𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ~ 𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞 ~ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭

They left the shed and the mangled dummy behind. They returned to the lodge. Their destination, beneath, the basement. The wind continued to howl and the snow continued to fall heavily. They ignored it for now. Braving the storm outside seemed like a better idea than descending the stairs, leading to the basement. Dread filled her completely, the red ovals were a sign, a bad omen. Something was waiting for them. She took a huge breathe and grabbed the banister to commence her descent. He was right beside her, silent. His silence did not put her mind at ease, his silence meant a tumultuous state of mind. They reached the doorway to the theater. A smashed vase was on the floor, the door to the basement was mind open, as if it beckoned them. Inviting them to live through the horror.

"I guess we're on the right path", he said.

She took a huge breath and headed towards the other door. This door led to a small hallway which led to another room. The room was tiny, there was a bed and a closet but nothing more. The room led to another open door. The open doors beckoned them, inviting with open arms and they followed in silence. They did not say a word to each other. She did not know what they would find. But they continued to go down the rabbit hole until they reached a poorly lit area. This area held the stairs that would lead them down, to the basement. They continued to descend, further, beneath. As if they were exploring the seven circles of hell. This area was terribly lit, they had to switch on their flashlights just so they could see their shoes. The basement contained various objects and trinkets. The only thing she noticed was the smashed wine rack. It currently sat on the floor, surrounded by broken bottles of crimson. The door was locked but that was clearly where they needed to go.

"Someone fought back here. The door's locked, we need to find a way in".

"How the fuck are we supposed to do that? This place is a fucking maze", he said in exasperation.

"You said it yourself, it's a maze. There has to be another way in".

They abandoned the door in order to explore the basement. She never came down here and he didn't either. This place was completely foreign to them. It was filled with trinkets, the lives of the Washington family. She saw the ancient rocking horse, it made her skin crawl, it reminded her of those creepy-looking Victorian porcelain dolls. Her eyes scanned the whole area and fell on a dollhouse. A pink Victorian mansion. The house looked disturbed, as if someone was messing around with it recently. She crouched down and peered inside. Nude dolls occupied the house. Six dolls were positioned in the lower level and three dolls sat in the upper level. There was a blonde doll in the upper level, her head slumped on a makeshift counter. The doll reminded her of herself. Two male dolls were also slumped on the counter, a brunette and a blonde. This particular scene reminded her of the old days, when she would play drinking games with the guys and eventually black out. The dolls on the lower level looked more ominous. A dark brunette stood on her own, a brunette male stood facing her. She glanced at Michael and something clicked. Recognition crossed his face. The friend group in doll form. It all made sense now. The three dolls upstairs clearly depicted Josh, Chris and herself in the kitchen, blacked-out. The dolls on the lower level depicted the rest of the friend group; Hannah, Michael, Ashley, Matt, Emily and Jess, in the basement. He continued to look until he couldn't anymore. He felt guilty for what he had done. Everything was put into perspective and he was a spectator, powerless to stop the chain of events that would eventually unfold. The dolls continued to stare, waiting to take the souls of the damned. She stood up and noticed a hidden journal. She promptly picked it up and flipped through the pages. The diary entries were dated almost a year ago, the journal belonged to Hannah. The first entry described Josh's mental health. He was institutionalized for a period of time. His sister was shocked by her own brother's state of mind. She was clearly upset that she did not notice. She registered this fact quickly and it made sense. Josh was not fine; he was not okay and his sisters' disappearance must've caused his mental state to worsen. Michael read the journal over her shoulder. He was extremely close but she ignored his growing proximity in order to fully comprehend the words. She flipped and found another interesting page; Hannah had badgered her brother about inviting Michael to the annual Winter getaway. She was over the moon when he phoned Josh and accepted the invitation. This gave her a strange feeling. Made her almost look at Michael differently. Hannah was completely in love with him and he had used it against her. His fucked-up brain had allowed him to commit an atrocious act, the damn prank that kickstarted all this mess. She closed the diary and turned to look at him.