.

The pain was excruciating, but the worst part was knowing there was no escape. 

Finally, when the pain became too much, everything began to fade. Your vision blurred, the sound of Morbius' breathing and the echo of your screams faded into the void. The last thing you saw was his bloodstained face, with a satisfied smile as he devoured you alive.

One day, after weeks of silence, you received a message from him, asking you to visit him at his cabin on the outskirts of town.

As you drove down the dirt road, the trees seemed to grow taller and the shadows thicker. When you arrived, Brock was waiting for you on the porch.

“Thank you for coming,” he said as soon as you got out of the car.

“I thought we agreed not to make this personal,” you replied.

Brock didn't respond right away. Instead, he gestured for you to come in.

“I need you to promise me something,” Brock said suddenly, breaking the silence as he sat down in a chair across from you.

“What is it? “you asked.

“Don't go down to the basement. Whatever happens. No matter what you hear. Don't do it.

“Why?

“Just don't do it. I can't explain it... but it's for your good.

What could be in that basement that made it so dangerous?

A couple of hours passed in silence, as Brock offered you a glass of wine and you talked about trivial matters. But you couldn't concentrate. Your mind kept going back to the basement. What was it that he didn't want you to see?

The night progressed, and the storm that had started as a gentle drizzle became a deluge. Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rumbled, rattling the cabin windows. Brock seemed increasingly restless. From time to time, he would cast furtive glances toward a door in the corner of the room, a door that could only lead to the basement.

Finally, after some stilted conversation, you excused yourself to the powder room. As you walked down the hallway, you found yourself facing the basement door. You knew you shouldn't have, but your trembling hand brushed against the knob.

Then you heard it. A thud, like something crawling across the stone floor.

What on earth was that?

Remembering Brock's warning, you backed away from the door. But when I returned to the living room, he was gone. The fireplace was still burning, the rain was pounding furiously on the windows, but there was no sign of Brock.

Suddenly, a piercing scream broke the silence, coming from the basement. It was a scream that resembled nothing human; your body froze.

What was down there? Why had Brock been so blunt in his warning?

Before you knew it, you were back in front of the basement door, your hand on the knob. Another scream echoed, and something inside you needed to know.

You turned the knob and the door opened with a creak. You cautiously descended the first few steps.

You moved forward, forcing your feet to move. And then you saw it.

In the center of the basement, there was a sort of circle of runes drawn on the floor, glowing faintly. In the center of that circle was Brock, but it wasn't the Brock you knew. His eyes were empty, his arms outstretched toward the ceiling as if he were trapped in some kind of trance. Around him, grotesque shadows writhed, dark shapes that seemed to feed on his energy.

You took a step back and tried to call out his name, but my voice caught in my throat.

“I told you not to come down,” Brock's voice echoed, but it didn't come from his mouth. It was as if the darkness itself was speaking to me.

You were on a mission at a communications station with Steve, Brock, and Bucky. That night, the radio started flashing with emergency transmissions. The messages were short, garbled, and laden with desperation. Single phrases like “they don't die,” “they're running too fast,” and “there aren't enough of us” began to fill the airwaves.

Steve stood up quickly, while Brock and Bucky were arguing quietly, but when they saw the look on Steve's face, they both fell silent.

“This is not a drill,” Steve muttered. Something serious is going on.

You looked at the three men around you. You knew something terrible was about to happen. 

“What do we do?“ You asked, knowing that you would make the important decisions.

“First, we must secure the area,” said Steve. We don't know how much time we have before chaos overtakes us.

Day 3: The world falls apart

In a matter of days, everything fell apart. Reports of infections were no longer limited to distant cities; they began to come from everywhere. The authorities quickly lost control. 

It was no longer just a viral outbreak. Infected people were not only dying; they were coming back. And the worst thing was that they were not coming back like before. The infected were fast, strong, and, most frighteningly, tireless.

“They don't stop,” Brock said incredulously as you watched a small crowd of zombies crawling through the streets from the window. “They're not afraid; they don't feel pain.”

“They're not human,” Bucky replied.

You were no longer on a secret mission. It was a matter of survival.

“We have to move,” Steve said. We can't stay here. If we stand still, we'll die.

You had decided to leave the makeshift shelter you had been in, looking for a safer place. Supplies were running low, and the zombie hordes were increasing. Every time you looked outside the building; we saw more of them moving in groups.

“What scares me the most is not how long they last,” you observed, looking out the window. “It's that they seem to... learn. They're not like the zombies in the movies. They move faster. They coordinate.”

Brock let out a derisive laugh.

“Welcome to the new world. There are no rules here.

Day 7: The first confrontation

Getting out of the shelter was not as easy as you had planned. You were surrounded by infected, and although you tried to be stealthy, it wasn't long before you were detected. You ran through the deserted, ruined streets.

The sound of gunfire echoed in your ears as Bucky and Brock shot their way through the zombie hordes. Steve was covering the rear, taking out anything that got too close. You ran alongside them, fear consuming you, but you knew that stopping meant death.

You reached a small, ramshackle, cluttered tent, where you barricaded themselves in. Brock, his face covered in sweat and blood, slammed the door shut, blocking it with anything he could find.

“Is everyone all right?“ Steve asked, his gaze sweeping over them quickly to assess if anyone had been bitten.

You nodded breathlessly; you were alive for now.

“This isn't going to hold them off for long,” Bucky said, watching the door shake under the weight of the infected trying to get in.

“So, what do you propose?“ You replied in panic.

“Keep fighting until the last breath,” Brock interjected, reloading his gun.

Day 10: An impossible choice

You had managed to escape, narrowly, but not without losses. Some of the infected had managed to get into the tent, and although we had fought with everything we had, not all of us were unharmed. Bucky had been bitten on the arm, and unfortunately, it wasn't in the metal. You knew what it meant. You all knew.

“No,” you muttered in a broken voice as I looked at the dark bite on his skin.

“You know what you have to do,” Bucky said calmly, though fear flashed in his eyes. “I'm not going to become one of them.”

Steve looked away. He couldn't just let him die, but he couldn't let him become a monster either.

“There's another option,” you said suddenly, my eyes meeting Steve's.

“Which one? “he asked, not taking his eyes off Bucky.

“We can amputate the arm before the infection spreads,” you suggested. “If we do it quickly, we might be able to save him.”

“It's a long shot,” he said. “If we fail, not only will he die, but we'll have a zombie on our hands. But if you think it's worth a try?”

Steve nodded slowly.

“I'm not going to give it up.”

Brock's apartment was in an old building; the weathered facade and dark inner courtyard already gave a creepy feeling. You climbed the stairs, the sound of my footsteps echoing through the empty structure. When you reached the door to her apartment, you noticed something odd.

The door was ajar.

“Brock? “you called out, getting no answer.

You knew Brock was not careless. If he had left the door open, there had to be a reason, and none seemed good. You walked in slowly, pushing the door with your hand and looking around. The apartment was dark except for a couple of low lights in the living room.

“Brock, are you here?“ You asked again, this time louder.

There was no answer again. You walked further in, your footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor as you advanced down the hallway. When you reached the living room, you stopped. Something was wrong, but you couldn't identify exactly what it was. Then you noticed

The window was open.

The wind was rushing in, making the curtains flap violently, and filling the room with icy air. You went over to close it, and as you did so, you felt a kind of chill on your back, but not the kind of chill that comes from the wind, but something more... profound.

You slammed the window shut and turned quickly, expecting to see Brock behind me or some other logical explanation. But there was no one there.

“This is ridiculous,” you muttered to yourself, trying to calm your nerves.

You reached into your pocket for your phone to call him, but just then, the sound of something falling to the floor from the kitchen broke the silence.

“Brock... What the hell is going on here?“ You muttered as you approached the kitchen.

The hallway to the kitchen seemed longer than usual; the lights flickered slightly, just enough to make your mind play tricks. You took a deep breath before entering the kitchen.

What you saw left you paralyzed.

On the floor, there was a knife, still vibrating from the impact of the fall. But what really terrified you was the figure in the doorway of the kitchen door. It was Brock, or at least something that looked like him. He was standing motionless, facing me, but his eyes... His eyes were not those of a human being.

“Brock...” you whispered, but there was no response.

You took a step back, your legs trembling, but you couldn't take your eyes off him. You knew it wasn't Brock. Or at least, it wasn't your Brock.

Suddenly, in an unnatural move, Brock tilted his head to the side, like a predator studying its prey. You were frozen, trapped under his inhuman gaze.

“I told you...” His voice finally broke the silence, but it sounded distorted.

“What? “you asked.

“I told you not to come in,” he repeated, taking a step forward, but his body did not move normally but seemed to crawl as if suspended by invisible threads.

You stepped back, stumbling over the kitchen table, but when you looked back to the front door, you found it completely closed, as if it had never been open.

“Brock, stop it! “you shouted in desperation.

Todo comenzó con rumores de una nueva cepa viral. Nadie le dio mucha importancia al principio.

Estabas en una misión en una estación de comunicaciones con Steve, Brock, y Bucky. Esa noche, la radio comenzó a parpadear con transmisiones de emergencia. Los mensajes eran cortos, confusos y cargados de desesperación. Frases sueltas como "ellos no mueren", "corren demasiado rápido", y "no somos suficientes" comenzaban a llenar las ondas.

Steve se puso de pie rápidamente, mientras Brock y Bucky estaban discutiendo en voz baja, pero cuando vieron la mirada en el rostro de Steve, ambos se callaron.

—Esto no es un simulacro —murmuró Steve—. Algo serio está pasando.

Miraste a los tres hombres a tu alrededor. Sabías que algo terrible estaba por ocurrir.  

—¿Qué hacemos? —preguntaste, sabiendo que ellos serían los que tomarían las decisiones importantes. 

—Primero, debemos asegurar el área —dijo Steve—. No sabemos cuánto tiempo tenemos antes de que el caos nos alcance.

Día 3: El mundo se desmorona

En cuestión de días, todo se derrumbó. Los informes de infecciones ya no se limitaban a ciudades lejanas; comenzaban a llegar de todas partes. Las autoridades perdieron el control rápidamente.  

Ya no era solo un brote viral. Las personas infectadas no solo morían… sino que también volvían. Y lo peor era que no volvían como antes. Los infectados eran rápidos, fuertes y, lo más aterrador, incansables.

—No se detienen —dijo Brock con incredulidad mientras observaban desde la ventana a una pequeña multitud de zombis arrastrándose por las calles—. No tienen miedo, no sienten dolor.

—No son humanos —respondió Bucky.

Ya no estaban en una misión secreta. Era cuestión de sobrevivir.

—Tenemos que movernos —Steve comentó—. No podemos quedarnos aquí. Si nos quedamos quietos, moriremos.

Habían tomado la decisión de abandonar el refugio improvisado en el que habían estado, buscando un lugar más seguro. Las provisiones se estaban agotando, y las hordas de zombis no dejaban de aumentar. Cada vez que miraban fuera del edificio, veíamos a más de ellos moviéndose en grupo.

—Lo que más me asusta no es cuánto duran —observaste, mirando por la ventana—. Es que parecen… aprender. No son como los zombis de las películas. Se mueven más rápido. Se coordinan.

Brock soltó una risa burlona.

—Bienvenida al nuevo mundo. Aquí no hay reglas.

Día 7: El primer enfrentamiento

Salir del refugio no fue tan sencillo como lo habían planeado. Estaban rodeados por infectados, y aunque intentaron ser sigilosos, no pasó mucho tiempo antes de que los detectaran. Corrieron a través de las calles desiertas en ruinas. 

El sonido de los disparos resonaba en tus oídos mientras Bucky y Brock se abrían paso a tiros entre las hordas de zombis. Steve cubría la retaguardia, eliminando a cualquier cosa que se acercara demasiado. Corrías junto a ellos, el miedo te consumía, pero sabías que detenerte significaba morir.

Llegaron a una pequeña tienda destartalada y desordenada, donde se atrincheraron. Brock, con el rostro cubierto de sudor y sangre, cerró la puerta de golpe, bloqueándola con cualquier cosa que pudiera encontrar.

—¿Todos están bien? —preguntó Steve, su mirada recorriéndolos rápidamente para evaluar si alguien había sido mordido.

Asentiste, sin aliento, estabas viva, por ahora.

—Esto no va a detenerlos por mucho tiempo —dijo Bucky, observando la puerta que se sacudía bajo el peso de los infectados que intentaban entrar.

—Entonces, ¿qué propones? —respondiste con pánico.

—Seguir luchando hasta el último respiro —intervino Brock, recargando su arma.

Día 10: Una elección imposible

Habían logrado escapar, por poco, pero no sin pérdidas. Algunos de los infectados habían logrado entrar en la tienda, y aunque habíamos luchado con todo lo que teníamos, no todos salimos ilesos. Bucky había sido mordido en el brazo y desafortunadamente no fue en el metálico. Sabías lo que significaba. Lo sabían todos.

—No —murmuraste con voz quebrada mientras observaba la mordedura oscura en su piel.

—Sabes lo que tienen que hacer —dijo Bucky con calma, aunque el miedo se reflejaba en sus ojos—. No voy a convertirme en uno de ellos.

Steve apartó la vista, no podía simplemente dejarlo morir… pero tampoco podía permitir que se convirtiera en un monstruo.

—Hay otra opción —dijiste de repente, mis ojos encontrando los de Steve.

—¿Cuál? —preguntó, sin dejar de observar a Bucky.

—Podemos amputar el brazo antes de que la infección se propague —sugeriste—. Si lo hacemos rápido, tal vez podamos salvarlo.

—Es una apuesta arriesgada —dijo—. Si fallamos, no solo morirá, sino que tendremos un zombi en nuestras manos. Pero si crees que vale la pena intentarlo...

Steve asintió lentamente.

—No voy a abandonarlo.