House of Dolls

The Beginning

It had been a week since Katherine, Mia, Jordyn, and Anna had escaped Nathan's house. During that time, they sat through interview after interview, telling detectives their stories. The media became aware of the situation and descended on Bloomsburg, swarming the area with their cameras and questions. They had all done their best to avoid the reporters as they were being hounded daily for statements. Katherine also discovered that she had not murdered Nathan, which drove her to seek him out. She knew she'd aid them in their investigation because it was her goal to make him pay. In her mind, Nathan would not get away with what he had done to all of them.

Anna, on the other hand, had been waiting for the right moment to sneak Nathan out of the house. It had been crawling with detectives for the next week and a half as they photographed the scene and collected evidence. They had never discovered Nathan hiding in a panic room during those days. Kayla's body was discovered and quickly exhumed at the same time. They performed an autopsy, which revealed that she died of sepsis. Nathan would be charged with her death if he was apprehended, as it was ultimately his fault. When he was apprehended, he would then face charges of kidnapping, assault, false imprisonment, murder, and abuse of a corpse.

The manhunt was underway, with countless hours spent scouring the area. Dogs were brought in, but his scent quickly faded. Officers and detectives were frustrated that he had eluded capture, not knowing why he was so difficult to find.

They had no idea he was tucked away, hidden, right under their noses. Katherine insisted on searching the house again that week, but they explained that the grounds and home had already been searched with no sign of Nathan. She told them about the lower panic room, but Katherine had no idea of the one he was secretly hidden in.

After nine days, Anna was still concerned about Nathan, who had very little food and water with him. She wasn't sure how much longer he could have lived with so little to eat or drink. Anna was also aware that he had been very weak as a result of the strangulation and feared that he would have succumbed to his injuries as well. Even though Nathan's fate was unknown, she was eager to get him out of there. The prospect of him rotting away alone consumed her. It drove her mad, but she did her best to remain calm.

Nathan's house had been quiet on the evening of the ninth day. It was roped off and boarded up late at night. Anna drove by regularly and noticed that all activity had temporarily ceased on that day. She made the decision to sneak out while her parents were sleeping in order to retrieve and flee with Nathan. She knew her window to get him was small, so she put her plan in motion for his great escape. Anna knew her parents would worry, leaving behind a note that would explain her whereabouts.

"Dear Mom and Dad, I needed to get away from all of the craziness and clear my head," read the note she left on the kitchen table for her parents. I haven't had a chance to unwind or relax, so I'm taking a two-week road trip to Myrtle Beach with an old friend. Don't be concerned; we'll be fine. I'll call you when we arrive. All of my love, Anna."

Anna crept out of their house as quietly as a mouse after leaving the quickly written letter for her parents. She walked to her car, turned off her headlights, and slowly drove out of her gravel driveway. The noise was a concern for her, causing her to creep slowly out of the drive. As Anna turned on the lights, she exited the building and sped away, slipping away unnoticed.

Anna then drove the ten minutes to Nathan's house. She wouldn't dare pull into his driveway because she was aware that anyone could have seen her at any time. Anna then parked on the dark and desolate road on the other side of the woods from Nathan's house. She pulled off to the side, out of the way of traffic, and backed her car in so she could make a quick exit. Anna then proceeded to walk through the woods, her heart racing the entire time. She was afraid of being caught and knew it would be over for them if she was. As Anna made her way through the woods, she came to a halt and appeared defeated as she stared at the boarded-up and secured home in front of her. She was determined to set him free and crept through the yard with great stealth to see if there was an open entrance. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed Nathan's garage's side entrance was unlocked. Anna crept up to the side door and attempted to turn the knob. Someone had unintentionally left it unlocked, much to her surprise.