Forlot: Welcome to the Dummy House - Book Forty-One

Chapter Thirty-Six

I thought that I would puke. I pressed my lips together and froze. I could not move or talk no matter how hard I tried. It was like that I was under a spell. Jack's spell. I was as helpless as a...doll. Panic rose within me. I did not want to be dragged back to the Dummy House. Not without a fight. The psycho would not murder anybody because Owen and I would defend this house.

Owen pushed away from the doorway and looked back at me. "J-Jack has a knife. He is coming upstairs now." He scurried behind me and gave me a shove. "We need to go to your parents and tell them that Jack is here."

I staggered forward and almost met the carpet. I would have melted if humans could melt. A shove was all that I needed. I grabbed Owen's hand and pulled him out of my room and down the hall. The hall was so long that I thought that it would never end. I felt like that we were in a marathon. As we passed the stairs, I looked down - and my heart sank. A guy with a shiny knife was on the stairs. A wide grin spread across his face. He raised the knife and swung it around. But it was not Jack.

It took me a couple seconds to realize that it was a doll. A doll whom I saw in the gym. He and his partner were the ones who kidnapped my new pals. No surprise that he was holding a knife because he was a mafia dummy. Yeah. It was the mafia puppet. I can only imagine what was going through his head. I do not want to know.

The living dummy motioned for us to come to him. He spoke in a disturbing tone, giving me the chills. "Come here, children. Come to your favorite doll so he can rip out your problems." He slashed at the air and laughed. "Jack and I only want what is best for you."

Owen faced him and shouted, "Know why we call you a dummy? 'Cause you are a dummy!"

No point in being quiet now.

"Do not provoke him, Owen," I begged as we reached a wooden door. It led to my parents' room. My breathing was shallow. "He may have powers like Jack's. Besides, it is never a good idea to tick off a living dummy."

The mafia dummy picked up the pace with the knife in the air. "You will become dummies when I am finished with ya!"

"I would like to see you try!" Owen spat. "Evil is always defeated by good! You will pay here - or when you die."

"Can...can dummies even die?" I asked.

He glanced back at me. "I would think so. Anyone who uses a brain. He would not be chasing us with a knife if he did not have a brain. He knows what he is doing."

"I will take your brains and throw them in jars and put them in the attic!"

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed. I could hear the shakiness in my voice. "Call the cops!" I was about to open the door, when the door opened by itself. No. Not by itself. Mom had opened it. "Mom!" I hugged her tightly and cried.

Bags were under her eyes. Although that she was tired, she understood that I was upset. She put a hand on my head and hugged me back. "Janice. Are you okay?" She must have noticed Owen because she said, "Who in the world are you? Are you the reason why she screamed?"

I beat Owen to the punchline. "He is one of my friends, Mom. His name is Owen. I met him at school."

"Ah. So what is he doing in our house this late?"

I pulled away. "He wanted to check on me."

She crossed her arms. "In the middle of the night?"

"It is complicated," Owen spoke. He stretched his arms and walked past us and into the room. "I need to rest. I hope that you do not mind me chilling on your bed."

Dad was on the edge of their bed and putting his shoes on. He stood and locked his eyes on Owen. "Why in the world are you in my house?"

Mom rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That is Owen. He is Janice's friend."

"Okay...why is he sleeping on our bed?"

Owen was on his belly and snoring. I was not surprised that he was tired. I would be tired if I were chased by a puppet. And I had been chased. I spun around and saw him. The mafia puppet was in a heap on the floor. I did not spot the knife. I guessed that he got rid of it. Before I could grab him, somebody came out of a room. It was Olive. She cooed and crawled to me. No. The dummy. I got in front of him and told her to not touch him.

Olive smiled at me. "Sister!"

I dropped to my knees. "Do you understand?"

She crawled past me and hugged the dummy. "Goo!"

I gasped and snatched him up. "You cannot hold him. I do not want you to be stabbed. I-I do not want to think about it."

She gave me the puppy eyes and whimpered.

"The puppy eyes do not work on me."

Olive grasped my pants leg. "You no love me?"

"I do love you. That is why I am protecting you."

A tear ran down her puffy cheek. "Run away!"

"You are going to run away?"

"Yeah!"

"But you are too young to run away."

Mom walked to us. "What is in your hand, Janice?"

"It is a dummy. I will throw him away."

Olive tugged on Mom's nightdress and pointed at him.

Mom scooped her up. "You want the puppet?"

"Yeah!"

"We cannot keep him," I protested. "He will kill us!"