Believers

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"This way, this way!" Bunny yelled as he hopped his way through different streets and alleyways. We'd been following him, trying to get Jamie away from Pitch. The streets were dark, and lit only by the street lamps.

We passed a truck and came face to face with a dead end. This dead end was decorated with only a large bin and more lights were mounted to the wall. Willow's claws dug into my shoulder as I skidded to an abrupt halt.

"Ahhh, dead end! Other way, other way!" Bunny waved at us to follow him back where we'd just come from. Tooth and Jamie skidded to a halt and followed Bunny. North hobbled to a stop, clearly struggling to keep up.

I stopped to wait for North, if we were to be split up then it's best to be split up in groups of two at least. As I turned to North, a loud thud echoed through the large alley we were in, drawing everyone's attention up.

Jack had fallen from the sky and hit the edge of a building. From there he fell and bounced off a dumpster onto the cold, hard ground with a grunt and a groan of pain. That must of hurt.

"Jack!" Jamie yelled, shock and fear for Jack laced his voice. Jamie and Tooth ran to Jack whilst North hobbled and Bunny hopped along. I followed them, keeping my eyes on the sky in case whatever knocked Jack down decided it wasn't finished with him.

"That was good try, Jack - A for effort." North patted Jack's back, but ended up knocking him back down to the floor. Jack grabbed for his staff and attempted to sit up into a kneeling position.

"He's stronger. I can't beat him," Jack told us solemnly, looking at us, hoping for another way. North simply looked up at Tooth with the same look that Jack had.

Is there nothing we can do? I looked at Jamie who knelt beside Jack, watching him with worried, fearful eyes. We can't let Pitch get to this kid. But if he does... if he does, would it take much for Pitch to break him?

The storm crackled once more, but rather than thunder following the lightning, it was a laugh. Pitch's laugh. It echoed through the alley, sending a chill down my spine. Moving as close as I could to Jamie, I pulled my knife from its holster and held it out towards the opening of the alley, where it was darkest.

Jack did the same, holding his staff and placing a hand in front of Jamie in a protective gesture. Pitch's voice didn't focus into one place but continued to echo.

"All this fuss over one little boy and still he refuses to stop believing!" Pitch's grating voice sent anger through my veins. The alley seemed to get darker as Pitch continued speaking. I felt Willow hide behind my neck with a squeak, using my hair as a curtain to hide herself from the Nightmare King.

"Very well. There are other ways to snuff out a light," Pitch implied, dragging a large shadow hand across the wall of the building next to us and destroying the lightbulbs that were nailed into the wall. Did he mean he would- that he would kill the kid, Jamie?

My grip on my knife tightened as I moved closer to Jamie; Jack seemed to do the same.

The small Bunny hopped forward and stood on his hind legs, holding his arms out in a protective manner. "If you want him, you're gonna have to go through me!"

Immediately after Bunny's threat, a shadow hand glided along the concrete towards Bunny. Pitch's voice reverberated around the alleyway again.

"Oh, look how fluffy you are!" Pitch's shadow hand poked at Bunny from the ground. "Would you like a scratch behind the ears?"

Bunny edged away from the hand, but eventually turning tail and jumping into North's hand with two quick hops."Don't you even think about it!" He growled.

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you all like this!" Pitch's voice sounded again and the alleyway got darker still. Nightmares materialised from the shadows in front of us, with Pitch proudly and confidently sat atop the Nightmare in the middle. "You look awful."

Thanks, Pitch, I feel it. I tightened my grip even more on my knife. I may have lost the effectiveness of my senses and my reflexes, but I can still fight. The others seemed to think so too as they tensed and glared at Pitch, hoping that he got the message.

"Jack, I'm scared," Jamie confessed. No, kid. It'll only make Pitch stronger. Jack crouched down to Jamie's level and placed his hand on the kid's shoulder.

"I- I know, I know, but you're gonna be alright," Jack reassured him, but he faltered, "We're gonna have a little fun instead." Jack's eyes widened and a smile crept upon his face as he looked up at Jamie. "That's it - that's my center!" Jack whisper-shouted, excitement lacing his voice.

That's good! Yes! If Jack feels like he has a real purpose, that could help us all. Pitch had taken notice of this little exchange between Jack and Jamie and turned his attention to the brunet kid hiding behind Jack and I.

"So what do you think, Jamie?" The Nightmare King chuckled. Jamie turned his head in Pitch's direction and focused his big, brown eyes upon him. I could tell that Pitch felt the fear that was radiating from Jamie.

"Do you believe in the Boogey-- AH!" A snowball colliding with Pitch's face caught him off guard. The Nightmares looked towards their master with confusion lacing their features.

A little laugh escaped Jamie before he snapped his mouth shut, hoping he hadn't angered the Nightmare King. The other Guardians released a short laugh of the own and I couldn't help but let out a cackle as the tension and fear that Pitch had created had been broken by something as silly as a snowball.

Jack, the culprit, laughed along, catching another snowball in his pale hand. He glanced to his right and spotted something. I could almost see the lightbulb flicker and glow above his head. He turned to Jamie.

"Now let's go get your friends!"

Whilst Pitch was recovering from the shock and cold of the snowball and busy rubbing the snow from his face, Jack used the wind to blow wood pallets, dustbin lids and an old sled in front of each of us. The wind suddenly grew stronger and pressed against our backs, pushing us so that we were sitting on the various make-shift sleds. The wind continued to push us as a road of ice formed in front of us.

Our sleds began to slide forward with the help of the wind and we zoomed past Pitch and his Nightmares, all of whom had begun to recover from the single snowball and the confusion.

We were soon careening down the middle of a street, escaping maybe even temporarily from one of the most evil beings that probably all of us have ever faced in the most 'Jack' way possible. A passerby yelled in surprise, as an ice road seemed to appear from nowhere. It would probably be a bit weird to see a kid sledding with about 4 makeshift sleds following him. The dog the man was walking perked up at the sight of us and started pulling on the lead at the sight of me.

Willow jumped from my shoulders onto my lap and lifted her paws in the air. Everyone was laughing as the wind pressed against our backs and through our hair. The sledding felt almost reckless, so I could only hope that Jack wouldn't let any of us go flying off of the ice road that was materialising in front us and through the window of a house. That didn't sound fun.

What didn't look fun was that loop-the-loop that Jack had formed in front of us. I'm usually ok with loops on rollercoasters, but I'm usually strapped down with no chance of me falling out. Hopefully, it will go so fast that we won't have a chance to fall out.

The loop came quicker than I could have prepared for, and didn't have a chance to grab Willow. The fluffy bunny flew from my lap and almost fell to the ground now, well, 'above' us. I quickly reached up and grabbed Willow by her fluff and held her to my chest, laughing at the thrill and the look on her face.

As we completed the loop, Bunny and his sled fell into North's hands. It seems that Bunny found himself in the same predicament as Willow.

Very soon after the loop, a ramp materialised in front of us. Willow slid from between my hand and my chest and sunk her claws into the side of my shoe. At least she learnt from her past mistake.

My makeshift sled suddenly tilted upwards and we were all airborne once again. Jack looked back at us and smiled as we descended to the ground again. He swooped down and scooped a ball of snow from the ground. He pressed it into a ball and threw it at a window.

Jack flew back towards us, grabbed the back of Jamie's shirt and flew up with him towards another window. I watched as Jamie knocked on a window, but he was soon out of sight as we kept gliding down the ice road.

Willow's grey fur flew in front of my face and over my head as she lost her grip. I let out a yell as I reached up and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck."Willow," I said, "Hold on!" I couldn't help but laugh as she looked like she'd seen her life flash before her eyes.

Jack was back with us; he plopped Jamie back on his sled. I heard shouting and laughing coming from behind us.

Passing another house, I looked up to see two of Jamie's friends looking out of the window. The other Guardians seemed to take notice too.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Happy Easter!"

"Don't forget to floss!"

I couldn't help but laugh at them, they can all be so adorably funny sometimes. Another sound reached my ears, it was whooping and and laughing. I looked behind me and saw a girl with short brown hair and a pink night dress on her own sled.

Jamie's other friends burst from their houses, threw themselves onto their sleds and began gliding along behind us. I counted about four other kids; one was running alongside the ice road.

"Jamie, you were right!" One girl shouted over the laughter and whooping.

"The Easter Bunny's real!"

"And the Tooth Fairy!"

"And Santa! They're all real!"

All the kids contributed to their revelations, laughing and cheering in joy. However, it was short lived. As Jack stopped creating the ice road and the wind pressed against our chests to stop our sleds from gliding, the reason why he did so loomed overhead like a great monster. Only I guess this monster consists of thousands upon thousands of Nightmares with one, powerful leader.

This leader was perched proudly upon his great Nightmare stallion, his dull, golden eyes glared down at us. The Nightmare King's army swarmed around us, smashing windows and destroy power lines as they approached and halted, waiting for the signal to attack from the leader of this army.

Us Guardians stood and stared up at Pitch and the Nightmares. I felt Willow climb up my arm to my shoulders and hide in my hair. The kids approached but stood in a group behind us. One boy, the boy running behind us, had caught up and run in front of us with his hands in the air.

"Whoo! Yeah-hah!" The blond kid looked to his right, spotted the Nightmare army and it's King, and turned tail, running between North and I whilst letting out a yell. It was quite funny and I'd laugh if it wasn't the worst time to do so.

"You think a few children can help you? Against this?!" Pitch snarled down at us in a mocking tone. I pulled my knife from my holster, ready for a Nightmare to charge at us, for Pitch to fire an arrow, for anything.

North held up his sword to Pitch and opened his mouth to say something. He didn't. He groaned in pain and borderline defeat as he quickly brought his sword back down to lean on. I dropped my knife and grabbed onto his arm in an attempt to help him get his balance back. North placed his free hand on my back, gripping my shoulder to keep upright. How are we supposed to hold Pitch and the Nightmares off for as long as we can if North can barely even stand? I feel like this isn't going to end well. For us.

"They're just bad dreams, Jamie," Jack turned to the brunet kid, who nodded, yet he still had a worried look in his eye.

"'N we'll protect you, mate," Bunny held his paw out to Jamie before turning back to Pitch. The Nightmare King immediately jumped on the statement."Oh, you'll protect them?" He asked in a patronising tone, then he laughed. "But who will protect you?!" Pitch sounded almost maniacal, like he was turning insane at the pure feeling of power, more than he had probably gotten in the last few hundred years.

Maybe he was right, we have no one to protect us from an army of Nightmare stallions, Tooth and I can't fly, Bunny will easily be trampled and North can't stand up straight. All while we have to protect about six kids from The Nightmare King himself. Our only hope was Jack but I doubt anyone here wants to put their lives in Jack's hands, not because they don't trust him but because against an army this big, would anyone, even Jack, stand a chance?

North was putting less and less weight on my shoulders, but I didn't want to let him go, because I didn't want him to lose his balance, but also because I was a bit... scared. I know I shouldn't because it will only benefit Pitch. I doubt anyone can control their fear; they can only control how they show it. That's what I'll do for as long as I can.

Jack turned to North and placed his hand on North's, giving him a nod, before turning to face Pitch. Jack hadn't even said anything until the brunet kid walked into my line of sight looking straight up at Pitch.

"I will."

At the sound of his voice, I felt Willow move and poke her head out from my hair and leaned her cheek against mine.

"I will." The girl in the pink dress had a look of determination upon her as she walked past us confidently to stand next to Jamie.

"I will!""I will!" The twin boys, one with a beanie, one without, barging each other as they walked past. The girl in the striped beanie followed cautiously.

"And me."

"I- I'll try." The blond boy with the red glasses was almost hesitant, but stood against Pitch regardless.

Here before us stood bravery, determination, competition, courage and hope, standing to protect those who swore to protect them.

Jack nodded at Jamie, although he still seemed concerned. The kids stood, ready for the first, endless wave of Nightmares lead by fear itself, their fists raised.

"Still think there's no such thing as the Boogeyman?" At that, the wave of Nightmares and Nightmare sand dove and began rushing towards us, lifting cars and smashing store windows and streetlights as it did.

"I do believe in you. I'm just not afraid of you," Jamie said this almost like he had had enough of the fear and the despair caused by Pitch.

As the Nightmare sand rose, and spiralled, and dived down towards us, Jamie held out his hand in an attempt to defend himself. The Nightmare waved made contact.

And it exploded into Dream sand, the whole wave! I felt my fear dissipate as the Dream sand swirled round and round the streets and the sky, as it lightened the dark. The expression on the kids faces changed to one of excitement, relief and joy at the spectacle. Jack and North even let out a chuckle.

I couldn't help but smile, forgetting about why I was scared. Willow climbed onto my shoulder and stood on her hind legs, taking in the view of the Dream sand.

The Dream sand passed through various windows of houses, and that's when I felt it, and I know the others felt it too.

Belief.

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