Initially I thought about moving Maria's backstory back further into the story since I thought it'd be odd for Aya to go back upstairs, but I think it actually makes sense for reasons explained in the chapter.
This is one of the other chapters the tags mention. Again, it lasts for like, five seconds, but nonetheless.
This chapter IS pretty fucked up though.
The soldiers stood at their stands. The cramps were agonizing at this point, the experimental digestive organs which had never seen a day of use before in their lives were now making a jump to functionality that would seriously injure a normal person. They were so focused on the pain that they barely noticed the footsteps coming from down the hall.
"Back so soon?" Reginald was the first to notice Aya walking back through the hallway.
Aya looked downtrodden. "Sorry, it looks like I'm going to have to go deeper to find Father. I found this key though, it's to the locked door in the hallway. It's Maria's Room. I think I should check it out. I don't know what's in there, but I'd rather not risk missing anything important."
Jerry weakly beat his drum.
"Jerry raises a good point, luv. Are ye sure this shouldn't wait until after ye find yer dad?" Jonny said.
"I was thinking that too, but I don't know how long I'll be down there or whether Maria had anything important. What if I need what I find later in the basement?"
Reginald nodded. "I agree, best to check it out now, just in case. Plus, it gives us a bit more time to recover before any real chaos starts."
Aya nodded.
"What happened down there?" Reginald asked.
Aya explained everything that had transpired in the Lab. About her mother's roll in the curse.
The three soldiers stared in disbelief.
"But 'at can't be right." Jonny spoke first. "Ms. Monika and the Doc always got on so well!"
"That's what I said!" Aya shouted in agreement.
Jerry tapped a tune on his drums, giving a knowing glance at Jonny all the while.
"He's got a point, Andrews. She was pretty upset with him about the whole thing. It's possible things were worse than they seemed between the two."
"That's what I want to find out." Aya said. "If mom really is mad because of Maria, then we need to learn more about the situation."
"Well, good luck to ya then." Jonny said uncertainly. He was clearly conflicted about the whole thing.
Aya nodded and turned to the stairs. She didn't know what else to say at that point.
She ascended the steps to the main hallway and headed towards the foyer. Just as she turned to the right, he saw a large man with greenish hair and a sad looking expression on his face. The man had was clad only in tattered linen shorts and his skin was a bruised purple. The man quickly departed into the hallway.
Aya followed the man, curious to see where he was leading her. She would remain on her guard though, as she didn't know if he was one of the more harmless spirits. As she headed down the hallway, she was suddenly pulled to the ground. Some unknown force was dragging her down the hall. Aya didn't know what would happen at the end, but she didn't want to find out. She struggled with all her might, dragging herself forward along the floor. She kicked behind her, hoping to shake the force from her legs. She could feel its grip loosen until eventually she pulled free.
Aya got up and stumbled to the wall. She huffed and fought to catch her breath. Once she was ready, she slowly walked out into the open, towards where she was being pulled, which was ironically her destination. She saw the man by the door, his sad expression now one of concern.
"Is it safe?" She asked, to which the man nodded. Aya crept towards the door, keeping an eye on her feet all the while. The man disappeared as she arrived at the door. She slotted the key into the lock and opened the door.
Maria's room was plain, spartan even. The first piece of furniture noticeable was a changing screen. That was also the most notable thing about it. There was little other furniture in the room. A writing desk lay off to the side in the bottom left corner, accompanied by a single wooden chair. A simple metal bedframe with only a simple pillow and a thin blue blanket served as her bed. The sheets were a dull gray color. Left of the bed was a wooden nightstand with a simple flower vase on top of it. Next to that, in the top left corner was a metal bookcase. The upper right of the room had an old, torn carpet, which the furniture sat atop of. On the wall was a dart board and what Aya could only imagine was the world's least efficient clothesline. Aya briefly wondered if Maria's love for her father was partially motivated by a desire for a better room.
Aya noticed a leather-bound book on the case that stood out from the rest.
"Could this be… Maria's diary?" Aya muttered to herself. She cracked open the book.
Doctor, it has been a year to the day since I came to this mansion. I will never forget that day…
Four years ago
Maria lied helplessly on the street, her only source of comfort was a filthy linen blanket. She had spent countless lonely nights sleeping on that blanket, be it in alley ways or on street corners. It had been days since she's last eaten, and longer since she'd had a meal that could sustain her. Now she was so week she could barely utter her desperate pleas for food to passerby who barely even seemed to take notice.
To her, it was incomprehensible that someone could see someone on the street so desperate, and yet continue on your way as though nothing had happened. Her parents certainly would never have been so negligent. She missed them dearly. It had barely been three months since their deaths, her mother of pneumonia, her father in a construction accident. How quickly things had deteriorated since then.
Meanwhile, Doctor Drevis had been making his daily rounds in search for suitable subjects. Suddenly a young girl caught his eye. She was dressed in a ratty linen gown and had long, unkempt hair that was slowly starting to fall out due to malnutrition. The doctor walked over to the girl.
"A vagrant…" he said, kneeling down to inspect her. She could be a fine subject with some work…
Maria opened her eyes and looked weakly at the strange man kneeling over her. She didn't have time to question the man's intent, she needed to eat something, and fast. "Please… I beg you. I…"
The Doctor nodded in understanding, silently hushing her while offering a comforting hand. "Come to my home, please. I'll give you clothes and delicious meals." It wasn't the most convincing pitch, but it worked on those desperate enough.
Maria eagerly agreed. She didn't know who this man was, and she didn't care. Any fate was better than starvation. The Doctor helped her up, and lead her to his home. She remained silent as they walked. She was too weak and exhausted to make conversation. If the Doctor was bothered by her silence, he didn't show it.
Maria was stunned at the size of the mansion before her. She knew of the large estates the upper classes dwelled in, but this was on a whole nother level. As she was escorted into the foyer, she was starting to wonder who exactly this man was.
"Impressive, isn't it? It pays to be a pioneer in the medical sciences, especially in as many fields as I." Pride was evident in the Doctor's voice. "Oh, forgive me. My name is Doctor Alfred Drevis."
Maria stared in shock. "You mean that Doctor Alfred Drevis?" Maria had heard of him before. Everyone had. He'd pioneered many medicines, medical devices, and treatments. Most famously, he'd invented a motorized chainsaw, the first of its kind, which explained where he got the money for his house. It'd proven surprisingly useful for certain surgeries, and even more so to the lumber industry. There was a reason many patients dreaded its use.
The Doctor nodded. "Now, follow me to the guest rooms, there should be some clean clothes for you there. While you're getting ready, I'll have Monika whip up some food for you, okay?"
Maria nodded. She would have preferred to eat first, but the food would take time anyway. Fortunately, the doctor had brought some bread to tide her over.
When dinner was finally ready, Maria was brought to the cafeteria where the patients ate. Her jaw practically dropped to the floor when she saw the meal. There was a whole roasted chicken along with sides of bread and soup, a pot of tea, and a salad. It wasn't necessarily the largest meal, but a fare bit for one person. She dug messily into the meal, overwhelmed by the presence of actual flavor after so long subsisting on stale bread, but too hungry to pause. Her stomach cramped from the sudden influx of food. When she was finished, the Doctor returned.
"My my, quite the appetite. I'm glad you enjoyed the food."
Maria nodded enthusiastically.
The Doctor smiled. "Now, I know this probably wasn't the first thing you wanted to hear, but it's probably best if I give you a quick physical. The kind of rough living you were doing can cause quite a few health problems."
As much as she wasn't looking forward to it, Maria knew he was right. She herself had been having similar concerns. She nodded at his suggestion,
The Doctor escorted her to the patient rooms, which honestly looked a lot like a dungeon. The rooms were barred cells containing a simple cot and a wooden shelf for belongings. There were even shackles on the back wall. Maria wondered if the Doctor had bought the house from an old lord or some such.
"Stay here for a little while." The Doctor spoke. "I'll go tell my family about you."
"Family…?" Maria recalled him mention someone named Monika, presumably his wife, though she could've just been the head chef for all Maria knew.
"I have a wife and a daughter turning seven. I'm sure they would welcome you." The Doctor headed off.
Family… That was something Maria had longed for since her parents died. She smiled at the thought.
Suddenly, Maria heard a pained groan. In the bed beside her, there lay an injured man in linen shorts with a profusely bleeding wound on his left shoulder.
Was this man taken in like I was?
Maria inspected the man; he was barely conscious, and the color had drained from his skin. The wound looked bad. If he wasn't helped soon, he wouldn't make it.
What awful injuries, he's in pain. Perhaps I could do something…"
Maria inspected the shelves nearby. There was a first aid kit, which she brought over to the patient. The only thing she was lacking in was bandages. There weren't enough for the whole wound for some reason. Perhaps it needed refilling? Reluctantly, she inspected her dress.
My skirt won't be enough cloth. But the only other clean cloth I have is… Maria didn't like where this was going, but it was either this or the patient died. Maria began cutting pieces of her skirt.
When the Doctor returned the next day, he found Maria huddled in a corner, shivering. The patient he'd left her with had been treated with improvised bandages. He stood there for a moment, admiring the work. There were nurses he knew who weren't this good.
This is a surprise. Coming from the brink of death, he made a significant recovery overnight. It seems he was given excellent treatment.
The Doctor turned to Maria. "Did you treat him?"
"…Yes." Maria hesitated, unsure how he'd react.
"How handy… You're exceptionally talented."
"Please I…" Maria blushed at the compliment.
The Doctor thought for a moment.
It'd be awful to let such talent go to waste….
The Doctor knelt down in front of her. "What's your name?" The Doctor had completely forgotten to ask. It wouldn't be the first time, since it wasn't ultimately that important, but such poor bedside manor could scare away potential subjects.
"Huh…?" Maria was so exhausted she barely registered the question. She'd been up periodically to check on the man. "Uh...I'm…I am… Maria." She stammered out her answer.
"Maria, hm? An appropriate name." The doctor leaned in. "Maria, would you be my assistant? I do not wish to lose you, please stay with me."
Maria was, understandably, caught off guard by this.
"Well…? Will you entrust me with the rest of your life?"
Maria hesitated for a moment. It was a sudden offer, but she had few other options anyway, and she did so long for a family.
"Yes…" She said finally.
And so, her career as the Doctor's assistant began. At first, she was greatly offput by the Doctor's experiments. She had expected to be healing people, not experimenting on them. Not killing them. Still the Doctor was a persuasive man. He claimed to have found the ultimate medical treatment. There was an heirloom in his wife's family, an old occult tome detailing the procedure to create living dolls out of the dead or dying, preserving their beauty forever.
He said he sought to perfect the procedure, to study it. He claimed that the procedure could be developed into treatments for countless illnesses. It may even hold the secrets to immortality. As of now, the procedure only worked to preserve the dead, like embalming or mummification, with the added benefit of creating personalities for the dolls, albeit sinister ones. But if his theory was correct, it could also be used to prolong life. But he needed to test it, and to do that he needed subjects.
It would be impossible to do it legally, no government would seriously consider his work. The Occult was not an established science, and his experiments were inherently inhumane. They had to be. For reliable data, he needed fresh bodies, and there was only one way to reliably get to the body in time to collect and preserve his specimens.
Maria believed the Doctor. She believed in his supposed vision, in his quest to aid humanity. She believed him even as the bodies piled up, and patients that could easily be saved were instead sacrificed for the Doctor's projects. She believed him even as he focused far more on making the perfect dolls for his collection than actually improving the process. She believed him even as he dismissed her concerns about their progress, and seemed to care less and less about medicine and more about his growing obsession with dolls.
Now, the truth was becoming more and more obvious. He never cared about helping people, he never cared about advancing the craft. In truth, he didn't even care about science. All he cared about was beauty, and innocence, and his twisted way of preserving both. Preserving both even if it meant that the owner of that beauty and innocence had to die. Preserving them even though no one but him would ever see it. Preserving it at the cost of everything else that they were, what they'd achieve, who ley loved and who loved them. None of it mattered to him. All that mattered was preserving that visage of purity and innocence for eternity.
But that couldn't be true, could it? No, of course not. There was no way that the Doctor, the man who took her in, who trained her, who gave her the passion for medicine she had today, could be a monster like that. No, it couldn't be. Because that would mean she was a monster too, and that all her work was for naught.
The work did have promise, she knew that. She read the theories on how to use the procedure to help people. To cure disease, to fix broken bodies and even enhance them to superhuman levels. The doll soldiers he'd made for Aya were proof of that. But most of it had been her work. Her studies and tests. The Doctor only gave in to that project at her insistence. He was proud of the results, of course, but not nearly as enthusiastic as he should have been. It was the biggest breakthrough they'd made yet! Dolls that could heal, dolls that could fight, dolls that could think! It wads the first time that the dolls they'd made had real personalities, real feelings besides hatred and sadism. They had, for all intents and purposes, made humans from scratch and all he cared about were the regular old dolls they'd been making before.
Still, Maria had hope. The Doctor had been pleased with her work. And he'd shown interest in further developing it, even if it wasn't much. Perhaps, with Maria's guidance, he could become the man he was when she'd first met him. The man she'd fallen in love with that day. She just needed to have patience.
I was so happy… So happy you had saved me. I was alone, but you made me needed. You gave me love. As long as I am needed, I will stay with you. How would I live without you? I love you, Doctor.
Aya closed the book and let it rest on her lap. She took a moment to process everything she'd just read.
Aya spoke aloud to herself. "I never really knew anything about Maria, after all… Maria must really love father too…"
Aya reopened the book. There were a few passages from after her mother had died. Aya couldn't resist her curiosity.
Yesterday, I encountered a young boy. He was very lovely, even more so than the mistress. But the moment he saw me, he ran off crying. Is my face indeed so frightening…? The mistress always seems scared of me as well. I suppose it's the eyes…. Well, I'm sure it's that the mistress dislikes me. It cannot be helped… I did take away the doctor…. Surely, I could soon replace her mother.
Aya had to admit, Maria had always creeped her out. He had a certain empty look about her, as though no emotion ever reached her eyes. She read another entry, the last to mention her.
Once more, the mistress went out to play in the woods nearby. Yet just like the other day, she was terrified when a wolf chased her in those woods. That personality strikes me as familiar…
Aya chuckled. Somehow, she'd forgotten all about the wolf attack. It didn't look like she was going to find anything else in the diary. She sighed and headed back to the basement, taking the book with her.
The soldiers looked up as Aya returned with a book.
"Well?" Jonny asked.
Aya looked uncertain. "I found Maria's diary. It talked about how she met father, but not much else. I was thinking I'd leave it with you guys. I didn't have time to read everything."
Reginald nodded. "Give it here then, Andrews has been preoccupied with his own book." Aya glanced over to Jonny, who was holding The Flame Egg in his hands. She giggled at the site.
Jonny smiled back. "S'a really good book, actually. I can see why you like it!"
Aya was grateful for the temporary distraction. Still, she was short on time. it was best to get going soon. "Alright, I've got to go back down to the lab. The longer we wait..." She didn't finish the sentence.
"Once more unto the breach, eh?" Reginald responded.
"I know we've said this before but... good luck, and be careful."
Aya nodded, and began walking back down the hallway to the lab.
To clarify, Maria's doubts about the Doctor are not in the diary. They took place before the present, so I kept them in the flashback. Let me know if a separation line would clarify things a bit more, I can't decide myself.
I couldn't think of a way to omit the skirt bandages scene in a way that didn't feel contrived, so I hope it wasn't too much trouble.
I figured the Doctor had to justify the killings SOMEHOW at least initially.
I originally was going to have Maria introduce herself earlier, but apparently the Doctor waited a whole day to ask in the original. I mean, he WAS planning to kill her.
Yes, I did indeed use this chapter to explain why there are motorized chainsaws in the 1800s. They were indeed supposed to me medical tools historically, and were hand cranked. The earliest were called Osteomes and were used for cutting bone.