DOLL(Part 1/4)
This story turned out to be way longer than I expected so I am going to split it into 4 parts. Each part will be released over the next few weeks (1 per week) links to the other parts as they become available will be posted at the top here. Enjoy
Part 1
Rain pelted the car as it pulled into the vacant gas station with dirty and stained pumps. The convenience store lights were on, but the interior was mostly empty, aside from the half-asleep cashier. Rebecca watched her mother turn off the radio and power down the car. She patted her curly afro and grabbed the umbrella.
“You want anything from the store?” She asked.
“Chips?” The daughter asked.
Her mother, Jesse, smiled and climbed out of the car. Rebecca watched her pay for gas and start refilling the tank. The rains intensified around them, and so did the winds. Rebecca looked out the opposite window at the swaying dark trees. As a boom of thunder shook the skies and ground, Rebecca clutched her new doll and held it closer to her chest. Her thoughts drifted back to the flea market where they found it. The doll wasn’t much, Rebecca had seen girls at her school with prettier dolls, but perhaps that’s what drew her to it. It was a simple cream-colored doll with red hair, painted on blue eyes, and subtle red blush. The simple black and red dress had several stains on it, but she still thought it looked pretty. The lady selling the doll gave it to her for next to nothing and smiled happily when Jesse bought it.
Jesse returned a few minutes later with two bags of chips. Starting the car, she did her best to hide the scowl; she always hated this place and the rains. Jesse hated remembering how she was back then. Sighing, she drove on and looked back at her little girl as she hugged the doll tightly. She always hated the rain, just like her father. Jesse felt a ping of anger at the thought, they hadn’t seen each other in two years, and she would’ve preferred to keep it that way, but developments with her job prevented it. Periodically, Jesse found herself checking her daughter on the backseat, trying to figure out who she favored in appearance. Rebecca’s skin was tan instead of brown like her mother's but had her mother’s eyes. Sometimes, Rebecca looked more like her father, other times, Jesse. I wonder what Daniel’s up to these days.
The road stretched on forever, and she had to take it slow as the storm continued and the roads were coated in a dense fog. She didn’t see too many cars on the road, and as she passed by familiar landmarks, she shook her head. This place never changes. I don’t even need my phone to know where to go. She turned up the radio and immediately regretted it when she recognized the song. It reminded her of him and when things were good. She switched the station and noticed her daughter looking up in response as if she liked that song.
“You okay baby?”
“It’s so rainy.”
“I know, it always rains.” Jesse forced a smile, “you know, you were born on a rainy day.”
“I was?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t as bad as this.”
Rebecca nodded, and it looked like she wanted to say more, but instead she went to the chips. As they entered the small town, Jesse felt her old memories returning. She remembered the old movie theater and how many hours she and Daniel had spent there.
Her eyes glanced over at the small restaurant that emulated an old school dinner complete with a jukebox. As they drove past, Jesse imagined her, Daniel, and Rebecca sitting in a booth enjoying their signature tall milkshakes. Jesse forced it down. We can’t go back. The town wasn’t much; it looked like it had been long forgotten. Many of the buildings were decades old, older than her and her parents put together in some cases. Every so often, they passed by a newer store that was clean and modern and stood out against the old small-town vibe like they were from two different realities.
They entered a cul-de-sac with small houses and dense woods on one side. Outside some of the houses were broken bicycles and even a rusty car. There was one house with an empty and cleaned yard and someone in a yellow raincoat there. She didn’t need to see his face to know who it was; the tall, lanky body gave it away. Jesse pulled up in front of him and was grateful for the tinted windows.
Two years.
They hadn’t seen each other in two years. Jesse swallowed hard and put the car in park. She forced herself to smile and blinked rapidly to fight back the looming tears.
“We’re here!” She said, feigning enthusiasm.
Rebecca shyly nodded and undid her seatbelt. Jesse exhaled and climbed out of the car with the umbrella. As she did, the two made eye contact. At first, Jesse thought nothing had changed, but she saw the subtle bags under them. Perhaps she imagined it, but the boyish gleam in his eyes had dimmed, and the blue felt much icier than before.
“Hey,” he said.
She expected more anger in his voice, at least a hint of it. Instead, all she could feel was an apathetic chill.
“Hey,” she found herself replying, devoid of any passion.
His blue eyes turned towards Rebecca as she stayed behind her mother. He squatted down to get to her level, “hey, kid.”
Rebecca looked down at her boots, “h-hi.” She whispered.
Daniel stood up and ushered them inside. Surprisingly the inside was mostly clean, but she could tell the carpet was old and needed a thorough steam cleaning in some spots. He flicked a switch to turn the lights on, and she saw the mess of textbooks covering the simple dining table and the laptop. The couch had a hole in one of the cushions and was occupied by a thin orange tabby cat with blue eyes. It meowed at Daniel and then turned to the two strangers entering its domain.
“Oh, that’s Coco. She’s a little weird, don’t have many people visiting.”
So, I guess he hasn’t been with anyone else since we left. Jesse wasn’t sure if she was happy with that or saddened by it. Rebecca awkwardly sat the umbrella down and timidly moved towards the cat. The cat quickly put distance between the two and glared at her as if offended by her presence. Daniel kept an eye on the cat, making sure she didn’t swipe at Rebecca.
“Give her some time and space. She’ll warm up eventually.”
The cat shot him a scowl as if saying that wasn’t going to happen. Rebecca sat on the couch, and Jesse followed her gaze to the old video game console. It was the same one he used to play when they were in high school and was two generations behind, about to be three. Daniel pulled back his hood, exposing the mess of black hair; he looked as if he just crawled out of bed a few minutes ago.
“You want some coffee?” He awkwardly asked as he started the old dirty machine.
“No, thanks.”
He nodded, “well, let’s go get her stuff.”
She led the way back to the car and popped the trunk. The mutual silence stung at her as they tried their hardest not to acknowledge one another.
“So, England, huh?” He spoke up as he pulled out the suitcase and bag.
“Yeah, just for a year.”
“You must be excited; I know you’ve always wanted to go.”
Is he being genuine?
“I am, I wish I could take her with me. Having her move to another country in the middle of the school year would be too harsh.”
“Well, at least she had friends here,” he replied as he started back to the house.
“How have you been?”
“Working at an electronics shop, been taking classes online.”
“That’s good.”
He didn’t respond as they came back inside. Rebecca was timidly exploring the house, while the cat seemed to be following her from above and watching her intently like she was expecting the little girl to do something. When Rebecca saw her bags coming in, a look of dread overcame her face. Jesse felt a surge of pain as she looked her in the eye. It was time to say goodbye.
“I’m sorry baby,” she said, getting to her level, “I’ll call you every day once I-”
Rebecca hugged her and sobbed into her coat. Jesse hugged her tighter and let the tears flow.
“You be good.”
“I will,” Rebecca promised between cries.
Eventually, she let go, and Jesse looked at Daniel, telling him that he’d better take care of her. He gave a subtle nod, and the two followed her out. It took her a long time to start the car and drive off, leaving her daughter with her estranged father and among all the painful memories in that town. Daniel and Rebecca stood outside until the car was swallowed by the fog. He noticed the tears trickling from his daughter’s eyes.
“Come on, you hungry?”
She didn’t answer but followed him inside. He showed her around and to her room on the second floor. The stairs creaked on each step. Her room was small. There was barely any room for the bed or the small dresser he had bought. Some of the paint was coming off the wall, and parts of the carpet were torn. Just like with her mother, the two unpacked in silence. I feel like I should say something, but what do I say? The girl’s upset right now. His eyes focused on the red-headed doll sitting by the suitcase. I always found those things creepy.
He realized he now had something to talk about, “does the doll have a name?”
“Molly. Her name is Molly.”
“Cute name.”
She shyly nodded, and her stomach growled.
“You hungry? I’ll make you something.”
Once again, she nodded. The two returned to the living room, and Daniel cooked up some cheap instant noodles, but he tossed in some defrosted vegetables to make it better. While he cooked, Coco watched him from the stack of IT books. When Daniel finished cooking and handed Rebecca the food, she ate slowly and pushed the mushrooms away from the noodles and other veggies, making him smile. He remembered how gross he thought mushrooms were when he was younger. After dinner, the two didn’t speak much, but Daniel did show her the bus stop at the top of the hill and told her he would wake her up in time for breakfast. He tried to ask her more about herself, but she wasn’t very forthcoming.
After she went to sleep, he went outside into the night, a reasonable distance away from the house, and lit a cigarette. He didn’t know what to expect, he hoped she would be happy to see him, but her reaction wasn’t the most inviting. Maybe I’m asking too much. We haven’t seen each other or spoken in two years, no thanks to her mother. He felt his eyes watering a bit as he exhaled the smoke. He didn’t want to think back on the last time he had seen her. He looked at the dying cigarette in his hand and tossed the remaining pack into the woods. Finishing his last cigarette, he silently vowed to quit for the sake of his daughter.
…
The noisy bus came to a stop just in front of the small elementary school. Rebecca hugged her backpack tightly as she sat at the back of the bus, far removed from everyone else. Most of the other students didn’t seem to notice her or acknowledge her. The bus driver, a middle-aged woman with graying hair, smiled at her when she first climbed on. While waiting for the rest of the kids to get off, she looked out at the school. It looked like how she remembered, an all-brick building with rows of windows and a triangular roof. Outside were other kids talking amongst themselves or fidgeting with their cell phones. Even though the building hadn’t changed much, Rebecca felt like an alien as her shoes touched the sidewalk.
She walked up the steps, trying not to look at anyone else around her. In her mind, they were all looking at her and whispering about her. She tried to shake off those thoughts, but she couldn’t help it. The sun was just starting to break through the dense gray clouds above, painting the school with a hollow light. The narrow entrance was full of students all heading inside in their own little groups. To her, it appeared everyone was in such a group, everyone but her. When she finally made it inside, she watched them all spread out, heading to different classes. As she took it all in, she realized just how little had changed. Even the dented locker at the end of the hall on her left was still there. Her homeroom teacher was a woman named Ms. Myers. She vaguely remembered her and how Ms. Myers scowled at her father during a school meeting. From the room number given, she knew the class was in the left wing. She started down the off-white hallway and passed by lockers and other students.
As she entered the classroom, she found Ms. Myers. Her large round-framed glasses and brown hair hid most of her face. The tall woman rose from her desk and loomed over Rebecca. The wrinkles on the teacher’s face were locked it in a perpetual scowl. Rebecca found herself hugging her bag tightly and looked down at her feet.
“Rebecca?” She asked. Her dark brown eyes focused on the bag, “you can put your bag in your locker,” she continued in her low deep voice before turning away.
Discomfort filled her body. Her arms and legs felt weighed down. She wanted to tell her what was happening, but her tongue had been paralyzed, and she found it difficult to say something. Ms. Myers glared at her. Rebecca’s heart stopped as the teacher’s eyes bore through her.
“Well, what is it?”
“Um…” she managed to whisper.
Ms. Myers sighed as other students entered, “no one told you your locker number, did they?” Rebecca nodded, “fine, I’ll sort it out later, stand next to the desk, I’ll introduce you to the rest.”
Rebecca felt her legs wobble beneath her as more and more students poured into the room. As she waited, a student entered, one she recognized. A girl with long blond hair that she kept tied back. Sarah entered with a group of other girls but stopped and looked Rebecca in the eye. Sarah! Rebecca felt the world grow brighter at the sight of her. She hadn’t seen her in years. There was so much she wanted to ask her and so much to tell since she moved. Her heart raced at the idea of talking to her again. Rebecca opened her mouth to say something. Sarah’s expression rapidly changed into an angry scowl that made Rebecca recoil. Why is she scowling at me? Sarah then sneered and whispered among her friends as she headed to her desk. When the entire class filled up, Ms. Myers stood.
“We have a new student, this is Rebecca. Please introduce yourself.”
Rebecca shivered as everyone looked at her; she felt like they were staring through her. They think I’m weird. They’re making fun of me. She took a deep breath and managed a feeble “hello.” As if picking up on her anxiety, the teacher spoke up and told them she used to live here two years ago. She was told to take a seat behind a boy with black hair and blue eyes. As she walked past, she saw him doodling on a piece of paper. When she took her seat, she saw Sarah glaring at her and then whispering and passing notes amongst her friends. I haven’t seen her in two years, and she looks at me like we were never friends. Rebecca didn’t want to think about it. The class went by at a sluggish pace, and she found herself struggling to pay attention to Ms. Myers.
When lunch finally came, she found herself looking at the large cafeteria. This part of the school had been redone; the white and blue floor was much nicer and had far fewer cracks and scratches than the old one. There were more tables, and the area to get food had four stations instead of two. They split the cafeteria in two, the lower grades were on one side, and the upper grades were on the other. As Rebecca got in line, she noticed some students were looking at her and snickering amongst each other. She tried to brush it off, but part of her knew what was happening. Rebecca grabbed a slice of pizza and looked for somewhere to sit. As Rebecca fumbled her way between the narrow spaces between tables, she noticed, many of the students watched her and picked up on what they were saying. Most of it was negative.
She found a table with an empty seat, but the students told her it was taken the minute she moved towards it. Rebecca tried another and found the same excuse. Discouraged, she saw a seat at Sarah’s table with her two friends and approached. She sat down, and all eyes were on her, but Sarah’s smirk bothered her the most.
“What are you doing?” She demanded, her eyes squinting angrily.
“I um…”
The brown-skinned girl on her left pushed her tray away, “losers aren’t allowed here.” She replied.
“Sarah I…”
Sarah looked to her friend and then clicked her teeth, “you heard Abby.”
“Bye!” The other girl with freckles named Stacy said while taking the apple off her tray, “why don’t you sit over there with that other loser!?”
She followed Stacy’s finger and saw the kid sitting there. It was the kid she sat behind in class. She remembered his name was Kyle. Rebecca turned back to Sarah, realizing this wasn’t the Sarah she knew. She was kind, funny, outgoing, never mean, and dismissive. Rebecca turned her back and felt something rush pass her head. She sat on the opposite side of Kyle and shut her eyes, trying to hide the tears. If Kyle noticed it, he didn’t say anything and kept his head down in the book he was reading.
Like before, she sat at the end of the bus and was ignored by everyone. She remembered what her father told her that he’d be home later. She did her best to ignore all the shouting, laughing, and blaring videos and music from people’s cellphones. The ride home seemed to stretch on forever as Rebecca sat and stared emptily out of the window, trying desperately to shut out the day. When at last, the bus ride ended, the only sounds she heard as she walked home was the lull of the wind and her own footsteps. The short walk made her think about the day, and Rebecca dreaded going back the next day. The only time she felt safe was during recess. She was able to avoid everyone by playing on the swings no one else used. The minute she opened the door, she saw something jump down off the couch. Rebecca froze in the doorway as she heard the hurried clicks, the clacks of the footsteps, and the jingle of a collar. Coco stepped into the pale light from the doorway and yawned lazily.
“Hi…Coco.”
Coco watched her and sat down. Rebecca turned the light on and shut the door behind her; the cat tracked her movements but did not follow until she entered the kitchen. There was a sticky note on the fridge mentioning some chicken and fries in the fridge and to feed and put more water in Coco’s dish. After feeding the cat, Rebecca went upstairs and into her empty room. Molly waited on the bed and smiled at her. Rebecca picked up the doll and sat on the bed. As she cuddled the doll, she proceeded to tell it her whole day. When she got to Sarah, her voice faltered for a moment, then she felt angry.
“She’s so mean now!” She blurted out, “why would she do that!?”
She sat in silence as if expecting to get an answer. In frustration, she put the doll down and climbed off the bed.
“I’ll be your friend,” A girl’s voice called.
Rebecca froze. Her eyes swept the entire room, expecting to find someone else there, but she was alone. Despite lying on its stomach when she put it down, the doll was on its back, and the painted-on eyes stared at her.
“M-Molly?”
“I’ll be your best friend,” the voice proclaimed with a friendly giggle at the end.
Rebecca gently picked up the doll and held it up in front of her face, and then she sat it back down on the bed. I’m imagining things. She heard something behind her and spun around. The door was partially opened; a rhythmical tapping sounded by the door. Rebecca cowered away as a lanky shadow entered the room. Her heart raced as the tapping grew faster and faster. She fell back on the bed and scurried over the other side as the doorknob twisted. She hid and peeked out from the corner as she tried not to make a sound. The knob twisted again, and the door creaked open. Something was in the room with her. Rebecca heard soft footsteps entering, but she couldn’t see it, not from her hiding spot.
She felt s-
A meow sounded. Rebecca looked up at the curious cat as she peered over the side of the bed, “Coco!?”
The cat pawed her and meowed again. She timidly reached up and scratched the cat behind the ears. She fully stood up and looked at the doorway. There was nothing there. Coco continued to let Rebecca pet her and looked at Molly. Molly stared at the two of them, and Rebecca swore she heard it say it would be her friend again. After petting the cat for a while, Coco hopped off the bed and went back downstairs. Rebecca put Molly in the chair, then sat on the bed, and shut her eyes. When she woke up, the sun was gone. She headed down the steps with the doll in hand to find her father in the entryway and petting Coco while she purred.
“Hey, kid,” he smiled.
“H-hey.”
“How was school?”
Rebecca wanted to tell him everything, but for some reason, she didn’t. Instead, her stomach growled.
“You didn’t eat, did you?”
“I fell asleep.”
He smiled and told her it was fine and gave her a choice between the chicken and fries or a hamburger. She picked the burger. Outside of the noise from the TV, they ate in relative silence. After dinner, Daniel booted up the game console and the game he had been trying to finish for months. Rebecca found herself watching attentively, remembering how she used to watch him play video games years ago. Daniel noticed and smiled.
“You want to play?” He asked suddenly, making her jump, “here, take it,” he gently handed her the controller and explained how to play.
She climbed up on the couch with him and started playing. The platforms and jumps were challenging, and she found herself misjudging them, but Daniel kept encouraging her to play. As she continued, she found herself getting further and further into the stage and laughed each time she messed up. Daniel laughed along with her while Coco stared at them all in confusion. When she finally finished the level, they both cheered and laughed.
“You did good.”
“I died a lot.”
He smiled, “hey, I’ve been playing this for months, and I die a lot,” Daniel then checked the time, “oh, it's way past your bedtime.”
Rebecca shivered. The idea of going to school again made her sick. Daniel ruffled her hair with his hand and smiled, telling her the first day was always rough. She nodded and quickly got ready for bed. When Rebecca came out of the claustrophobic shower, Molly was sitting on the nightstand and watching her. She slowly turned off the light and climbed in under the sheets.
“I will protect you.” The doll’s voice whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
…
Rebecca sighed and looked at her simple drawing. Realizing her pencil lead was dulled, she hopped out of her chair and went to the sharpener. The rest of the class either lazily drew or were on their phones. The teacher, a younger man that looked just a few years older than her father, walked around and checked everyone’s drawings. He looked over at Rebecca’s drawing of Coco. She froze as he leaned in closely at it. The prompt was to draw an animal, and all she could think of was the cat.
The teacher smiled and adjusted his glasses, “nice work everyone!”
Rebecca sighed as the teacher nodded to her and went back to his desk. Rebecca sat down and went back to her art, trying her best to recall the fur's subtle patterns. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kyle looking at hers. Rebecca could somewhat see his. It was of a snake of some kind. She went back to her art and felt her sense of pride fading. His art is way better than mine. She looked around the rest of the room and at all the paintings and drawings mounted on the walls. These must be from higher grades. As she continued to scan the room, she looked over at Sarah’s table. She wasn’t looking at her, but her friend Stacy watched and snickered at her. Rebecca did her best to ignore it and focused on the art.
In the back of her head, she thought about the voice coming from the doll and the door opening. She questioned if it was just Coco trying to enter the room. Brushing it off, Rebecca found herself getting lost in the drawing. The argument with Sarah felt distant, along with the sadness she felt about her being away from her mother. As the art came together, she smiled and leaned back, admiring her work. Snickering sounds came from Sarah’s table. Rebecca turned around as Sarah and her three friends laughed and looked at her. Rebecca turned away. Even when I do nothing, they laugh at me. Sighing, she tried to focus on the drawing.
“Um…” Kyle said and poked her arm.
“Huh?”
“Um…your hair.”
My hair? Rebecca grabbed the back of her curly hair and ran her hand through. Everything felt normal, but Kyle’s expression told her there was something wrong. The laughter from Sarah’s table continued. Others were snickering too. As her hand drew to the end of her hair, she felt something warm, wet, and sticky. Acting on reflex, she jumped out of her seat and brought it close to her face. Her pulse raced as she frantically searched for it. She saw the wad of pink gum mixed in her hair. Stacy blew a bubble of matching gum and smirked.
“Who did this!?” The teacher demanded.
Kyle timidly pulled the teacher’s sleeve and then pointed at Stacy. The teacher’s usually calm and friendly face contorted into a fierce scowl, “Stacy! Principal’s office, now.”
He turned back to Rebecca, and his expression softened again, “let’s get you to the nurse, see if they can get that out.”
As the teacher walked her out, some students laughed, and others just watched and whispered to themselves.
…
Daniel found his fingers fidgeting as he waited at the red light. He was grateful that his boss let him off as soon as he explained the situation. Daniel gripped the steering wheel tightly as his anger boiled over and the call replayed in his head. Realizing just how angry this made him, he sat back in his seat and turned up the radio a bit. Damn, I want a cigarette. He buried that thought down and popped some nicotine gum. He smirked at the irony of that as the light turned green. When he got to the school, he found Rebecca sitting in the principal’s office with her head down. She looked up happily at the sight of him.
“Is she-?”
“The nurse had to cut some of her hair to get the gum out, the student that did this will be suspended, and her parents have been notified,” the principal, an old potbellied man, spoke. The top of his head was completely bald and smoothed, but he had gray patches on the sides.
Rebecca stood up, and Daniel saw the part that was clipped. He sighed; it was better than what he expected. If she kept in a bun, no one would notice. The principal continued to apologize and explained the entire situation to him. He said the other girl’s parents had been called, but they would not be coming for now. After a few more minutes of back and forth, Daniel thanked the principal, and the principal gave Rebecca her homework due for the next day. She didn’t say anything as she climbed into the car.
“Wanna talk about it?” She shook her head. Daniel thought about what to do to cheer her up. An idea cropped into his head, and he looked over at her, “want to get some ice cream?”
She looked up at him, “ice cream!?”
“Yeah, there’s a place just down the road. It’s good.”
“Sure!” She smiled.
Daniel smiled and pulled off into a small ice cream shop. Although it cost him money, Daniel was glad to see his daughter smiling as she got vanilla ice cream on her nose and tried to lick it off. He laughed at her, and she laughed a bit too. With the rest of the day off, he helped her with her homework then studied online while she played the video game until it was time for bed.
…
Her heart raced as she bolted down the stairs in her pajamas. She heard her parents shouting, and the dog jumped out of his bed and started barking. Looking over her shoulder, her foot missed a step, and she tumbled down them and slammed into the wall. Pain exploded through her scrawny arm. Her dad shouted from his room.
The large black dog jumped in front of her and barked. Her eyes slowly looked up at the top of the steps. There was something there. She could see its long claws as the moon shined through the blinds. Her dad’s voice called again.
It wasn’t her father.
The stairs creaked as it took a step down them. A distorted and warped chuckle sounded. The dog continued to bark but as the creature drew slightly closer, the dog whimpered. The girl forced herself up as the skeletal shadow loomed over her.
“You’ve been a bad girl.” The inhuman voice spoke.
It sounded as if many voices were speaking at once, almost in unison with each other. The dog l- she watched the dog slam into the railing and let out a cry. Fear gripped her as it took another step towards her. When she saw its face, her legs carried her down the steps. A hiss sounded from behind her. She heard its weight shift from the stairs and to the wall beside her. It reached out, forcing its horrific face in front of her. The grin widened, and empty dark eye sockets pierced her heart.
She sprinted for the front door. The creature leaped in front of her. Its four arms outstretched and spread outward, engulfing her in its shadow. Another warped chuckle sounded from it. It took a step forward; the girl slowly backed up as its claws raked the walls. She looked behind her and to the sliding glass door.
“Where do you think you’re going!?” It asked in a multitude of raspy voices, one of them sounded like her mother.
Sprinting, she raced for the sliding glass door. As she ran, she felt it directly behind her, just a breath away. She slammed into the door and tugged as hard as she could.
She forgot about the lock.
Her fingers trembled as she twisted the metal lock and pushed the door open. She immediately spun around to try and shut the door before it c-
The creature’s claws lashed at her. Her heart raced as she fell back and tumbled down the porch steps. Hastily checking her chest, she realized it had missed. Now the creature was out of the doorway and standing at the front of the steps. Driven by adrenaline, the girl raced out of the yard and into the woods. With every step she took, the louder its footsteps grew.
She couldn’t stop.
The girl pushed through the brushes and winced as some cut at her face and clothes. The sticks and pine cones littering the floor cut into her bare feet. As she entered the woods, the creature’s steps fell silent. She didn’t dare stop and ventured deeper inside.
She failed to see the hill and plummeted down the side, cutting herself on the jagged rocks. A harsh laugh reverberated through the woods. The girl tried to stand, but pain exploded through her left leg. She looked at her cut knee and cried. Biting her lip, she listened out for it. Only the swaying of the leaves and branches could be heard, nothing more. She slowly crawled up the hill as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She tried to avoid the branches and used a tree to pull herself up.
“Wanna play a game?” A female voice called from her left.
She spun with her back against the tree. The darkness made it impossible to see more than a few inches in front of her. A laugh sounded from the opposite direction; the girl moved away from the tree and limped back. She needed to get out of here. A boom sounded deeper within the woods. The girl kept moving. The pain in her leg slowed her. If it caught up now, she wouldn’t be able to run.
“Someone’s been a bad girl.”
A voice boomed. The girl turned around and f-
Rebecca awoke with her pulse pounding; her sheets were soaked with cold sweat. She frantically looked around the room, only to find it empty. Rebecca felt something against her chest and looked down to see Molly there. She remembered falling asleep with the doll in hand, but as she ran her hand against the face, she felt something warm and wet against it. Rebecca yelped and pulled her hand away. She turned the light on and looked at her hand.
There was nothing there, only the doll.
Taking a deep breath, Rebecca turned the light off and wrapped herself in the covers. Bad dream. She shut her eyes and went back to sleep. This time she did not dream.
Rebecca woke up the next morning to her father, lightly shoving her and telling her to wake up. Coco was also standing in the doorway and watching them. Rebecca yawned and sat up.
“Sleep well, kid?”
She shook her head, “had a bad dream.”
“It was only a dream.” He said as he patted her head.
“Come on, get dressed. Breakfast will be ready in a minute.”
“Okay.”
Daniel left the room, but Coco remained. Rebecca reached out to pet the cat, but she pulled away with her eyes wide and transfixed on the doll. Rebecca looked at Molly in her other hand, put her down on the bed, and tried to pet the cat again. This time, she let Rebecca scratch between her ears. After that, she got dressed and took her father’s advice, and tied her hair back in a bun. Looking in the mirror, she forced herself to smile and then headed down the stairs to find her father plating some eggs.
“Hey,” he smiled, “the bun looks cute.”
“T-thanks.”
“And in local news, a missing child report has shocked the small community. Police are looking for an elementary school student named Stacy-”
The world deafened as the anchor’s words reached her ears. She stood still like a statue as she saw a picture of Stacy smiling on the TV. She took a step towards the screen and realized who the girl in the nightmare was. Swallowing hard, cold hands wrapped around her and made her shake. Daniel put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her back into reality.
“You alright?” He asked. Then he looked at the TV, “you come straight home after school and don’t talk to any strangers, understand?” She managed to nod. “Promise me.”
“I-I promise.”
He nodded, “oh, and don’t forget your phone this time. I can tell where you are with it.” He said, handing the small smartphone, “don’t use that to surf the web, just phone calls.”
“Okay.”
She took one more look at the TV, and for a second, she swore she saw the image of Stacy flicker to something else, something that almost made her scream.