Play Nice

...

Lucy slowly put the doll into the box lined with bubble wrap. She wrapped it up and put it on the middle shelf, underneath 3 other boxes. Just to be safe. Lucy and Fletcher stared at the box, hand in hand, for what felt like hours and then glanced at each other.
" Why'nt we just ben it? "
"Cause she'll come back ta get us. She'll be even worse tha' time. We have ta play nice."

3:59 am.1 minute until 4.Lucy stared at the digital clock on the bedside table.She had moved the doll to the garage after its little adventure the other night. Fletcher was ok. His leg was bandaged up but it wasn't broken. Just scratched and a little bloody.

Lucy had this horrible guilt in her stomach. Play nice kept playing over and over in her mind. It's just like a little horsie had her crying into her pillow.She snapped her eyes open. She needed to see it. To know that it was there. To know she hadn't hurt it. To know what it was.If it was even anything.4:00 am.

She got out of bed and her feet lightly tapped the dark crimson carpet. Lucy had hated it ever since seeing Fletcher and his puddle of crimson red blood dripping from his legs.A large grunt came from his direction and he sleepily opened one eye.
"Luce, where ya goin'?"
"Just ta the toilet, Fletch 'oney. Go back ta sleep."
"Loove ya..."
"Loove ya too, Fletch."

She opened the still-stiff door and the hallway wobbled and stretched before her. She all of a sudden felt sickingky dizzy as she tiptoed towards the front door and sneakingly unlocked it, before silently snapping it shut. The cold night air hit like a slap on the face. It was beautiful. The dark sky had its little lights on as the moon ruled over all its little subjects. Crickets could be heard over the rustling of trees and as her feet touched the wet grass, she felt like she was rising up into heaven. The peaceful smell of dew over grass was calming. And she felt as if she could stay here for ever, with the wind blowing at her nightie and her sandy blonde hair flowing around her heart shaped face. She felt tears drop down her face and was startled to feel them trickle down her cheeks. And she remembered why she was standing in the middle of her front garden with her eyes closed and smiling maniacally. At which she looked towards the garage door, a strange glint in her eye.

She dragged her feet through the grass, making a rough rustling noise. She felt like a zombie creeping in the night, looking for human flesh. The garage door. It was getting closer. And closer. And then it stopped. And stood in front of Lucy. It had been a whole 4 minutes until Lucy realised she was standing there. Then her mind flashed again and she was standing in the garage, the door pulled up,her hand on the light switch. Just not yet clicked.She stood still for a moment, staring at the breath forming clouds in front of her. Darkness. It wasn't nice. She couldn't see what was lurking there. So she let her fingers drop and click the light switch.

Lucy jumped and dropped the garage door.It fell down and landed with a large thud. But Lucy didn't realise as she was staring at something much more scary than a loud noise:the doll. It was sitting on top of a box on the floor, the necklace it normally wore around its neck in hand,staring at Lucy with eyes filled with mischief. Its head, again, tilted to the left.
"Do not be sca-red. I will not hurt yo-u.No, no, no. I am ju-st here to tell yo-u. To make yo-u real-ise what us hu-mans do not seem to get un-til we fully exper-ience it. We are in-side. We are here. We will not hurt yo-u. We are trap-ped. We ne-ed help.Why do yo-u not just pl-ay nice? "Lucy was muttering under her breath. Faster and faster, confusion showing in her face.
" Human? Trapped? Play nice?"Then she looked up to see the doll putting the necklace back around its neck in rigid arm movements. She stood straighter and shouted, showing her bravery
" Why do ya blame me? What have I dan? I have played nice. I have. I di'nt ben ya like Fletch said."She stabbed her finger at her chest, again and again." I played nice. I did. But ya're the one that's cheatin'!And there is more of ya's?! "
" Of cour-se there is. And they are all go-ing to come for yo-u".Lucy shook her head and started edging back wards.
"Yo-u should have pla-yed nice, Luc-y. Yo-u should have pla-yed nice." Lucy was still edging back and shaking her head, reaching for the handle to lift up the garage door.She fumbled with it, forcing it to go up. But it wouldn't.
"No, no, no!!" She span around and started banging her hand on the door.
"Fletcher!! Fletcher!!Open up, open up." She gave up and turned back around, just in time to see the doll jump...