Personel Change: LMFAO HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS DANNY DEVITO?! also he's one of them, but i'll explain it in the next chapter xDDD also i totally stole the way slappy treats amy like a dog plz dont be mad
I opened my eyes. I couldn't see a thing. I tried to blink a few times, but nothing changed. Everything was pitch black. It was like I was blind… or even eyeless. I closed my eyes and rubbed them, then proceeded to lift my eyelids once more. I could see a blue light radiating from the center of the room. I slowly crawled to it. It felt like time had slowed down. Everything seemed wrong. When I approached the light, I heard a scraping noise from behind me. I turned around and saw nothing. I went back to the light. I could hear the light humming. It was a familiar tune, but I couldn't recall it. I felt a tap on my shoulders.
I twisted around. A bright light shined, impairing my sight. When the light receded, I could see what was behind me, but only barely. A group of impish, human-like silhouettes. I was getting an uncanny valley sense. A bad one. They started to walk towards me. They hummed the same tune as the light, but in a harmonious rasp. I backed up towards the blue light as they loomed towards me. As the light engulfed their faces, I could see that they were dummies. All but one. A doll. At least, the torso of a doll, using its hands as a means of transportation. They were missing their eyes. Empty, soulless sockets stared into my eyes as I crept backwards, avoiding whatever fate had in store for me.
"No," I tried to scream, but a mere whisper escaped. I inched too far backwards and fell into a body of water. I could feel myself sinking further and further, yet not losing any breath. I let myself sink until I reached the end, if there was one. I sank faster and faster, letting the ice cold water swarm and immerse me.
And just like that, I woke up.
Instead of an arctic grasp, I was greeted with a warm embrace. The comforting hold of him. I could feel his heart beat faintly against his chest and through my spine. His head rested above mine. He snored loudly, like a wild beast after a huge meal. I felt him stretch across the bed, causing the covers to slip downward. I don't know why he slept almost naked every time we've slept together so far, maybe pajamas would be too hot for him since he isn't used to having any form of bodily heat.
He let out a long, boisterous yawn. He stretched yet again, this time stretching his arms up in the air. He ruffled around the sheets a bit and sat up. He gave me a slight shake to try and wake me up. I turned aside and gave him a smile.
"Are you ready for tonight?" He stated out of nowhere. He gave me a smirk and narrowed his eyes at me.
"Hm?" What was he planning? What's going on?
"Um… The wedding?" He let out a short chuckle, still grinning at me artfully. I didn't find it funny. The wedding? Tonight?
"Tonight?!" I quietly gasped. "B-but—"
"No buts, my dear," he tapped my nose with his finger and got out of the sheets. "Come, we have a lot to do today. Don't want to waste daylight, do we?"
"I-I don't understand," I stammered, trying to make sense of what is going on. "This is happening… tonight?"
"What is there to understand?" He snickered, about to enter the bathroom. "When I'm finished getting clean, it'll be your turn. Try and be fast, I need to get you to a seamstress immediately."
He slammed the bathroom door. I attempted to process everything at once. I know that I agreed that I would marry him… but I didn't think he meant immediately. I got up from the bed and put my hands on my face, as if to wash them. I stared at my hands. Everything about them was normal. My body was normal. I functioned normally. But… I didn't feel normal. I've been feeling so unnatural since Slappy came into my life. Even when he was destroyed, it seemed like he never left. For five years I've felt outcasted and empty. My temperament changed completely. I once was pretty social, outgoing. Now I've just been quiet… keeping to myself. For the longest time, I didn't even have friends. Not even my own brother was my friend. The only friend I had was my sister, and she had to leave for college. I was overwhelmed with loneliness. I even cried myself to sleep several times in a single month. Before I was kidnapped, though… before any of this Horrorland bullshit… I had friends. I finally felt whole. Complete. But now? That feeling of a choking, horrifying loneliness was back.
Slappy walked out of the bathroom. His hair was soaking wet and he was donned in a yellow towel, wrapping around his thin form. I couldn't help but to stare at him as he strolled by. It's hard to believe that this disturbing, creepy puppet that ruined my life could be so enchanting, enticing even.
"What are you staring at?" His eyes locked onto me. "You know, if you like what you see, just say so."
"Uhhh," I groaned. He turned away from me and removed his towel. God… damn it.
"Stop looking at my ass and get a shower, Amy," he croaked. I could literally feel his eyes rolling and the sneer plastered on his dumb, handsome face.
I hopped onto the floor and stretched my limbs in the air. I cracked my neck. I could hear the snapping sound as it turned on my shoulders. It felt pretty good.
"Hurry," he hummed. I hustled over to the bathroom and locked the door behind me, just in case he decides to walk in on me again. I noticed he had an outfit picked out for me on the counter. I tore off my clothes and hopped in the shower, making sure it was a quick one. After being shoved down into the dingy dungeon, fresh water was a lovely feeling. I know I like to go on about how much I love showers, but what can I say? When placed in a situation that brings on the sensation of feeling endlessly filthy, a shower is like a sanctuary.
I turned the water off and began to dry off. I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't look like myself. Somehow I appeared different. Nothing really changed, but I just didn't recognize myself anymore.
I got dressed and headed out of the bathroom. Slappy wasn't in the suite. I looked around for him, but he was gone. I tried to see if he was in the dungeon-esque refuge, but the door was locked. I noticed a piece of paper on the front door. It read:
"Amy,
Meet me in the lobby when you see this. I will be waiting.
-S"
I read the note a few times and it made me remember what Mr. Wood had told me. He told me to reclaim the spell book. This could be my only chance to look for it. I locked the door in case Slappy comes back up. I started by checking every drawer in the suite. They were all filled with pants, shirts, and undergarments. One drawer was filled with a lot of miscellaneous bizarre objects like a shrunken head, with green scaly skin and thick black hair. It made me sick. I looked under the bed. I saw Slappy's suitcase and seized it. He put a lock on it. It must be in here. I scuffled over to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. I tried to pick the lock, but it wouldn't work. He must keep the key in one of his suits. I opened the closet door and began digging through the suit pockets. There were many suits. Why does he only own suits?! I managed to find a set of keys in one of the pockets, along with a silver butterfly knife. I slipped it into my jeans pocket and hurried over to the suitcase. I tried all of the keys until I finally unlocked the padlock and ruffled into the suitcase. It was filled with stacks of papers and some dirty clothes and… Wait, is that it? I found it! I found the book! I peered into it to make sure it was the right one. Thank goodness, it is.
I redid the lock, slid the suitcase under the bed, closed the closet door, and shoved the book and set of keys into the bag that Slappy gave me. Hopefully bringing the bag wasn't suspicious to him. I unlocked the front door and rushed to the elevator. I shouldn't keep the bastard waiting.
The elevator dinged as I finally reached the lobby. Slappy was talking to Miriam. She giggled and blushed a dark green. If she didn't want to marry him, why is she still so into him? I didn't want to think about it. Seeing her reminded me that I was wearing the locket she gave me. I looked at the picture again. After hearing the story Mr. Wood told me, the picture of Slappy made sense. He was a king at one point. Or a prince. This must have been taken when he was in that position.
"Amy! There you are. What took you so long?" Slappy called as he half-heartedly jogged over to me.
"I wanted to get extra clean… ya know, for the special occasion," I lied. He seemed to believe it.
"Ah, I understand," he nodded, putting an arm over my shoulder. "You ready to visit the seamstress? I have big plans for your dress."
"Um, sure, but why are we getting married tonight?" He escorted me out of the doors of the Stagger Inn. The autumn air was still brisk, but the sunlight that slipped through the leaves of the trees warmed my skin.
"You ask so many questions," he shook his head, leading me down a dirt path. "Can't you just shut up and enjoy… life?"
"With you?"
"Yes, with me," he smiled wide, his teeth glimmering in the daylight. "You have a problem enjoying life with me? Because, if you do, I'm sure you would be more than appeased being alone in the dungeon."
I took a gulp. I was about to let my abrasive side emerge and tell him that this whole situation was a problem. That he was problematic. Because he is… I think. I am so confused.
"No, sir," I said through gritted teeth and a false smile.
"Good girl," he snickered. He patted my head like I was some kind of animal. Damn you.
"I'm not your pet, you know," I grumbled quietly.
"Ha, keep thinking that," he scoffed, raising a brow. He began to scratch behind my ear. That actually felt kind of good. "Who's a good girl?"
"Knock it off," I sighed and continued walking. He removed his hand and stuck them behind his back. I noticed him looking away and back at me nonchalantly. He had that up-to-no-good smile. Unexpectedly, he swiftly started to tickle me. I'm incredibly ticklish. I stopped walking and tried to cover myself. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. We collapsed to the ground, him on top relentlessly tickling me. My bag fell off of my shoulders as I hit the dirt. He laughed with… or at me. His hands moved to my stomach. His fingers wriggled up and down, scratching and tingling me with a grin spread across his face. I convulsed, giggling uncontrollably, pleading for him to stop… but I didn't really want him to.
"Do you like tickles, girl? Do ya? Do ya? Belly rubs? Hm?" He mocked me as he continued to make me writhe. He looked like he was genuinely trying to make me laugh. I thought about the context for a moment, though. He's treating me as a pet, an animal… a mutt. While it was nice to be shown the same kind of love a fucking dog receives, it wasn't the same kind of love that a human being should be getting. It made me angry.
"Alright, alright," I laughed from the tingling sensation that spread through my body. "Enough, please! I yield, I yield!"
"Bark for me," he persisted, still tickling me. "I'll stop if you give me a little 'woof!'"
"Woof!" I barked, panting. Not on purpose, mind you. "Woof woof bark, there are ya happy!"
"I'm incredibly satisfied," he laughed hysterically. He released his hands and gripped his sides. I caught my breath after being unremittingly tickled. He pet my head again and helped me up. He wiped the dirt from my clothes and gave me a devilish smirk. "You're a good little pet, aren't you?"
"Like I said, I'm not your damn pet," I rumbled, making a pouty face.
"You seemed convincing enough," he giggled again. "Come on, enough fooling around. Let's go to the seamstress."
We strolled into a relatively small purple tent-esque establishment. It was homey, dimly lit room. A crimson rug spread across the minute area. A body-sized mirror stood next to a desk, where a sewing machine sat firmly. There was a rack filled with dresses and shirts of all different colors and sizes.
A short, hideously thin female Horror stepped through a hole in the purple curtains. She donned a violet bandana, making her look more like a gypsy than a seamstress. Her horns were cracked and had hoop earrings hanging from the tips. Her ears had earrings as well, quite a lot of them. Most of them gold and silver.
"Ah, hello there," Slappy greeted the woman, extending his hand. She approached us and shook his hand with a smile. She grinned at me with sharp fangs.
"Greetings," her voice was small and croaking. She coughed disgustingly, like that of an excessive smoker. "I assume this is the one in need of a dress?"
"Quite so," he shook his head. "I'll leave you to it."
"Whoa, where are you going?" I pulled on his coat tail.
"I have to go meet with a tailor."
"You're gonna leave me alone?" I made a frowning face. I didn't want to be stuck with this Horror.
"I'll be back once your dress is done," he replied cheerily. He put his fingers to the corners of his mouth, drawing a smile with them. "We still have much to do today, so please work fast."
"Yeah," the Horror smirked half-heartedly, waving to him as he exited the tent. When he finally left, she dragged her hand down, smacking the air. She groaned and muttered to herself. I don't think she likes him very much. "You're marrying that schmuck?"
"Not voluntarily," I admitted, scratching the back of my head.
"Heh, I shoulda known," she hacked. She pulled out a measuring tape from the desk holding her sewing machine. "Stand straight and hold still."
I did as she asked, trying not to move. She took my measurements, jotting them down on a small notepad she had under her bandana. She hurried to a chest in the corner of the tent and pulled out a black, silky cloth.
"Black? For a wedding?" I gave her a concerned look.
"Have you ever been to a wedding in Horrorland, kid?" She responded sarcastically. "Besides, your darling husband sent in the request… or, should I say, demand for a black dress."
"I see," I shrugged. She took the cloth over to her sewing machine, putting the notepad on her desk as she worked. I've always wanted to learn how to sew. My mom wanted to teach me a few years ago, but I never followed through. My mom would always make cute little outfits for Dennis. I still kept them, despite giving Dennis away.
"Take off your sweater," the Horror crowed. I did as she requested and removed my jumper. She brought the cloth over and wrapped it around me. It felt smooth to the touch. She reached for a tomato-shaped pin holder on her desk. She began to stick the pins in specific parts of the dress.
"So, kid, how did you get that cut?" She wheezed, hemming the dress as it caressed my form. I almost forgot that Slappy gashed my face last night. I could suddenly feel it sting.
"O-oh, I uh, I fell on something sharp and it got my face," I lied. She gave me an incredibly unimpressed look.
"Yeah, sure," she rolled her ominous yellow eyes. "You sure your abusive man whore of a husband didn't cut into you?"
"What do you know?" I spat towards her. It just kind of came out. She shot me a dirty, excuse you? look.
"I will have you know, human child, I've known your husband far before you were even conceived!" She growled. She stuck me with a pin, presumably on purpose, causing me to react with a jump. "He is a disgusting monster. He is not to be trusted, no not oooone bit!"
"Then why did you accept to make a dress for his wedding if you hate him so much?"
"Because he… paid me very, very handsome fee… yeah," she turned away from me, as if embarrassed. I couldn't help but feel that wasn't the only incentive. She let out a hefty sigh and continued to work on the dress. I wondered how Slappy has so much currency.
I stood still for the entirety of the seamstress's work. She worked steadily, making sure each stitch was perfect. She kept mumbling "A stitch in time saves nine." Other than that, she didn't speak to me. She didn't even look at me. She was focused heavily on finishing my dress. I looked at myself in the mirror. I still didn't recognize myself. As I peered at the mirror, I analyzed the dress. It was gorgeous. It snuggled my figure just right. The seamstress did a fantastic job. She took a step away from her work and investigated it. She looked pleased with her work.
While I gawked at the mirror, I spotted the curtains moving. Slappy stuck his head through the tent's opening. He eventually shimmied his entire body in. His suit looked exactly the same, despite having gone to the tailor. Maybe he didn't. The seamstress flinched as she observed him walking in without any prior warning. She motioned her hands towards me, as if presenting me as some sort of special object.
He stood quietly for a while. His eyes studied me, examining every fold and curve on the dress and every molecule of skin on my body. I could see his eyes widen and his eyebrows raise. A smile stretched across his face.
"My, my," he started. He cupped his chin, still wearing that smile of his. "Amy, you look gorgeous."
"Do you like the dress?" The seamstress chimed, giving a confident smirk.
"Yes," Slappy responded, still gawking at me. "Is it finished?"
"Oh, of course," she nodded with a toothy… or should I say 'fangy' smile.
"Excellent," he grinned.
"Aren't you, like, not supposed to see me in the dress before the wedding or something? Like isn't it bad luck?" I asked. He never took his eyes off of me. I noticed the seamstress roll her eyes.
"I don't believe in bad luck," he chirped, sticking his hand out to me. I reached for it and allowed him to pull me close to him. He kissed my hand and up my arm, like that of Gomez Addams. Am I supposed to be Morticia? "Gather your things and change into your previous clothes, we need to meet with the Horrorland council to speak with them about the guidelines of my… our rule after the wedding. We also need to speak with the Horrorland chapel administration to prepare a minister and anything else for tonight."
"Horrorland has a chapel?" I tilted my head in confusion. I was shocked that Horrorland had any sort of religious affiliation.
"It's rarely used," he shrugged. "It's mostly to give the humans who have any sort of faith a bit of hope, even though there isn't any once they've entered this place. I never understood it. Faith is just something to help stupid humans get out of a scary situation. It's pathetic, really. But it's the only suitable place to be wed here."
I couldn't believe what he just said. Actually, on second thought, I could. I've never really believed in a Deity. My mom and Dad were mildly religious, but they didn't find it necessary to push it on me, Sarah, and Jed.
I picked up my clothes. The seamstress kindly motioned to the part of the tent that she emerged from earlier to change in. Why did he want me to change anyway? I was just going to get back into the dress later. I did what he told me to do regardless, because fuck it. While I was getting back into my jeans, I realized something… where did my bag go? Oh shit… I think when Slappy tackled me to the ground to tickle me, it fell with us. I never picked it back up. Damn, damn, damn!
Trying to shrug it off, I took a deep sigh and walked through the curtain. I handed Slappy the dress, which he draped over his arm.
"Farewell, worthless seamstress," he rasped, shooting the seamstress a cruel look. Well, that was uncalled for. What happened when I was getting changed? I let it slide. The seamstress shot him a look just as unpleasant right back as we exited her tent. "I hate that woman, but damn is she the best, and regrettably only, seamstress in this wretched place."
"If you think this place is so wretched, why do you want to rule it?"
He stopped us in our tracks. I could feel him tense up. I knew that was a mistake.
"Because it is my birthright. Besides, these pitiful peons deserve someone of my wisdom and grace," he gave me a conniving smile. It was uncomfortable how high he thought of himself. "Come, we still have much to do. Don't make me put a leash on you."