The Doll

18

Day five

Leah

3:00 am.

Twinkle twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are.

I was roused from my sleep by the ethereal melody of a faraway voice, softly intoning a lullaby that stirred a sense of familiarity within me.

As I slowly awakened, a weary groan slipped from my lips as my gaze wandered about the familiar living space. The melodic strains of a lullaby drifted through the air, their origins seemingly feminine in nature, if my limited perception could be trusted. Struggling to clear my vision, I gently rubbed my eyes, hoping to sharpen the blurry tableau before me. Alas, my poor eyesight only hindered my efforts, rendering everything in a softened haze. Desiring clarity, I sought my spectacles, yet their whereabouts remained elusive, leading me to surmise that they had been carelessly misplaced in some distant corner.

In an attempt to resist the alluring curiosity taunting me, I dared to close my eyes and surrender to the embrace of sleep. Yet, as soon as my weary eyelids met, a resounding creak pierced the silence, reminiscent of footsteps descending the staircase. The melodic lullaby that once filled the air abruptly ceased, leaving only the hauntingly creaky symphony of the stairs. Though not overtly terrified, I deduced that it must be Alice, as she slept in the upper floor, making her way downstairs. Nevertheless, my mind persistently implored me to unveil the truth by reopening my eyes and casting them upon the enigmatic staircase. Yielding to the command of my intellect, I gingerly allowed my eyes to flutter open, directing my gaze towards the staircase. As anticipated, an indistinct figure, slowly descending the steps and manifesting a limp with every movement, materialized before me.

With my unwavering gaze fixed upon the stairs, I beheld the enigmatic silhouette, presumably Alice, descending at a leisurely pace. The staircase creaked beneath their weight, while the touch of their hand upon the rail emitted an eerie, discordant squeal. In a state of immobility, I deliberated between engaging in conversation or preserving a reverential silence. Yet, in the midst of my contemplation, the words involuntarily escaped my lips.

"Alice?" In hushed tones, I uttered, my words scarcely reaching the atmosphere. The silhouette halted its ascent on the stairs, and to the extent that I could discern, it inclined its head. The oppressive obscurity veiled the figure's countenance from my sight, yet I possessed an unwavering conviction that it was Alice. Following a fleeting interval of stillness, the figure proceeded to pivot its head, eliciting a resounding crack emanating from its neck as it swiveled to the left. Subsequently, the figure executed a similar motion, its neck once more emitting a resounding crack as it turned towards the opposite direction.

"Alice is that you?" I softly inquired, my voice barely audible. Immediately following my words, the delicate strains of classical music ruptured the palpable stillness. The distant melody wafted through the air, its ethereal notes reminiscent of a radio transmission. Yet, it failed to captivate my thoughts, as my focus remained fixated upon the motionless figure before me. Having lingered on the middle step of the staircase for an extended duration, the enigmatic entity proceeded to descend one more step, audibly accompanied by the sinister sound of their leg cracking. The figure ceased its movement once more and audibly twisted its neck for the third occasion. Suddenly, a gleeful chuckle escaped, igniting a rapid acceleration of my heartbeats, for I was certain no children graced the premises. Subsequent to the laughter, the reverberation of crying ensued, persisting for a fleeting spell before abruptly ceasing as well.

In an instant, the enigmatic figure dashed down the staircase, their velocity surpassing all human limits. My breath quickened in response to this breathtaking display, and as the figure drew nearer, my heart seemed to cease its rhythmic cadence.

“STERBEN.”

In the midst of the abominable being's piercing shriek, I instinctively sealed my eyes shut, permitting myself to emit a resounding cry that resonated with intensity. Clasping my trembling hands over my ears with unwavering force, I persisted in unleashing an unbroken stream of vocalized terror, while resolutely averting my gaze from the dread-inspiring entity.

"Leah! Leah!" The urgency in Tommy's voice jolted me from my reverie, his hands gripping my shoulders with an intensity that demanded my attention. "What's wrong?!"

"The...the...red...creature," Trembling, I faltered, my eyelids tightly clenched, adamantly resisting their release, consumed by a trepidation of encountering the same fiend once more. Its crimson incandescent eyes and crimson visage had left an indelible mark upon my consciousness so that even in the darkness of my closed eyes, its ghastly characteristics remained vividly present.

"Leah, there's nothing!" With a wild fervor, Tommy exclaimed, his hands shaking my shoulders with urgency. As I reluctantly opened my eyes, I took in the scene before me, only to find that the enigmatic creature had inexplicably vanished, as if it had dissolved into the ethereal realm. Astonishment overcame me, for the image of that otherworldly being had been indelibly etched into my mind, along with the haunting echoes of its voice. Yet, in a mere moment, it had abruptly ceased to exist before my very eyes.

"Guys, what's going on?" Alice inquired with a troubled expression, her graceful descent down the stairs betraying a hint of urgency. I cast my gaze upon her, my eyes fluttering uncontrollably in an attempt to confirm her identity, relieved to discover it was indeed Alice, accompanied by Bella. As I prepared to articulate my thoughts, a sudden and melodious lullaby reverberated through the air.

“Violets are blue,
Roses are red,
My baby girl,
Let me put you in bed.”

The melody of the lullaby grew distinctly audible as if it emanated from right behind us. With cautious deliberation, I pivoted my gaze towards the origin of the melodious tone, only to be confronted by a spectacle that rendered me utterly speechless and dumbstruck.

In front of the window adjacent to the front door, there stood a woman with her back to us. Cascading down her back was a cascade of ebony tresses, while crimson droplets trickled from her pale, mutilated hands. Emanating from her direction was a dulcet tone, likely belonging to her. Directing my attention downward, I observed the doll perched beside her feet, its gaze emanating an incandescent, reddish luminescence. Adorned in a pristine nightgown of ivory, descending to her very toes, it was besmirched with the macabre hue of blood.

“Darkness is black,
Blood is red,
My baby girl,
Let me put you in hell.”

The woman's incantation intensified, her voice assuming an eerie and haunting timbre. It seemed as if her own feminine voice intertwined with three spectral voices, instilling a bone-chilling sensation within me. With the utterance of the word "hell," she released a blood-curdling scream that wrecked my eardrums and compelled me to press my hands on my ears in a futile attempt to muffle the piercing sound. Alice, driven by an unwavering determination, sprinted towards the woman, her arm extended, grasping an object. Presuming it to be a crucifix, I witnessed as Alice touched the woman with the crucifix, prompting another spine-chilling scream to emanate from the woman's lips. In an instant, the woman vanished without a trace, erasing any evidence of her existence.

In a shared moment of fear, we maintained an unspoken connection, exchanging glances permeated with sheer terror. A weighty silence settled among us, momentarily interrupted solely by the rapid rhythm of our breaths. The spectacle that unfolded before our eyes was a ghastly sight beyond description, so haunting that I questioned the very fabric of reality, desperate to verify that it was not a figment of my imagination.

In spite of our overwhelming dread, we recognized the imperative to lull ourselves into slumber, patiently awaiting daybreak to commence our expedition.

***

I don't want to spoil but the story is going to end soon :( I'm so sad but I hope that you guys are enjoying the story and don't forget to tell me your thoughts! :)