Her New Doll (Completed)

Chapter Seven: Healing & Helping

In the bathroom Miranda doesn't hesitate to use her tendrils to hoist Natalya up and pin her against the wall.

From behind the priestess Donna squirms. She remembers too well how she wrapped her hands around Natalya's throat. Now she's even more uncomfortable seeing Miranda's eldritch arm wrapped around it twice keeping her head pinned.

"Have you been experiencing any pins and needles? Numbness? Do the limbs feel excessively cold?"

"A little cold, but not since Donna knit the socks."

"No numbness?"

"No."

Natalya knows now that this woman, if she can be called that, is the center of this shit show. She began this twisted tale and is responsible for everything in the village. Mother Miranda is the horror everyone talked about in hushed whispers back when she was at the base.

Fighting this woman is as good as asking for death. Natalya has decided she's come this far so she's not about to throw it away. Supposedly Miranda was a doctor at one point. So, she'll treat this like a doctor's visit. A doctor's visit dipped in an eldritch horror movie.

Donna squirms watching Miranda poke and prod Natalya's healing wounds. They're yellowish in color and obviously quite uncomfortable.

"Well, you've been giving her the pills religiously otherwise these would be infected. Keep it up. This is a dietary supplement to make sure she doesn't become anemic and keep her strength up. Once a day with breakfast."

Taking the bottle Donna nods.

"For now stick to walking. No running and try not to go up and down the stairs too much," Miranda sets Natalya on the sink and looks directly at Donna, "No strenuous activity whatsoever. Next time I do the sutures I don't care if she's conscious or not."

When the door shuts behind her and the sound of the elevator fades away Natalya sighs, "Well, I guess that means we're going to have to cancel our aerobics routine."

Of course Donna, having been locked in for so long, has no idea what aerobics is or what it means. It sounds most like aeronautics, which only makes the subject even more confusing. Before she has a chance to ask Angie comes flying in.

"Get up ugly! Now that you're on your feet you can work!"

"Angie!" Donna snatches the doll, "No work. Her stitches need to heal."

Somehow Natalya gets the impression that Angie isn't listening at all. She often wonders how the doll works. The other dolls seem entirely reliant on Donna, but Angie seems to share a part of her mind.

"Then what are we supposed to do with her? She's no fun!"

Donna sets Angie on the dresser and leaves, returning with the harness and Natalya's legs. Between them they have the legs on in record time and all that's left is the crutch.

Back downstairs Natalya winces. She sighs, "I could cook."

Angie looks at Donna. Donna is still struggling not to see her dream every time she closes her eyes. Looking at Natalya in her tank top and shorts it feels like she's exposing far too much skin.

"Cook breakfast."

"Okay."

In the kitchen Natalya sets the crutch aside and instead leans on the counter for support. Going through the cupboards she finds all manner of concerning things. Expired food. Dead rats. Lots of spiders, and a toad preserved in a jar with a label.

There are several specimens in the kitchen which Natalya cleans and sets aside. The water from the sink faucet is concerningly murky granted it solves the mystery of why Donna's soup has some grit to it.