Ragdoll Maker

Chapter Three: Hide And Seek

Toby sat with his back up against the rough bark of a tree. His hands were hidden behind his back, and he still wore his eye patch; Sally had not yet seen him without it and he wanted to show her himself instead of having her find out when she arrived. He remembered this spot; it was where he had met Sally. He had roamed through this section of the woods enough to know about it. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, shining on his face. He began to regret not telling when to meet up with Sally, as he was beginning to lose patience. Just a few more minutes, he told himself, and if she doesn't come back, I'll show up again tonight.

"Toby!" a voice called, causing Toby to turn in that direction. Sally was running toward him with a cheerful expression, laughing as she ran. "I was afraid you wouldn't show up!"

"You were afraid?" he laughed, standing up to give her a quick hug. "I was the one waiting this whole time!"

"Sorry..." she smiled sheepishly. Toby laughed again, ruffling her hair. "It's okay, it's no big deal." He crouched down to her level, the excitement clear in his eyes. "I have a gift for you!" he exclaimed. He brought out the hidden object, making Sally gasp with delight. He had made her a rag doll, one that looked exactly like her. He had even sewn in some red splotches to match the blood that was constantly running down her face (he was still worried about it, but she didn't seem to be bothered so there wasn't much he could do about it).

Sally took the doll in her hands, squealing with delight. "I love it! She looks just like me!" she giggled before throwing her arms around him. "Thank you!"

Toby laughed and hugged her back. "I'm so glad you liked it! I stayed up all night making it for you!" he said before releasing her. Sally took a step back, still beaming at him. "I'm gonna keep her in my room, right next to my teddy!" she declared happily. Her green eyes widened. "Hey! Do you wanna finish playing hide and seek?" she asked. Toby nodded. "Yes, of course!"

Sally took a step back from him, grinning widely. The atmosphere seemed to shift into something far more sinister. A chill ran up Toby's spine, causing him to shiver. He looked down at her with worry.

"You hide..." she began, her grin looking almost malicious. "...and I'll seek!"

The girl suddenly disappeared, and Toby was pitched into blackness.

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Toby awoke with a gasp. He was still in the same place, but a thick fog had settled in the forest. His head whipped around in fear as he tried to comprehend what was happening. What happened to Sally? And what was happening to him?

A high-pitched giggle rang from around him as a breeze blew through the barren trees. It was Sally's voice, he knew, but it seemed distant... yet at the same time, it seemed to come from everywhere. He stood up slowly, dread sinking in his heart. He took a step back, then another. Another giggle came, this one much closer. Toby broke into a run, making a mad dash through the trees. He had no idea what was happening, but still feared for his life.

Sally was enjoying her game. It had been so long since she played with anybody. Toby was fun to play with, too. Even if he had been a terrible seeker, he was proving to be a great hider. Or maybe... runner? Sally giggled once more. Everyone seemed to run. Maybe it was just easier than hiding?

Toby came to a halt, gasping for breath. He had become disoriented while running, and now had no idea where he was. Sally's voice kept getting closer. He was scared and confused. Surely Sally didn't want to hurt him, right? Not sure if he wanted to know the answer, Toby found a bush and crawled into it, tucking himself as best as he could. His eyepatch came loose and fell to the ground, but he no longer cared. His heart was hammering in his chest, knowing that he wanted, no, needed to get away. It was as though he was twelve years old again, though this time he was hiding from his dad.

Everything went silent all of a sudden, but this did nothing to calm Toby's nerves. Then, slow footsteps that got louder as the person approached their hiding place.

With an eerie smile, Sally lifted the leaves away to see Toby curled up and staring fearfully with one wide green eye. "I foooound you—" she cut herself off.

Sally blinked, staring at Toby's button eye. Her eyes trailed to the stitches around his neck that she had failed to notice earlier. And peeking out from beneath the sleeve of his jacket were more stitches around his wrist. Sally took a step back. She had been mistaken. This guy was definitely not normal. Maybe she should tell the others? That certainly seemed better than what she had originally planned.

"Toby? Are you okay?" she asked sweetly. Toby raised an eyebrow, still shaking in fear. "I didn't mean to scare you... I'm sorry..." she lied with a pout. Toby nodded slowly and carefully extracted himself from the bushed. "It's, uh... it's okay..." he mumbled. "But... what just happened?"

Sally giggled. "Duh! We were playing hide and seek! I didn't know you were so afraid of hiding, though!" she smiled. Toby, still cautious, nodded slowly. He looked up and gasped. "Wait, how did it get so late?!" he gasped at the sight of the night sky. It was obvious he had passed out, but for this long?! Sally shrugged. "Time flies by when you're having fun~!" she replied in a sing-song voice.

"Uh huh..." Toby murmured. "Well, since it's late, we'd better head home now..."

Sally turned to him, tears in her eyes as she grasped at his shirt. "You don't hate me, do you? I'm sorry for making you so scared!" she whined.

Toby stiffened before relaxing slightly. "Ah... okay... but please don't do it again," he smiled awkwardly, patting the girl on the head. Her demeanor suddenly flipped, and she was beaming back at him. "Yay! Let's meet again tomorrow at noon, same place!" she declared before running off, her new doll in tow.

Toby bent down and picked up his eye patch before realizing...

...He was still lost.

He groaned, and set off to wander around until he gathered his bearings.

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"He's weird, I'm telling you..." the hooded man told his companions. He had told him of the weird guy he had seen enter a shack full of creepy dolls stuffed with organs. "But is he truly Creepypasta material?" one of them asked.

Another one sighed. "I really hate that title... why can't we go by something else other than the website our stories are posted onto?" he groaned.

"We just have to go and see him, observe him for a bit. But honestly, I think he definitely is," the hooded man stated, ignoring the second companion.

There was a bit of chattering for a few minutes until the hooded man suddenly turned to the little girl who had been sitting on the couch and playing with a doll this entire time. Usually she would ignore them and they wouldn't pay much attention to her during these meetings as she had no interest in them, but something was different this time. "Sally?" he asked. "Where did you get that doll?"

Sally turned to him with a wide grin. "Oh, this! My new friend gave it to me!" she giggled.

"That's..." he mumbled. "That's one of his dolls..."

It was then that the group realized that, like it or not, they had already become involved with this mysterious stranger.

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[A/N] Heyo! Third chapter is up, yaay!

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~CakeEater4