The Doll Maker
BLB- I wanted this to be longer, but I gave up on that and just decided to end it with a cliffhanger. Please R&R. I know that this is probably not very good, but I like it and would love some feedback. As you know I do not own Supernatural.
Peace and Love to all.
Chapter three
By the time they made it back to the inn, Michelle was asleep in Dean's pocket. Neither of the boys wanted to wake the small girl, so instead Dean laid his leather jacket on the other side of the bed making sure the pocket-side was up.
"What do you want to do for dinner?" Dean asked Sam. His brother only shrugged, signaling that it didn't matter to him. "Pizza it is then." Dean sighed, before looking up a local place in the phone book and ordered a pizza.
"Dean, I hate to say this, but if we can't find anything in the car or Michelle can't give us anything. I think we are going to have to move on," Sam said. Dean knew that what Sam was saying was true, but he felt a pang of guilt when he remembered the small and nearly defenseless girl sleeping in his coat pocket. "I know what you are thinking, but there isn't much proof of demon activity. Like you said in the beginning this never seemed like our type of job. Maybe it just isn't."
"How do you explain the little person taking a nap in my coat pocket? She said that she saw the demon, that the demon has been after her for years," Dean retorted, surprisingly in favor of Michelle.
"Maybe you were right about her after all. It could be possible she was born like that, maybe she is a fairy in disguise or maybe she is cursed. She never told us anything; maybe she is just doing what she can to stay alive. Biding her time," Sam explained, showing the paranoia that Dean usually did.
"Sam, normally I would agree with you, but I don't think so this time. She seems familiar to me, and I can't shake the feeling that we know her, or at least we did at some point. If we can't figure out anything, by nightfall tomorrow, we'll pack up and leave. What are we going to do about her?" Dean asked.
"Like she said earlier, if we decide to leave her alone she can't stop us. I know that sounds mean, but what do you want to do, drive around with a living Barbie? Our lives are dangerous enough without carrying around a demon attracting girl," Sam explained. When his brother looked at him in disbelief, Sam merely shrugged.
Sam paid for the pizza from the delivery boy, and then the brothers ate in silence. Afterwards Sam did a little research, before going to bed and Dean slowly followed suit after him. He shifted his jacket on the bed, wondering if Michelle was still asleep or if she had woken up and overheard any of their conversation. The thought didn't bother him for very long, because he fell asleep.
Michelle was back with her family once again. In the car with Nick, they were waiting on Olivia and their mother to finish up in the ER. Even though Michelle was in her bed with the rats longer, Olivia's injuries were by far worse than her own. Nick just sat in the car calling their Dad and so far he was getting no answer.
When he finally got an answer, the conversation was short. "Dad, the rats are back. I'm taking Mom and the girls to the inn. He is in the area again; I caught him looking at Michelle through the window. I thought it may be some other sick bastard, but now I know it wasn't. I can't keep them safe for long.
Tomorrow I have to go home and grab some more stuff, because they can't go back there," Nick explained.
There was a small pause, and then Nick sounded surprised. "You are on your way home? Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Dad is coming home?" Michelle asked excitedly. It had been a little over a month since she had seen her father.
"Yeah, but only to help us move far away from here, away from that monster. He said we are going to have to start coming with him on his hunts. He told me that he has wanted to do this for a while, but Olivia was too young and you had only just found out the truth." Nick didn't sound happy, but there was nothing he could do.
The truth, her father hunted monsters, what she never knew was that one of those monsters had eluded him and made his daughters targets since they were little girls. That never stopped him from leaving the girls, their mother and Nick alone most of the time. Their protection rested on their mother, who was usually vacant and their brother who had to play all the time for his parents.
"Nick, who is Penelope?" Michelle asked, remembering what he had said to their mother earlier.
"Promise that you won't bring her up to mom," Nick said his blue eyes meeting his sisters brown ones.
"I promise," Michelle responded, and she crossed her heart just to make it a little more official; at least her mind.
Nick explained that Penelope was her older sister. The reason Nick was so much older than her, and the reason their mother seemed afraid to be near her daughters. "Mom never recovered. She blamed herself for Penelope's death."
"Why did she die?" Michelle asked, not realizing that there was never a true answer to that question.
"The doctors said that she had a weak heart, they thought she was going to make it, but when Mom and Dad had her she passed away. Her little heart stopped in Mom's arms," Nick explained. "They were both devastated, Dad buried himself deeper into his work and Mom, and well she became what she is now."
They stopped talking, when Olivia and their mother got into the car and Nick began the drive to the towns' inn. After Nick had talked to the inn keeper about getting them a room for the night or a few nights at most, they found themselves checking into a room and going to sleep shortly after since it was three or four AM.
Nick took the bed closest to the door, leaving Michelle on the couch and Olivia with their mother on the other bed. For some reason Michelle couldn't let herself relax, she felt like everything was about to change. It was crippling her mind, and it worried her to the core, so she got up and woke up Nick hoping that he would let her sleep with him.
"Nicky? Can I sleep with you?" Michelle asked, and from the way she asked Nick could tell that his sister was still terrified of what happened earlier.
"Sure Chelle, get in," Nick responded, covering her up when she took the other side of his bed.
When Michelle woke up, Nick was gone and Olivia was chattering to her mother about some show she'd watched a couple of days ago, not realizing what had happened or the seriousness of the situation they were in. She had a really bad feeling about today, and the fact that Nick wasn't there made her worry even more.
"Momma, where's Nick?" Michelle asked, trying to hide the worry in her voice from her mother.
"He went to meet your father at the house," Mom responded. "Don't worry Michelle, nothing bad is going to happen to you."
When the door unlocked and opened we expected to see Dad, or Nick come into the room, but it wasn't it was that old man. The man that had tried to take Olivia years before, he had found her here. "That is so sweet; too bad you are all going to die." He smiled at the women sitting in the room.
"Olivia, go into the bathroom and lock the door!" Michelle screamed, becoming her brother for a moment, because the first thing she reached for was the gun that her brother kept near the side of his bed. Olivia jumped off of the bed, and rushed into the bathroom and they could hear the door lock behind her. Michelle had the gun and pointed it at him, but he grabbed a hold of her mother and held a knife to her throat. Her mother struggled, but the demon was considerably stronger than her.
"Shoot me, and I kill your Mother. Put the gun down child and things will be a hell of a lot better for you in the end," the demon promised.
"Don't listen to him, Michelle. Never believe a demon, he'll kill us all anyways shoot him," Her Mother pleaded with her, "Please, it doesn't matter what happens to me. Save yourself, save Olivia."
Michelle stood there and pulled back the hammer on the gun, still not liking this situation in the slightest. She was about to pull the trigger, but she couldn't do it, she couldn't risk her mother. Michelle put the gun down on the bed and looked back at the demon, who couldn't look any more pleased if he tried.
"That's good child. It'll be a lot less bloody since you are going to cooperate." The demon still hadn't released her mother from his hold.
"Let her go, you promised," Michelle pleaded, sounding younger than she was.
"You're right, I did." The demon stabbed her mother, and then let her fall to the fall.
"You promised!"
"I said I wouldn't kill her, she isn't dead. Well not yet at least," the demon said its black eyes looked at her, chilling her to the core. "And so you don't get any ideas, the main event is about to begin."
The demon's laugh filled her ears, she was about to run to her mother, or reach for the gun again, but she was stopped in her tracks when the demon muttered something in latin. He was chanting, she couldn't move, and then things seemed to slow down as a shock flew out of his hand and hit her ending her struggles. Michelle thought she was dead, but that changed when she continued to feel the wind swirling around her. She opened her eyes, and the world had become huge around her. The demon smirked towering over her like a skyscraper, and her mother was huddled what appeared to her like miles away from where she stood. All of her instincts were telling her to run, and try to hide, but her body wouldn't respond.
"Stay put, not like you have a choice. I have to deal with your sister, and then once I bring her down to size like you, I'll take you home with me," the demon said, before looking away from Michelle and walking towards the bathroom to grab Olivia.
The demon became frustrated with the door, as soon as he realized that the six year old inside had locked herself in. That door was the only thing keeping her safe at this point. "Sweetie, it's okay. You can open the door; the bad guy is gone now. It's safe," the demon pleaded with Olivia.
"Don't open the door Liv," Michelle thought as she still fought for control of her body back. Then she remembered what Nick had told her earlier, and she did it. She was able to break free; Michelle was about to dart at the demon, but quickly thought against it; when she remembered the size of him. She ran towards where her mother was on the floor bleeding from the wound in her lower abdomen.
"Mom!" Michelle yelled, snapping her mother out of the world she was in. The pain on her mother's face was evident, but the shock of seeing her daughter standing at about three inches tall in front of her nearly made her pain forgotten.
That was when the demon finally broke down the door and Olivia's muffled crying could be heard when he discovered her under the sink. The demon screamed in pain, and Michelle and her mother had guessed that Olivia had probably bitten the demon.
"Mom, she needs you. You need to help her. I can't do anything like this," Michelle told her mother, and she tried to get up.
"Michelle, I can't... I've lost a lot of blood..." Her mother responded.
"You have to Mom." The commotion was only growing louder in the bathroom, and Michelle was afraid to see what the demon had done to her baby sister.
He came back into the room, alone. Olivia's cries could no longer be heard. "I'm sorry, we've lost one." He sounded more like a disappointed doctor than a demon that had just killed a child.
"What do you mean? What did you do to her?" Michelle asked, receiving a look of disgust from the demon.
"The little bitch bit me," the demon growled at Michelle in response. "So I put her to sleep, permanently."
"No..."
"Now come on!" The demon tried to grab her, but her mother gathered enough strength to block her with her fist.
"Get under the nightstand," her mother muttered, as her father and Nick burst into the room. Michelle was barely able to get under the nightstand, before a gunshot had been fired. She didn't know whether it was the demon, or her family, but someone hit the floor.
"Oh little boy, you left your family alone, just like your Dad did all these years. Look where this got them, the baby is dead, your mother is dying and Michelle is mine," the demon said taunting Nick.
"What did you do to Michelle?" Nick asked, screaming, shaking the world around his little sister. Michelle peered out at him, only enough to where he could see her small face. When he saw her, his eyes widened and his grip on his gun tightened, he was about to pull the trigger when the demon disappeared and reappeared behind him, slitting his throat.
Nick fell to a crumpled mess on the floor, and Michelle wanted to run to him; to make the demon stop, but there was nothing she could do. She was useless, and moving from where she was hid would only seal her own fate. She had to hold back the sobs that threatened to escape her. That was when the hand reached under the nightstand, reaching for her. She couldn't let herself move an inch. The hand left her hiding spot and that is when she had to hold in her sigh of relief.
"You could just come out. It will make this a lot easier on me and you both if you just give in," the demon's voice rang in her ears as he called for her. "The longer you make me search the more painful I will make your death, small stuff."
The demon tore apart the room, but he didn't find Michelle. By the time he had moved her hiding spot she had escaped into a small hole in the wall, waiting him out.
When she heard the door of the room slam shut, and it was completely silent for a half hour before Michelle felt safe enough to reenter the room. The room was destroyed, as was her family. She walked around the room. Nick's hand was cold to the touch, and any signs of life were gone. Her father was the same that was when she began the trek to the bathroom to check Olivia. Her sister was lying over the tub, but from what Michelle could tell from her limited view; her baby sister was dead. Michelle had called her name a few times just to be sure, but when she didn't answer she realized Olivia was gone. The only person she hadn't checked yet was her mother, the only person that may have survived this ordeal. Michelle ran across the room that seemed way vaster than it had been earlier that day.
Michelle stood there next to her mother, trying to see if she was still alive. She tried to feel her mother's pulse, when she did Michelle felt so much joy fill her, but it was short-lived.
"Mom! Mom? Please, wake up! I need you," Michelle screamed at her mother, hoping that she was reaching her mother. Michelle finally let out a cry, the situation around her finally dawning on her. She crumpled to her knees and let herself cry. That was when she felt a finger run down her back in a comforting manner. Michelle tensed until she looked up seeing only her mother, who had finally woken up.
"I don't have a lot of time left Michelle," her mother's voice was barely a whisper.
"Don't say that, please don't leave me," Michelle begged, knowing that it was beyond her mother's control.
"We both know it's the truth. Everyone else is gone Michelle, and I can't protect you any longer."
"This is all my fault, I should've just shot him. I didn't listen to you," Michelle told her mother.
"No, no none of this is your fault. The demon did this, and you did what anyone would've done; you wanted to save me. You wanted to do what your father always told you to do, protect your mother and your siblings. I'm proud of you..."
"But Mom, they are all dead! I didn't save anyone," Michelle sounded like she was about to argue with her mother, but her mother didn't have time.
"I don't have much time... You need to listen to me, Michelle. We aren't all dead, you are alive, and you can save yourself that is what we would all want for you. You are going to be on your own now, and I can't tell you what's going to happen. I failed you and Olivia, out of fear. I was so afraid that I would lose you, like I lost Penelope... I lost you both in the end anyways; I hope you can forgive me. Especially since I'm leaving you..." Her mother was beginning to fade away.
"Mom..."
"Everyone is waiting for me; I can even see Penelope... Michelle, I... I am sorry..." Her mother used one of her gigantic hands and intertwined her daughter's hair around her broach on the top of her head. It took a moment for Michelle to realize what her mother had just done.
"But Mom, this is your broach." Michelle tried to take it out, but her mother stopped her with little effort on her part. "You never let this thing out of your sight."
"I want you to have it... It'll be part of me to keep you safe, and for you to keep safe... I love you and I am so sorry," her mother muttered and then Michelle could see the life in her eyes fade.
"I love you too Mom."
Her mom was gone and so was the rest of her family, Michelle didn't know what to do. She managed to make it up to the phone in the room, and dial 9-1-1 that was the last anyone heard from her. When the police showed up her family was all dead, and Michelle was declared missing.
Little did they know that deep in the walls, Michelle hid from everyone's sight. For a while she was crippled by grief, struggled because she was alone. But there was one thing that kept her going, the vision she had of the two hunters coming to the inn and finally killing the demon. All she had to do was wait and survive until they came.
Michelle never understood how she'd managed to survive all these years, but she did. It was probably dumb luck and fate allowing her to stick around, for just a while longer.
When Michelle woke up in Dean's pocket she had the same bad feeling that she did the day her family died and that made today seem like the end; her end. The demon would get her today, his hunt would be over and maybe she would get to see her family again, their faces flooded her mind and it brought a sad smile with it. Michelle was about to exit the pocket, when she thought of something. The broach, her prized possession; something she would never let the demon have. Michelle took it out of her bun and left it in Dean's pocket before leaving the pocket herself.
When Michelle got out of Dean's pocket, Dean woke up and watched her for a few minutes. He wondered if she noticed him watching her, but if she did; she didn't let it show. Michelle walked to the edge of bed and then she disappeared from his sight, he was tempted to shift positions to see where she went, but decided against that when she slowly came back into view at the base of the table. He wasn't sure what she was going to do, but then she slowly began to scale the table leg, once she was close enough she reached up onto the table top and pulled herself up.
Michelle wrote down something on Sam's notepad, before scaling down the table and back onto the floor. That was when Dean fell back asleep for a while, and Michelle went about her business. She went back into the walls to find her extra clothes that she had hid a while earlier, she needed to change her clothes and maybe wash up a little.
It took her a while, but she finally found her stash of clothes and made it back to Dean and Sam's room. She was surprised to see that Dean was still asleep and that Sam wasn't back yet. She took the opportunity to go into the bathroom and use the sink to clean herself up. Figuring out how to scale up the sink was the hard part, but once she was up there, Michelle was able to push down the plug for the drain, and turn on the faucet to get a little water in the sink. She left the faucet on to give her a steady drizzle, before Michelle stripped down to her underwear. She just took a minute to savor the feeling of the water against her skin, it was warm and the smile that graced her face was unwarranted.
Dean got up around ten minutes later, and walked into the bathroom only to find a nearly naked girl in the sink.
"Whoa, Barbie! Give me a little warning, before you just strip." Dean was trying to hold back his laughter, but it was becoming incredibly hard as Michelle stared up at him, sopping wet and in little more than an undershirt and a pair of panties.
"Sorry, if I overstepped my boundaries Mountain Man. I just wanted to clean up a little bit," Michelle admitted. "I just have to put my clothes back on."
"You may want to dry off a little first. The drowned rat look, does not suit you well," Dean said handing her a washcloth and stepping out of the room until she came out.
"Dean," Michelle said peering up at the hunter. "We need to talk."
From where she stood near his foot Dean realized that she was right, they did need to talk. He scooped her up in one of his hands and took a seat on the bed with her. He placed her on the nightstand that sat in-between the two beds.
"Well, me and Sam talked last night and we may need to leave town," Dean began, "it seems like a cold case, and not our type of job at all. It seems, like a serial killer, not a demon."
"Then explain me," Michelle said tears lining her eyes, the hope that she had of this ending were fading.
"Well..." Dean tried to pull his thoughts together, but he honestly didn't know what to say or to believe.
"I know what you're thinking. I wasn't born this way, Dean and I never lied to you. I know I haven't told you everything, but I didn't lie. I remember what happened to me, and I need to tell you, but I also need you to believe me," Michelle begged.
"If you know anything, you need to tell me Michelle," Dean said looking into her brown eyes.
"Will you believe me if I tell you?" Michelle asked.
"I'll try," Dean responded, "That is all I can promise Princess."
"Alright, I'll take it. Dean, I wanted to tell you the truth from the beginning, but every time I think about what I have seen all of these years, I can't explain it but it feels like my brain is being split in half," Michelle explained.
"Try."
Michelle nodded. "I saw them, the woman and the children. I was going to talk to her, tell her to go to the police or to stay here for a while longer, but by the time I made it to her room she was asleep. The next morning, she left before I woke up... It was my fault the demon got her."
"That doesn't really tell me anything Michelle," Dean said sourly.
"I know, I'm afraid to go back there. Every time the memory plays back in my head I just feel like I failed, like if I would have done something different that I would still have my family, or maybe that I wouldn't be here and they would still have each other," Michelle said.
"Well I can't change the past, no one can. This case is now," Dean responded.
"Yeah." She shut her eyes and began to think of everything she wanted to say; everything she needed to tell Dean. That was when the pain began, shooting through her body bringing her to her knees.
"Are you alright?" Dean asked, wondering if she was doing this to mess with him, or if she was really in pain.
When she felt the warm liquid running down her face, she would say no. Her head was bleeding and that scared not only her, but Dean as well. When she wiped the blood away there was no cut, but the pain was still there as the words escaped her lips, "Dragon."
"I'm not a dragon," Dean retorted.
"You've protected me, so you are. Can you take me to the table?" Michelle asked.
"I guess." Dean did as she asked and placed her on the table.
"If you are leaving, wait. It is almost my end. Once he takes me, he'll be distracted long enough for you and Sam to get away," Michelle spoke quickly, and Dean had no idea what she was talking about.
"What do you mean? You aren't making any sense." Dean looked at the girl, wondering if her nonexistent head wound had hurt her brain.
"Today is the day, the day that he'll get me. I've been waiting for you and your brother for a long time Dean," Michelle said her eyes softening as she spoke.
"Waiting for us, why?"
"To end this thing, to kill the bastard that did this to me and my family," Michelle responded and for a second the room was silent, before Michelle piped up again. "DEAN, get down!"
Before Dean could move very far the door blew off its hinges and it smacked Dean straight in the forehead. He was knocked down and barely conscious when the elderly looking man walked into the room his gaze focused on Michelle.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Dean growled at the demon, not realizing what he was doing.
When the demon turned to Dean letting him see his midnight black eyes, Michelle did something she would've never done before she took a step towards it and yelled, "Leave him alone! Just take me!"
"Two is always better than one, my dear," the demon responded.
"But you want me all to yourself don't you? If you take him, you won't have as much time with me. You've waited so long, why waste time on him." Michelle's courage disappeared, when the demon grabbed her. The thought of him having his hands on Dean frightened her, more than anything the demon could do to her did.
"You're right; I wouldn't want you thinking about him while I have my fun with you." The demon's rotting smile greeted her. "Say goodbye to your friend."
The demon stood there for a few minutes, but when Michelle didn't say anything the demon shoved her into his pocket and zipped it closed. The world around her disappeared and with it Dean and Sam did as well.
Dean watched as the demon took Michelle, he couldn't believe that she went willingly like that. It was almost like she was ready to go. Dean knew she was protecting him, but he didn't want to admit it. He didn't need protecting, especially not from the living Barbie doll. He wanted to move to stop the demon from leaving; he knew he would never be able to find him again. They had nothing to point them in the right direction. When he tried to move, his joints ached at the effort, it was like they were frozen in place; there was nothing he could do to stop the demon.
Dean lost consciousness while he thought, his head throbbing and it felt just like going to sleep after a long day of hunting. Needless to say, it felt pretty good.
Michelle was lost from his thoughts, shoved at the bottom of the demon's pocket, being taken away from her home and from life itself most likely. She thought about trying to escape, but now that she was with the demon; her escape was impossible. She just hoped that Dean and Sam could get away.
