Shattered

School was finally out for Christmas break. Once the bell rang to leave the kids leaped for joy, running out of the classes as fast as possible to get to the bus, to a parents car or simply just run home. Everyone was filled with the Christmas spirit, all except for one person. While everyone was giddy with joy and laughter, Danny was silent. He had an air to him that wasn't filled with good cheer. The children around him knew there was something wrong with him and did their best to stay away from him. Danny got on the bus sitting in the back alone staring out the window were fresh snow began to fall.

This wasn't how Danny usually acted of course. Danny was usually like any other child that wanted to play, make friends and detest school homework. The truth was the boy sitting in the back of the bus wasn't really Danny at all. While everyone was filled with the joy of the Christmas spirit, Danny was possessed with a more sinister spirit. It went by the name of Jack Torrence.

A week or so after the disappearance of Carrie, Danny began to have dreams about Jack. He witnessed the madness that slowly overtook him in the place called the Overlook Hotel. Danny knew that he had a wife Wendy and a son that shared his own name. The last dream that he had was when he witnessed Jack's break of sanity into madness by trying to kill his wife and son for the Overlook.

The dreams were only the beginning. The nightmares way have stopped coming but the true terror began when the voice of Jack began threatening Danny. Danny would be terrified calling out for his mommy or daddy. It first started off with daddy comforting him but it was soon mommy doing all the comforting. It soon got worse when the threatening voice started to know opening the closet, swinging the door open to a shadowed Jack Torrence. Of all the demons Danny had seen in the Labyrinth never had he been afraid of such a normal looking face. The night Danny was overtaken by Jack, he was now a prisoner of his own body.

Since Danny's possession, his mood became similar to Jack's. He was moody, not wanting to be with anyone, and had a short temper. One time a girl wanted to look at his notebook were it repeated the same statement as if it was a chant, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. When she tried to look at it he cursed her slapping her hard across the face causing her to cry. Once the teacher saw this he was put into detention for a week, making Danny/Jack whisper under his breath 'bitch'. The next day the teacher went missing were only Jack knows were she is, buried six feet under in the middle of no where.

The parents had an idea there was something wrong with Danny but they mistaken it for grief. If Xipe wasn't so consumed with sorrow and guilt he would have noticed Jack's presence hidden in the boy's body.

Jack grew very observant of Danny's parents, especially Xipe Totec or what Jack began nicknaming him Pinhead by witnessing at times when the pins would come back on his face. Pinhead so Jack came to call him, he saw how the demon stare into Carrie's room, face filling with sorrow. During the nighttime Jack would sneak out at night watching the distort father take the Carrie doll from her room then fallow him downstairs. He watched him as the demon would rock the doll child, whispering sweet nothings to her, reading her stories, even singing lullabies. It was both strange and yet sweet that a demon could even mourn the loss of a child. There were times when he wished he could see his son Danny Torrence again. 'Kissin, Kissin, That's what I've been missin.' After Pinhead was done comforting the doll daughter, Jack went back upstairs to write that obsession that was in his head. Jack Torrence never slept.

On Christmas Day, Jack went into Carrie's room. The Carrie doll was on the bed. He held the doll in his arms, observing it. It looked so much like Carrie that for a strange moment he thought Carrie Regan Totec was actually staring at him. Jack turned the doll around, lifting the hair of it's neck. On the back of the neck there was a name that Jack immediantly recognized, Daniel Torrence. Jack smiled, his son grew up to be a toymaker. He never felt so impressed with his son. "Danny? Danny? You want to come down and open your presents?"

"Alright mom," said Jack, he sounded like Danny perfectly. He stared at the doll for a moment, an idea formed in his head. He knew that his job was to make sure that the Totec's didn't know were Carrie was but, what if the father came to the Overlook? The mother and the daughter was making them stronger the longer they stayed in the Hotel but, imagine the father being there. Jack knew that Pinhead was one of the most powerful demons that was closest to Satan himself. If all three of them was there the Hotel won't have to depend on the winter time to be active, it would be a whole year round.

Jack looked back at the doll then he started walking out of the room, singing softly to the doll.

Rock a bye baby

In the tree tops,

When the wind blows,

The cradle will rock

He was on top of the stairs staring down at the hard floor below.

And when the bell rings

The cradle will fall,

Jack outstretched his arms over the stairs with the doll in his hands as if he was giving it as a gift…or a sacrifice.

And down will come baby,

Cradle and all.

The doll was released from his hands. Gravity took hold of the doll in one or two seconds. It hit the floor hard, shattering the doll to pieces. "Danny!" shrieked a worried voice. Kirsty was at the bottom of the stairs in her nightgown. She stared at the doll, shock coming to her face. She looked up at the imposter Danny who was smiling manically. She knew this wasn't her son but, someone else that she knew but didn't have a name. Someone that haunted her dreams.

Not a moment later, her husband came behind her. "Alright what did Danny break?" She turned around not wanting him to see the damage. It would break his grip on sanity but, it was too late. Kirsty could tell by how his face went from being happy to a frown. He walked away from Kirsty not saying anything. It was an unbearable silence then she heard his quivering voice, "Carrie". Xipe was down on his knees, his hand trembling with the feel of broken porcelain under his fingers. "My….My baby," his voice was becoming tearful then he picked up the pieces screaming in sorrow.

It was like that for five minutes of the demon crying. Kirsty never saw him so broken, she was by his side trying her best to comfort him. "No, no, no, not my baby, not my angel! Please don't let her die! Please!" Kirsty took him in her arms were he cried on her shoulder. Once he began to calm down he looked up at the staircase were Danny was still there. He wasn't smiling anymore but, there was still that malice behind those brown eyes.

Xipe pulled away from his wife, looking up at the stranger that was in his son's body. "Who are you?" he growled in anger. The imposter smiled down at the demon as if he was king mocking a peasant. "I'm your son."

"No you're not, you're not my son. I know my son and he would do THIS TO ME!"

"Are you sure about that, Daddy?" mocked the imposter. "You should be careful what you wish for Daddy because they might come true. Didn't you wish Carrie's whore of a mother would have terminated her pregnancy?"

"How did you know that?" said Xipe, shocked at what he had just heard. He knew his son wasn't up on those stairs it was just jaw dropping to hear them come out of his own son's mouth. Jack grinned like the Grinch. "Why, I'm your son, Daddy. I learn everything from you!"

"YOU'RE NOT MY SON!"

"I am your son for now! As I was saying since you wished your daughter to be terminated well were I come from we'll do just that. She's going to end up like your half brother Ben, a very late term abortion!" Jack laughed at the demon's misery but he didn't expect to be thrown across the room hitting him unconscious. Jack was gone for the moment and Danny began to emerge from his bodily prison. He began to cry as he felt a sharp pain on his bleeding head. Kirsty came to his aid carrying him into the kitchen leaving Xipe with the broken doll.

He felt guilty for hurting his son but, it was nothing like the sorrow that was built up inside him. The demon was down on his knees again gathering the broken pieces. On one of the pieces was a signature, the creature of the doll, Daniel Torrence. A small spark of hope came inside of him. Maybe tomorrow he would take the broken doll to the maker and try to repair his Carrie. It was his last hope.