Skeletons in the Closet

[Impudimp]

Jace was like some sparkling knight in armor; Marten swore she would find something he liked and give him a ton of it when they made it out of this place. And Ana what a sweet girl. She'd squeeze her friend's hand in acknowledgement and thanks. Maybe they weren't super close, but there was nothing like killer dolls to foster relationships! Ha, Ha, not funny. You're not funny at all. Even as the dark encroached, her green eyes searched frantically for motion that she could not discern. This isn't hide and seek this is torture!

She had finally dug in her heels and stopped her teeth from chattering like they wanted to when her efforts at courage were dashed. "What the- Fuck!" Something had grabbed her. She was thankful she couldn't see anything. "Ahh, fuck you! Fuck you!" She'd kick at the darkness harshly trying to dislodge the whatever-it-was that thought it was okay to abduct women. Ana's screams told her that her girlfriend was in a similar predicament, but every good party needs a Jace. Thankfully they had one.

"God Jace, you're the best." The grunette managed to gasp between the discomfort of a band of evil crushing your insides and a band of all-American, muscle and sinew attempting to crack your spine. That's what she said- OMG stop! She was obedient and held on though, because what was a broken back when faced with a demon? That one's for Harley! Ha, Ha... Seriously? That's what you thought of? You're still not funny and you may actually be losing your mind. What's next? Dead Baby Jokes?

In truth, Inner Marten made very good points, but she would contemplate her sanity later, when she wasn't standing stock still behind an old, musty bed in an old, musty attic full off antiques and antagonists, and it would probably involve Mrs. Kindall... Ah, Kindall. If she survived this hellacious night, she promised to tell that precious meathead that she liked him. So, hey, while we're still... What's red, bubbly, and taps on the glass? Oh dear lord, no!

 

[Fox of Spades]

Collab by @Fox of Hearts and @Fox of Spades

Kindle was smart, but he was also the opposite of genre savvy. It was almost as if he wanted to die first. Kelsey stared in utter disbelief as the supposed "brains" of their group began approaching the unholy wardrobe of creepy paintings.

Rule number one: when something makes a scary noise, do not - under any circumstances - approach it.

"I found Marten's backpack too!"

Kindall removed the backpack from the hanger and turned round to show it to Kelsey. He flashed her a triumphant smirk. "Guess we outsmarted that pumpkin! He was going to bag the ponies with this and leave. Ha! We bested him!"

However, the excitement died as a quiet voice reverberated inside the room: "Let go."

The voice wiped the smile from Kindall's face. His eyes bulged as he froze in front of the cupboard. He thought he heard a woman earlier. Not Kelsey but another woman. She was behind him!

"Ha ha … Kelsey, I think um you got me. I thought I heard … never mind."

"Run." The faint voice seemed to be coming from the painting.

Milton jumped. He dropped the backpack and whirled round in time to see two new figures in the Charity Garden picture. Two orderlies. Wh-what? He wrecked his brains. He studied the picture earlier but he didn't recall seeing these men. The inner tug-o-war began anew. His scared self begged him to run back towards Kelsey but his rational self insisted on getting a closer look. Kindle being Kindle felt compelled to listen to his logical half of his brain.

Kelsey watched in stupefied shock as the voice seemed to bleed out of the painting itself. "Kindle," she could barely muster the words she needed to say. "Get away from that now! What are you doing?" Paintings weren't supposed to fucking talk. Kelsey began fearing the worst. Without thinking, she closed the distance between her and Kindle and grabbed her bespectacled friend by the arm. "We're leaving."

Kindle didn't respond to Kelsey. He appeared to be mesmerized by something. The two figures were now so close that even Kelsey could make out even the tiniest details on their grim faces. Milton stepped into the wardrobe and reached for the painting with his right hand. "This is amazing!" he remarked. "The painting looks so realistic! Almost cinematic, no?"

Kelsey shook her head repeatedly. This was the same painting that had spooked Jace. Kindle's words might have piqued her curiosity, but she'd seen enough films to know not to touch strange artifacts in haunted houses. "No, we need to get out of here and find the others, Kindle. Drop the painting, this doesn't feel right."

She was getting ready to physically drag Kindle away, but before she could, two sets of strong arms reached out from the other side of the oil painting. The set of arms reached for Kindle. He didn't have time to do anything. The orderlies grabbed him by his shoulders and torso and pulled him head first into the painting.

Kindle was halfway gone when Kelsey threw herself at him and began tugging futilely at his legs.

Panic crossed her features. Kelsey dug her feet into the carpeted floor and pulled with all her might, but it was two against one and she wasn't strong enough to save him. Bit by bit, Kindle disappeared into the painting.

Kelsey let out a frustrated scream, but soon enough, she too was pulled inside.

Hansel's scarf fluttered towards the wardrobe floor, where it blanketed the ponies. That wasn't the only sign that Kelsey and Kindall had been in the room. If anyone were to enter the room, they'd notice the walkie-talkie on the ground and something else. There was something off about the Charity Garden picture. Instead of empty grim hallways, there were two figures clutching their heads in a perfect rendition of The Scream. The Kelsey and Kindall in the painting seemed to be trapped inside a padded cell. The fading label now read - Cries of Agony (31 October 2017).

---

The Attic

Hissing and rattling came from random corners of the attic. An oppressive warmth seemed to permeate what the entire room, making the wait even more torturous. Ana felt beads of sweat forming on her clammy skin. Was this part of the game? She couldn't help thinking. Jace was right darn close to 99 percent of the time but there was that 1 percent. She swore the kids mentioned playing tag. Tag involved running not hiding.

"I don't know," she admitted in the softest whisper she could muster. "Sounds like some crazy shit Marten and Kelsey would do. Like, like that elevator game, remember? They wanted to break into the library building because it had 13 floors."

A shiver ran down her spine. Wh-what? The temperature changed all of a sudden, she panicked. Don't freak. Don't freak. Don't freak. She chanted inside her mind while struggling to say more. "I don't know if this is One Man Hide and Seek …"

"I said we wanted to play tag," Jerry spoke on Jace's left.

The little girl giggled from right behind Jace. "And now, you're IT!"

The doll from earlier materialized. Her tiny hands clung to Jace's shoulder as Jerry and the girl chanted "You're It! You're It!" in unison. Seeing that was enough to make Ana's resolve crumble.

"NOOOOOO! Get away! Get away!" she shrieked, batting repeatedly at the doll. "GET AWAY!"

Like Jace's foot earlier, her hands met with nothing. The doll simply vanished only to reappear when her hands had moved elsewhere. She was successful in on thing - knocking the flashlight out of Jace's hands!

"That wasn't very nice," Jerry mocked.

Ana blinked stupidly. The doll was gone? She spun around wildly. She threw glances in Marten's direction every now and time then to confirm she wasn't going crazy. The grunette's expression only made her stomach plummet even more. Oh shit! The doll was gone, wasn't it? Does that mean Jace …? Was their friend possessed?

She was about to try shaking Jace violently to test out her theory when the doll suddenly appeared right in her face.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"How about you being it?"

"Cawwwwwwww!" Lenore shrieked suddenly.

She descended from the inky blackness above and started clawing wildly at the doll hugging Ana's face. Although she hadn't forgiven Ana for trying to sacrifice her, the raven was determined not to let this thing win. It was His creation and she hated Him more than she hated this human. He hurt her master!

Wendy watched helplessly as the dolls conducted their sadistic game of tag. It was too dark for her to see properly, but the young man had successfully saved his friends with the flashlight she'd given him. However, the victory was short lived, and the flashlight rolled onto the floor with a disheartening thud.

No.

The light was their only chance at winning and leaving in one piece.

Frenzied and fearful for the fates of the young ones before her, Wendy tossed herself against the bars of her cage. "Use the light!" She screamed. "The dolls are made of shadows! They can't stand the light. Please, anyone, grab the flashlight."

She was already trapped, there was nothing else to fear, so she offered the only thing she could - her knowledge. Please don't be too late. Please don't be too late.

---

The Cellar​

Joseff ran with a fierce determination - something people rarely ever witnessed him do. Kindle might have thought he was nothing but a dumb dog, but the Shiba Inu knew better.vHis instincts kept him safe. There had never been any real danger before, but Tonight was different. Something had changed after he had fallen asleep!

"Grrrrrr! Borf borf!"

It was at that moment that the furry chubster realised how helpless his human friends were in this dimly lit cellar. They were running straight at it the thing! The most dangerous thing in this room! Worse still, they didn't even understand his warnings. "Grrrr ruff ruff!" he warned one last time.

Like before, he was unsuccessful. A growl left his throat and the dog started bolting. London didn't even run a single foot before Jo had overtaken her and Ethan. Joseff blocked the way as best as he could before he got into his attack position.

"Grrrrrrrrr," the shiba warned the creature bathed in shadows. "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Something stirred above them and dust blew their way, as the creature hit the ground with a solid thud. Clawed feet scraped against the stone floor. "Grrrrrrrr," the creature growled in return.

Glowing red eyes revealed themselves slowly as if the creature had just opened its eyes. Thump, thump, thump! It sounded like a four-legged creature was walking towards them. Jo didn't budge. He knew this enemy well. He had even lived with him in Henbard.

"Borf borf!" Joseff challenged.

Castor bared his teeth and got into his own attack position. "Grrrrrrrrrrr!"

There was something different about the doberman.

 

[Cartoonicat]

​

While London had definitely seen the intimidating side of Ethan before - usually over microphone and through violent pixels hacking and slashing PvP foes to zero health - she'd never experienced it aimed at her. To say she didn't feel vulnerable would be a lie. Wimpy as she was, though, it didn't quell the aggravation all the way. Rather, their mutual apologies did, and only somewhat.

Ethan had started it by tackling her, but cursing his mother in Spanish hadn't helped even if Ethan didn't know what she'd said. Not exactly, anyway. She was sure he figured it something bad. Which it was, especially considering Elise was such a kind lady. Hopefully the conversation wouldn't be brought up again, though; they needed to focus on getting out, not bickering. Nothing like a horror fest to make or break friendships, and she'd prefer the former. Moving to Bellwoods had been the best thing to happen to her - much to Beth's delight - and London didn't plan on losing any of her friends, be it to Henbard or their own steady-rising volatility. So she said nothing after their apologies. Just ran.

Until Jo sprinted in front of them, cutting the two off and nearly making London trip over him. "Jo! What are you-" A thump hit the floor in front of them, responding to Jo's flattened ears and warning growls with one of its own. Nails clacked on the stone floor. London knew that sound. It's an animal, she thought, instinctively stepping back. It's an animal and what other animal is there here than-

A pair of red eyes opened in the darkness like two small stoplights telling them not to cross. London swallowed. "C-Castor," she whispered to Ethan, voice shaky. She tried tightening her grip on the katana but the strength in her arms left her. "Castor is the- is the G-Grim."

Inspired by Harry Potter novels and Professor Trelawney's divination classes, London had looked into the background of Grims. More popularly known as hellhounds or black dogs, only a handful out of thousands were known as benevolent. Most of them meant imminent death. London seriously doubted Castor was one of the guardians and would rather not get her hand bitten off trying to find out.

Her breath hitched. Or my tongue. "The poem," her voice rose an octave and she took another step back, bumping into Ethan this time. "Tell-Tale-Tit."

Of all people to get stuck down here with a hostile demon dog, it just had to be her. London had never been good with animals. Not like Jace or Ana or Matt, who actually had pets and knew what to do. She swallowed, thinking of Matt. Her eyes darted between Jo and the beady red eyes of the dark. Castor would rip Jo to pieces, and soon, if someone didn't do something. It didn't help that London could barely see the outline of the doberman in the shadows. The shadows. The red. The mirror! He's what I saw in the mirror!

What London had seen only looked half real, so maybe he wasn't completely solid. Maybe their fates hadn't been sealed yet. It was a stretch, but it gave her hope enough to drop her Cryptodex and Henbard items into Adelaide's windbreaker pocket and finally grip her katana tight.

She couldn't let Jo get hurt. She just couldn't.

"H-Hey, you... perro de puta-culo!" London had no idea if her translation was right, but she wasn't fluent by any means and they were about to face off against death itself. She didn't have time or resources to consult an English-to-Spanish dictionary.

She only had time to hurry beside Jo, katana raised high, and swing into the dark.

 

[Ashi]

​

Strange noises sounded all around them, ears straining after each slither and hiss the shadows made. Persperation formed on Jace's brow as the temperature in the attic seemed to rise. He slowly pulled the zipper down on the collar of his sweater, hoping the noise didn't alert the doll to their location; but he was getting hot and felt like he couldn't breathe. He took slow breaths through his nose, trying not to think about it. He needed to focus on the matter at hand. Then the temperature changed again, this time dropping.

"Well, they never really said what we're playing. The doll just sang about running and catching. I thought hide-and-seek, since you don't count for tag.... do you?" Jace whispered. He couldn't exactly remember ever counting in a game of tag; then again, he and Kelsey and Ana didn't really play conventional games as kids. There wasn't that much difference between tag and hide-and-seek was there? Didn't you hide in both of them, with the only key difference being that you had a chance to run in tag? Trying to figure this out made his head hurt.

Jace gave a start as Jerry's voice came from his left, and the doll giggled behind him. He turned to look over his shoulder in time to see the doll materialize from the darkness. As her tiny hands grabbed his shoulder, it was like a heavy weight was thrown onto his back. It pushed down on him with all the strength of the wrestling team combined and then some; it was also incredibly cold. The best way he could think to describe it would be like having a glacier on his back. Jace could feel his knees weakening and he grabbed the post of the bed to steady himself. Their chant filled his ears and echoed in the recesses of his mind. Then the doll vanished.

"Fuck!" Jace coughed and gasped for air, a wave of warmth rushing over him as the chill faded away. Ana's screaming brought him back to the present. He turned the flashlight on; however, she smacked it from his hand in her panicked frenzy and it flew before hitting the floor and going out. The doll reappeared, hugging Ana's face like Alien spawn. Lenore swooped down, an inky black shape barely visible against the surrounding darkness, and tried to help to little avail. Wendy's screaming didn't help. Jace cursed under his breath, somersaulted over the bed, and swept his hands over the floor in search of the flashlight where he thought he saw it land.

"Found you!" It took what felt like forever before his hands brushed the torch. He picked it up and hastily switched it on, only nothing happened. Had the light blown out? "This can't be happening!" He thought, pounding the flashlight against his leg and flicking the button back and forth. It made several hollow noises, as if the batteries were jiggling around. Finally, it clicked on and Jace whirled around to shine it at the doll and Ana.

"Ana? You okay? Marten?" Jace hurried back to the girls, scrambling over the bed.

 

[Impudimp]

This was absolute chaos and nonsense. "Ana!" Marten yelped at the appearance of a body snatcher/doll onto her friends face. What was this?! Her hands went to help, but she quickly hissed as one of Lenore's talons nabbed her on the hand. She yanked the abused appendage back quickly praying she wouldn't catch some kind of bird disease. "Lenore, move! You're not helping! Jace?!" She had to shimmy a little to get into a better position and catch the guy's attention. So much for the logic of stuffing them behind a bed.

"Shine the light over here!" With Wendy's words of wisdom, she would bet money that the light trick would work a second time. Thankfully, it did. The oppressively cold presences of the children vanished in the wake of Jace's shining light and as he crawled his way toward her and Ana, she'd send a grateful smile, "Thanks man." The problem was that if one of them were it, what does that mean exactly.

She didn't really want Jace or Ana to have to 'find' the ghosts. Or maybe they can find something else? "Hey, lemme see the flashlight for a sec?" Grabbing up one of Ana's hands, she smack herself on the arm with it, saying, "Alright I'm it! Now, let's split up. I'm gonna go look at that picture on the wall. It might get us out of this right? We're playing against kids after all. Kid ghosts, but kids all the same."

And with that the grunette was off dashing to get a glimpse of that spooky wall painting again. Maybe Jace and Ana could get Wendy out of the cage? Wait, didn't they have to give her her license? Did they bring that? No! London has that! Dang it! Shaking her head, she made her way to the attic door, because that was where they had first gotten a glimpse of the mural. She'd shine the light every-which-way to help prevent the accumulation of shadows, but there was nothing to be done about it once she got back to where she wanted to be. Creepy mural country!

"Alright this time I'm getting up closer..." She whisper under her breath. She would not spend the rest of her evening trapped in an attic with creepy spectre children. Shining the light back toward Jace and Ana one more time for good measure she then dashed toward the wall. She was going to do her best to find a way to appease them. They always liked when you figured out their stories, right? "Let's see what we've got here. Children playing together. Cute. A lady to watch them, expected. Trees. Bellwoods-proper, but also is probably Whittle Grove too, because look at where we are, ha-ha." The Queen of Obvious-ville, everybody! Her bright eyes would move faster; it wasn't like she had a lot of time to do this! Jace and Ana were momentarily in the dark and so was she!

"Um, okay, Kids, more kids, A little blonde girl with a balloon... Ella?" Her head would quirk to the side as she made connection with annoyingly slow synapses. "Yea, that looks like Ella, running after her balloon. No it's gotta be, cause there's a dog running after her too... And a person in the trees... TamTam, maybe? I think that's freaking TamTam!" She'd get progressively louder as she felt like she'd figured out something important! Ella's key was a red balloon! Maybe... And TamTam looked more like an elf, or woodland fairy creature than a ghost. Could magic possibly be real? Nah. But even spirits definitely are, so move your ass girl before your friends get got!

Drifting the light all over the mural again to make sure she hadn't missed anything, she'd catch glimpse of letters underneath it all. "Someday we'll find it..." She whispered with some confusion before nodding with determination. Yea, Ella's key was totally a red balloon. Ah crap... A red balloon had been holding up the walkie talkie when they left the cellar! They had just passed it!

"Ugh.. Guys, I found something!" She'd turn to flash the light back into the majority of the attic. In fact, to be safe, she'd point the light all over the place again hoping to dispel any creepy crawlies, because if she saw a Sadako-looking mofo at any point in time, she was going to be done! Completely done!

In her furious, light dancing, she'd catch another glimpse of color on the wall adjacent. More pictures? Squinting and steadying her light source, she would find another mural for sure. "Two children, and a dog; all running." She dictated to herself, noting that it didn't show what they were running from. The boy had a bowl filled with white, which he used to create a ring around himself, the girl, and the dog once they had stopped. There was even an inscription. Marten had to fight a groan. Not another riddle.

Ring-a-ring o' roses
Here we stand among the roses
A circle of salt
​

She'd read aloud to help her get a grasp of the words. "Roses... and a circle of salt? Are they in the garden?" She mused. It was faint and faded, but it was there. She would have missed it and the picture itself without the light. Salt would have been nice to have at the moment actually. Wasn't it notorious for warding off all sorts of bad juju and evil spirits, witches, and ghouls? Actually, if anybody had some it would be Jace and his trusty backpack! With that, the girl was running back to her friends forever waving about that light like a fool, but she did not want to be nabbed by anything again! "Jace! Ana! Where are you?! Are you okay?!" She called hoping they had held their own in her brief stint.

It hadn't been more than a few minutes. Sure nothing in this place required a very long time to happen, but she was sort of hoping that since they were child ghosts, they would have been more inclined to follow the person that was "it". Or preferably had gone someplace to hide from her.

 

[Fox of Spades]

Collab by @Fox of Hearts and @Fox of Spades

She was alive - shaken and most likely scarred for life but alive. Ana held her breath as the doll dispersed into shadowy wisps. She could breathe freely again, but her heart was thudding wildly in her chest and she felt like she would throw up at any moment. You're okay. It was a lie of course, and the moment Jace returned, she threw herself into his arms.

Lenore continued to squawk and the world continued to crumble around them, but she allowed herself a moment of respite in her childhood friend's presence. Jace always made things better. When they got out of Henbard, she'd tell him - damn it life was short and she would tell him and take the plunge.

If they ever got out... she sighed. The moment ended and she watched as Marten began fiddling with the flashlight. The grunette - much to Ana's surprise - declared herself it. And if that wasn't crazy enough, Marten darted off into the darkness to investigate. She'd never pegged the girl for the reckless type.

Slack-jawed, Ana turned to Jace. "We should follow her. We can help Wendy later."

Shaking her head, she grabbed Jace by the arm and followed after the younger girl. It was easy to find her (considering she held the flashlight). Marten was in the middle of studying the murals and calling out to them when they arrived.

Ana and Jace lingered quietly behind her before Ana finally broke the silence.

"The hell, Marten? You can't just run off..." The scolding would have to wait. Similar to Marten, Ana's attention had been captured by the odd drawings on the wall. "That girl looks like Ella, and that dog like Castor."

They didn't have time to ponder the importance of salt and roses.

"Everyone? Might you be so kind as to free me? I would love to let you all rest, but we don't have much time to spare."

Lenore narrowed her eyes at the group. Stupid humans, she remarked to herself. They were far too slow. Haven't they even noticed that the room was too quiet? In the wild, it meant that the predator was hiding and probably close by. Stupid, stupid humans. "Ca-caw!"

The raven abandoned the group and made her way towards the cage. She studied the scene beneath her intently. Despite the low light, she noticed a shiny object glinting in the padlock. "Caw caw!" she exclaimed excitedly after recognising that it was a key.

"Good bird!" Wendy exclaimed before letting out a breath of relief. "Can you give it turn?"

Lenore tilted her head to one side, making her look very puzzled. Wendy's heart sank into her stomach. Who was she kidding? Why did she assume that a bird could help her? It was crazy! She loved animals but this was her going mad! God, it must be the atmosphere here! Everything gnawed away at your sanity until you turned into one of them. Those poor wretches buried in the garden.

"Hurry up please, if I'm in here a second longer, I'll lose my mind."

Ana dashed over to the cage. She was about to reach for the padlock when Lenore swooped down and turned the key. "Erm," she uttered. "We got beaten by … a bird?"

Lenore landed on Wendy's shoulder as the maid stooped down to exit the cage. As happy as she was to be freed, they had to leave as soon as possible. She stuck out her hands. "Please untie me? And um, thank you very much, Lenore."

As shocked as she was, they didn't have time to ponder about Lenore's intelligence or lack thereof. This bird didn't quite fit her definition of a smart bird. At least, in her limited experience dealing with them. She never had a pet bird before and she didn't like handling them that much in veterinary school. "We should get supplies and prepare to fight them." she told the group firmly. "I think we should put Miss Ella's nightmares to an end once and for all. These dolls were created from them."

"Supplies?" Ana asked as she reached out to untie Wendy's hands. The rope fell to the floor.

"Yes, salt, flashlights and candles. These creatures fear the light and the blessed salt. Charlotte prayed it and I kept it hidden. We didn't want him to find it." Wendy explained calmly as calmly as she could while she massaged her wrists. "Can you imagine that this nightmare started when Ella came to Henbard? It's terrible! The poor child had been so terrified of sleeping. I don't think she has slept for the past eleven years."

"Wait, you're the nanny, right? What do you know about Ella and the drawings on the wall?"

Wendy hesitated. Answering their questions would be wasting precious second and she didn't want Ella to be alone for too long. These dolls became stronger the longer they fed off her fears. However, she knew that they deserve to know more. Working in the dark wasn't that fun. "Yes, I know her better than the rest of the staff even though we weren't very close. She preferred young master's company. Miss Ella said that Master Salem reminded her of her father. The man used to smile a lot but he became very sad later on. Based on what she shared, I believe her real father had depression. I think that's the reason she is obsessed with rainbows. She believes that he'll be happy again if she could trap one in a jar and bring it to him."

 

[Haru Nyan]

Collab by @Haru Nyan and @Fox of Spades

The sound of wood colliding into flesh resounded throughout the basement. Castor lurched to the side as the wooden sword struck him, but he showed no signs of visible hurt. Instead, he let out a thunderous growl before sinking his teeth into London's wooden blade. He gave the sword a powerful tug, yanking it out of London's hands and tossing it across the room with a flick of his head.

Castor was well-aware that his presence would not exactly be wanted, but he hadn't expected an attack to be the first thing that awaited him.

Threateningly, he padded towards London and barreled into her, knocking her onto the ground with ease.

Joseff came in from the side to stop him but was silenced as soon as Castor pulled back his lips and revealed his teeth in agitation. The doberman knew well enough that the puny Shiba Inu had enough sense to not go barking up the wrong tree.

Promptly, the doberman sat down on London's chest. He pulled back his lips to snarl, getting a good heaping of slobber onto the girl's face. However, despite his angry growls, he didn't motion to bite her - he simply seemed to be sitting on top of her to render her immobile until she calmed down.

Castor then turned to Ethan and shook his head right and left as if to say "No."

"London!" Ethan voiced his concern easily enough, he glared right back at the mutt with seemingly less fear and hesitation than he initially appeared, he wanted to smack that mutt for even daring to lay a paw pad on his friend, anger welling him inside of him, he didn't care if Castor was some sort of little furry spawn of Satan, all he wanted was payback.

He motioned cautiously towards the canine, unsure of what course of action to do next as he sat there down on London. Ethan began to sweat bullets underneath his costume, he gulped but never taking his eyes off of Castor, afraid that any sort of sudden motion might provoke him further. He held out his arms like Chris Pratt in that Jurassic World movie trying to tame those raptors,

"Ea-Easy there, boy." Anxiety began to well up inside of Ethan, he didn't know how to handle or tame dogs beyond Jo, so what Castor was going to do next really stumped him.

Castor hopped off London and snarled at seemingly nothing. Joseff was on edge as well, uncharacteristically snapping his jaws at the darkness.

It happened a split second later - the sound of giggling laughter and the pitter patter of tiny feet. Castor bounded in front of the group and snapped at what appeared to be a shadowy shape, however, upon closer inspection London and Ethan could see that he had clamped his jaws around what appeared to be a raggedy doll. The doll thumped its tiny fists against the dog's maw and Castor responded by tossing it across the room.

It appeared he was on their side?

As the doll crashed against the wall, more appeared to take its place. Slowly but surely they closed in on Ethan, London, and the dogs from all sides.

"OH COME ON!" Ethan loudly voiced his displeasure at the trouble that had followed them all the way down to the cellar. These goddamn toys don't know when to give up, do they? "Huh?" the young man exclaimed as Castor clamored off of London and started to go at it at the dolls, his fangs making quick work of them, one of which had been easily tossed aside the room.

Hurriedly, he aided London in getting up, telling her to watch her step and to take things easy for now, his eyes darted toward London's katana on the ground, the one that Castor had disarmed from her a moment ago. It was a now or never moment, and while Castor was there gnawing away at one of the dolls, he didn't seem to notice the one that was sneakily made its way past him, brandishing a sharp blade and planning a fatal attack on the backside of the mutt.

With no time to lose, he rolled like it was fucking Dark Souls and scrambled towards the location of the katana, wielding it in one of his hands and, letting out a somewhat comical battle cry, made his way towards the stealthy doll that was about to stab Castor in the back-literally.

"FUCK, OFF!" Ethan exclaimed as he hefted the weight of the katana downwards to where the doll was, stunning it momentarily. "Craaaaappppp!" were the only things that left Ethan's mouth when he figured that these things wouldn't go down without a fight. "Uhhhh, London, I don't suppose you have some bright ideas right about now." He took a step back, swinging at the waves of dolls who were coming in like it was a boss rush.

Castor let out a loud bark before eyeing the humans intently. It didn't take a genius to realize he was trying to tell them something. He issues the same command to Joseff before lowering his head and ramming into one of the dolls blocking their path. Castor cleared a space for them before rushing off up the stairs and towards the cellar door.

Joseff followed shortly after. Clearly, it was time to get going.

A genuine smile arose from Ethan's mouth as he watched in awe as Castor paved away for all three of them, and there was a light at the end of the tunnel too-the door! Relief began to take over Ethan's senses as he tightly gripped on London's hand and began to dash towards where their doggo friends were leading them. His heart began to beat faster and faster, he dared not look back as he swung the door open, allowing his companions to safely exit before slamming the door behind him, heaving and panting heavily.

 

[Cartoonicat]

​

Strike! London had about two seconds to process the fact that not only did she manage to hit her mark in the dark, but it was tangible. Solid. Not a ghost. Real. Castor was real and so was their fate. They were going to die, they were- "No!" She fought against Castor's grip on her sword, but the dog ripped it out of her hands. She glimpsed it fly away, heard it clatter against the stone floor.

And then Castor knocked her off her feet. A cry died on London's lips as she shut her mouth tight. My tongue- my tongue- my tongue! She felt frozen under Castor's weight and gaze, terrified that one wrong move would sink his teeth into her throat. It'd be inevitable, of course; Grimms sought out those at the end of their hourglass. If Castor didn't kill her then something else probably would.

"P-Please..." London murmured through pursed lips, only to break into a muffled sob when Castor snarled at her. Dog slobber hit her face and wisps of matted hair, making her stomach churn. She shut her eyes. I didn't say goodbye to Mom and I'm going to miss AniBash this year and I won't be alive to decipher Kindall's napkin scripts and I never watched that movie from Marten and...

The longer London rambled in her head, the more she realized she was still alive. Castor still sat on her, but he hadn't made a move to hurt her thus far. Slowly, cautiously, she opened an eye and looked up at the scary doberman. The two made eye contact. Then, Castor jumped off of her and went after something in the dark. London just stared, her head swimming.

He didn't kill me?

London swallowed. Became only vaguely aware of Ethan reaching down to help her up - she wasn't paying much attention to anything except Castor, confused at why he'd gone after a doll instead of rip her own tongue out while he had the chance. She was alive, but everything she'd read about Grimms told her she shouldn't be. It was... dizzying.

Unless Castor really was a guardian.

Ethan let out a battle cry that slapped her out of her stupor. London watched, wide-eyed and useless, as he brought her katana down onto a doll that refused to die. She opened her mouth, hoping a plan would form out of thin air, but no words came. Her voice had left her, along with whatever ounce of courage she'd accumulated since squaring off with Polly at Stilton Creek.

Almost dying did that to people, she guessed.

Within mere moments the dolls had grown thicker in quantity. London couldn't find it in herself to react with a clear head; in her own mind, they were already good as dead. If not by a Grimm, they'd meet their demise by an army of Chuckies. Still, she stepped back until her back pressed against Ethan's. Absently, her hand gripped Charlotte's rosary through the fabric of Adelaide's windbreaker. She had no weapon, nor the proper mindset to use one, so she just stared. "I-... We..." are going to die, aren't we?

If Lady Luck or Abuelita's God let them live through this nightmare, London swore she'd make some changes back home. She'd join a church or something, work more hours at Kawaii Cafe, and appease her mother by at least trying to find a date for Christmas. She would. She really, really would-

Castor let out a loud bark and her head whipped in his direction. She glimpsed a light in the distance just as Ethan grabbed her hand. Before London knew it, she was being hauled through a doberman-made path clear of dolls and out of the cellar. The door slammed behind them and London inhaled.

They were safe. For now.

She looked at Castor. "It... he... you..." London didn't know why she was trying to communicate with a dog like it was a human, but the doberman was apparently very smart. Thinking back to her Jace-guided interactions with Kenai, what could she recall? Treats. Dogs liked treats, even the more stoic canines. Scanning the kitchen, London didn't see much more than bare surfaces. But maybe the fridge...? Taking a shot in the dark - because it had worked for her earlier, on a more literal sense - she tugged open the refrigerator door. Again, not much. She noticed a bowl of fruit, though, and chewed contemplatively at her lip. Grabbed it from the shelf and crouched down to set a few pieces on the floor.

"It's not jerky," she said as the dogs approached, "but it's something?"

Castor took a sniff before snubbing the fruit completely, but Jo took a bite at least. The Shiba Inu spat it out immediately with a whine and London suppressed a smile. "Yeah, I don't like fruit either. Was worth a shot."

Returning the fruit to the fridge, London took the time to steel herself. Try to, anyway - she could still feel nerves bubbling under the surface, ready to erupt at any moment. Even though they survived the cellar they very likely weren't done yet. Their friends were still somewhere in Henbard. Instinctively, she reached for where her walkie-talkie had been only to realize that she'd given it to Marten. "Joder!" She cursed, "Ethan, we-... we don't have a walkie! How are we going to find the others?"

 

[Ashi]

​

While there may not have been much logic in hiding behind the bed in reality, it made sense at the time that Jace decided on it. It was a place that they could hide and still stay close together; of course, that was when he was under the impression that they were playing hide and seek. Now, it was more inconvenient than anything, what with the girls being basically trapped and free game for the doll to terrorize. Luckily the light made the doll disappear.

"Ana? Ana!" Jace set the flashlight on the bed and grasped the dazed younger girl's shoulder. He was taken aback when she threw herself into his arms, but embraced her and rubbed her back soothingly. His mind went blank as he searched for something to say, anything that could make things a little better, the thought process interrupted by their green-haired friend. Jace's arms slackened and dropped as Marten tagged herself via Ana's hand.

"Marten, we don't - the last thing we need to do is split up." Jace reached out to grab her a few seconds too late, his fingers barely even brushing her arm. He cursed under his breath. "We need to stay close to that flashlight, lest Dolly Dingleberry and Jerry come back." He agreed with Ana's assertion to follow after Marten and scrambled from the bed. At least the grunette was easy to find.

"We're fine." He said from behind Marten, eyebrows raised at her frantic handling of the flashlight. She looked a little like she was weilding a lightsaber. Crouching down beside her, Jace inspected the picture. There were two children, a boy and a girl, and a dog all standing in a white circle. "Ring-a-ring o' roses, Here we stand among the roses, A circle of salt...?" He read the inscription aloud, incredulous. The children and dog were standing in a ring of salt. That was a common practice to protect oneself and others from evil spirits and the like.

"Then the boy must be Michael, but...Castor?" Jace pondered. If Castor was in the circle of salt with them, then was he really a hell hound as the entry in London's Cryptodex made him out to be? The sound of Wendy's voice drew his gaze toward the cage and prompted the trio to start forward; however, not before Lenore swooped into action. She was much smarter than any of them gave her credit for, for she turned the key and unlocked the cage. Ana untied her hands.

"You mean Butzy made these dolls.....to torment Ella?" He asked, astonished and appalled by what Wendy told them. To think that the creature who kept them all there would use a little girl's fears against her was awful; and for eleven years! The poor child. Hearing about her father left no doubt that Salem was the one who held things together in Henbard; not the least because the shit hit the fan after the encounter with that shadow in the library. "What about Castor? He's her dog, isn't he? Doesn't he help? Or...is he evil, too?" Jace didn't really figure that Wendy would know if there was something more to the Doberman than met the eye, but it was worth a shot.

"Sounds like what we need to do next is find Ella. We have a flashlight, but where exactly are we supposed to find salt and candles? Unfortunately, there are two floors between us and the kitchen." Jace scowled. Then he noticed the bag in the cage. "What's in that--?"

Suddenly the distinct sound of a metallic bolt popping out of place echoed throughout the attic. It was silent and unassuming but was unmistakably the sound of the door giving way. Wood creaked underneath a combined weight before the door swung open with a loud whoosh! Before the group could respond, an army of dolls began pouring into the attic. Jace cursed, snatched the bag out of the cage, and jumped to his feet. What followed was complete and utter chaos.

 

[Impudimp]

"Sorry... I just couldn't help wondering if we had missed something with this," Marten still had lingering guilt over the "box of goodies" incident. She had been air-headed and felt partially responsible for the fact that her friends were being terrorized by dolls in the first place. Who's to say they wouldn't have been relatively safer in another part of the house if they hadn't've had to reroute back into Salem's library?

She didn't dwell on it too long, of course. Being trapped in Henbard for God only knew how long was the perfect incentive to avoid lingering on one's past if nothing else. However, she had learned the moral of that lesson, which happened to be 'If something looks or seems mildly important, then it probably is.' Her attention turned outward at the prompting of Wendy.

They would have let her out sooner, if not for their miniature pains in the butt... er, face in Ana's case. "I can't help feeling you may have been safer in the cage all things considered..." Her green eyes still darted uncertainly into the darkness that surrounded them for an evil doll while her ears remained perked for the sound of eerily detached child voices. Even so, they were probably as peaceful as they were going to get for the moment, so she had to ask, "If all these dolls are nightmares, then is this Butzy guy the biggest nightmare? And is he even a part of Ella, or something else? Not to mention where does everyone else fit in? Salem, the Putts', you, Charlotte, Kitty and Hans? I'm not seeing the big pic-..."

The disheartening sound of splintering wood cut the girl short, "-ture! Fuck! Move your asses!"

As the dolls broke into the attic, Wendy's voice cut through the clamor. "Run, don't get cornered and keep moving!" Each second they spent standing around was a second wasted. Wendy was the first to break into a run, rushing through the darkness of the attic in search of the door that lead outside.

While the attic had been a momentary respite from the dolls that had chased the group, now that they had gotten inside there was only one place to go - out. Getting cornered was a death sentence. Ana nudged Marten forward while calling out to Jace to follow.

The trio ran through the darkened room with the dolls hot on their heels. Ana kept to Marten's left, but somewhere along the line, dark shadowy tendrils snaked up her ankles and tugged her back. A scream tore through Ana's lips and she flailed her arms wildly before she pitched forward and face-planted onto the attic floor.

One moment she'd been running, the next she was lying flat on the ground and clawing at the wooden boards as the shadowy tendrils around her ankles pulled her back and threatened to drag her away into the darkness.

Brandishing the flashlight like the weapon it was, Marten only had a moment to shine it at the horde of miscreant marionettes before flashing around the attic proper. Why was there never enough time to do anything in this damn place?! She was running and shining light in the darkness, and still running! Thank God it was a relatively clean attic.

Way out, way out, we need a way out! Her thoughts fumbled over each other. Could they loop back around to the attic entrance without getting cornered? A thump and cry alerted her that something was not right, making her grow more anxious. Shit! How do we fucking get out! A zip of the light behind her revealed that it was Ana who had fallen. Those damn tentacles had her again. She had been caught in them once and knew that she was no where near strong enough to handle them. "Jace, help Ana! I've got the light, I'll cover! Ana hold on!" She'd grit out, setting into a rather uncertain backwards jogging position. Her hamstrings burned like the fires of hell, but she'd do anything for her friends. Even awkward exercise.

 

[Fox of Spades]

Collab by @Fox of Hearts and @Fox of Spades

The Attic

​

Before Marten could react, a shadowy tentacle caught her by the wrist and yanked her hand roughly to the side. The shadow had hit her with enough force to send the flashlight clattering onto the floor. There was a dull thud as it hit the ground and began rolling away. Dolls began creeping out of the darkness to surround her.

"Keep moving!"

Wendy reached for Marten's arm and gave the grunette a tug. If they stayed in one place for too long they would be overwhelmed, and if the dolls caught them, they would wind up in the cage once more - or worse, much worse. Horrible memories of the garden flashed through her mind's eye, and suddenly, Wendy felt disoriented and sick.

How many unfortunate souls had met their horrible demise there? How many? An assortment of names and faces, some she remembered much better than others. It ended the same way, every single time.

She imagined all four them meeting the same gruesome end.

The pitter-patter of tiny doll feet snapped Wendy out of her morbid thoughts. "There are flashlights in the bag!" She screamed at the boy who had grabbed them from the cage - Jace if she recalled. "Use them on the dolls!"

Ana had barely managed to kick the dolls off her. Quickly, she scrambled back onto her feet and ran after Marten and Wendy. "Guys! Keep running, I'm okay, keep running! There's too... there's too fucking many of them!" Shit. This was bad. If the dolls went for the door, they would be trapped - they would be dead, so dead.

"The door! Get to the door at all costs!"

As dolls leaped out at them from the darkness, the trio ran towards the door. Dull rays of light spilled into the attic from underneath, making it a dimly lit beacon in the dark. By some miracle they made it, Wendy was the first to reach their destination, slamming her shoulder into the door to send it flying open.

Marten and Jace emerged soon after, with Ana appearing last.

For a brief moment, it looked as if everything would be okay. However, in Henbard nothing was what it appeared to be. The dark tendrils from earlier materialized around Ana's ankles. It sent a cold feeling jolting up her body and her eyes went wide as her legs were pulled out from under her.

"No!"

Wendy spun around to reach for the girl's outstretched arms, but a doll leaped onto her face from out of the darkness, sending her falling back into an equally stunned Marten and Jace. As the trio hit the ground, Ana was dragged back into the attic - darkness consumed her and the door slammed shut the moment she was pulled inside.

The doll the had clung to Wendy's face, leaped onto the ground and curtsied before laughing and running away down the hall. It knew the humans would be too busy trying to save their friend to come after it.

Dark shadows began seeping out from under the attic door, and try as they might, it would not budge.

From inside they could hear the scrapping of fingernails across wood, and worst of all, Ana's screams. The horrible yelling and pleading went on for what appeared to be a good few moments before there was nothing else but silence.

---

​

The Kitchen

"Borf! Borf!" Jo barked happily, wagging his tail. The smaller dog tried to headbutt Castor playfully. "Borf!"

Castor let out a loud sniff before pushing Jo away with a single paw. The doberman had no intention of entertaining the chubby dog. He felt that Jo was such an embarrassment to dog kind. The Shiba Inu acted like a pup despite being full grown. Pushing Jo away once more, Castor plodded off towards the dining room.

"Bark, bark!" Castor summoned.

The doberman headbutted the double doors of the dish cupboard to let the humans know he wanted them to retrieve the items left for them. He pawed at the crack when he heard someone approaching him. "Bark, bark, bark!"

Feeling that he made his point, the Hayes' dog stepped aside and sat down. His ears remained alert as he listened out for the demonic dolls. He didn't really trust these humans much but he knew they were his best bet of finding his small mistress.

"Bark, bark, grrrrrrrrr!" Castor announced suddenly, getting into attack position. He heard a soft rapping sound coming from the hallway and it was putting him on edge. There was no telling whether the thing was friend or foe.

"Borf?" Jo asked curiously.

Castor growled at the smaller dog. "Shut up and get ready to attack" appeared to be the command, because Jo started crouching down soon after. His ears were also alert. Castor crouched even lower as his throaty growl disturbed the silence in the room.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Ethan, what do we-" London hadn't stopped panicking over their lack of communications until Castor's sharp bark cut through. The doberman headbutted the doors of the cupboard - an odd behavior for dogs, London could only assume - and scratched at it when she approached. London looked between Castor and the cupboard, wearing her bottom lip between her teeth. What's in there? Castor didn't seem upset by it, so she assumed it to be safe.

Still, London flung open the door and jumped back, half expecting something to fly out at her. When nothing moved she relaxed. Somewhat. Crouched down to pick up the items inside the cupboard. There was a porcelain sugar bowl filled with salt - she knew this by picking up a few grains and tasting them - and a cross carved into the base. "'Here's an extra just in case,'" London read from a note attached, "'it's blessed. -C' Charlotte?" Definitely Charlotte, unless Castor somehow learned to write English and bless salt in his downtime. The rosary felt heavy in her pocket.

"Hey, we've got-" London's eye caught on something even better: A walkie talkie. "Yes!" Setting the bowl on the counter, London gripped the device and pressed the comms button. "Marten!" She hoped with every fiber of her being that the grunette would pick up. She needed to know she was okay; that they were all okay. "Where are you?" Who else had one of the walkies? "Kindall? Jace? Guys, we're-"

Castor started growling in the background and London paused. She grabbed a handful of salt and whispered into the walkie ("We're in the kitchen") before freeing the comm-link. She thought back on the instructions for One-Man-Hide-And-Seek she'd read with Kelsey. To end the game, you had to hold salt in your mouth and burn the doll.

Erm, dolls, in this case.

Or was it salt water and to spit on the dolls? London couldn't remember. She wasn't about to risk it, though, and dropped half the handful of salt between her lips. Her tongue shriveled at the taste and she nearly gagged, mouth filling with saliva. Gross, she thought. Dropped the walkie-talkie in Adelaide's windbreaker and latched onto the salt bowl itself with her free hand. Slowly, she crept forward. Pressed herself against a nearby piece of furniture, for that plus five sneak skill.

She had an idea. Probably a stupid one, but Ethan was there with her katana for backup and Castor had given them a second chance at living. London was going to make it count: The first thing to show itself in the dark would get a face full of salt spit. If that wouldn't be enough to end the game, it'd hopefully put whatever headed towards them out of commission long enough for Ethan to finish the job. Charlotte had left the salt for a reason, after all.

London just hoped it would be strong enough to protect them.

 

[Haru Nyan]

Ethan slowly slid his back on the door that he had closed earlier and just slumped on the floor. He wanted to curl up and just rest, he had enough of dolls for today, and soon enough if he sees any more of them he'd probably develop pediophobia. He looked around, they were in the kitchen again, he was feel peckish even after the whole chase, the fear certainly didn't take priority over his hunger. "I'll take that, thank you very much." He said, rising from the floor and ducking to the fridge, getting the bowl but hesitating for a moment. He gazed at it with caution, trying to gauge if the thing was safe or not.

It's safe. It's safe. It's safe. It's safe.

The words looped inside his mind like a madman's ravings, his hands were still gripping the bowl and he was still there looking at the fruit. He probably looked crazy to London and possibly even Jo and Castor right now, nevertheless he took one piece from the bowl and lifted it to his mouth, deeming it was safe enough to consume. Surely not every foodstuff had to be poisoned in here. He began to bite at it, and much to his surprise it was just fruit. Ethan laughed, amused at his own increasingly paranoid antics and merrily began to stuff more of it into his mouth, the juice giving off a really sweet feeling that eased his nerves.

For a while, everything was alright. Emphasis on a while, as the young man set the bowl down in one of the counters his friend bore distress news-they were not in the possession of a walkie-talkie. Ethan took one last bite of the fruit, his gulp emphasizing his nervousness at the prospect of unable being to communicate with the rest of the group. He bit his lip, they were in a huge pickle right now...Ethan began to pace around the room, trying to think of possible solutions. "Maybe if...No...", "What if...Nah...", He began to think of what Kindall or Kelsey would do in a situation like this...Right now all of his ideas seemed implausible, if not outrageous, and that was saying something, given all of the shit they had seen previously.

"Hmm?" Ethan inquired, his train of thought momentarily derailed by the barking of both Jo and Castor, the latter seemed to want to go to the dining room, London and Jo following suit. He was about to do the same, when he could hear a faint tapping sound...took a quick glance behind him, surveying the kitchen again in search of the ominous sound.

Tap...Tap...Tap...Tap...Tap...

His eyes darted left and right, up and down, but the source could not be found, he shrugged. It was probably nothing, he said as he continued onward to where London and the canines were. He entered to find London with a walkie-talkie in her hands and...a bowl of sugar? London seemed to know what she was doing though, and Ethan put...Eh, 75% of his trust in her. He still had the katana from earlier, and if Castor's unease were any indication, it was that things were going to get heated soon. Blade in hand, he took initiative and took slow stops towards the doorway leading to the living room. He took a peek, and the sound of tapping from earlier had returned, louder and stronger than it had before even. Curiosity took the best of him and he walked into the living room, urging London to back him up if the dolls came back.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The trudge throughout the living room felt like hell, with each step Ethan took, there was a tap to accompany it, as if there was something measuring his steps and waiting for him to make a mistake. There were times where Ethan even had to look down at his legs to look where he was stepping, it almost felt like it was a metronome even, like his steps were being timed to the beat. The thought made him relax a bit, no point in emphasizing all the dread they were in right now, putting things into a lighter perspective helped. Every now and then he glanced back to see if London was following his lead, and a small ounce of relief would wash over him whenever she was, he would hate it if he did so once only to find her gone. "Please tell me I'm not the only hearing that."

TAP.TAP.TAP.TAP.TAP.TAP.TAP.TAP.

The tapping had suddenly become feverish, almost matching Ethan's heartbeat as he heard it. They were near. Whatever was making that tapping sound was coming from the walkway, the one where Kelsey tried to think with portals...With ever-careful steps, he approached, motioning London over. It was then there that the source of the tapping made itself clear; over one of the windows was a tree branch...Ethan approached and looked over the thing, it was the one responsible for the tapping, that much was for sure but, something was off. "Hey, London look at this..." He began to point out how eerie it was that the thing was moving on its own, there was no wind blowing or any leaves making rustling noises or anything, it was just the branch...Ethan looked outside the window, remarking how it felt like it had been forever since they've seen the sun. He gave a wry smile, reassuring London and Jo that they'd see the sun soon, once they get out of this place. He peered out the window once more, his eyes noticing an odd detail in one of the panes of the glass...

The young man leaned in closer to inspect, it was a..."Rainbow?" or rather, a childish depiction of one. It looked like it had been drawn using crayons, and the colors were even passing outside the lines. Suddenly, like two wires connecting, an epiphany had crossed Ethan's mind, but he wanted to confirm it to London first. "This is gonna sound like a stretch but...Ya think this has something to do with the ponies? Rainbow Dash, I think, was her name, right? Ella's ponies?"

 

[Ashi]

​

"Run, don't get cornered and keep moving!" Wendy's voice called over the roar that was the pounding of doll feet on the floor of the attic. She ran ahead of the trio, searching for the door.

"Stay ahead of me!" Jace told the girls, giving Ana a push as he brought up the rear. He split his gaze between the back of Wendy's head and the rest of the attic, watching for Dolly Dingleberry and her ghost boy friend in case they decided to rear their ugly heads. He should have payed more attention to the girls, for one second Ana was there; and the next, she wasn't. He skidded to a stop.

"Ana!" He started back towards her as Marten shone the flashlight on the dolls behind them. A shadowy limb wrapped around the grunette's wrist and gave it a tug, causing her to drop it. The flashlight went out and rolled away. Wendy grabbed her though and pulled her along.

"There are flashlights in the bag! Use them on the dolls!" Her screams made Jace stop and look at the bag, still in his hand. He opened it, grabbed a flashlight, and turned it on. The dolls that were steadily creeping forward from the surrounding shadows stopped their advance. Jace adjusted the torch with the bag in one hand and reached out to grab Ana's arm and help her up.

"Move it!" He prompted them as dolls threw themselves at them from the shadows. Wendy drove her shoulder into the door as she reached it. It flung open just in time for them to get out. As the next to last to emerge from the attic, Jace turned to make sure that Ana would make it. She was almost there. He held out his hand to take hers. Then she hit the floor.

"Ana!?" Jace charged forward at the same time Wendy moved to grab Ana. A doll flew from the darkness and glomped her face, causing her to fall backward into him and Marten. They hit the floor in a frantic heap. "Ana!" He yelled, squirming his way out from under the girls. He watched in horror as she was dragged into the darkness and the door slammed shut.

"No! Ana! NO!" Jace scrambled to his feet and slammed himself against the door. He paid little mind to the shadows that came out from under it. "Fuck!" He growled and laid several heavy kicks onto it. It was as if the wooden door had become steel though for it didn't even so much as splinter. "Damn it!" Jace cursed again. His strong voice cracked on the verge of tears. Ana's pleading cries and terrorized screams echoed in his ears; then they stopped.

"Ana?! Speak to me!" Jace grabbed the door handle and pulled. Nothing. He pounded his fist on the door. Still nothing. A wave of emotions washed over him, causing his stomach to somersault. Guilt and anger were most prominent. How could he let this happen? He should have held onto her; he shouldn't have let her fall behind. That bastard pumpkin would pay for this. He was going to curb stomp Butzy's pumpkin head. Then there was a small glimmer of hope, hope that Ana was alright and they could still save her.

Jace stood staring at the door, even as the walkie on his belt crackled with the sound of Londo's voice. It came from behind him too, meaning that Marten also had a radio.

"Marten!"
"Where are you?"
"Kindall? Jace? Guys, we're-"
"We're in the kitchen."

The last statement was a whisper barely audible over the static. Jace turned toward Marten and Wendy finally, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He made no move to answer London, only to follow Wendy as she led them to a guest room. It was the room that led to the bath the girls used earlier. Off to the side on a dresser was a large glass bowl and a glass bottle. The bowl and bottle contained blessed salt and holy water according to Wendy. There was another thing there, a particular thing that Jace recognized, his multitool. He picked it up, flipped the different attachments open, then clipped it on his belt. It might come in handy later.

 

[Impudimp]

"Shit!" Marten hissed wiggling the fingers on her snagged wrist, feeling as if she had a moment to feel relieved because Ana was once again with the group proper. Those stupid tendrils were strong. It was scary to think of everything they were capable of, and that one had only been concerned with her flashlight! "Let's go!" She was moving with Wendy as her drill master. The lady had a commanding voice, and it was a lot easier for the grunette to focus on the sound of her voice leading them literally towards the light than the maelstrom of chaotic toys coming at them from all sides.

We can make it... She thought fighting with herself to not look over her shoulders to see if Jace and Ana were keeping up lest she be the next one to trip and be kept behind. She let the sound of their combined footsteps in the panic soothe her righteous worry. "Almost there..." Her teeth wanted to grind, but she wouldn't let them, forcing the anxious energy into her furiously pumping legs. Bursting through that door was better than sex! She felt like she had run a marathon and won! "Guys, come on! Come on!" She encouraged looking at the portal with hopeful expectations. "Jace, that's one... Ana, that's-- Ana!" She was tired, but she'd move. For her friends she'd move!

Her reach was short as her distance was when faced with a boulder that was Jace, "Ah! D-damn!" He was heavy. Was it possible for all food groups to turn into protein? What the heck was he made of?! But at least he moved quickly springing up to begin pounding the door. She felt tears mingle with the sweat that covered her face from the exertion and fear and everything.. "F-fucking hell... Ana..Damnit!" She'd sob, falling back against the floor not even bothering to stand again. The screams didn't help... And yet she only cried harder when they stopped.

"I'm sorry...Sorry.." She should have stayed next to her. Anything... Nobody was supposed to be left behind. It was supposed to be okay. Her arm would raise covering her ugly face as well as providing a cloth for the liquids beginning to sting her tired eyes. In her grief Marten was tempted to ignore the walkie. She had forgotten about it in her pocket anyways. It was hard to feel happy to hear from her other friends when she had just lost one. And poor Jace, she couldn't even console him. What was she going to say that could ever make it better for someone who had lost a childhood friend? It's not like you got more of those!

So it was with broken heart and wet eyes that she quietly shuffled into the bedroom with Wendy and he, spying the pure items with dull eyes. A ring of salt... Where was this stuff when they needed it? For Ana... What were they even supposed to carry this new stuff in? Would it even help? Were they doomed anyway? Pinning with a somber look, she'd croak briefly, trying to speak through the lump in her throat before it had fully cleared. It only took a few dry gulps before she was trying again, "Wendy... Has anyone come close to leaving this place? Ever? What exactly are we up against here?"

 

[Fox of Spades]

The Guest Room - 2nd Floor

The trip to the guest room was a somber one. Wendy led Marten and Jace down two flights of stairs before eventually ushering them into the room. She didn't say a word - what could she say when they had just lost one of their precious friends? She had played a part in this and she couldn't deny that. I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry.

After the tall boy reached for his multitool, she took him by the hand and clasped it between both of hers. There was no way to ease their pain, but she gave his hand a squeeze all the same. Afterwards, Wendy led him to the bed and sat him down. "Please, you should rest while you can. You too, miss." Repeating what she'd done for Jace, Wendy took Marten by the hand and sat her down like a kind parent would do to a sad child. Once they were seated, she reached for the blanket on the bed and draped it over their shoulders. She knew she had plenty of questions to answer, but that could wait - they needed this.

Slowly, Wendy crouched before the bed and pulled both Marten and Jace into a comforting hug.

The embrace lasted a few moments before Wendy eventually released them and made her way to the Holy Water and Blessed Salt on the nightstand. She passed the salt to Marten then the Holy Water to Jace. The green haired girl had uttered an unpleasant question moments ago, and while Wendy wanted to delay answering, she knew there wasn't much time left.

"There were others before you," she answered honestly. "They always tried to escape, but no one made it very far. We were less willing to cooperate during the earlier days. It was His world after all. The young master didn't quite set his plans into motion until recently." She shook her head. A rebellion of sorts against the Creature who ran this place... it was almost silly. "We don't really know what He is. Master Paul was the first resident of Henbard... I don't know how long that poor man has had to suffer. We don't know what it wants, it's almost like a child really - it likes to collect and play." There was no mistaking the terror in Wendy's eyes. "You asked some questions back in the attic." She faltered toward the end, knowing it would remind them of their friend, but it was too late to stop. "The dolls are as real as us. How I wish it were all a nightmare. He knows the young miss fears the doll and toys with her because he can. I don't know if there's rhyme or reason to anything He does."

That much was true. Over the years He gathered people, tossed out the ones who no longer entertained him and kept the ones that did. Many came and went, and his favorites were forced to participate in his never ending games. "I'm guessing He wants to keep the rest of you here with us, maybe replace some of his old toys - the ones who no longer want to play."

Wendy stopped there. "We've all been kept in the dark too, I don't know how to save us. Would have done it a long time ago if I did." Slowly, she got to her feet. "We'll need to find the young miss if want to stop this, and we'll need to find the rest of your friends too. They won't make it far without flashlights or salt." Sensing their distress, she gingery reached for the Walkie-Talkie strapped to Jace's belt and unclipped it for him. "Don't worry, I'll speak to them."

The radio had buzzed earlier, and Wendy had noticed that the girl who had called had gone unanswered.

Wendy took several steps away from the bed - to allow the sad girl and boy to rest - then pressed onto the radio's button. "Hello," she spoke. "This is Wendy, your friends are alright but something terrible has happened. We need to regroup and we need to find the young miss to put an end to this. We're in the guest room. Are you still alright over there? The house is full of angry dolls."

Once she'd issued her warning, she pressed the Walkie-Talkie into Jace's hands.

"The dolls are made of shadows, He uses them as his eyes and ears. You might have even seen them around your town. Only bright sources of light shone directly at them and salt will hurt them."

 

[Fox of Hearts]

The Walkway - Staircase to 2nd Floor​

This was the hallway where Kelsey had her misadventure with the door. There was no sign of the balloon from earlier. Only the staircase was the most prominent feature in this area. It was a winding wooden staircase leading to the second storey. Whether or not there had been a staircase here earlier was completely debatable. This staircase seemed to fit the walkway nicely. An Alice in Wonderland motif was carved into the surface of the banister running along the left side of the staircase. The other side of the staircase was up against the wall. Each step was barely big enough to fit one person standing sideways. It was a curious design choice for such a big mansion.​

Brightly coloured balloons, fluffy white clouds and rainbows adorn the wall that had looked quite bare in their vague memory. Stenciled here and there were phrases that sounded like something from a Disney script.

"Happiness At The End Of A Rainbow"
"Find Me A Rainbow"
"Make Me Smile Again"
"Don't Forget Our Promise"

Ten even steps made up each flight of stairs. Connecting one flight of steps to the next was a short landing. A peek upwards would reveal that this spiral staircase seemed to go up forever. Two landings above the first floor was the first door. Based on the architecture of the house, that door should open into the second floor. The window Ethan chose to inspect overlooked the first landing. It wasn't exactly position over the first landing, so he stood on the seventh step. Joseff was sandwiched between Ethan and London on the sixth step. Castor acting as the vanguard stood on fourth step. He surveyed the area briefly before deciding to sit down. The doberman appeared visibly relieved that the dolls were nowhere to be seen.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

​

The staccato sound was incongruous with the sleepy silence in the walkway. The branch outside the window started moving again. This time it is even more obvious that it was moving on its own accord. Jo's ears flatten in fear and his eyes dilated. He barked and barked nonstop while leaning against Ethan's leg. "Bark! Bark!"

His shivering was so violently that Ethan could probably feel. Something supernatural was afoot and the Shiba Inu didn't like it one bit. He turned to his canine friend for support but Castor offered him none. The doberman sat calmly on a step beneath London. His intelligent eyes staring attentively at the branch.

"Woof! Woof!" Castor boomed.

The tapping stopped. Castor woofed again and the tapping began anew. The rhythm a little different. The tree and the dog conversed in their unknown lingo, puzzling Jo. The fluff ball stopped barking eventually and sat down too. He tilted his head to the side. "Arf?" he asked.

Castor threw him a condescending glance before snubbing him. He let out three more barks then turned back to the group. He looked as if he wanted to tell them something when his ears flicked. He heard the familiar pitter-patter that was currently too soft for human ears. His eyes shone a bright red and he started bumping his head against London's leg urgently. "Bark! Bark!" he commanded. Move it, human! "Bark! Bark! Bark!"

The group moved like humans rousing from their beds. Sluggish and heavy. Frustrated, Castor snarled before dashing pass the girl and up the stairs towards Ethan. He grabbed the leg of the Milk Man's pants with his teeth and tugged sharply. "Grrrrrrr!" Too slow!

Jo remained perplexed as ever. However, his sense of self-preservation was rocketing off the charts. Fear like he never felt before overwhelmed him and the poor Shiba Inu lay flat on the ground and whimpered. He was as frightened of the incoming dolls as he was of Castor.

"Uuuuu uuuu uuuuuu," Jo continued whimpering.

Castor let go off Ethan's pants suddenly, realising that it was too late. Creepy laughter filled the room as the five dolls appeared from the living room and made their way to the staircase where the humans stood. They started toddling unsteadily towards the group. "We're going to get you," they taunted. "We're going to get you."

"Run!" an ephemeral voice whispered from the window. "Run! Don't let them catch you…"

The voice barely faded away when a misty face pressed against the glass. The face was that of an infantile little girl. She had a high forehead, tiny nose and the smallest lips imaginable. Leaves of different colours thread through her wispy long hair, giving her a fae-like appearance. Pupils were absent from her almond shaped eyes but it was obvious whom she was staring at. Her chilling eyes were fixed on London. "Go," she whispered one last time before disappearing.

"We're on the second step!" the dolls announced chillingly. The first two were already attempting to climb up the third step. They were just two steps below London.

An air-sucking hiss came from behind Ethan. The air kissing his neck heated up rapidly as the steady roar inched closer. Castor spun round and started baring his teeth. He growled threateningly at the dolls floating near the banister. A doll wearing a bomber jacket and aviator goggles sat on top of a red balloon while her passenger, a smartly dressed chap with a top hat, was held aloft by the ballon string tied around his waist. The Phileas Fogg doll bore a shiny kitchen torch in his hands. His friend, the Amelia Earhart doll, held nothing in her hands at the moment. However, a tiny blade glinted from the belt round her waist.

It was at this inopportune time that the walkie talkie in their possession came to life. Castor identified the voice belonging to one of the maids. He couldn't understand much of what she said but he knew she'd be able to send help. "Bark, bark," he warned urgently. "Bark! Bark!"

Castor wasted no time scrambling up the stairs once he got his message through, hoping that Ethan would follow. The stairs were narrow, unfortunately, but with some luck the humans should be able to scramble up quickly and out of harm's way. Fighting would be futile since he saw more dolls appearing at the foot of the stairs. "Bark, bark!" he encouraged the rest. Come on, humans! You too, fat cheeks!

 

[Cartoonicat]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Tap.Tap.Tap.Tap.

TapTapTapTapTap!

"I 'ea' i' 'oo" London said incomprehensibly around a mouthful of salty spit, tilting her head back to keep it from spilling out of her mouth. That would be gross and, on top of the grodiness, she'd like to not get stabbed by angry demon dolls if she could help it. Supposedly the salt would prevent that. Figuring Ethan didn't understand her, she simply nodded that, yes, she heard the tapping, too.

And it was thoroughly freaking her out. But, instead of go away from the ominous noise, Ethan just had to follow the typical horror movie trope and go towards it. Before she could grab him and pull him back; before she could tell him to wait, because the others think we're in the kitchen he was in the next room, leaving her behind.

Well, that sure as hell wasn't going to fly.

Clutching the bowl of salt like a lifeline, London followed Ethan all the way to the window that produced the sound. She half-expected a jump scare, opting to stand back a few steps, but nothing happened except a tree beating against the window. Odd thing was, there was no wind outside. I don't like this... Looking over her shoulder, she double checked to make sure their backs were clear.

And then Ethan mentioned ponies, flinging her mentally back to Ella's room where Ana had shown her the small toys. Thoughtful, she pursed her lips. "Awa," London covered her mouth quickly, wiping away a stray line of drool. Talking with salt spit in her mouth wasn't going to happen cleanly, so she decided to keep her mouth shut for now. Instead of answer him with words, she nodded her head. Ana knows more about My Little Pony than I do, she thought, but the ponies are obviously significant. She made a mental note to jot the name Rainbow Dash down in her cryptodex later.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The branch started moving again and, this time, London looked closer. There was no wind to move the tree yet it still tapped against the glass, almost as if trying to communicate. Curious, she placed a hand on the glass and peered out into the yard, face close enough for her breath to fog a small oval against the surface.

The dogs started barking, sending off warning bells in her brain. Yet, still, London did not pull away from the window. What had Ella said at dinner, about Tam Tam? Girls in trees? Did that have anything to do with the way-

A face appeared in the window.

"Holy shi-cah!" London swallowed half of her salt spit. She doubled over, trying desperately hard not to cough the rest out. Her cheeks puffed in protest and she slammed a fist into her chest. Spluttering several drops of salt split on the floor, she finally got her coughing under control. Looking back at the window, her eyes widened. The dolls, at least for the moment, seemed entirely irrelevant.

On the other side of the glass was a fairy.

Or, at least, what London thought was a fairy. She stared at her, committing her appearance to memory. If she tried hard enough, perhaps she could sketch her out in her cryptodex. For some reason, London never wanted to forget that face.

For some reason, it gave her hope.

Turning to the dolls, anxiety gripping at her chest, London inhaled through her nose and spit the rest of the salt spit solution in their direction. "Hijo de puta!" She turned, not waiting to see what the salt had done, and tried to make it up the narrow staircase. She nearly tripped over Jo, refusing to move, in the process. Dammit, Jo. Glancing over her shoulder, London caught a glimpse of several dolls making their way up the stairs: an electrician wielding live wires, a ranger doll with a boomerang, a robin hood readying a bow, a doll holding a trident, and even a Jack the Ripper doll with a carving knife in its hand.

Where the hell did they even get these dolls!?

With Jo being stubbornly terrified, she snatched him from the ground and held him tight in her arms. Pushed herself towards Ethan, attempting to skirt around him. With a curse, she stumbled on one of the steps, just in time to hear the last thing she wanted to: Something bad happened.

"What happened?" She asked, realizing belatedly she hadn't pressed the button on the walkie-talkie. Fear seized her, turning her palms clammy. No, no, no. None of her friends had responded - instead Wendy, a Henbard resident had. They needed to get to the guest bedroom.

Now.

Spurred on by fear and the need to see her friends safe, London barreled past Ethan, nearly knocking him into the railing. Entirely too close to the oncoming red balloon dolls who - Is that a blow torch? Dios mio! - looked ready to burn faces. With Jo in one arm, she grabbed the back of Ethan's vampire cloak and pulled backwards, away from their opponents. "Come on!"

She let go of him and reached for the second floor door. Threw it open with such force it bounced against the wall and ricocheted back halfway. "This way!"

 

[Haru Nyan]

"Wh-What is it, boy?!" Alerted by his Shiba Inu companion, Ethan felt Jo's fear coursing through his fur, and he could feel it too...Something was definitely up with the branch, but then again when was something not in Henbard Chateau? He tried to calm down Jo, stressing that things we're going to be fine and dandy, sure, it was a lie, but he couldn't help seeing the poor pupper in such distress. The tapping only ceased when Castor let out a vicious bark. Seconds ticked by and turned into a minute or two, then the tapping came back, not as feverish as before, but certainly still there. It definitely perplexed him, this odd, seemingly magical branch that seemed to have a mind of it's own. He wondered aloud if it was some sort of Harry Potter-esque wand that was seeking them and acting as their guide. That would certainly be a b--

Shocked, Ethan suddenly became aware of something tugging at his costume's pants. Glancing down, he furrowed his brows at Castor, expressing his displeasure at the thought of him ripping up a costume he didn't even own in the first place. "Hey! I'm not into that kinda stuff, ya mangy mutt!" He suddenly found himself engaging in a tug-of-war match between him and the doberman, trying to free his pants from the sharp teeth of Castor. The young man sighed in relief as the dog eventually let go, wondering why the canine even did that in the first place.

Not a moment too soon, an unnerving laughter was there to answer Ethan's queries. The maniacal giggling served to drive him even further on the edge, and the fact that they announced the things they did filled him less with laughter and more with an inescapable feeling of dread. Right now, there was only one thing on the young man's mind; "Run!"

A scream of surprise left Ethan's mouth when he heard a voice that was neither his nor London's. He took a quick glance at the source of the voice-the same window that had been tapping earlier-and was greeted with what he could only describe as a dryad. Wanting to waste little time, she gave the nymph-like girl a nod, and began running as fast his legs could carry him. He spared no expense trying to look behind him, all he knew was that they needed to get outta there ASAP. "Huh?" Ethan said, as he suddenly felt a chill of billowing air, he proceeded to do a quick 180 turn to see what all the commotion was and was greeted by a pair of dolls mocking what he presumed were Earhart, and some other dude he didn't bother to know. The young man's pupils dilated, knowing that one of them was equipped with a blowtorch of all things, and instantly, Ethan redoubled his efforts to GTFO, scrambling and struggling with London, Castor, and Jo to make it to safety. In their effort's to survive, London practically knocked the big man onto the stair's railings, meeting a little to close with the pyromaniac doll and screaming for help like there was no tomorrow. He closed his eyes as the toy was practically face-to-face with him only to be be pulled back by London at such a great force that he stumbled onto the floor. The moment London managed to force the door open, he darted inside the room, thankful that they survived the encounter.

Instead of leading to the second floor landing, the hatch led the group straight into Ella's room. It looked the same as it did when they'd first entered it, but something was... off. The dolls from earlier had vanished (presumably to chase after them), the cabinet's door had been flung open, and the floor was littered with an assortment of items - Han's scarf and Kindle's walkie-talkie. Oddly, there was no sight of Kindle or Kelsey. Ethan gulped, in any other kind of situation, he would be glad that Kindall was far away from him, but right now...Seeing his walkie-talkie just abandoned out in the open like this, fanned the flames of his fears even more. Without saying a word, he grabbed the walkie-talkie, wondering where the hell its owner could be. Sensing that his two closest friends were in danger, Ethan began to search every nook and cranny of the room to figure out their whereabouts, during his search, he noticed a cabinet that was-strangely-open. He approached, only to find the cast of My Little Pony plushies spread out inside, it was weird though, the way they were positioned...almost looked like they were watching something, like a movie. Curiously, he positioned himself in the same way as the dolls, his eyes facing towards a macabre painting.

Jogging his memory of their first trek of Ella's room, he briefly remembered Jace being spooked the hell out of this when he laid his eyes on it. He didn't think much of it back then, but as he approached the painting, something felt...off. He gazed at the art piece for a moment or two, his brain connecting dots until..."K...K-Kindall?! KELSEY!!" Ethan stepped away from the macabre canvas as he became aware of the full picture. Right there in front of him, inside a ghastly painting of an asylum were Kindall and Kelsey, their faces adorned with looks of terror and agony. In an act of desperation, he held his face up to the painting, under the assumption that whatever magically malevolent force was keeping them there could at least allow them to hear him. "GUYS, PLEASE, TELL ME YOU'RE OKAY." He kept waiting for a response but nothing ever came, in his irritation, he slammed his foot down hard on the wooden floors. "DAMMIT!!" What the fuck could he even do right now?! Something like raw strength could never solve a conundrum like this. Ethan began to hyperventilate, he needed to save his friends, he needed to do it N O W. Somewhere at the back of his mind, a voice was telling him that he needed to calm down, panicking at a situation like this would only make things worse. Although his breathing was still ragged and his eyes were still taking the news seriously, Ethan had began to calm down somewhat. As he inhaled and exhaled, his nose caught wind of a burning smell...No, not burning, it smelled...different, it was the same kind of smell that had wafted through the Ming Yun Spa every now and then.

"Incense? London, do you smell incense?"

 

[Impudimp]

All for a stupid game. Her friend was presumably dead or worse for a sick fuck's sense of trivia! What was this House? Red Rover? Fucking Never-Have-I-Ever?! Marten was rightfully upset on behalf of all the souls that had come and gone in the god forsaken place. Lives were not to be toyed with! They weren't some MIB-style cosmic, marble universe in a never-ending game of Jacks!

Her cheeks turned red with her indignation and ire, and she embraced the red-hot-poker feeling in her chest. It was good. She wanted to be pissed. It was preferably to crushing anguish. She had cried a lot of tears this night and felt many great emotions, and it was time to nut up. She'd cry when all her friends were home safe and sound. Even so, Wendy's hug felt nice, and Jace being close to her side made her feel safe. It wasn't much of a rest period, but she saw the value of a destress moment.

Gripping the bowl of salt tightly, she sighed, "We're obviously losing this game. And we can't get out easily. So we must find the bad guy, probably. Well... we can find Ella and then the bad guy, right? And lift this curse?" Her questions were more like statements with haphazard "question mark" style inflections, but it was the best that she could do when PTSD was scrambling her brain like room temp eggs.

Everything didn't quite catch up, but at the least, she knew that their best bet of survival was to regroup and grill Wendy for all she was worth. Then of course they could also give her ID afterwards. Win-win. "Jace... what are you thinking?" She would lightly nudge him with her elbow. He was being so quiet. Not that she could blame him, but still, he was her friend too, and she wanted to comfort him if only for a little while.