Rag Dolls Rewritten
Chapter 2
Memory Monsters
By: Sarah McLean
Roy had waited patiently for the dreams to subside, Madison often had nightmares and being shocked into unconsciousness didn't stop her mind from playing home movies, as Roy often referred to them as.
Tonight's dream was about the stupid-stranger and her friend from years past. Probably the first and last real friend she ever had. Roy recognized the stranger from Madison's memories. She might not be able to visit them but Roy did and often when she was going about her murderous ways. He never liked the idea of getting his hands dirty; all the important work was done with words.
What really fascinated him was the way she pulled up many disguises and faces to hide her real wolfish self. It was amusing, aside from the people in her memories, Roy felt he was the only one who truly knew this damaged woman inside and out.
As far as he knew he was the only one to make the connection between the stranger and her friend. He considered himself very clear-headed and cunning. He'd never tell why he pesters Madison with his dialogue or why he insists that he is merely a voice caused by extreme emotional trauma and mental scars.
It was better she remained unawares of the monster that had the best mask of all.
Roy noticed now that she was slowly gaining back her consciousness and the window to the open world was flickering back to open.
He saw a painted wall, not painted in the grotesque way that Madison paints walls but it was painted with a ghastly pale full moon. The vision went blurry again as Madison blinked and tried to lift her heavy head.
Roy encouraged her through the buzz of a headache, "Go on and take a look around."
She groaned pitifully but managed to lift her head and straighten her tight and sore shoulders.
Memories spiked through her mind and they shattered as soon as they appeared. Roy recognized them and grinned to himself knowingly that she was trying to remember where she has seen this style of art before.
"Well? Where do you think you are?" Roy asked.
Madison answered only in her thoughts, "Someplace underground. My ears feel sore as if they popped from pressure."
"Gooood," Roy said encouragingly, "And?"
"My hands and feet are bound with rope. I remember being shocked… and for some reason I remember…" She was thinking hard, grasping at her dreams and memories, "Art! Paintings! I remember paintings!" She thought happily.
Roy couldn't help but smile, he knew that keeping her ignorant of her past made the transition process easier but it was entertaining to see her remember so little. He knew it wouldn't make a difference if she only remembered a bit here and there, never enough to connect the dots. Of course, professionals like Roy were always as susceptible to mistakes as a rookie was. These mistakes must never be mistaken for humanity. Roy was not human.
"Right now you are missing a very important fact." Madison let a confused thought wash across her mind, "Your means for escape are more important."
"Of course." She agreed.
"Which our host so generously left us a gift." Roy said dryly.
Madison searched and found a knife lying in front of her. She leaned forward ready to take a bite and start sawing away at her bounds. The door creaking open brought her to a halt.
She turned to see the stupid-stranger leaning against the door frame with a cocky smile on his gaunt face.
"Now now, you should expect your escape comes at a price." He said and strode with long strides. He crouched down to come face to face with Madison. Roy could feel her muscles tense and push against the rope. She kept her face perfectly still.
Roy tapped into Madison's olfactory senses and realized he rank of fresh earth and blood.
"Please, relax." He sat cross-legged and leaned back against a crate, he picked up the knife and played with it.
"You've caught me in a very good mood, for a change." The man said.
"Why's that?" Madison asked.
"I had just saved my little neighbour from a pedophile. I couldn't see him home since it was too dangerous to be out with the high chance of being abducted by aliens tonight." Madison didn't react, "Cause, you know. Since it's Tuesday."
Roy heard a faint thought float across her mind, "Oh man he's so right." Roy would roll his eyes if he had any.
"Please ask me the most anxious question on your mind now, Miss. I can read it all over your overly inexpressive face." The man grinned.
Madison thought for a moment and shrugged relaxing her face to a more comfortable neutral expression, "Why am I here," she cleared her throat and put on the best imitation of a victim Roy had every heard. "Whyyyy meeee? Whatever I diddd to you, I am so soooorrrryyyyyyyy!"
The man stared at her and both began to laugh, Roy felt uncomfortable and confused. The easy laughter did nothing to lighten the tension.
The man recomposed himself, "I knew you had a sense of humour."
"Oh please, you are making me blush." Madison said sarcastically.
The man snickered again, "Well, I'll answer your question then."
He coughed into his fist and stood, it was clear more now than ever how terribly skinny this man was. He truly did not have an ounce of meat on his body besides his head; "You see, ever since the first night I brought you here, there's been these… fragments appearing in my mind. The doughboys say otherwise of course, but I believe that they are memories."
A spike of memory flashed through Madison's mind and she said cautiously, "Go on."
"Since then more and more memories appear, and it's disconcerting." He stood and faced the wall; he studied it with his hands clasped behind his back.
"What's your question?" She urged, fidgeting.
Roy waited patiently, not saying a word. This place felt familiar and there was an air of death to it. It wasn't just that, it was not of this plane of existence. He hoped that his feeling would go away but it sat like a rock.
The man breathed a sigh and looked back at Madison, and said, "I don't even know your name. It'll make things more comfortable to discuss if I know whom I speak to." He was watching her reaction carefully.
"Madison." She said evenly.
"Johnny." He replied and waited a beat and asked, "Do you recognize me?" His eyes blazed with curiosity and anticipation.
Roy began to snort and laugh. He couldn't control himself, he was right the entire time!
Johnny's expression shifted and he glared, "What's so funny?"
Madison raised her brow and knew Roy was laughing but she hadn't let out a single snicker. She snapped a sharp warning to Roy inside her mind, "Shut the fuck up!"
He stopped laughing and recomposed himself.
She didn't bother explaining and skipped quickly, "I can't remember you, but I remember those paintings. Did you paint that mural?" She asked.
Johnny's attention returned to the wall and he nodded, "I don't remember when I could paint." He said sadly. He closed his eyes and rubbed them between his forefinger and thumb.
He looked back up solemnly and sighed, "I don't remember why I do the things I do, why I painted this," He touched the wall and slid his hand across the space of the moon, "Or commit murder." He shook his head gritting his teeth against his train of thought.
He turned back to Madison and strode to her and untied the knots around her ankles and wrists. He stood back to let her stand. Roy felt a shiver of panic; he didn't really peg him for murder until the scene at Café le Prick.
She stood and rubbed her wrists. She understood how he felt, having no true motivation just being driven by instinct or some invisible force that pushes you back and forth. She wasn't going to tell him that, or let him confide in her.
"I'm sorry I don't have your answers but I seem to be as clueless as you are." Madison replied earnestly.
"Let's go speak with the doughboys, they'll probably have a better idea of what to do." Johnny walked past her and motioned her to follow.
Madison followed ten paces behind him, never taking her eyes off his back. She followed him through the labyrinth that was his basement and to any stranger its Guardian would surely eat their lost souls.
They walked on and on, through hallways and different rooms. They walked past dozens of people strung up ready to go. Madison couldn't help but take a look at some of the torture devices. Roy was quiet but he saw everything she did and his suspicions were growing stronger.
"Where did all this stuff come from?" Madison finally asked.
"They were here when I got here." Johnny replied. He didn't bother to elaborate.
They finally arrived at their destination and Johnny led Madison into a room with a broken vanity. There was dried blood littered among the broken glass from the mirror.
Roy saw through Madison's eyes two Styrofoam statues, painted in different patterns. One was mainly white while the other was mainly black. It was a ghastly sight.
Johnny made a sweeping hand over the statues and said, "These are the doughboys."
Roy muttered, "Well, he is the stupid insane for sure."
Johnny glared at Madison after the comment but didn't reply.
"Mr. Eff I'm sure I do not need to explain the situation, what is your advice?" Johnny got right to the point.
The doughboys began to talk, "My oh my." Mr. Eff purred.
Roy stifled a gasp and began to panic, "Madison we have to leave now. We are very close to the surface and now would be the best time to run."
Madison was staring at the statues, transfixed and completely confused. Fear and cowardice far from her mind, Roy had only wished that wasn't the case this one time.
Johnny hadn't noticed her reaction and waited for Eff to continue, "It seems you two have shown each other your chains. Madison doesn't seem to have as much awareness as you my dear boy."
Johnny began to tell Madison what Eff said, "So he says-"
"Don't bother, Johnny. I heard everything he said." Madison said biting her lower lip, taking a few steps towards the vanity.
Roy if he had a body, his face would be pale as a white blanket. "You have to leave now." Roy's voice started to increase in pitch and volume.
"No! I'm getting answers!" Madison finally shouted back.
Roy growled and would have clenched his nonexistent fists, there was no way that these statues would ruin all his plans.
"Don't defy me!" Roy shouted in frustration, pushing something he should have kept safe.
Johnny stared and Madison dropped to her knees. A pound rang through her head and the migraine that followed was unlike anything she had ever experienced. The singular light bulb in the tiny room surged brightly and so did the pitch in her scream of pain. It made Johnny's skin crawl as he watched her body wracked with light.
As abruptly as it came, it faded and she collapsed to the filthy ground. Johnny wrung his hands not really sure what to do. He looked to the doughboys and asked, "What just happened?"
"It looks like Roy-Boy finally cashed in his savings." Psycho-Doughboy replied quietly.
Madison remained unconscious and her breathing was ragged. Johnny saw a pair of legs materialize beside her body and he followed the legs up to a redheaded man's face. His eyes were bright blue and curious as a toddler. He flexed his hands and shook his head. He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath in. His body was shimmering and wasn't completely… there.
Johnny looked from Madison's body to the half-man and asked, "Who the hell are you?"
The man crouched down beside Madison and felt her pulse.
"Well, at least she's still alive." The man said quietly and turned to Johnny finally acknowledging him.
"My name is Roy."
"You're the one that's been making all that noise these past few hours. Laughing and talking when you don't have a real body." Johnny said he slowly reached into his back pocket, pulling out an X-acto knife.
"There's really no need for that." Roy said exasperated.
Johnny glared, "What the hell are you?"
"I won't spoil you. I believe those questions should be directed to your loud mouthed friends." Roy shot a thumb at the statues. "They ruined everything and sped up my progress rather unexpectedly." He seethed. "Now I'm stuck in this dead-end body. Completely useless."
Johnny turned to the statues and then back to Roy, the Doughboys remained silent and refused to comment further.
"We'll be leaving and a word of caution," Roy stepped up to Johnny who immediately stuck his knife into Roy's corporeal belly, he continued smoothly, "Madison is just as untouchable as you are. If not more so, I've been working on her for years now and I will not let you ruin all my hard work. Despite this slight set back, there are ways around." He grasped Johnny's arm and pushed him away with a surprising amount of force.
Johnny fixed him with his dark eyes and said, "Fine by me, I have enough monsters to contend with as it is."
Roy smiled brightly but his eyes remained stone cold. He picked up Madison's body; he concentrated making his arms more real than ever. He tested her weight and his strength. She was dead-weight heavy but it wasn't such a big deal. Johnny didn't move or flinch he just stared daggers at Roy.
Roy gave him a snide look and turned his back and walked through the next series of rooms and found his way out. He took one look at the shack of a building and knew exactly where he was.
Madison's apartment building was of a modest size, four stories and it was right across the street.
"We're fucking neighbours?" If Roy's hands were free he would promptly face-palm.
It was the wee hours of the morning and dawn was on its way. It was safe to say that nobody was awake or out and about.
Regardless of this fact Roy still looked both ways before he crossed the street, old habits even after so many years.
He keyed Madison's password and let himself into the building and took the stairs up to her apartment. He felt he would use every opportunity to test and use his new body, even as incomplete as it is. He was enjoying himself.
Despite Madison's lean on paranoia she often left her front door unlocked for the sake of convenient plot flow. Roy walked into her apartment and placed her body on her bed.
She remained unconscious for several hours as Roy busied himself with eating and exploring Madison's closet.
Madison finally awoke through a haze of buzzing noise and memory fragments. Roy though felt the pang of memories in his own mind but what she saw and felt was much less clear now than it was before. He concentrated a bit but the opacity didn't change in the slightest.
If only those styrofoam pieces of shit kept their mouth's shut.