Aya entered the cellblock. This was the area where patients would sometimes wait before operations. Aya had never seen it before, but Maria had written of it in her diary. Why the Doctor had the waiting room styled after a dungeon, Aya didn't know.
The last cell on the right had several of its bars demolished, and numerous crates with metal fittings lay scattered about. Aya caught a glimpse of something glistening in a hole where a vent grate used to be. She climbed up and over the crates, occasionally pushing one to the side, to get to the object. It was a key with the label "Handcuffs". She pocketed the key, not knowing how useful it'd be. A hand suddenly appeared on the other side of the wall. Aya was startled for a second, but paid it no mind. She was far too exhausted to be frightened.
The next cell contained a bloodied doll on the nightstand and a skeleton laying on the cot. Aya quickly stabbed the doll with her knife. The doll barely had time to react before the finishing blow came.
Aya was inspecting the cell for anything useful when she heard the rapid clinking of chains. It was coming from the cell to the left. Aya entered the cell, and approached a set of rapidly shaking shackles hanging from the wall. They seemed to be empty, but they were locked, nonetheless. Aya took out the key for the handcuffs and tried to reach for the keyhole.
As she did, the cuffs slowed to a stop, as though realizing what she was trying to do. Aya unlocked the cuffs. As soon as she did, a ghostly figure of a boy appeared in the cot. The boy had long brown hair and was dressed in tattered linens. He pulled his hands from the shackles and stood on the bead. He seemed elated to finally be free. He said nothing, but smiled at her and nodded. Aya smiled back, and the boy disappeared, leaving another gemstone shining in the darkness. Aya has seventeen of them now.
In the farthest cell on the left, a crow sat perched on the nightstand. Aya tried the door to the cell, and was met with resistance. Aya took out the cell key and slid it into the lock. As Aya twisted the key she heard the sound of heavy tumblers shifting rapidly. Aya opened the door and greeted the bird.
"Hey there, little guy. How do you all keep getting in here?" Aya knew the bird couldn't respond.
The crow looked quizzically at her. It wasn't shocked by her presence, nor seemingly afraid of her. Aya found this odd. Crows were smart animals, and had long memories. They remembered people who wronged the flock and she definitely had. Surely the spirit of the bird she'd killed remembered her, and yet even that one had shown no fear, nor vengefulness. In fact, Aya couldn't help but feel as though these crows were looking out for her somehow.
Aya sighed and sat on the cot. Her feet ached badly. Her flats really weren't meant for this kind of thing. "I don't suppose you have any answers for me, huh?" She asked the crow rhetorically.
The crow gave her a knowing glance, one of recognition. It cooed comfortingly. Aya felt herself relax a bit. The crow flew next to her and nuzzled her hand. Aya stroked its head in return. She got the odd sense that this was some sort of peace offering. A burying of the hatchet. She smiled and exchanged glances with the bird. Once they were both satisfied, the bird returned to the nightstand.
Aya turned to see a large fissure in the wall. She approached it cautiously, peaking her head through. She saw a grey doll in a matching dress and bonnet standing on the other side. The doll beckoned her over urgently. Aya drew her knife and readied her saw. She cautiously approached the doll.
The doll spoke in a whisper. "Up ahead, you can't make a sound. Because if you do…" As though to demonstrate, a giggle echoed from above. The grey doll glanced up in horror before a spear was plunged through her chest. She let out one final gurgle as blood poured from her mouth.
A doll in red hung above her, an amused expression on her face. Her expression soon turned to confusion and horror as a steel blade was plunged through the side of her head. Aya gritted her teeth as she ripped the blade from the doll's head. She was getting very tired of this.
The doll went limp as the blade was withdrawn, and Aya noticed a wire was attached to her waistline. The doll was withdrawn back to the cave ceiling, leaving her spear behind. Aya inspected the Gray Doll. She found it odd that she was trying to help her. Perhaps it had been some kind of intimidation tactic? Had her death been planned? Or had one doll grown a conscience, and paid the price? Aya paid one last respect to the doll just in case, and quietly made her way through the cave.
The cave lead into what appeared to be a sewer system of sorts. A river of sewerage flowed through the trench in the center while concrete pathways bridged by metal grates hung to the sides. A wooden bridge made for a convenient path across.
As Aya slowly made her way across the bridge, one of the boards creaked underfoot. Aya heard a laugh from above and looked up to see another doll descending upon her. Aya dodged just in time for the spear to connect with the board. Aya quickly brought her knife down on the doll's exposed neck, lopping it off and sending it tumbling down into the water.
Aya followed the path downward as it turned a corner to the right. Eventually she came across a metal door. She cautiously opened it, and a loud metallic groan echoed through the sewer. Aya quickly entered the room as the doll rocketed toward the earth. Aya thrust her blade out as soon as the doll landed. It stabbed through the doll's stomach and as Aya withdrew the blade, the doll ascended to the ceiling, a waterfall of blood pouring down.
Aya looked around the room, disappointed to find that the room contained nothing but pipe junctions for maintenance workers. Aya sighed and reentered the tunnel.
At the end of the tunnel, there was what looked like the beginning of another that was quickly terminated in a wall. The wall had a small, rounded opening hewn into it. Out of the opening, a doll in green with a large axe emerged. Aya readied her weapons only for a doll in red to impale the one in green. It appeared they were not very coordinated. Aya quickly slashed at the red doll's head, slicing it diagonally in half. With that done, she entered the opening.
The opening let out to another tunnel, this one had no pathways, only a river of water flowing below. One platform sat in the middle of the water, bridged to the one Aya stood on with metal scaffolding. Aya crept across to the platform and inspected her surroundings.
The center of the platform had cracks in it, and Aya wondered if a large impact could do the trick. She cautiously raised her chainsaw and revved it. She immediately dodged the doll as the spear smashed into the ground, shattering the cement, and revealing a hole beneath. Aya stabbed the doll in the back, striking the spine dead on. She brought the saw up to the wire and brought it to life, severing the wire and sending the doll crashing to the ground. Aya ripped the dagger from the doll and kicked her into the depths below.
Aya chuckled a bit as she saw the doll sink beneath the depths. Every doll slain brought her more and more joy. If she'd had the time, she'd stay behind and provoke each and every one of them, baiting them in for the killing blow. Alas, she was in a hurry. She inspected the hole made by the doll and found a small hand lever. She had no idea how it had gotten there, but it looked like the one she needed for the church door. Aya pocketed the lever and made her way back, going out of her way to kill several more dolls in the process.