"Hey!" Lock started to fight, until he realized what Lillith was doing, then he contentedly sat on her hip. He wrapped his arms around her neck and enjoyed the ride. "Sounds like Jack was up to something [i]exciting[/i]," he said, when they joined their friends. He flicked his tail and rested his head in the crook of Lillith's neck. Just then, the doors to Town Hall burst open. Jack ran out and cleared the steps to the building in two strides, with the Mayor skittering as fast as he could behind them. Lock and Barrel both stared in surprise. "[i]Jack[/i]?!" Fortunately, several other monsters called out in equal surprise, though many of them with relief. "Jack!" "You're okay!" Jack held up his hands to keep the other citizens from crowding him. "What's going on? What was that noise?" "We don't know!" cried Clown. Sally pushed forward to get to her boyfriend. "It came from the tower! Oh, Jack!" She pointed to the tower, where an odd, gray-ish green smoke leaked through the windowsill. The inside was clouded. A few more loud [i]bangs[/i] echoed from inside. Jack quickly went to Sally, relieved she was all right. He took her hands and gave them a quick squeeze. "Stay here." He then ran for his home. Several monsters parted to let him pass. Lock and Barrel both stared at Jack as he made his way into the courtyard. If Jack was here, and Sally didn't unwittingly trip the trap, then... Barrel watched as he tried to decide if he was more concerned for his sister, or amused. An intrigued smile started to form on Lock's face. His tail twitched in a frenzied bought of excitement. This wasn't the aftermath he expected, but it certainly wouldn't be any less entertaining. ~~~ [i]Five minutes earlier...[/i] ~~~ Shock just about had everything set up. She patted Zero's head and gave him another treat. "Thanks for your help," she said. The ghost dog actually [i]had[/i] been unwittingly useful, as he could place things she would have had difficulty reaching otherwise. Shock held one last little bottle for the crown jewel to her scheme and went to retrieve her backpack. Which she unwittingly stumbled over as she turned around. The bottle flew from her hands and onto Jack's workbench. It shattered over something Jack had been working on. Shock didn't get a chance to see where the bottle landed or what it mixed with. The ensuing explosion filled her ears with noise and the room with smoke a split second later. Shock felt behind her for her backpack and slung it over one shoulder. She held an arm up to her mouth and coughed in it. It was [i]definitely[/i] time to scram. With how her ears rang, she was pretty sure all of Halloween Town heard that. Shock pushed herself up. The smoke was so thick, she couldn't see even two inches in front of her. Her eyes burned as she tried to feel around for the railing leading to the stairs. She couldn't see. She needed-- "Z--" Shock coughed out. "Zero--! Come--c'mere, boy--!" She barely heard his frightened yelping over the ringing in her ears. A second later, she saw an orange glow. Zero barked at her. Shock followed the glow to get the stairs. Her foot found one of the tripwires she set earlier. Something went off. Shock couldn't tell what, nor did she care. She stumbled forward towards the glow as the chain reaction started. Several things fell and swung and created hazards in her path that she couldn't see. Shock ended up falling into Zero. She held the ghost dog in her arms as they tumbled down the stairs. She tried to grab the railing, only for her hand to slip thanks to the paint she placed there earlier. More of her traps went off as she hit certain steps. Without the smoke, they would have been annoying, but harmless had Jack walked into them. As she couldn't see, [i]and[/i] was setting them off in reverse order, they became a lot more problematic. Shock curled her body in to protect Zero as the two of them tumbled down the stairs. Between the bangs, crashes, and[i][/i] the ghost dog's frightened barking and attempts to fly from her grasp, she could barely focus. Shock managed to grab one of the bars holding the railing up. That stopped a further descent down the stairs as she regained her footing. Zero calmed down a little once they stopped tumbling. The ghost dog's nose lit the steps in front of them. "Almost-- there--" Shock managed. She quickly, but carefully cleared the steps. Shock reached into her pocket for the other vial of invisibility potion. That explosion probably drew a crowd. She could at least get out unseen - [i]literally[/i]. Shock popped the top off with her thumb. Another [i]bang[/i] went off. Zero's startled yelp and sudden squirming pushed her forward. Shock tried to catch her footing and managed...only to engage the last tripwire at the bottom of the stairs. She fell forward and crashed onto Jack's tile floor. The bottle flew from her hands. "N-no--!" She barely heard the small shattering sound before another [i]bang[/i] went off. Zero flew over and grabbed her sleeve to try to help her up. Shock grabbed him and fought off another coughing fit. She needed to get out. It only took another second to find the front door. Fine. Get out, then run like hell. They can't do anything if they can't catch you. ~~~ The front door opened just as Jack got to the base of the front steps. Shock ran out with Zero, coughing and exasperated. The top of the young witch's hat dripped with an oozing green slime. Spiderwebs tangled around her legs and stuck to her skirt. Something thick and sticky covered her midsection. Dark paint dripped from her right glove, and bright, pumpkin orange splotches scattered all over her in random patterns. Over most of it was the same grayish-green color as the smoke from the initial explosion. Shock didn't even see Jack as she ran down the stairs, her mind set on one thing, and one thing only: getting the hell away from here and to the main gate before anyone could stop her or question what the hell happened. She never got the chance. Halfway down the steps, she tripped over her own feet and tumbled the rest of the way down. Shock turned to her side as she hit the ground to mitigate the damage. She stayed down for a second to let the world right itself up again.