Under the Floorboards

Chapter 12: dolls

Lazaro stiffens as the dollhouse creaks open, the creak is loud enough to make a small animal go deaf. Dust floats out instantly, covering what's inside. Nina inches over to the dust-filled house, bending down to squint. She blows air towards it, dust flying in her face. She coughs, turning her head away until the fogginess clears up. "Careful," Lazaro cautions her. Cole watches closely from aside.

Once the dust has disappeared, it reveals three porcelain dolls. Their faces are cracked in random places and they appear to be dirty from age. Nina narrows her eyes at them, preparing for them to attack. "Nina. That's enough," Cole warns.

"I agree with Cole, you are too close. Who knows what they might do..." I agree lightly. Mark nods to me reassuringly.

"Fine," Nina grumbles, backing away.

"Are they just gonna sit there?" Zane snaps angrily.

"You act like we have time to waste," Damon shrugs blankly.

"Well, I'd rather just get dying over with. Waiting it out is a lot worse," Zane explains negatively.

"We aren't going to die," Alaska crosses her arms.

Just saying the word "die" makes me shuffle into Mark's arms, my face is stone cold as I shut my eyes and breath in his scent. "I love you," I whisper to him as I listen to his heart beating in his chest.

"I love you, too," he kisses my head, sadness drags in his tone. 

Alaska nears the dolls, their eyes suddenly open. They blink every few moments, their glass eyes stare hard enough at me that they can probably see my soul. I feel a rush of cold air blow over my skin, shivering as the goosebumps rise. "Their just some dolls. We can make it through this," Cole assures us.

"Just dolls?" Lazaro blinks incomprehensibly.

"Just dolls," Cole repeats with a nod.

"I wouldn't underestimate them, though. This house probably has some tricks up its sleeve, no doubt," Zane calms himself.

"I think it might, too," Damon nods to Zane.

"Well that's okay. We can fight it," I straighten myself and slip away from Mark. "We will make it," I intensify my stare towards the dolls, trying to convince myself that I'm right.

In the blink of an eye, the lights flicker only to reveal five more dolls. Each of their porcelain faces stare up at us, smiles so wide it makes me want to throw up.

Lazaro jumps back, his face in shock. "No, no. We don't need anymore, thanks though," Lazaro seems to be talking to the house.

"You don't think it's actually going to listen to you?" Nina raises an eyebrow to him.

"It was worth a shot," he bites his lip.

With another flicker, there is now 13 dolls lined up neatly against the wall. They are about three feet in size, each of them show wear and tear.

"That's it. I can't take it anymore," Nina snaps towards the dolls just as she begins to run towards them.

"Nina, no!" I scream to her just before her foot slams into a doll. The sound of glass shattering fills the air as the doll crumbles. The rest of the dolls cock their heads towards Nina, their smiles turn into scowls.

"Shit," Nina's eyes bulge as she retreats back towards us.

"You shouldn't have done that," one of the dolls cackle as they all begin to come to life. I back away slowly, creating more distance between me and the dolls, pulling Mark along by the hand.

Lazaro shakes his head at the ground. "This isn't happening," he whispers as he freezes in place. The dolls take slow steps, their legs rub together with a scratching noise. They are headed towards Nina.

"Shit, shit. Shit, shit, shit," I repeat under my breath as I strategize.

"Help break them!" Cole calls to everyone before charging. I instantly follow before even thinking about it. I find myself flinging a foot out at another doll. It shatters. 11 left. Cole's foot smacks into another. 10. Lazaro stomps down on the head of another. 9. Alaska picks one up by its hair and flings it at the wall. 8. Damon grabs two, smashing them together. 6. Mark knocks one over and I instantly jump onto it, feeling it crumble beneath my feet. 5. Nina screams at another, grabbing it and squeezing it in her hands. Blood trickles down her arm as the doll breaks. 4. Zane kneels down and punches one, cracking it. He begins punching it rapidly, as if he's insane. It shatters. Blood covers his knuckles. 3. I throw another into the air and hit it with my hand so it flings at the wall. 2. The last two, Cole stomps on without hesitation. And now the room is full of broken glass.

"That seemed too easy," Damon stares at the shards suspiciously. Just as he predicted, the shards begin to vibrate.

"Oh, come on!" Lazaro groans. The pieces begin flying around the room in all directions, slicing at my skin. Everyone breaks out in screams. I feel the pieces tear at me. I duck down, trembling as the blood runs down my arms. My body feels as if it's on fire. I wipe my hand on my cheek, more blood. Screams. Cries. Ringing in my ears as the world spins quicker. My heart thumps hard, everyone running around the room. Suddenly, the broken pieces stop in mid air. They go from flying wildly to still and floating. They all angle towards Nina.

She closes her eyes tightly, crying out. "Chase," I hear her whisper.

"No!" Cole bellows before leaping in front of Nina. The shards fly, piercing into Cole. He gasps, he is now shaking.

"No!" I run to him, his body collapsing into my arms. "No! No! No!" I scream, punching my fists into him. He's already dead. "You idiot! Why do you always have to be the hero?!" I scream at him as if he can hear me. Hot tears run down my cheeks. "No," I repeat, sobbing with the corpse still in my arms. The pieces fling out of his body, blood oozes from all over him. His eyes are still open, staring widely. I drag my fingers over them slowly, putting him to rest. He fades away into nothing. Nina has her hand cupped over her mouth as she wheezes. Just like that, I go numb. Everyone stares at me as I stand up. I'm trembling but I can't feel it.

Mark runs to me, wrapping his arms around me. "Shh. It's okay. Shh," he soothes me, petting my hair. I say nothing. I do nothing. My arms are lifeless at my side, I'm not hugging in return. The pull I feel towards him screams at me to wrap myself around him but I just can't. As much as I try, I don't move. My eyes are still open, I blink very little. The shards of porcelain glass start shaping together, forming a larger doll in the air. It's life size now.

Mark is still wrapped around me, I pull away. "I'm fine," I whisper, even though I know I'm not. I just lost my uncle. No. He's a brother. I just lost a brother.

Mark turns around quickly, seeing what I'm staring at. Lazaro holds his breath as the doll stomps over to him. We all stand still, unsure of what to do. "It's okay, guys. Don't come near, I can't let anyone else get hurt," Lazaro whispers through his heavy breaths.

"Lazaro, you need our help," Damon's face twists in pain.

"It's fine," Lazaro assures us as the doll stops in front of him. It looks him up and down, a low growling noise comes from it. Lazaro stands still. "Thank you guys for everything," he stares blankly. "Goodbye," he whispers as the doll plants its hands on his cheeks. He's crying now. Tears are running from his eyes. And just like that, the porcelain fingers wrap around his face tightly and jerk to the side. A snapping noise sounds out, a scream escapes Nina. My eyes bulge as my heart skips, my whole body shakes wildly. His body drops to the ground, his head rolls to the side. Blood gushes in every direction, splattering my face. It's hot. Boiling, even. And that's when I can't take it anymore. The ringing in my ears is too much, the world is spinning too fast.

I fall backwards, feeling Mark's strong hands catch me. "Kendall!" terror is etched in Mark's voice. I'm numb. And everything is black.