The Dollhouse

TThe Dollhouse

Content Warning: Mentions of abuse, blood, organs, and dolls. (Artistic use of ALMOST swear words too)

I hate this, every minute of it.

The radio is way too loud. It makes me want to vomit. My senses are being overloaded by guitar riffs and death growls. … Why couldn’t I have a brother interested in pop music or regular rock? I should’ve been trusted with the aux… I’d have played The Orion Experience…

My brother, Matt, has yet again dragged me on a trip to somewhere I don’t even want to go. I adjust my thick glasses, pushing them up as I sit in the back seat of the van, middle row. Matt’s driving, as he’s the oldest here, 20 years old. Alex is in the passenger seat. I’m sitting next to Jodie, and Lindsay and Brad are in the back. Amidst the hard metal, I can hear sounds I wish I could unhear from behind me. I can’t believe they’re making out in a moving vehicle.

For some context… My name is Lexi. Usually shortened to just Lex. I’m currently, as I mentioned, being dragged to a music festival. I don’t even remember what state, nor do I care. The only reason I’m coming with is that my brother and I got into… An altercation and he made it clear I’m going. Matt’s also only really taking me because he has custody of me after our parents were deemed unfit to care for me. He can’t leave me at home because I can’t drive yet, despite being 16.  At least Jodie and Alex are here… They’re nice.

As I stare out the window at the setting sun, I feel a cold hand on my shoulder. I instantly turn, about to punch someone but then I see a familiar face and familiar blonde hair. It’s Jodie. Her hair beautifully rests on her shoulder, the other side shaved. Her brown eyes give off pleasant, warm energy. She’s the only one in the group I find myself paying attention to looks-wise. I’m not sure why, but… I do?- It’s weird-

Before I can ponder this any longer, she says, “Want some chips from the snack bag?” She asked, smiling at me, “... I… Noticed you haven’t eaten much on this trip, so I thought I’d offer…”

“I…No thanks, Jodie,” I replied quietly.

“Alright, just ask if you-”

Before she could finish, she’s interrupted by a loud voice which made my stomach turn.

“AW HELL YEAH, THIS SONG!” Matt yells before turning up the volume of the radio. I instantly cover my ears, the pain is unbearable. It’s like he’s doing this on purpose… I look over at Jodie, and she’s jamming out. She may be my friend, but she’s also Matt’s and everyone else’s. They all love this garbage. After a few minutes of pain in my eardrums, I decide to do something very stupid. Not stupid to the average person, but… 

“Can you… Turn it down?” I sheepishly choke out.

Oh no no no I see Matt start to turn-

“Aww, does my baby sister hate the sound of actually good music? Your fragile little ears hurt?” He teased, his tone dripping with venom which I feel burn into my core.

“God, Lex, why must you be such a buzzkill?” I heard from behind me, from Brad, followed by a kick to my seat.

“Turn it up, Matt! She, like, clearly just can’t hear how great this music is!” Lindsay says, her voice is like a stereotypical valley girl, but more hateful. I’m holding back tears at this point.

Matt laughs at me and turns it up. The music is blaring now. I can’t handle it, I break. Tears flow down my face as the trio laughs at me. Alex frowns and mouths to me, “it’s almost over.” Jodie is tense but keeps her eyes away from me. This is going to be a long trip…

It’s later, the sun has completely set. Alex is taking a nap in her seat. Jodie is on her phone, playing a game. Maps said we’re currently in Kansas, but right now we’re in the midst of a no-service zone. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but…

Suddenly, the van begins to slow, and we pull over to the side of the road as we gradually lose speed.

Oh god no.

No no no-

Matt’s going to be-

Matt slams his fist on the wheel, “What the hell!? I filled up this thing back at the gas station! It shouldn’t be-” He starts listing off obscenities. He hasn’t seemed to take any interest in me, only focusing his rage on the car. I still reflexively hug myself defensively, pulling tightly on my green sweater sleeves. 

Brad chimes in from the back, “That’s weird… Do we have a spare gas can?”

“No, we don’t,” Matt sighs, “And this is still a no-service zone…”

“... What if we tried outside of the van?” Lindsay suggested.

“As if I’d listen to a bimbo-” Matt started.

“Shut up dude, maybe it’ll work. And don’t call my girlfriend a bimbo you d-”

I immediately got out of the car, trying my phone. I’m followed by Brad, Lindsay, and Jodie. Matt stays in the car with Alex. Jodie grabbed the snack bag and everything else. We all try our phones to no avail. I see and hear Brad dip into the van, presumably to tell Matt. I’m too tired and amid a moment of panic to notice too much. I hug myself after I put my phone back in my pocket, feeling my breath go unsteady and my body shake as I start to fear the worst. I squeeze my arms tightly, putting pressure on old bruises which still ache with pain, which I ignore.

Suddenly, a pair of headlights is visible from one of the ends of the road. Matt and Alex get out of the car as everyone waves down the car, yelling as they do. I continue to stand there, shaky and panicking.

Everything is a blur at the moment and my brain struggles to focus. So many thoughts are running through my head, who is in that car- What do they want from us- Are they friendly? Will they give us a ride? Please-

I hear a chipper voice of a woman as I snap back to present times and look at the car which just pulled up beside our car. 

“You kids need a ride?” A round, middle-aged woman asks. She’s dressed up nicely and looks like your average friendly grandma. I don’t trust her, even though she looks so innocent… I… Something feels off. She looks too perfect…

Before I can raise any concern, though, Matt begins to speak, standing beside me, “Yeah we do. Stupid thing apparently lost gas although I SWEAR TO GOD I FED IT LIKE 5-”

Jodie chimes in, “Do you know where we are? And where we can get some more gas? … Or at least somewhere?” She nervously laughs.

The old woman smiles, “I’m afraid the next gas station is at least a while from here and town… I can drive y’all into town. Boulder’s the name of it, it’s very small but we’re a nice little community here! I can also have y’all stay in my little inn I run, free of charge. I’m always one to help folks in need like yourselves!” I… Still can’t fully trust her, I’m worried. Is this a trap?- Is she some deviant?- I’m so scared…

“I… I don’t know-” I start quietly.

Though, while I was in my headspace, everyone agreed as I see then everyone enter the car. It’s one of those fancy vans with a sliding door. Very grandma-like car. As I stand in hesitancy I feel a strong grip on my arm. It stings the bruises and it’s almost strong enough to cut off circulation. A hissing whisper is heard as I wince.

“Stop being such a downer and get in the nice lady’s car. If you don’t, I’ll leave you in the corn for all I care. You wanna walk?” Matt’s breath hits my ear as he speaks. It’s warm but almost burns due to my sheer amount of panic and fear of him that has been driven into me. He lets go and it feels like I’ve survived a near-death encounter. I sigh in relief and get in the car. 

As I do, I instinctively hug myself. I sit next to Jodie. Matt’s in the passenger seat. Alex, Brad, and Lindsay are in the back seats with me and Jodie. Speaking of Jodie, she seems to notice my panicked state and puts her hand on my shoulder. However, she’s yelled at by Matt. I’m just shutting out everything at the moment. I’m not feeling it.

We arrive at the inn. We met this dude named Marlow, he’s the lady, Darla’s, son. He’s housekeeping at the inn as well. He’s either quiet or mute, but it’s… Eerie. He looked so intimidating… Every detail is fuzzy as I shut out everything and went along with everything. However, I remember Darla mentioned how we should visit the local tourist trap, the Dollhouse. According to her, it’s a nice emporium of handmade dolls. I… Don’t know about that but for some reason, everyone seemed open to the idea. Maybe they’re expecting to see a haunted doll or something. We’re all sharing a room with three queen-sized beds. Brad and Lindsay get one, Alex and Jodie get one, and… Matt gets one all to himself. I get a sleeping bag to sleep on the floor. I’m sitting on the floor, playing a game on my phone to calm down and slowly unwind as I hear my brother.

“Hey, Lindsay… You got the fake IDs?” He asked.

“You bet,  I got like 6 of ‘em on me. Why? You want some alcohol?” She asked, pulling out her wallet.

“You BET, broad-”

Matt is promptly smacked in the face with a pillow, of which he flips off the thrower, Brad. Matt then smirks, as Lindsay pulls out her fake ID of “Jennifer McLovin.”

“Can you… Get me a cola? I’ll give you the-” I begin but by the time I say it, Lindsay’s already out of the room and into the night.

“I got you, fam,” Jodie says, having noticed me. She pulls out a cola from the snack bag. It’s a bit warm but I don’t mind. I’m thirsty. I smile at her as I take the cola from her. Our hands, for a moment,  touch each other and my face feels warm. We both quickly pull away, avoiding eye contact with each other. Oh my god what-- I’m- What- UHM-

I… I’m just going to try and try to ignore everyone… 

I go to the bathroom with my bag. I decide to wait to shower until we get out of Boulder,  but I do change into my pajamas. They’re a bit small for me now, but I’m saving money for more photography things. I love photography, it’s one of my passions. I have to hide my photographs and camera from Matt though. If he knew they were in the house, he’d use them to hurt me… Whether it be breaking it in a fit of rage or blackmailing me with photos…

As I take off my shirt, I stare at myself in the mirror. My entire body is covered in bruises, burns, blisters and scars. Some of them were from random accidents. Some of them were from our cat, Peebles. However, most of them… Matt’s temper, or old wounds from my dad before I was taken away and given to Matt. I sigh as my fingers trace the bruises. Some are old and fading, finally healing. Some are still fairly fresh. Same with the rest. There’s a particularly nasty bruise on my back, covered by my bra. It’s a deep black and purple mix, with some hints of green and even maroon. I then get focused on changing into my pajamas. 

LINDSAY’S POV

I’m walking down the street, off to get booze from the for Brad and those ungrateful jerks. I hate Matt so much. He’s a douchebag and I hate him. I swear, I’m only here because Brad is his friend and we share the same music taste. I swear he’s nothing but all talk though. Brad could easily beat in a fight, as he’s the bigger man. All small guys do is talk tough but never act on it. Pathetic. Speaking of Matt, I can’t believe he dragged his sister along with us. She’s so quiet and shy. It’s almost creepy how calm and quiet she is. She’s brought along like she’s just an accessory to him. It’s weird. The fact she always wears long sleeves and long pants in even the warmest of weather concerns me too.

I then hear a strange sound. I immediately turn to it, letting out a small shriek. It stops and I’m way too curious not to check it out. It sounded like… Metal? Kind of? I wish Brad were here to protect me-

I turn on my phone’s flashlight and start walking towards the sound.

Eventually, I’m led to a cornfield. I hear the sound get louder and louder, so I must be getting closer.

Suddenly, I scream as a black mass flies in front of me,

Oh. It’s just a crow.

Can’t believe I was-

I feel a pain in the back of my head. It feels like cold metal colliding with my brain. My vision blurs, and I fall face-first into the soft ground of the field. My eyes close as everything goes black.

LEXI

I’m sitting on the floor, writing away on the notes app. Sometimes I get random ideas for shots or random stories. Alex and Jodie are currently asleep. Brad is pacing the room as he waits for Lindsay to return. Matt is sitting on the bed, shirtless and smoking a cigarette. The smell makes me nauseous. He reasoned there was no “no smoking” sign, so it must be allowed. I’m tempted to step out for air but Matt would probably lock me out as a “joke” and I’m not about to encounter the housekeeper again… The eerie vibes he gives me…

Brad then quickly moves over to the door, “I’m going out to look for her, she hasn’t come back. I’m worried.”

Matt just dismissively waves his cigarette, “Aight, go. Good luck finding her.”

I want to scream out, “No! Don’t leave me with him!” but before I can protest, he’s already out the door. I am left alone with Matt. I feel my heart and stomach sink. I feel nauseous and upset as I look over at Matt. He’s giving me a cold glare from over on his bed. Reflexes kick in, I start moving arms slowly to hug myself as I look at him.

I stare.

He stares back.

I open my mouth.

He stares.

“Wha-” I start.

“You know what, Lex. What the hell is with you? You hate everything I do, it seems. Anything I try to do, you’re just here to ruin it seems. Music’s too loud because you’re sensitive. The nice lady seems like she could hurt you. You’re no fun and you’re ruining it for everyone.” He takes a drag of his cigarette, slowly getting up from the bed. I start to get up quickly and back away, my grip tightening as I hug myself. His glare only seems to intensify, the smell of smoke and ash getting closer to me, “You can’t just let me have this one freaking trip? You should be thanking me that I haven’t just completely abandon

ed you like mom and dad. You’re an ungrateful little brat. Anyone else would KILL to be on this trip!”

“Please… Snuff the cig…” I just choke out, the smell nauseating me further as tears pour down my face.

He initially doesn’t react before shrugging, “Oh. Okay, Little Miss Lexi. Whatever you want I guess. Can’t even have my own- YOU WANT IT SNUFFED? THEN HERE.” He yells before he grabs my hand, taking the cigarette from his mouth. I try to resist but his grip only tightens further. He’s about to push the lit end into my palm before he stops.

Over on one of the beds, Alex stirs in her sleep, “It’s… Like really late… Go to bed you guys…” She sleepily speaks, rubbing her eyes and face.

Matt slowly puts the cigarette down, letting go of my hand. He picks up a pillow off his bed, throws it at me, and storms out of the room. I slowly put my arms down as the door slams shut. I sink down to the floor and just begin quietly sobbing to myself. I make sure to not be audible enough for concern, and I get into the sleeping bag and begin to drift off to sleep.

It’s the next morning. It appears everyone is still asleep, except for Jodie. Still no Lindsay, but there is Brad. Jodie notices me getting up and begins to speak.

“Apparently Lindsay’s still not found yet… Brad walked around everywhere it seems, but couldn’t find her… You okay, by the way? Alex mentioned she saw you and Matt-”

“... I’m fine,” I simply say, nodding. She nods back and we both kind of just staring at each other for a moment. I then quickly look away, my face feeling suddenly flushed.

Before I can wonder any more what these feelings are, I see Alex start getting up, “Yeah… Also, Brad and Matt suggested maybe she got blackout drunk or got lost…”

Yeah, that sounds like Matt.

We all eventually get up and get ready. As mentioned, we’d all decided to go to the Dollhouse in town. I’m still not sure why everyone wants to go, but… I’ll come with, I suppose. Maybe it will be interesting. Maybe it’ll be a good way to get my mind off of what happened last night. I avoided looking at Matt the entire morning. We then all begin walking from the Inn to the Dollhouse after getting directions from Darla. I swear I saw a glimpse of Marlow disposing of a bag that looked similar to a body but… I thought nothing of it.

The Dollhouse is huge. It’s this massive building in almost the center of town. The place looks like a relatively normal building on the outside, with a big sign reading “Welcome to The Dollhouse, An Emporium of the Finest Handmade Dolls!” Once you get inside, however, things are not normal in the slightest. There are rows upon rows of shelves with wooden, clay, and ragdolls. Any material you can think of, it’s here, it appears. So many rows of glass, buttons, painted, and other various eyes staring at me… It’s unnerving. The others have already started looking around, while I stand there in awe. Something then catches my eye, a collection of large glass cases which hold life-size humanoid figures within them. I walk over to them slowly, looking inside one of them. It looks like a young girl, about 10 years old. Her long blonde hair is curled, two hair bows on both sides of her head,  and she has a sort of older vintage dress on. Much like those really old porcelain dolls. Her arms are resting in front of her, lacey white gloves on her hands. I take a peek behind her, and there are various stands and things to help with stability. I look below the stands, and there’s also… A series of… Long, thin tubes going up the doll, underneath her dress?-

Before I even have a moment to ponder what the tubes could be for, I feel a cold hand on my back. I scream as I then turn around, only to see Jodie behind me. I take a deep breath as she speaks.

“Are you… Okay?” She asks.

“Yeah, yeah- I just- You spooked me-” I frantically say, trying to ease her concern.

“Alright, good.” She gives me her usual warm smile and I feel instantly weak again. I just start quickly moving over to the rest of the group, who are looking at a collection of wooden dolls. As I do, a slim man comes out from the back, holding a carving tool. He’s wearing a black apron which has various things on it. Sawdust, clay, and other substances paint it. He’s also wearing a pair of black gloves. He smiles at the five of us, waving.

“Welcome to the Dollhouse! I’m the owner, Terrance, but you can call me Terry.  I see you’ve taken a look already, but is there anything you’re interested in?” He inquires. For some reason, I feel calmed by his friendly demeanor, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is very wrong here… He seems to be… Looking at me in particular?

“Yeah. Nah. Just looking here. We’re probably gonna leave now.” Matt explains, shrugging.

“The dolls look really nice though! You make them, right?” Alex asked.

“Indeed I do. It’s a hobby of mine I thought I’d make a living out of. Whether it be selling the dolls or just showing them off. There’s a donation tin at the register over there,” He points to a corner, “ If you all would like to give.” He puts his hands, together, smiling. His eyes still seem focused on me. I hide slightly behind Jodie.

“Are any of these dolls like… Haunted?” Brad asks, touching one of the clay dolls. Terry gently puts his hand down.

“No, no- None of these dolls are haunted… At least, I believe so. Could be?” He smirks, raising his eyebrows. Brad is interested, looking around. I just keep behind Jodie. … My… Eyes wander and I look down at Jodie’s… Back. My face is red as I quickly dart my eyes away, hoping she didn’t see me and think I’m now some kind of pervert,  and start walking to the front door. Followed behind me is the rest of the group. I stay behind a moment, seeing all who came out with me. I see Matt, Jodie, Alex, and…

Where is Brad?

- The Friendly Ghost

The Cellar

 “Hazel, why are we going into the cellar?” sixteen year old Jared Lohst asked, looking down into the old, murky cellar and then back at the dark haired girl in front of him. Hazel turned around, a wide smile on her face. Her silver gray eyes seemed to be shining with excitement. “I need to show you what I’ve been working on! You’re gonna love it!” she squealed, pushing the smaller boy down the cracked stone steps. Jared placed his hands onto the cold walls, trying to regain his balance. He watched Hazel walk in front of him, patiently waiting.  “I swear to God Hazel, if you show me more dead animals you stitched together I’m going to kill you.” Jared mumbled, following Hazel deeper into the sunless cellar. Hazel looked back at him, making sure he was following. “I can assure you it isn’t another stitched up animal.” Hazel replied, beginning to a hum a familiar tune. Jared had heard that tune so many times, for almost 12 years now, but still didn’t know what song his friend was humming. Hazel would always hum that same tune, mostly while she worked on whatever new horrific experiment she would consider her newest masterpiece. 

Jared had gotten used to all the disturbing things Hazel has done and created. It didn’t scare him anymore- in fact, it never did, and he had no idea why. He guessed that it was because Hazel was his first ever friend and the first person he’s ever interacted with besides his family. Being 2 years older than him, Jared just assumed that Hazel knew what she was doing. For so many years he thought that the unsettling things Hazel did was normal. It wasn’t until almost 10 years later, when he met Noah, that he realized that was far from true. She constantly tortured anything that moved, performing “experiments” on them. These experiments mainly consisted of; removing limbs, tearing out organs, locking them in freezers or trash bags, burning them, feeding them poisonous objects, and stitching up two or even more creatures together, sometimes even alive, and seeing how long the forced fusion could live for. Jared never took part in doing the twisted experiments, but he did watch them, sometimes even forced to be Hazel’s assistant. 

The brunette continued walking, trying to focus on better memories. He smiled to himself, remembering that in a couple of months he’d get to see Noah again. Noah was the complete opposite of Hazel. Jared considered him as a “normal” human being. Unlike Hazel, Noah had lots of friends, almost perfect grades, and had a huge soft spot for animals. He knew a little bit about almost everything and was highly curious as well, as he would come up with questions and topics that Jared had never thought of, and those were only some of the things that Jared admired about him. It had been almost 5 months since they’ve seen each other since Noah had just recently graduated and was now busy with college. They did however stay in touch and would write emails to each other ever so often. 

Eventually, the two teens reached the bottom of the stairs and were now in the large underground room. A musty old smell floated around them. Jared coughed, reaching into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his inhaler, using it quickly. Hazel turned around once again. “You ok?” she questioned, a hint of worry in her voice. Jared nodded, clearing his throat. Hazel smiled and gestured to him to keep following. They kept walking, stopping once they reached a rusted metal door. Hazel paused in front of it and turned to Jared. “I want to show you something Jared. I’ve been working on it for quite a long time, and I wanted you to be the first one to see it!” she smiled at Jared again and he awkwardly smiled back, wondering what kind of horror would be behind the door. A present?  He watched Hazel push open the door, allowing him to walk inside. Jared looked around, staring down the dark tunnels. He didn’t hear Hazel lock the door behind them.

“Wow,” Jared whispered, squinting his eyes. “It’s really dark down here.” Hazel stepped beside him. “Well, of course! It has to be! It’s so we don’t disturb them.” Hazel grabbed Jared’s arm, leading him down one of the tunnels. “Now let’s go!” Jared hesitantly followed, letting Hazel lead the way. “Disturb.. who?” he asked, staring at the girl in front of him. Hazel didn’t answer, continuing to drag him down the dusky underpass. The musty smell in the air slowly faded, being replaced by something smelling even more unpleasant. The further and further they walked, the stronger the putrid smell became. Jared gagged, covering his nose, the smell was almost unbearable. “Hey!” Jared snapped. “You told me you weren't going to show me a dead ani-” he was cut off by a fit of coughs and he reached for his inhaler again, desperately trying not to breathe in the pungent odor. He shoved his inhaler back into his pocket, feeling Hazel let go of his arm. She had stopped.

Hazel turned around, her deep silver eyes glowed in the darkness. Jared tried closing his eyes not wanting to look at the other pair, but felt himself unable to escape their command. Hazel looked away, her eyes now focusing on an object at the end of the tunnel. Jared walked closer to her, trying to not to look at the object, but curiosity got the best of him and he slowly lifted his eyes off the ground, feeling as if his head was being titled up by a nonexistent force. Once his eyes focused on the object in front of him he froze, falling onto his knees in disbelief. Hazel sat down beside him putting an arm around him comfortingly. “I know you two were very close, that’s why I wanted you to be the first to see it!” Jared felt his heart break into a million little pieces. “No..” he trembled, his whole body paralized with fear. “N-Noah..?”

The blonde haired boy didn’t answer as he stared lifelessly at Jared, his left eye being nothing but an empty socket. There was a look of terror and indescribable agony written across his once lively face. Noah was so pale that his skin was almost see through, little worms and other small insects visible underneath the skin. His back was bent in an impossible angle, his ribs tearing out from his sides. Burn marks were scattered all over his body, worms and maggots crawling out of the charred patches of skin. His mouth was slightly opened, hundreds of blisters lining his cheeks, throat, and tongue. Streaks of blood and pus were leaking from his nose and mouth, leaving trails of red and yellow. Hazel clapped her hands in excitement. “Isn’t this wonderful! The little ones have hatched!” she then focused her eyes on Noah, pouting. “He sadly didn’t make it throughout college after all, but hey, it was a perfect explanation for his disappearance, and it made it easier for me to send those emails to you!” Jared’s breath grew heavier as he remembered the emails. He remembered everything, how excited Noah was to start college, how he remembered being so proud of him, how Noah told him that Hazel invited him over the day before he left, and the promise that they’d see each other again- it was all too much. Jared felt the hot tears fall down the sides of his face and he looked back at Noah, whose arm now seemed to be twitching. Jared stared at it for a second, and reached for it, as he did parts of the skin tore open, unspecified bugs flying out and onto the ceiling, burying themselves deep in the alcoves above. 

Jared let out a small scream, his breath quickening. He stumbled back, frantically trying to wipe his eyes. Despite his vision being blurred with tears, he stood up and ran, knowing if he could just escape the cellar he’d be free, and able to tell everyone what had happened, he’d save Noah, he’d at least do.. something. He continued running, having no idea where he was going. He considered hiding, looking around for any spots Hazel might overlook. He suddenly yelped, feeling a sharp pain in his lower back. He turned around seeing a shadowy figure with a long emptied syringe in its hands. Adrenaline filled his body as he flung himself at the figure, pushing it down. He turned around, running as fast as his legs could carry him, his vision blurred once again and every footstep felt heavy, like he was sinking into the ground. He reached the rusted door once again, everything was spinning. He felt around for the door handle, for his vision was nearly gone by now. He could feel the figure behind him, looming closer and closer by every second. The last thing Jared remembered was falling hard, face first right onto the cold, damp cellar floor. 

Jared awoke, his eyes fluttering as he tried to focus on his surroundings, allowing them to adjust to the dim light. He gasped for air, struggling to breath. There was a sharp pain that started at his head, before splitting throughout his entire body. There was a large cut in the middle of his forehead that went all the way down to his brow, warm blood leaking all over his face. He shut his eyes, whining. His head felt like it was slowly being torn open. Probably because of the cracked skull, concussion, and collapsed lung which he was now enduring. Jared felt nothing but pain at this point. He felt something being placed on his forehead, eventually hearing Hazel’s voice from the side of him. The cool cloth soothed his head pain for a couple of seconds but the intolerable aching soon returned. Hazel then came into view, a small scalpel and an unidentifiable object in her hands. A wave of panic rushed over Jared as he struggled, realizing he couldn’t feel anything below his ribcage. He looked at his legs, trying to sit up, but there was absolutely no response. No feeling. Hazel gave him an apologetic look. “This isn’t normally how I perform this, but I couldn’t have you running away again. But hey, at least you can still feel your upper body.” she paused, gently placing her hand on his forehead. “The whole cracking your head open thing wasn’t supposed to happen either, but I think I can make it work. I think it’s for the better, now I can see how long they can live in a human head! I was originally only gonna put them in your intestines and lungs but now I have a third option! Isn’t this exciting!” her smile grew even wider, eyes practically shining through the darkness. 

Jared’s voice broke, more tears streaming down his face. “Now..” Hazel spoke, setting down the scalpel and placing the object down on the middle of Jared’s stomach. The object was now within Jared’s field of vision and he could see that the item was some sort of metal cube. He moved his eyes towards Hazel as she continued speaking. “This procedure seems to work the best when the ribs are broken.” And just as those words escaped her lips the metallic cube twitched slightly, three metal rods began poking out of each side, each of them having a sharp chain at the end. Before Jared could process what was happening, the rods hummed with life, spinning around in opposite directions, twisting themselves tightly around their victim. He let out a blood curdling scream that was followed by a sickening crunching noise. The chains untwisted, the rods retreating back into their block shaped home. His screams faded into a quiet, slow rattle of breaths. Jared’s eyes glazed over once more, the tears now falling freely, mixing with the crimson blood that now almost covered the entirety of his face. 

Hazel slowly placed the scalpel down on his stomach. She looked up at him, taking his staring as a question. “Alright, on to step two! I’m now going to be placing some of the eggs in your intestines.” she answered, frowning at the look on Jared’s face. “Hey, chill out okay? It’s not like you’re gonna be able to feel anything. When I did this to Noah he was fully awake! Sure, I did have to break his spine in order for him to stay still, but he didn’t completely give up like you are! It's kind of pathetic.” she smiled again, grabbing a small bucket filled with an unknown substance and setting it beside her. “..Hazel..?” Jared croaked, trying his best to look up. “Yes?” She answered, not looking at Jared, for her eyes were fixed on the scalpel, as she was carefully checking the blade. “I wanna.. I wanna go home..” Hazel returned the sharp object back to Jared’s stomach once again, and nodded. “I get that, sometimes I feel that way to. Sometimes I just want to forget about my responsibilities and go home.'' She made eye contact with the boy once again. “But we can’t always get what we want. Can we?” Jared squirmed, watching as Hazel slowly pressed the blade down, seeing it effortlessly cut through his skin and flesh. He couldn’t feel a thing. He tried looking away, but it was like the invisible force was back, holding his head in place, making him watch as Hazel successfully opened his stomach, his bloody organs fully visible now. Hazel continued cutting, she had done this an innumerable amount of times, she knew exactly how and where to cut. Jared felt himself passing out, his vision growing foggy. Hazel reached into his stomach, feeling the warm bloody innards, finding the perfect spot to place the eggs. The last thing Jared heard before completely blacking out was that same tune he had listened to countless times. Hazel continued humming, smiling to herself as she stitched the green eyed boy back up, getting ready to continue to step three.

Deadweight. That’s what Jared’s body felt like as his mind fell back into consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, desperately hoping he had just woken up from a nightmare. Every inch of his body rived in agony. He took a breath, immediately wincing as intense pain radiated through his left side. His lungs felt as if they had been ripped apart, the pain worsening with every breath. His throat stung horribly from all the screaming and crying. He coughed, striving to get rid of the feeling of bugs crawling up and around his throat. The familiar suffocating smell hit his nostrils once again, he felt his stomach turn and he violently threw up all over himself, seeing small black dots crawling through the vomit. His back laid against the stone wall, he stared at his legs as they sat helplessly on the dark stone floor. There was once again, no response. He felt the insects crawling in and out of the cut on his forehead, for his head was now the only part of his body which wasn’t completely numb. The throbbing pain in his forehead started once again, but this time he kept his eyes open. It was dark, but across the tunnel from him he could make out Noah’s rotting body. The body was nothing but a living colony of crawling larvae now. He couldn’t watch. Jared coughed again, looking down at the lines of messy stitches covering his stomach and chest. He could feel them crawling inside of him, burying themselves deeper into his gut. Jared returned his gaze back to the decaying body of Noah and sniffled, crying silently in the dark, trying to cling to the hope of them seeing each other again. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed, voice breaking. ‘I’m so sorry that I didn’t…that I never had the chance to warn you..” 

-Allitini

Fall's Shadow

     The leaves came down that brisk Fall evening. The colors Glowing in the cool dimming sun. Steam rises from the ground like a ghostly fog. As I relax on my porch, I discern something mysterious in the distance. A shadowy figure lurking in the Trees. I sense Its eyes following my every move. It's body looming over the brush immortalizing its imposing size. As I lose focus overwhelmed by its immensity my focus is snapped back as the beasts lumbers out from behind its concealment. There it was in all of its horrific glory a monsters beast with wolf-like features but a man like body gnarled and torn. with patches of fur and skin mixing like hell's checkerboard. As fear seized my body I couldn't move I couldn't breathe all I could do was think. my thoughts racing what could this be. then there it was in my thoughts this was no ordinary beast or monster it was a Skinwalker

-U.N.Owens

The Utterance of Insanity

The Utterance of Insanity

I began to write my story. The characters were something peculiar. My story is of a true tale, where the man loves a woman and wants to see her, but cannot remember where he put her body. He just wanted to see her again, but couldn’t. I had been working on my works for months on end and was nearing a close when the utterances accelerated.

The man in my story began to speak to me. When he gave a command, I accomplished it. 

My daughter likes to cry, and at dawn, I was given the command to silence her, forever. He told me to dispose of her in the woods beyond my abode, and so I did. Later that night, right at dusk, I grabbed my golden dagger, with a serpent engraved around the handle, and proceeded to do my God-given duties. I slithered along from the shed to the porch, and from the creaking steps of the porch, into the living room. 

My daughter’s mother died from the orders of the utterance as well. The difference between my daughter and my wife is that I was ordered to make my wife suffer an unfathomable amount of pain and agony. 

I began to think about my wife, and how I longed to hold her again. I was ordered by the man to bury her alive after I tied her together with sharpened barbed wire. It was the beauty in the pain that inspired me to write my story. Her screams filled me with excitement, knowing that I had achieved what the man from my story wanted. 

Days after doing as I was told to do so to my wife, I proceeded to complete the task I was recently given. The dagger felt cold in my hands, and my body weight felt heavier with each step. Why was I feeling this way? I felt as if this was ... wrong. If this is wrong, why would the man tell me to do it? 

In spite of my thoughts, I trod forward. I moved up the stairs into the room of my daughter. She was peacefully asleep. Her one hand was tucked under her beautiful face, and the other was underneath her pillowcase of silk. She looked so relaxed and calm. I haven’t seen her in this much serenity in a long time. 

As the utterance kept pressuring me to finish my task, I slowly inched forward. I kept getting closer and closer to my daughter, to her in her most vulnerable state. She was helpless, weak, and innocent, yet I must finish. I finally was less than three feet away from her and raised my dagger. I stood over her and evaluated my options. The first option is to do as the man said, and kill her. The second option is to walk out and ignore it, but have to face the wrath of the man. The final option was to dispose of the man and my story that I worked so hard on and never do this again. 

I decided to take a walk to think about my options. As I glided along the winter forest floor, I approached a tree. This magnificent oak tree was wrapped in barbed wire. I touched it and it immediately drew blood. A drop of my red DNA fell onto the ground, right under a large branch of the barbed-wired tree. I moved the minuscule layer of snow off of the ground beneath me and smelled something foul. I dug into the frozen ground with much effort and found her. There she was, in all her beauty, my wife. I hugged her lifeless, decaying body, and placed her back into her resting place. The barbed wire around her cut into my chest and stomach, but that’s okay. I got to see my wife again.

Seeing her reminded me of what I must do.

I ran back towards the house and towards my daughter. I reached for the dagger in my belt and took it out of its sheath. I sprinted up the stairs and into her bedroom. There she still lay. 

I raised my dagger, finally ready to finish this. 

I raised the blade, turned it around, and thrust it into my heart. Everything went black. 

Here I am, dearest daughter. I am still here. If you look closely you can find me. In the corners of the darkened halls, behind you, as you walk up the black stairways, and standing at your bedside while you sleep, I am there, always. 

I wonder how you felt after waking up to my lifeless, bloodless body lying on your floor. Luckily for your sake,  I will never ever leave you again. I will always be here, my dearest daughter.

-Ylime Leon