Stone Cold Revenge, Hugs.And.Kisses [bill gates books recommendations TXT] 📗

of course. But then I heard strange noises and something was coming. I finally ran away. I ran… I got lost… got cold… everything was wet… tripped… the tree branch…the mud… sinking…"

Lock stared off into space, Shock asked, "And then?"

Lock turned to her slowly, "I think I died."

"That can't be right, you're here right now aren't you?" she said taking off her mask, "And I don't think the skeleton and I are dead."

Lock stared at her without her mask, "That depends, were you wearing green makeup when you went to bed last night?"

Shock looked surprised and took a look at her hand, it was green. She rubbed her face but it wasn't makeup. Shock's skin was green. "B…but, no! This is all a dream! My mom's going to come wake me up any minute! I'm not dead!" After she finished yelling she started coughing hard. You could see her breath even tough it wasn't cold out. As each cough got worse they realized something, it wasn't her breath they where seeing. It was smoke. Shock stared as the last of it floated away, unable to say anything.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" a mysterious voice said, "New arrivals huh? Ooohh I'm really scared! Ha ha ha!"

"Who said that?" Lock demanded.

"A little punk huh?" The voice laughed again, "A crybaby and someone who can't remember his own name. Death must really have a sense of humor."

"Who you calling a crybaby?" Shock yelled.

The voice laughed again, "Oh got a little spunk do you? What about you skeleton? Do you do anything useful?"

"N…n I…I don't remember," Barrel stuttered, looking around to find out who was talking to them.

"Ha ha ha! Figures," the voice said coldly, "Skeletons can't do anything. Tough luck kid. You should have gone trick-or-treating as something cooler."

"Don't laugh at him!" Shock said, seeing how upset the voice was making the skeleton boy, "You sound tough but you won't stop hiding. Why don't you come out and say it to our faces?"

"Well," the voice chuckled, "if you insist."

There came a groan of a tree branch and the whooshing of air as something fell. The three looked up just in time to get out of the way of a huge bag falling from the sky. It landed with a loud thud. Looking a lot like a deformed sack of potatoes, it stood up right and laughed through a large rip at the top.

"Ha ha! Did I scare you?" it chuckled again.

"You think nearly dropping on someone's head is scary?" Shock yelled at it.

The sack moved to reveal two more rips that served as eyes, "No, I think this is."

It turned solely on Shock, Lock and the skeleton kid watched together. The sack sucked in a powerful breath and roared ferociously. Shock was afraid, terrified even. Lock was scared too, but something inside him started building up. The feeling boiled inside him until he saw a branch lying on the ground close by. Without really thinking about it he picked it up and charged at the sack, plunging the stick into it. The sack stopped roaring and turned on Lock, and laughed.

"Heroic little punk now? Ha ha!" The sack pulled the stick from his side, "Yes I can find some use for you."

"What are you talking about?" Lock demanded, as he helped Shock up.

"I'm talking henchmen!" the sack said, "I'm looking for my very own henchmen to help me in my plans. How about you two? Come on, It'll be a lot of fun! Lots of pranks and mischief. I can pay you in candy."

Lock and Shock looked at each other. They both liked mischief, and candy. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all. Shock looked over at the skeleton kid. He looked sad and lost, staring off into space trying to remember something about himself.

"Ok we'll be your henchmen," Shock said, "On one condition."

"Condition?" the sack said.

"Yeah, if we're your henchmen you have to make the skeleton kid a henchman too."

The sack looked over the skeleton kid, "Deal. Follow me henchmen! I'll show you your new home base!"

The sack walked off in one direction and the three followed. The skeleton kid ran up to Shock and said, "Thanks."

"No problem," Shock said, "Do you remember anything yet?"

"It's weird, when I try to think back all I think about is the word 'barrel'."

"Barrel?" Lock said, "Do you think that's what you called yourself before… you know."

"I guess so, it feels right," he said, "Ok from now on I'm Barrel."

"Hmmm, Lock, Shock, and Barrel," Shock said, "I like it, it sounds cool."

They were trilled to find that 'home base' was a tree house and that they could be in costume everyday. From then on they were the terrible trio that they were today, plus one more skeleton and a dog of course. Shock didn't like being called a crybaby, so form then on she was the toughest of the three. Until two years ago, she had never shed a single tear.

Stupid Mayor

Chapter 3 Stupid Mayor

"You're worried about Oogie?" Lock said.

"I'm worried about the kids," Shock said, "You remember how it was for me. I don't want those kids to go through that. And about Oogie, you and I both know he can get back without my help. If he gets to those kids first, were looking at the next generation of Oogie's Boys."

Lock looked at her, "So what's the plan?"

"When those kids wake up the day after Halloween, I'm going to be there for them. I already know the place where they'll show up. And… I thought… since we have the extra rooms and all… that we could…"

"Adopt them?" Lock finished.

"No!" Shock said blushing, "It's just that they don't have anywhere else to go and this place is big enough-"

"I get it," Lock said smiling, for a while he was quiet; "Your mind's already made up about this isn't it?" Shock nodded. "Then I guess we need to go shopping for more beds 'cause-"

He stopped short as Shock threw her arms around him in a hug, "Thank you Lock! You don't know how much this means to me."

"Y..Yeah, well…" Lock blushed.

There came a loud honking sound from downstairs. Shock released him from her hug and they both looked out the window. A black hearse was parked outside the house and a nervous-faced mayor was honking the horn.

"Stupid mayor," they said in unison. The mayor honked again.

Lock sighed, "There's my ride. Man, if he had knocked on the door he would have been pelted with water balloons."

"I've got a sling shot," Shock said, reaching for her ammo, "You'd think he's notice if I pop a tire or two?"

"He wouldn't, but I have to go. It's in my deal with Jack. Today's the first day of decorating the town," He had agreed to work for Jack during the Halloween and Christmas preparations for the rest of his life in exchange for building material for the mansion. Lock sighed, "Maybe I'll ask him about the spare beds today. Which brings up the question: What do we tell everyone?"

"I haven't really thought that one out yet. Give me today and I'll figure out what to do. Until then don't tell anyone."

Another honk came from downstairs and Lock left. Shock watched the hearse drive down the road, over the hill, and into town. Shock fingered the locket around her neck. Lock had worked really hard to make life good for them. Was she asking too much with this? Shock promised she would make it up to him someday. She walked over to her desk and opened a locked drawer. Inside were the profiles of kids in the Mortal world from ages six to eight. Sneaking off to the Mortal world every night wasn't easy but she had to narrow down the list. Shock had been surveying the possible targets for the new arrivals. Those who died were usually kids that were used to change, from a bad family, or where already decorating their houses. Even though she had been at it for a week there was still a long list of kids to go through. Maybe if Barrel and Kevin knew they could help her...

Shock opened the window and whistled. A large broom rocketed through the air and into her waiting hand. With a courageous smile she jumped out the window. The air swirled around her as she plummeted three stories. Keeping a personal record she didn't mount her broom until she was five feet from the ground. As the broom beneath her stopped her in midair she heard the sound of the elevator descending. Urging the broom higher she hid behind the roof of the mansion. The front door opened up and Barrel and Kevin came out, carrying empty trick-or-treat bags and walking towards the woods. There was only one explanation, candy raid.

"I'm telling you she has a secret boyfriend," she heard Barrel say, "Why else would she sneak out and not tell us about it?"

"I don't know Barrel," Kevin replied, "Shock likes Lock too much to date someone else. And Lock is too into Shock to let someone else date her without a fight."

"Shhhh! If either of them heard you say that they'd pound us to a pulp."

"Aw come on Barrel, you know I'm right. Remember last year when I was hitting on Shock?"

"How could I forget? She pushed you out the third story window. It took you two days to move again. When you finally recovered, both Lock and Shock pounded on you, setting you back another three days. What demon possessed you to do something so stupid?"

"Love makes us do crazy things brother, crazy things," Kevin said smiling stupidly.

They disappeared into the woods, Shock sighed and flew off into the woods, taking a different direction from Barrel and Kevin and headed straight for the place where it all started.


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Barrel and Kevin were hiding in the bushes near a path on the outskirts of Easter Town. The sun was pleasantly sunny and the flowers were in bloom. Sickening. Barrel and Kevin watched as the little bunnies and chickens went into town for Sunday brunch, right on schedule.

"Barrel is this legal?" Kevin said nervously.

"Everything is legal until you get caught," Barrel said smiling, "So the trick is not to get caught. Besides you didn't mind when we raided the Valentines Ville chocolate vault last year."

"That's because we were stealing it from annoying, diaper-wearing, arrow-shooting cupids and not from innocent little bunnies. Shouldn't we just wait five days for Halloween and get