Puppets by Proxy

Chapter 1: Caution

     CRASH! The medical tools hit the tile floor. "PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP!", Lizzy screamed to no avail. The masked man stepped out frustrated, "SHUT UP!" The man screamed as he picked his tools up after Lizzy kicked it down from panicking. The man picked up a syringe filled with a strange liquid, "This will turn your blood into a liquid that will allow the transformation to be possible, you will be my beautiful doll, I will sell you, you will be a GREAT Christmas present". The man giggled almost childlike. Lizzy screamed again crying and begging for help. Her tears flowed down her cheek, "Please let me go.. I'll do anything you ask, just please, I have a son.. I need to take care of him.",      

     She pleaded with him. The man didn't care, he inserted the syringe into a vital vein and she immediately felt her arm on fire from where it was injected. Lizzy screamed loudly from the pain, before tape was put over her mouth, her screams were muffled. The man mocked her and laughed with a sadistic look. Lizzy blacked out going limp in the chair she was tied in.  

December 6th, 2021. The year after the disappearance of Lizz Combs. 

     Corey was walking through the suburban streets alone, it was late afternoon, almost dark, she sighed and checked her phone seeing the amber alert for a small girl with blue hair, she didn't look like she was over 14. "It's sad", she said to herself. She hated seeing all these missing person posters all over town, she'd hear something behind her and she turned quickly to see a cat on a trash can, she took a deep breath and turned to walk again before stopping seeing a man standing a few yards in front of her, she took a step back, The man was masked and tall, he looked over 6ft. "E-exuse me, s-sir. Y-you are kinda freaking me out..", Corey said watching the man carefully as he walked forward towards her, his footsteps were loud and heavy, Corey would run the opposite direction heading back to her friends house. The man's footsteps closed in behind her as she approached the friend's house she was just at, "Almost there.", Corey thought to herself as she ran faster, she would make it running into the house slamming and locking the door behind her. Corey called out for her friend pleading for him to help her. Lucas ran in, "is everything ok, Corey?!", He ran to her. Corey was almost in tears, "There was a man! He was chasing me!", Corey said frantically, she would look up at him shaking. Lucas opened the door after unlocking it quickly, he looked around then shut the door, Lucas turned his attention to Corey. "Are you ok, Corey?", Lucas said, he locked the door again and kneeled down next to her as he patted her back. "I-Im alright, Lucas. Thanks", Corey said as she took a few deep breaths, She began to stand as Lucas did. "You can stay here tonight, I don't want you to get hurt", Lucas told her softly trying to convince her to stay with him so she wouldn't go missing like everyone else he cared for. Corey looked at him and didn't say anything. "Sorry, Corey. I'm just worried you will disappear..", Lucas paused, "You've seen the news. It's just about dark", Lucas said this slowly, not trying to sound weird. Corey thought a second, she knew he was right, but she didn't know what to say to him. She wanted to stay with him. "I-ill stay.", She managed to say looking up at him.

Lucas smiled softly, "C'mon, let's go back and watch something on TV", Lucas said walking down the hallway while Corey followed close behind him, she felt safe with him around, she had a strange feeling with that as well. . .

Corey didn't know what it was exactly but she wished she knew. . . 

Lucas put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright, Corey? Is something wrong?", Lucas asked, since she stopped in the middle of the room for seemingly no reason. 

"H-huh?!- Oh, yeah, I'm ok. . . Just . . . A bit stressed out. . . Ok?", She said a bit confused not really knowing why or how she stopped really. 

"Yeah. . . I understand", Lucas said as he let out a sigh, as he turned and sat on the couch waiting for Corey patiently. 

Corey would walk slowly towards the couch sitting next to Lucas looking at the floor silently.

After a few moments, Lucas broke the silence turning to her,

"Do you wanna watch a movie? . .",

Lucas asked trying not to be weird.

"I'd love to, Lucas", She forced herself to smile, Corey was trying not to cry every time she thought about the incident that happened only minutes before.

Lucas's face lit up a small bit seeing her smile, he jumped and went to get the remote.

Corey waited, looking around she looked at closet in the hallway, curious what he had inside of it until she saw it crack slightly and her heart sank seeing the man that chased her before, Corey screamed for Lucas as the man approached her.

Lucas heard her and ran into the kitchen grabbing a knife before running to the living room and at the man and shoved the knife in the man.

The man cocked his head feeling the sudden pain in his side.

Lucas pulled the knife out of the man and quickly repeatedly stabbed the man causing him to walk backwards towards the door and leaving.

Lucas looked at the knife seeing no blood.

"W-what the hell?. . .", Said to himself softly, before snapping back to reality and turned to Corey sobbing hugging her knees on the couch, Lucas ran towards her sitting next to her wrapping his arms around her gently, he himself was a bit shaky.

Corey immediately clinged to him, crying into his shoulder, she took deep breaths calming down, Corey didn't say anything for a minute, neither did Lucas.

"Thank you, Lucas", Corey said looking up at at him, still holding onto him. 

Lucas smiled slightly but not alot.

"Of course. . .", He said a bit teary, as he wrapped his arms around her. 

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep much tonight. . .", Corey whined, as she let go. 
"I'll stay with you then. . . Because I don't know if I can either. . .", Lucas said looking up at the ceiling fan spinning getting lost in thought before coming back into reality after Corey tapped his shoulder.
"Are you ok?", Corey asked after seeing him stare at what seemed to be nothing.
"H-huh? Yeah. . . Just thinking is all. .", Lucas said as he sighed gripping his hair a bit, stressed after running a few things through his head, "Should we call the Police?", Lucas asked Corey wanting her input before anything else.
"And they'll them what, Lucas?! That you stabbed him and there was not a drop of blood that came out?!", Corey said loudly. "I-im sorry. . . I didn't mean to raise my voice. . . It would be pointless to call the police. . .", She apologized to, Lucas.
Lucas, stayed silent a moment, "I'm sorry. . . I didn't think it through. . .", He said with a sigh trying to think what to do, they both were scared, tired, stressed, and confused.