Little Dreams and Hollow Nightmares

Ph2 Ch6: The Barbershop

Seven followed the Nome deeper and deeper into the caverns. He soon found himself in some sort of city. It was in a very poor state. Buildings were almost crumbling, some were bent over, and the main building in the center had completely collapsed. As heavy rain beat down on his back, Seven found himself starting to shiver. He looked back at the Grimmchild, who was completely shaking in the cold. Seven looked for the Nome, and saw it run into a building. He followed it inside, desperate to get out of the cold. While he was wearing a cloak from the Grimm Troupe, it barely did anything for him.

He and the Grimmchild relaxed as they took shelter inside the building, and dried themselves off. Hopefully there would be a shortcut to another stag station, because neither of them wanted to go back out in the rain. In the meantime, Seven started to wander around the structure. It looked pretty much abandoned, and there were a bunch of empty chairs everywhere. This place must've been popular back in the old days, but now, it looked like the perfect place for a haunted house.

The thought of that made Seven gulp. Now he knew something could be hiding in here. If so, he needed to be careful. He wanted himself, and the Grimmchild to make it out of this place alive. So he drew his nail, and walked along with caution. As he walked through, he noticed a series of paintings scattered the walls. The people there looked distorted, and eerie. He studied the paintings, and saw one, that looked much different from the rest. The person was distorted, but the canvas itself, it had something floating around it. 

Seven felt himself being called by the painting. Something wanted him to touch it. He inched closer, and several dream catcher floated around the painting. It wasn't just him. The Grimmchild was also intrigued. It seemed to have Sevens curiosity rubbed off onto it. Seven reached forward, and let a single finger, touch the dry, entrancing canvas.

Suddenly, a burst of dream catcher particles flew out of the painting, sending him and the Grimmchild to the floor. Seven opened his eyes, and found himself in another area. It shared many similarities with the previous area, but everything was out of place, and nothing looked the same. It didn't feel deserted anymore. It felt like there was something, Someone, inside with them.

Seven stood up, and searched for his nail, but for some reason, it wasn't here at all! Suddenly, Seven remembered the Grimmchild. He quickly looked around for them, and found them on the floor. A sigh of relief escaped Seven's breath as the Grimmchild flew up to him. With his friend by his side, Seven walked over, into another room. The empty chairs were now full. Filled with mannequins, each with a unique hairstyle. Seven moved past them, and suddenly, their faceless heads turned towards him and the Grimmchild. Their hands reached out for them, as they started to crawl towards them, reaching out for them.

Seven ran away as quickly as he could, the Grimmchild close behind. He climbed up a large shelf, as the mannequins shook it, desperately reaching out for him. Seven got to the top of the shelf, and crawled into a nearby vent. He and the Grimmchild escaped from the chaos in the room, and into the next. Inside that next room, there was a series of large boxes. Seven moved closer to the boxes, and began to examine them closely. He managed to make out a few words.

"From the Doctor," He read aloud. 

He looked at the Grimmchild, and they both began to ponder. Who was the doctor? And what did they have to do with this place? Suddenly, Seven felt a pulse of curiosity run through him. He looked at the box in front of him. He peeled off the tape that was keeping it shut, and moved away the covering. Inside, was a perfect mannequin, with long hair, and a long beard. Seven stared at the mannequin. Was the Doctor the source of all these mannequins? But, if the hair was so long for the mannequin in the box, why did the ones outside have their hair cut shorter?

Seven was pulled from his thoughts by a loud, *SNAP!* He looked in the direction, but heard a series of footsteps. Slowly, he tiptoed closer to the sound, and peered around the corner. He stared at the large figure in front of him. They had thin legs, but an enormous body. In their hands, was a giant pair of scissors. The figure moved the scissors across, cutting the hair on one of the mannequins.

Seven spotted a door at the end of the room, that was creaked open. He creeped across the room, careful not to get the creatures attention. The Grimmchild moved slowly as well, no letting out one of its usual chirps. All was going well, until Seven stepped on a single loose floorboard. A creak entered the room, and the figure's head turned towards the two. It was the same face as the one on the painting. The figure wobbled towards them, his scissors snapping as he walked. Seven didn't waste any time. He sprinted through the door, and into the next room.

The Barber followed them, his scissors snapping along with every step he took. Seven frantically searched for a way to escape, his eyes darting around the room. He spotted a small crack in the wall, and slid into it. The Grimmchild flew through the crack as well, just before the Barber snipped them. But that didn't mean that they were out of danger yet. The Barber walked through a door that Seven didn't see, right towards them.

Stupid, stupid stupid! Seven thought as he continued running. He slipped under a desk, hoping that would give him some time to breathe and think of a way out. But the Barber snipped the desk to pieces with his scissors, leaving Seven and the Grimmchild exposed. Seven continued running, desperately trying to find a way out. It was no use. They ran into a dead end, with nowhere else to run to. Seven stared at the Barber, as his scissors snapped, and snapped.

The Barber walked right up to Seven, his scissors open wide. Seven braced himself and then, the scissors closed.

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Yikes! This one came out a lot later than I thought it would.

In my headcanon, after the doctor makes the patients, he sends them to the Barber to make them look more human. That's the whole reason why the patients came to the doctor in the first place, so it fits.

Also, cliffhanger! I like it when I end chapters like this because it intrigues the readers.

Anyway, enough talk. See you in the next chapter ; )