Chapter 8
"You guys okay?" the lion asked, coming out from the tree where he was hiding.
"Does it look like it?" the scarecrow asked...his head and arms moving, but the rest of him was limp. The crow nearby cawed at him, laughing.
"What happened?" the lion said as he walked over, holding his tail nervously. The tin man lay nearby, his body stiff as a board.
"Where...did...Nick..."
"Those things carried him away...we have to go get him." the scarecrow interrupted, flailing his arms.
"Where's your body, anyway?" the Lion wondered, his eye twitching again. The Scarecrow looked...pieces of straw were scattered around the clearing.
"They took my leg and threw it over there...then my chest ended up over there..." he said.
"We...have...to...fix....him..." the Tin Man said slowly, walking over to them. After a while they managed to put him together and head for the castle. Tyke came running towards them, whimpering and barking.
"Hey...it's that dog....Tyke...he must have escaped!" the Lion said, winking.
"Nick....is...in..."
"Nick's in trouble!" the scarecrow interrupted.
"Let....me....finish..." the Tin Man said in monotone.
"No time for that. We have to hurry and save him." the scarecrow snapped, waving his arm over his head at the black crow.
"Just do me one favor before we go up there." the Lion asked.
"What's that?"
"Talk me out of it!" the lion whined, fondling the end of his tail.
Nick stared nervously at the top half of the hour glass....it was half empty and going fast. He didn't think she would actually kill him...this was a dream...he couldn't die, or could he?
"I want to go home..." he said as he sat on the cold stone steps. He wondered if the others were coming and if Tyke had reached them at all.
"Nick...where are you?" Kevin's voice asked. Nick turned around and saw his face in the crystal ball.
"Kevin? Kevin, I'm here....I am trying to come home...I'm okay!!" he said.
"Nick...where are you?" Kevin asked again as he faded away. Nick's eyes watered.
"Kevin! Kevin! I will give you Kevin!!!" Paris cackled, her ugly face appearing in the crystal ball. Nick jumped back in surprise.
"Goddamn it, she is an ugly bitch." he muttered. Nick wanted nothing more to be away from her, he wasn't sure why but something about the witch made him jumpy...not just the fact she was a witch, but something he couldn't put his finger on. Like an annoying girlfriend he had or hadn't had yet.
"Nick?" a voice asked suddenly. The hourglass was almost empty when he head the scarecrow outside of the room. Nick jumped to his feet.
"Get me the fuck out of here!" he shouted.
"How?" the scarecrow replied, confused.
"Use the Tin Man's ax you idiot! Chop down the door....hurry!" Nick screamed. The sand was nearly empty and he was beginning to panic a little bit. He heard the ax chopping and pretty soon the door caved in.
"Thank god." Nick said, relief washing over him.
"Are you okay?" the Scarecrow asked.
"I'm fine. Get me the hell out of this place." Nick told them as they ran down the pink hallway.
"Get them!!!" the witch shouted. Nick's eyes went wide as Paris stood behind them, her palace guards looking pissed off and holding giant spears.
"Fuck. RUN!" he yelled, pushing the Lion ahead of him. They ran to the door but it was locked. After a moment they were surrounded, and Nick just wished he would wake up and get out of the dream, but at this point he thought maybe it was real. He would never get home....he would be stuck in the Barbie house forever and it scared him.
"You think it was going to be that easy to escape?" Paris laughed, coming towards them. The Scarecrow stepped in front of Nick, his short straw arms outstretched.
"You're not hurting him." he said. Paris laughed. She saw a lit torch on the wall and smiled.
"Nicky will have the opportunity to see the other three die before him.....even that little rat you call a dog." she said as Tyke growled at her.
"He's not my dog..." Nick whispered, holding him close to his chest. Paris came at them but tripped over a bucket of water on the floor. It splashed on her and she began to scream.
"You see what he did? He threw it at me!! I'm melting!" the witch shouted pointing at Nick.
"I didn't touch you. You fell over it!" Nick protested. She began shrinking slowly, wailing the whole time about how Nick killed her.
"How could you destroy my beautiful wickedness?" she said as she melted into a puddle of pink, bubbling goop. When she was gone, one of the guards kicked at her clothes but she was completely gone.
"I didn't kill her..." Nick said as the guards looked at him. To his surprise they started cheering.
"The wicked witch is dead! Hail Nick! We are free at last!" the largest one said happily.
"Awesome. Can we have her broom?" Nick asked. The guard gave it to him and smiled. Nick turned to the others, grinning.
"Now we can get this to that Jizzle guy and I can go home!" he said, hoping that the Jizzle really was as powerful as everyone had said.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Back with a new chapter hope you like it! Feedback is always appreciated!
