ONE MORE NIGHT
by Gabriel_Pope
"Mommy, can Sally sleep with us tonight?"
Sally? My eyebrows creased as I tried to recollect who that was. We had no pets and there were just two of us in the house. I spat into the sink and wiped my mouth.
"Who's Sally?" I paused with the toothbrush halfway to my mouth while I waited for her response. Who's Sally? I heard movements from the bedroom and I could tell that my daughter had gotten out of bed. Her faint footsteps continued within the room and I turned my attention back to brushing my teeth. I rinsed my mouth and then gurgled but paused when my daughter giggled from the bedroom. Strange, there was no one else there with her.
"You sound like a turkey, mommy," she said in between giggles. I grinned, how could I have missed our joke. Of course, I sounded like a turkey when I gurgled.
"Want me to do that again?" She replied with an affirmative mmhmm. I took in some water into my mouth and just as I raised my head to face the ceiling, something moved from the corner of my eye and on impulse I turned in the direction of the bedroom. My heart jammed against my chest and the water in my mouth spewed out, splashing everywhere when I saw a doll almost the height of my daughter standing in the door way.
"What's that?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. That was a stupid question; of course it was just a doll.
"Sally," Jordin answered, clutching the doll by its hands. "Are you scared of her?"
"No...no," I stuttered. "It's just...," I trailed off. Shocked? Scared? Kids probably wouldn't know the difference. "Come on now, time for bed."
I picked my 4 year old girl from the floor, her doll, Sally, dangled freely by her side. We got tucked in bed although I wasn't planning to go to sleep just yet; I just had to put my little bundle of trouble to rest first. After a few minutes of humming lullabies, there was no movement from her apart from her tender breathing. I slipped out of bed and turned off the lights.
"Mommy," Jordin called out in a slurred, sleepy voice just as my hands gripped on the door's handle.
"Yes baby."
"You should be scared of her. She's evil."
I flicked the lights on, Jordin was still snuggled with the doll the way I'd left them and I could've sworn that the voice had only been in my head. I shrugged off the thought and turned the lights off, shutting the door to her room with a gentle bump.
I made my way down the stairs to the living room. Cartons upon cartons lay all around waiting to be unpacked. I sighed at the sight which drained what was left of my strength. We'd moved in two days ago and it was our second night, still, I hadn't been able to arrange all our stuff. It was real work, especially when Garry wasn't in town. His job had him shuttling between states for a few weeks but he was returning tomorrow. Tomorrow isn't so far, I thought to myself. My procrastinating self didn't argue. I could just wait, it was just a thing of a few hours and he'd be home to help out with unpacking.
The ping of the microwave disrupted my line of thoughts. I couldn't remember placing anything in it. Curious, I walked towards the kitchen. There were no doors separating it from the other part of the house, just an arched entrance. At first, I peeked into the kitchen, scanning it. The hairs on my arm were starting to stand erect. What's wrong with me? I walked into the kitchen to find the microwave open. Jordin must've been playing with it again.
It never really occurred to me how grave silent the neighborhood was until now. It all felt like we'd moved into the center of the wilderness, or maybe it was just me. The estate was new and most houses were yet to be occupied although they'd been sold. Maybe we should've waited a bit more till other tenants moved in, at least I wouldn't have to worry about the terrifying looks of unoccupied houses surrounding us, like a masked face with hollow eyes and nostrils.
A cold ran down my spine at the thought of the images the houses casted under the street lights. Slamming the switch to the kitchen off, I exited it for the room, trying not to fall into the temptation of peeking at the apartment just across the street. It just looked different and I wonder why it bothered me since it wasn't the only vacant house around. It hadn't been put up for sale but from the looks of it, it was clearly evident that no one had lived in it for years-if not decades.
The room was dark, dimly lit by the street light flooding in through the window. I pulled the blinds down before sneaking into bed next to Jordin whose back was facing me, leaving Sally in between us. While I laid on the bed, my mind mentally scanned the entire house to be sure I had all the doors locked. Halloween was just around the corner and I wouldn't want any early surprises-even though I wasn't expecting one considering the sparse population of the estate.
I must've begun to drift off when a sound brought me back. At first, I couldn't quite tell of I was only dreaming or I if I'd really heard the sound. My weary eyes and feeble body wouldn't let me remain cautious and within seconds, I found myself dozing off. Then came the sound again. This time, more obvious.
My eyes flicked open and my pulse went higher a notch. The noise which sounded like that of someone rummaging through things was coming from within the house. The sound of metal falling to the floor and cartons crashing was enough to get me out of bed and I started for the staircase. My heart trashed against my ribs and I tried to bring my terror-stricken mind to calmness. It could be a stray cat or something.
I stood at the edge of the stairs, scared out of my mind on seeing the light coming from the kitchen and living room. My palms turned sweaty and my breathing was unsteady. With careful steps not to make a sound, I moved down the stairs. My heart fluttered within my chest like a caged bird when a can of hotdog rolled out of the kitchen, bumping into a wall. Then there was another can.
Someone's still in there. I spun back in a flash to grab my phone from the bedroom only to see Sally seated at the edge of the stairs. A frightful scream escaped my throat, I missed a step and tumbled down the staircase, landing on my back. Pain pulsed through my body as I remained seated helplessly, my breath ran short while my eyes remained fixed on the unbelievable sight of the figurine staring down at me. Mommy, she's evil, the words rang in my head.
Before my very eyes, the doll picked itself from the floor. Its smile wasn't fake anymore, it was a malicious smile which grew, twisting on its lips as the panic in my face was plain. My breath hitched and my heart pounded madly in my chest. I crawled away from it; tears stung my eyes as it began descending the stairs. This can't be real, this can't be happening.
A shiver ran down my body when my back met against a wall. Jordin, I had to get her and escape from the house, that was the only way I'd survive the night if what I was seeing was true. Slowly, I picked myself up, glancing both at the stairs and the descending doll. Needless to say, my heart was going a million miles an hour.
One deep breath, two deep breaths, my feet broke into a sprint for the stairs. I jumped over the first few stairs and sped for the bedroom, taking the stairs in twos. I had only made it halfway when I felt strong tiny hands clutch at my leg, causing me to trip. My ribs landed with a painful thud on the hard wooden staircase and I let out a painful cry. Tears broke free from my eyes. I looked behind me, the doll gripped on to my left leg so firmly that I could feel my skin break under the force of its fingers.
"Mommy?"
"Get back inside!" I yelled at Jordin without even turning to look at her.
"Mommy, mommy, come let's play."
Jordin gasped at the voice of her doll-or that was what she thought this evil thing to be.
"Jordin, go!" I screamed in tears the second time at the pain of my bleeding leg as the doll crawled up my body. I smacked my foot at the railing in an attempt to get rid of it, another smack, and then another. It still latched itself to my leg. With a hard force, I smacked it with my other leg and whimpered as it clawed into my skin before rolling down the stairs.
I crawled up the stairs as fast as I could and then dashed towards the room once I reached the landing. Patches of blood trailed behind me, my leg hurt and as harsh as my breathing was, I could still hear the sinister voice of Sally from downstairs.
"Mommy, I just want to play."
I slammed the bedroom door shut so hard that the ceiling fan swung gently. My palms were shaky; my heart pounded in my ears, my breathing was heavy. My eyes scanned the room in search of my phone. Wait one moment, where's Jordin? I hurried into the bedroom, nothing there. The bedroom's window was still shut and the blinds down, she couldn't have made it out of the house.
"Jordin?" I called out, looking under the bed. "Bab-"
A shrill cry erupted from another room and my blood ran cold. Not sparing a moment, I unbolted the door and dashed towards the cry. I busted through the slightly ajar door into the dimly lit room and called out to my daughter as I rushed into the bathroom only to see her in tears, curled up at a corner of the bath tub.
"Baby, it's alright," I said to her, trying to calm her down.
"I'm scared."
"It's okay," I whispered, picking her from the floor. "We're leaving right away."
The door shut as soon as we reached it, a weight dropped on my head, pulling me back by my hair. The pain of my hair being yanked so hard made me scream, Jordin fell out of my grip and I reached behind me to get a hold of the doll. A Jolt of pain shot through my head when a handful of hair tore out of my head. Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to break free.
The feeling of blood trickling down the side of my face made my mind panic out of control. Without thinking, I rammed my head into the mirror. Splinters of glass sliced through my face painfully and even more blood dripped down my face. I went for the mirror a second time and Sally loosened her grip on me as though it could also feel the pain of glass cutting its skin. I reached behind me again and got a hold of its free arm, with as much force as I could muster, I threw it across to the other wall.
I could've sworn I'd heard something snap in its body but that didn't concern me. Grabbing Jordin's hand in a rigid grip, I yanked her out of the bathroom. My head hurt badly, my hands were heavily soiled with blood and my vision was somewhat blurred either by tears or fear, maddening fear. I thought these only happened in fiction, how did I manage to get tangled up in this web.
Panic had taken over my body; I glanced behind me momentarily as my frail feet sprinted down the hallway with Jordin latched on to me. I had no idea of what time it was, 2 a.m.? 3? 4? I didn't really care; all I wanted was to bust through the front door at least. I twisted the door handle but it pulled out of place. This can't be happening, no. This can't be happening.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
That was Sally's footsteps approaching the stairs. My heart froze, my stomach flew into my throat and my breathing grew short and shallow.
"Peek-a-boo," the childish voice of the doll was followed by a creepy spine chilling laughter. "I see you."
Jordin's grip got tighter on me; the expression on her face mirrored mine. My lungs hurt with every breath I drew alongside a painful lurch in my sides. This had to end, this had to stop-but how? My nerves frayed for nothing. From where I stood, I could see the mess that had been made of the cartons I'd yet to unpack and there were also the cans of food and utensils littered around the kitchen floor. The Kitchen.
I hurried briskly into the scattered kitchen and placed Jordin on the island a bit too hard. My eyes darted all over the place, my jumbled clouded mind failed to register what exactly it was that I searched for.
"Mommy, it's-" I hushed her before she could complete her sentence. I knew she was scared, it was very obvious. We both were, but it wasn't the time to express the terror which was so evident in our eyes by words. I picked her from the island, threw open one of the yet to be filled cupboards and aided her inside carefully. Her eyes glittered with tears and I blinked back those that stung my eyes, placing a quick kiss on her forehead before carefully closing the cupboard.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
It was now descending the stairs. My eyes fell on a pan laying on the floor. I hurried over to it and picked it before returning behind the wall of the arched kitchen entrance.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Its footsteps was now clearer signaling that it had gotten close. I held my breath as though it would make me invisible to it as panic rose within me. My palms grew sweaty and my grip loosened on the pan's handle. Could I really do it? Did I have the gut to? My eyes glanced in the direction of the island.
"Come out, come out wherever you are."
My lungs were starting to burn. Mommy, she's evil. My heart thumped faster with the passing seconds. One foot in. Two feet in. Sally walked into the kitchen with a steady firm gait. My eyes shone, still in disbelief of what it beheld. Mommy, she's evil.
With a roar, I charged at it and swung the pan in my hand with the skill of a baseball player. The pan smacked its face, flinging it across the kitchen. It banged into the solid concrete foot of the island and scurried behind it out of sight, mumbling gruff words. My breath was coming faster now, my heart was in my throat and the hairs on my arms prickled with shock and fear as I stood there watching, waiting for what was to happen next.
I froze at the sight of bright crimson spilling out of the floor. Blood. I gasped, no way, dolls didn't have blood. Moisture spotted the back of my neck as my trembling legs walked closer towards the island. With sweaty palms ready to take another swing, I made a complete turn around the island only to find a pool of blood on the floor, but Sally wasn't there.
A movement behind me caused a sharp gasp of shock to be expelled from my exhausted lungs. I spun around only to for my face to be met by cold steel slicing across my cheek. A scream escaped my lips, the pan fell from my hands onto the floor with a loud clanging noise. I fell back into the island's top, the heavy smell of iron stung my nose as blood streamed from the cut.
I was tired, exhausted, too weak to fight back. My frail body slumped to the floor with my back resting against the foot of the island. My breathing was slow and heavy. Hot, salty sweat streamed down my face, mixing with the warm feel of blood when a flash of silver crossed my eyes.
"Mommy, are you scared?" It asked, pressing the sharp tip of the knife just below my collar bone.
"P-P-Please," I sobbed, too frail to say any other words. The knife sliced through my chest in the pattern of a smile, pain pulsed through me and I let out a muffled cry. The cold blade slid down my cheek through a side of my neck, blood trickled instantly from the cut, warm against my skin, and even more pain swept through my body. "P-P-P-Please," the words were indecipherable as tears and wails joined my plea while the manic grin on Sally's face grew even more sinister.
Mommy, she's evil.
My head fell to one side at an angle, unable to pick myself up. My eyes followed Sally as it walked towards the cupboards. It paused in front of one of them and threw open the door. Jordin's scream rang through the entire house but it died out almost immediately, followed by a thud.
"No," I mumbled almost in a whisper. "No."
The knife dropped next to Jordin's body sprawled in a pool of her own blood. My vision blurred, I could only make the silhouette of Sally's approaching figure. I heard the sound of metal clang as it picked up the pan from the floor as it made towards me. No, please!
I was shaken awake and jumped up, scrambling back against the wall with my eyes wide open and a pounding head. A cold sweat ran down my back as my heart rattled on my rib cage and my lips threatened to let out a scream. I looked beside me, Jordin was still sound asleep and in between us was Sally.
On impulse, I dragged the doll and got out of bed. I paused for a moment at the edge of the stairs, everything was just I'd left it, kitchen and living room light turned off. I hurried down the stairs noisily and into the living room where I started a fire in the hearth and without giving it any thoughts, threw the doll in there.
I fell back into a seat as I watched its foam filled body eaten up by the fire. My being felt feeble like energy had been drained from me. My eyes glanced at the clock, 4:20 a.m. I sighed; it was just a bad dream. A bad dream of a doll which had been gifted to us the day we arrived by... a neighbor we'd never met. I shook off the thought and tried to bring my body to a state of idyll. It was just a dream.
I woke up to the noise of the door unlocking and Garry's voice hollering a 'goodbye' to someone. I couldn't believe I could doze off again after that dream. I walked to the door to see my husband struggling to pass through the doorway with his luggage. His lips curled into a cheerful smile when he saw me.
"Didn't expect you'd be awake already," he said, planting a kiss on my forehead.
"Didn't expect you'd be home so early," I answered with a smile.
"Help me with this, met the mail man outside the door just as I arrived."
My heart flapped in my chest like a frightened bird when he stretched a doll carton towards me, with a doll which would easily pass as Sally's cousin.
"W-where did you get that?" I stuttered.
"The mail man?" He raised an eyebrow at me, "says here it's from the Benjamins."
I gasped; my trembling hands flew over my mouth. That couldn't be possible, there had to be a mistake somewhere or someone was playing an expensive joke on us. My eyes fell on the building across the street, the one that looked empty-abandoned- but wasn't up for sale. That's the Benjamin's.
"What's the matter?" Garry asked, clearly puzzled by my reactions. "And-and what's that on your chest?"
What? I reached for the exposed part of my chest; my heart skipped a beat when my fingers ran over a scar shaped in the pattern of a smile.