This is the final part of the story that has been released every Friday for the past 4 weeks. I want to thank everyone who has read so far and I hope you enjoy this final piece. Links to parts 1-3 are below:

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

The next day before he had to go to work, Daniel checked the wall for the symbol. It was gone. He tried to look for the doll too, but he couldn’t find a thing. He tried messaging Natalie asking about it, but he doubted she would answer at this time. Maybe it is over. He took a deep breath and went to make breakfast. Rebecca still looked exhausted, and the dark circles under her eyes looked worse.

“Did you sleep better?” He asked, trying to hide how afraid he felt.

She shook her head. After he made breakfast, he made sure to watch her get on the bus. Then it was off to work. He spent most of the day checking his phone for a response. Come on, Natalie, are we in the clear yet? As it came closer to his lunch, he feared she would never answer. When he finally took his lunch, he climbed into his car, and a sense of defeat overcame him. He questioned if Rebecca would be safe or not. As he turned on the radio, his phone beeped. He hastily unlocked it and saw the message.

>THE SYMBOL VANISHED!? VOICE CHAT, NOW!

He didn’t have time to type a response as the request came in. He answered and put the phone on the dashboard.

“Hello?”

“Listen to me very carefully. Did you see the doll or that creature since this happened?”

“No. I checked. Doll’s gone.”

“Is your kid with you now?”

Daniel sensed the fear in the woman’s voice, “no. She’s at school.”

“The creature following the doll, it’s going to take your daughter, and it will turn her into a doll like Molly.”

“What are you saying!?” Daniel asked, finding it hard to breathe.

“She’s not safe! The doll is still out there! It’s about to take her!”

“What do I do!?”

“I’ve been looking for answers for years. Someone claims to have stopped it by burning the doll.”

“A doll? How many are there!?”

Natalie took a deep breath, “I don’t know. When it takes the doll’s owner, it makes that person into a new doll, and then the cycle repeats. I’ve found cases that match from everywhere. This has been happening since at least the 60s.”

Daniel started his car and bolted out of the parking lot, “I’m going to stop it.”

“Listen, I have no way of confirming if destroying the doll works or not. If it doesn’t, the creature will kill you next.”

Daniel shivered as she said it. He needed to stop by the house first, get his lighter and lighter fluid and the baseball bat. Daniel risked running a red light, something he hadn’t done since he was a stupid teen. His mind raced as he sped down the street. You aren’t taking my daughter!

…

The day passed by in a blur for Rebecca. She spent most of the day in a haze, fighting to stay awake. She kept looking around and checking her bag, fearing Molly’s return, but there was nothing. She kept telling herself to relax and that it was all over, but part of her felt like she couldn’t. It felt like she was being watched. Even at recess, when she was out in the open and playing volleyball with Kyle. The bright sun made her feel better and calmed her somewhat while she tried to fight off fatigue and keep up with Kyle. He served the ball, and it flew across the court and down towards the edge of the woods.

“Kyle!”

Kyle winced and scratched the back of his neck, “sorry. I can go get i—”

“No, I’ll get the ball.”

She was already starting towards the edge of the court. The ball stopped right before the tree line in front of a small opening in the bushes and trees. Even if Rebecca ignored everything that had been happening since she found Molly, the woods made her shiver, and she wanted to get as far away as she could. Forcing herself into a jog, she returned to Kyle.

“Next time, take it easy!”

With that, she served the ball. Kyle was already on it and served it back to her. As recess went on, Rebecca found it harder to pay attention to the game and her general surroundings. She found her eyes being drawn to the ground, and she came to a halt. The air around her grew colder. The sound of the other kids was gone. In fact, she couldn’t hear anything around her as if the world had gone silent. Her eyes felt heavier and heavier, and her head continued to droop. 

The ground changed. It was gradual at first, but as Rebecca fought to keep her eyes open, she saw the same symbol on the wall, slowly forming in front of her. She tried to move and shake her head to break the hold, but she couldn’t. There was no e—

Something hit her in the head. The impact sent her down into the sand. Sound returned, she could hear everything once more, and the coldness in the air faded. She felt a dull pain in the side of her head and looked over at the volleyball.

“Sorry!” Kyle shouted as he ran over, “are you okay?”

She shook her head and looked up at him, “yeah.”

He seemed surprised that she wasn’t mad. As she fully exited the haze, she came to terms with what just happened. She wasn’t safe.

“Come on,” Kyle said, reaching out with his hand.

Rebecca accepted it, and the instant she did, Kyle’s face turned slightly red, and he nervously looked away. Rebecca saw something standing behind him. Her mouth moved to scream a warning.

Too late.

Claws wrapped around Kyle; he opened his mouth to scream, but he was already off his feet, and the creature pulled him away with no effort. He was gone, erased. There was no trace of him anywhere. Rebecca screamed and crawled back.

“Hi Rebecca,” Molly spoke, suddenly appearing in front of her.

“K-Kyle!”

The entity was back, crawling through the fabric of reality. It stared at her.

Molly stepped forward, “it’s time.”

She got to her feet as the creature raised all four of its claws. She looked around; the other kids didn’t see what was happening. They didn’t see it take Kyle. It was just like Sarah and her friends. Now it was her turn. Not knowing what else to do, she ran for it. The creature vanished while Molly gave chase.

Despite her small size, somehow, the doll was catching up to her. The woods! I’ve got to reach the woods! She ran as fast as she could, wincing as the branches ripped at her face, arms, and legs. The further in she went, the worse it grew. The entity imitated the voices of all the people it took, even Kyle, and no matter how much she ran, she could still hear their voices taunting her. 

…

Daniel whipped the car into the parking lot and grabbed the bag in the backseat. He grabbed his phone and dialed Rebecca. Come on Rebecca. Come on! The phone rang several times; each unanswered ring made his heart race more. He exited the car and shouldered the bag. Come on! As he locked the car, the phone went to voicemail. He didn’t bother leaving one and redialed. As he listened to the ringing, his mind raced. He feared the worst. 

There was a click.

“Dad!? Dad!”

“Rebecca, where are you!?”

“The woods! It's chasing me!”

He remembered the woods behind the school he had snuck back there as a teen to smoke weed with the 9th graders.

“Okay, I’m coming. Keep the phone o-!

A loud screech made him shake, and his phone hit the ground. He screamed her name but received no answer. He was running out of time. He scooped up the phone and remembered he could track her phone. His hands shivered as he navigated to the app and put in his code. A map displayed and showed the general area in the woods. He ran around the side of the school and entered the woods.

“Rebecca, I’m coming!” He shouted into the phone.

As he delved deeper into the woods, he swore, he heard a laugh from his phone.

…

Rebecca struggled to breathe as she kept running. She heard Molly in the distance chasing after her, and Kyle’s voice called out, asking her where she was. The woods grew denser the further Rebecca went, and it seemed to darken around her. She couldn’t remember the way she came and had no idea where she was. Despite hearing Molly and the creature moving through the trees, she felt herself slowing down. After a few more seconds, she collapsed against a tree. Her lungs burned, and she violently coughed. When the coughing fit ceased, she heard twigs snapping behind her and rustling in the bushes. 

It was getting closer.

She looked ahead and saw something beyond the trees. She hoped it was somewhere she could hide from Molly until her father came. Rebecca leaned on the trees and kept pushing forward. The woods grew mostly silent around her as she arrived at a small abandoned shack. She pushed the rotted wooden door open and saw the vine infested room ahead of her. The steps to the upper level had fallen apart, and there were holes in the ceiling. The old wooden floor creaked as she entered. The door slammed behind her, and she jumped up in fear, almost screaming. Stepping into the living area, she found a couch infested with roaches; her skin crawled as she watched them scurry between the moldy cushions. There was a decaying kitchen in front of her with rusted appliances and broken cabinets. 

“Rebecca? Why are you hiding from us?” Molly’s voice called. She knew it was from outside. It was followed by a loud bang at the door.

Rebecca ran into the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets, disturbing the bugs inside. The door shook again, and she watched the wood warp and crack. Grimacing at the roaches and cobwebs, Rebecca crawled into the dark cabinet and shut the door. She left it open just a crack as something ripped through the door. Holding her breath, she watched Molly’s shadow creep into the room.

“Are you playing hide and seek? We’ll come find you.”

Molly entered the living room. Rebecca couldn’t see her anymore, but the entity followed behind her. Rebecca crawled back further into the cabinet and tried to keep still. The silence in the room became unbearable. There was a loud crash somewhere in the room. Before she could stop herself, she jumped in fear, but she managed to bite her lip. Another crash followed, this one much closer to where she was hiding. The air in the cabinet grew heavier. A door creaked open in the distance.

“She’s here somewhere!”

Molly sounded frustrated as she stomped around the room. The entity followed. Rebecca listened; they were going further away from her hiding place. Slowly edging closer to the gap, she tried to see them but couldn’t. With unsteady hands, she pushed the cabinet opened a bit more and peeked around the side. Both Molly and the creature were checking the other doors down the hall. Their backs were to her. Now’s my chance! She opened the cabinet just a bit more and slowly crawled out. The door was right there; if she could sneak out, she’d find a way back to where she dropped the phone or back to the school.

As she crawled, she kept her eyes on where Molly and the creature were. They were checking another room and couldn’t see her. When she reached the entryway, one of the boards moaned under her weight. 

“There you are!” 

Rebecca jumped to her feet and ran. She made it down the steps before she felt a sharp pain in her left calf. Rebecca fell into the dried mud, and her knee scraped a rock. She cried out as the rock tore away the skin. She rolled onto her back as Molly and the entity towered over her. 

“You can’t run away.”

…

Daniel’s heart raced as he ran with his phone in one hand and the bat in the other. She hadn’t moved in several minutes; Daniel feared the worst. He plowed through a wall of branches, not caring as they scratched at his face and arms. As he passed through, he found the phone sitting by a crooked tree. Oh no! I’m too late! The bat fell from his hands as he picked up the phone and tapped it to see the lock screen.

 Then he noticed it. 

Footprints, they carried on from this spot. She’s still alive! He picked up the bat and kept running, using the light from his phone to better spot the tracks—

A scream sounded from ahead. It was Rebecca! He followed the sound and came to an abandoned house. Rebecca was on her back while the doll and the creature stood over her.

“Get away from her!” He shouted, gripping the bat with both hands.

The doll and the creature focused on him in unison while Rebecca tried to crawl away. As the entity turned towards him, his stomach tied itself in knots. Molly lingered behind the four-armed monster as it crouched down and slowly inched closer. He needed to get at the doll and torch it with the lighter and the lighter fluid, but this thing was in the way.

He looked over at Rebecca as he took a step forward; she pulled herself towards one of the bushes. Daniel stepped closer, determined to keep its attention. His arms shook as an overwhelming sense of fear took over.

 The creature lunged. He swung. One claw smacked the bat away and sent Daniel into a clumsy spin, the second slashed at his exposed back. His backpack absorbed most of the blow, and the strike ripped away the pages of the textbook like it was pulling out entrails. 

Daniel fell to his knees from the force of both hits. The little claws lashed at him. He leaned back and felt one rake his chest and cut through his jacket. He swung the bat, catching one of the limbs with it. The impact knocked him away, and he fell. The creature rose to its full height and advanced.

Daniel looked at the bat. There was a large dent where the bat made contact, but no damage to the creature. If he tried to fight this creature directly, it would kill him. He needed to get after the doll. He crawled to his feet and stepped to the side, trying to position himself closer to Molly. He made several fake strikes to keep it from noticing what he was doing.

It rushed him again. Daniel swung, aiming for the face. He struck it and watched the creature’s head lower in response. He raised it again. The bat stopped mid-swing. It yanked the bat from his hand. Daniel’s heart sank as he watched the bat fly. It lifted him into the air with the other long arm. Daniel screamed and kicked as hard as he could, but it was like kicking a brick wall.

A few moments later, he was slammed onto the ground. All the air flew from his lungs, and pain erupted through his ribs. Molly was a few feet from him, and the bat was behind her. Daniel tried to stand, but another lance of pain traveled through him and prevented that. The creature’s large hand clasped his skull and yanked him into the air.

“Rebecca! Come out!” Molly called.

“Run!” Daniel managed to cry out.

The claws dug into the sides of his head, blood trickled down his cheeks, and he had to shut his eyes to keep the blood from getting in his eyes. He grunted and bit down hard as the claws dug in deeper, threatening to pierce his skull. 

He hit the ground. He heard an inhuman cry mixed with a somewhat human one. He looked over his shoulder to see the creature reeling in pain and clutching its head. It was in pain! Daniel looked ahead, Rebecca cried out, and he saw her crown the doll with the bat. Both the doll and the monster shrieked in pain. The doll is linked to the creature! Daniel pulled his arms out of the straps and opened the bag.

“Keep hitting it!” He shouted as he grabbed the lighter fluid.

Rebecca awkwardly raised the bat again. She never reached the doll. The creature suddenly appeared in front of her, snatched the bat out of her hands, and knocked her down. Its other hands seized her by the neck and lifted it towards the face. Daniel watched it split open, revealing a circular maw of pulsating teeth.

Daniel unscrewed the cap on the fluid. He squeezed the sides of the bottle and aimed towards the doll. As he did, he brought the lighter up and flicked the switch. The fluid ignited as soon as it made contact. The small jet of flames grazed the doll.

Both it and the creature shrieked in unison. Daniel forced himself to stand and hobble closer. He hit with another jet of fluid and tossed the lighter at it. A serpent of fire slithered up to the demented plastic doll, and it caught fire. The warped cries made Daniel fall to his knees and clutch his ears as the twin screams reverberated throughout the woods.

The entity dropped Rebecca and flailed around like it too had been set ablaze. In her anger, Molly turned towards them. It was somehow more nightmarish as the plastic making up its body began to melt, blacken, and sag. Then it ran deeper into the woods. Daniel remembered something: he had been here before. There was a pond nearby!

He forced himself up, “stay behind me!” He shouted to Rebecca.

Rebecca grabbed the bat and limped behind him as they followed the burning trail the screaming doll left. They found it stumbling towards the large pool of water. The creature, despite being in intense pain, charged at Daniel. He tried to dodge it.

Not fast enough. Its claws raked his chest and knocked him off his feet. He hit the ground hard, and a sharp pain erupted through the back of his head. Fireflies danced on the edges of his vision. He watched the lighter and fluid fly from his hands as the creature raised its claws to finish him.

The claws never touched him.

It fell to its knees, shrieking as it did. Daniel looked over. Rebecca smashed the bat into the doll once more, knocking it to the ground, while the flames continued to eat away at it. As the doll tried to rise again, she hit it with the bat once more. Daniel saw a problem; the flames were starting to die down. The mud at the edge of the pond was suffocating it. Rebecca panted heavily and paused for a moment before raising the bat again to strike. He managed to pull himself up slightly.

“Lighter!” He managed to shout in a hoarse voice.

She turned around and picked up the bottle of fluid. The doll limped to the edge of the pond; it was almost there. Daniel shivered; they wouldn’t be able to stop it. Rebecca spun around and doused the doll, reigniting the flames. This time the pillar of fire was much taller and brighter. The plastic making up its body began to warp and bubble. Its nightmarish wails continued. Daniel watched the creature’s gray flesh begin to strip away and bubble. Rebecca emptied the bottle onto the burning doll. The hair, the clothes, and the painted-on skin were gone. The body began to collapse in on itself into a pile of blackened sludge.

When the screams stopped, there was nothing but a dark mound of liquid plastic. The creature had vanished in a black mist that quickly faded away. Rebecca kept the bat raised, determined to strike if the flames weren’t enough. Daniel managed to stand a bit and limped towards the flames. He wanted to be sure there was nothing left before he put it out. 

His mind raced. Did killing this doll stop them all, or were the others unaffected? Would they come after him and Rebecca too? They sat there in silence for several minutes, waiting for the last of the plastic to turn to ash. Then Daniel kicked mud onto the remaining flames.

It was over.

Rebecca dropped the bat and looked up at her father with tears in her eyes. Daniel forced himself to smile. He reached out with his hand and grabbed her. Without needing to say a word, the two limped out of the woods. Daniel wondered what he would say to the school about his injuries or Rebecca’s or what Jesse would say, but that didn’t worry him. She and the other students were safe, and that was all that mattered.

END

I want to thank anyone and everyone who read all parts of this story I'll have to write and upload shorter stories here in the future just so there's more content here.