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
