Backstitch

Chapter 9

We have to get out of here. The fear-induced thought circled his mind relentlessly while he watched Greyson sit down at his desk. The threat didn't seem imminent to the others, but Lou knew better. It was only a matter of time before he came face-to-face with that monster. Anything he could do to delay the inevitable would be ideal.

"We'll head back through the tunnel," Ox tugged on the blonde's arm. It seemed he wasn't the only one who could sense the danger. Of course, Ox might have been the only Ugly aware that the human was responsible for initiating the destruction of the imperfect dolls. Both of their lives were threatened by being here.

Lou nodded, but the plan hardly set into motion before a creek sent chills up Lou's spine. All the dolls turned and gaped as the door gradually picked up speed and slammed shut. The blonde felt his legs go weak, and nausea made him dizzy. Greyson had to have heard that. There was no way the sound hadn't traveled to his desk.

The hunch was proven when the sound of wheels against hardwood followed soon after. Calculated steps grew louder, and the dolls scurried to find a new hiding spot amongst the décor on the table. Lou was drug over to another picture frame, this one bigger than the previous one. Ox guided Lou to sit, which didn't take much effort considering he was already weak, and his legs did well to carry him that far. The blonde was trembling all over. Breathing short and rapid, jaw chattering. Ox kneeled down beside him to whisper, "Lou, it's okay—"

"N-No...h-he'll find us," Lou could barely get the words out while his jaw trembled. His fingers scraped against the table to try and cease the shaking of his body. What was this? He felt like he could blackout at any moment. His heart was pounding so hard against his chest that he feared it would give them away.

Someone else had kneeled down on the other side of him, but his eyes were shut too tight to notice. Nolan rubbed Lou's arm, "Lou, you're having a panic attack. Just breathe, like we practiced last night, remember?"

"Louis, you can't hide forever," Greyson's footsteps paced around the room. He eyed every potential hiding spot, but the few he checked were vacant of any dolls. "The other prototypes didn't stand a chance. What makes you think you do?"

The blonde whimpered, and he felt the tears coming down his face. Everything was bombarding his mind at once. The threats. The robots. The nightmares. The expectations. His failures. The impending death waiting for him. And the man responsible for most of those things stood barely a few feet away. Nolan wrapped his arms around Lou, pulling him close to calm him down. "Ox, there has to be another way out," he whispered.

Ox contemplated, ears twitching anxiously. He stood and put a hand on Lou's shoulder, "You stay here and keep him calm. I have an idea." Nolan nodded and watched the doll scurry off, jumping silently down from the table. He found Wage and Moxy hiding behind the legs of the table. "We need a distraction from the other side of the room," he whispered.

"And how do you plan on doin' that?" Wage barely managed to keep her voice down. Moxy nudged her and nodded in front of them. Her eyes were glued to Greyson's polished dress shoes. Wage firmly shook her head, "Moxy," she drawled out the name.

The pink doll ignored her and peeked out from under the table. When the man turned with his back to them, she bolted. Ox hurried behind her, and they quickly tied the laces together. Greyson looked down when he felt the weight on his feet and glared at the Uglies, "Hey!" The two scrambled away before he could step on them. The second his foot lifted, his balance was impaired, and he fell on his stomach. "Oh, you're all dead!"

"Nolan! Get Lou to the front door!" Ox shouted as he ran to the door. Ugly Dog hopped onto the arm of the sofa beside the door and jumped onto the handle. It teetered for a moment before caving into the doll's weight, and the door swung open slightly.