DollMaker

Fear Is The Weakness(Part 2)- Chapter 4

Owen ignored the voice in his head. How could everything be a lie if he has never fibbed in his life? He continued working on Max's leg, omitting the thought. Cautiously, he poked the needle through his skin, over and under, over and under. The string brought the two flaps of skin together, but some blood still seeped through.

Hero waited patiently beside Max, watching Owen fix Max's leg. She felt a bit disturbed at the sight of the skin being sewed together. It was quite strange how she found this odd, but the fact that she stuck a twig in a puppets heart was not. She sighed, ambiguously. Everything was peculiar in this place.

Owen's eyes focused closely on the needle. He had done this so many times, that he forgets how to do it.

"Is it healed yet?", Max inquired, playing with ends of the sleeve of Hero's dress.

"Almost done, patience.", Owen responded, his black hair shielding his eyes. His hands were shaking, but he still concentrated well. The blood on his fingers made him quiver. Animosity filled his eyes.

Blood.

He despised it.

Owen backed away from Max and smiled, "All done. You can walk now, Max." Max grinned, twisting the threads on Hero's dress excitedly. Hero yanked her dress away from him, and helped him up. Max tilted his head a little, cracking the muscle in his neck and he took a deep breath. "Let me try it out first.", he breathed. Max motioned for Hero to move. Hero scooted towards left, trying to avoid leaning on the wardrobe. Max climbed up to the wood railing on the ceiling, and stood with great balance. He jumped at an angle, one leg stretched out further than the other, kicking down the wardrobe with great force. Hero jumped back, accidentally hanging on to Owen.

Max landed with such cunning detail, he stood firmly on the ground a cocky smirk on his face.

"Good enough.", he said cackling. He looked over to Hero, and his smirk dissolved.

Hero didn't know she was clutching onto Owen so tightly. "Don't be frightened, Max is harmless.", he whispered to Hero, stroking her hair lightly. Hero's face flushed, and she let go of Owen immediately. Why did she all of a sudden hold onto Owen?

Owen chuckled, charmed by Hero's reaction. He took a glance at Max whose eyes were like daggers.

"Thank you for fixing my leg, Master.", Max said, trying to clean up the scattered wood across the floor.

"You're welcome, Max.", Owen answered back to him. He brought Max closer.

"Just be more careful.", Owen smiled, with a worried curve in his eyebrows. Max was sure, completely sure, that he was the favorite puppet now.

"Don't get yourself caught into any trouble, I don't want you getting hurt.", Owen stated, a hand on Max's shoulder. He turned around to Hero, "This goes for you as well." Hero rocked back and forth on her heels, staring at the floorboards. Owen worried for Hero too much; she never wanted to worry anyone, despite her uselessness.

Hero was sure of one thing though. She knew that Teresa had to be the cause of Max's wound. After all, Teresa was the one who crept into her room the other night. Hero was still scarred from the experience, forever in fear of a puppet. Teresa's expression still haunted her in her dreams. The thirst for blood and the need to kill flooded her eyes. Perhaps, she wasn't a bad person, but just a corrupted mind.

No, there were such humans that kill purely for its thrill.

Owen still paid attention to Max, and kept his eye on him. The boy got himself caught into many situations, whether they were life or death. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to you earlier?", Owen asked curiously. Hero stopped, and looked at Owen. Her fingers clenched and unclenched, "I-I was reminded of something."

Owen could tell she didn't want to talk about it, so he wasn't going to force her. He smiled weakly, "Here, hold my hand.", he whispered, intertwining their fingers. Hero held his hand lightly; no emotion in her eyes once more.

"He was killed.", the words dropped out of her mouth.

"I'm finally here, is dinner ready?", Joseph yelled, his voice booming from the walls, hitting Hero's ears like music. She couldn't speak but smiled faintly. "I'm here.", she croaked, fearing that the man was still here.

No, he had to have left by now.

Joseph shuffled through the room, setting his hat on the wooden chair. "Hero?", he mumbled searching thoroughly with his eyes. Everything seemed in place, but where was Hero? He slipped into the corner of the home, where the small door rested. No one ever used it, but he opened it anyways. His eyes widened at the sight of his wife crammed up in a small place, bleeding immensely from her abdomen. Her head was over her knees that hugged her chest closely. "Hero! Wha-", he was cut off by a small creak.

Thump, thump, thump, something was crawling around. He hauled Hero out of the hole, carrying her over his shoulder. Joseph didn't know what was happening, but the suspense was slowly tearing him apart. He could see Hero's blood dripping from his shoulder. He trembled, but kept finding his way out of the plantation. He stumbled over to a shed. Luckily, bandages were in abundance. He slipped off Hero's dress, wrapping the bandages around her injury. She was sprawled across the ground, and he tried his best to put the dress back on her. Hero blinked, her eyes blurred. "Joseph...?", she murmured. He put a finger to her lips, and held her close.

Something pounded the door; each pound like thunder. Hero lost her grip on Joseph and he walked out, a shovel in hand. Hero's eyes flooded with tears. Don't leave, don't leave, was all that she could think of.

Before Joseph could make one movement, the man stuck the knife right through his neck. Blood spewed out, his neck failing to hold his head. HIs head fell sideways, the knife still in his neck. The man had stabbed him such force that the knife had gone through his neck completely. His mouth was filled to his lips with blood. The man grabbed the shovel in his hand, and raised it up to his shoulder. He swung downwards, leaving Hero with no hope.

Owen's eyes softened, and he looked at his fingers. He took a glance a Hero not able to tell whether she was alive or not. "I'm sorry I asked.", he whispered. Hero still just stood there, unable to speak. Hero tightened her grip on his hand, leaving Owen with many questions.

"I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry.", Owen kept saying, not knowing that she just wanted to be left alone.

"I'm fine, just leave me alone for some time.", Hero answered with a sad smile. Owen frowned, but nodded and left her alone to herself in the room.

"I have to leave."