Before you ask, yes that is a Doom reference.
Aya headed down a small set of stairs to a door identical to the one that lead to the cell. Fortunately, it was open. It emptied into a narrow hallway that led to a steel ladder that clashed noticeably with the rest of the architecture. Near the end of the hallway, it was intersected with an even narrower one, only wide enough for one person. It was blocked on both sides by wooden barricades. Aya heard mumbling from the other side of one. She'd have to check that later.
Aya ascended the ladder and found herself in what appeared to be a rustic log cabin. It was actually the gardener's shed. The room was square, with a hallway leading outward in the bottom right corner. The furniture was old and rotted. In the lower left corner, there was an old wooden card table covered in dust. The top right had an old bed with sheets so filthy as to be a health hazard. In the top right corner, a wardrobe with its doors smashed to reveal a doll in strange clothing sat next to a nightstand stocked with charm necklaces. Atop it was a purple book titled Charm Encyclopedia. Next to that there was a small rock of unknown origin with a crow sat atop it, relaxing.
Aya inspected the book. She blew off the dust and opened to the first page.
"Good Luck Charms"
You want the ones to love you to be happy. For this, a good luck charm does the trick.
All you need is one thing. And that thing you must have: it is "love."
Kiss someone's forehead with love and say a blessing. Then a spell of good luck will be cast upon them.
Isn't that wonderful?
Aya smiled nostalgically at the book, before moving on.
Aya exited the room and entered the rest of the shed. The door was blocked by wooden boards. Gardening implements hung on the wall, and lay stacked upon each other in the bottom left corner. Crates with metal fittings were stacked atop one another. Atop one crate was a fire extinguisher, which Aya collected. Another steel ladder led up to the loft where more supplies were kept.
Aya left the extinguisher and climbed the ladder. She hoped that what she was looking for was still there. In the loft, three barrels were stacked to the top right. The bottom right was occupied by several wooden beams. Metal milk crates full of flowers that somehow still bloomed sat in the bottom left. Aya would have to plant them later. The top right had two more barrels and an unusually short crate. The real crowning jewel, however, was a tall, rectangular crate in the bottom center of the loft.
Yes! Aya could barely contain her excitement. She pressed her arms against the crate and pushed with all her might. It was heavy, but not heavy enough as to be immobile. The crate fell to the floor with a resounding crash and Aya climbed down to retrieve its contents.
Amidst the rubble was a Mini Chainsaw. The model her father sold. He had planned to sell this one to a colleague, but the deal fell through. Aya was practically salivating as she picked up the device.
I remember father scolding me for playing with this once…
She thought back to the time when she'd found the device after the Doctor left it out accidentally. He thought he'd put it out of her reach, but somehow, it'd found its way outside the shed. She decided to test it out by cutting some firewood. By the time her father found her, she was polishing it with her handkerchief. He'd been so angry with her for that, but even more bothered by how she'd gotten it in the first place. Perhaps that was why he's decided to sell it. Is other one was far too big for her to carry, while this one was a handheld model.
Aya couldn't help but grin at the thought of using it again. While it had been dangerous, she'd had a lot of fun with it. More than any of the toys she'd play with. She decided to take it for a test run, to see if it was in working order. She sawed open the barrels in the loft, spilling stagnant water all over the floor. Oddly, one barrel contained a gem, bringing her total up to eleven. She then took the saw to the barricade, carving her way to freedom.
As she was about to leave, she remembered the doll in the other room. She entered the room and approached the wardrobe. The doll had managed to escape its prison, and was attempting to flee down the ladder. Aya approached the doll with a mad grin on her face. The doll pounced upward at Aya, who brought the saw down to meet her. The saw bit into ceramic flesh, which cracked away as blood sprayed across the floor. Aya began laughing maniacally at the site. She was reminded of the time she killed the Brunette Ghoul earlier. It was a feeling of ecstasy incomparable to any other experience she'd yet had.
With that done, Aya headed back to the entrance, grabbed the extinguisher, and got to work.
Aya entered the house through the kitchen. It was getting tiresome to carry the chainsaw and extinguisher at the same time, so Aya cut through the cafeteria to save time, little though it may be. Upon entering, she saw three dolls in maid outfits in front of the dining room table.
The one on the left had long blonde hair and blue eyes while the one on the right had green eyes long brown hair tied in a single braid lower down. The one in the middle had short black hair in a bob cut and dark crimson eyes.
"Welcome home mistress!" The middle one spoke. The other dolls remained silent.
"Oh! Hello! Who are you?" Aya was surprised to see dols that communicated with her besides the soldiers, though something was definitely off with these three.
"Welcome home mistress!" The middle one repeated again.
"… Thanks. I'll be going now." As she turned, she heard a *thunk*. She turned and saw that the brunette's right arm had fallen off. The center maid glanced over in shock. Aya turned and walked away.
Jerry was curled up on the ground, making harsh vocalizations of his pain. Reginald Assumed a more dignified stance by sitting down and leaning his back on the wall. His groans of discomfort more than made up for it. Jonny was the only one still stood upright, albeit lurched forward and clenching his stomach. Sweat poured down his face.
"How are you handling this so well?" Reginald asked.
"S'at what you call 'is? Guess I got a strong gut from the Doc. 'Urts quite a bit though, I must say." Jonny had been the last soldier to be modified. It's possible the Doctor improved the procedure.
Footsteps echoed down the stairway. The soldiers hoped to God it was Aya because they weren't exactly in ideal fighting conditions. Fortunately, their prayers were answered. There stood Aya with a sheepish smile on her face. It was the sort of smile of someone who heeded to ask for help, but was embarrassed about it, and was trying to muster up the will to ask. The look noticeably conflicted with the small chainsaw in her right hand.
"Hey guys… Listen, I know- "Jonny cut her off. "'Old on a sec, s'at a chainsaw?"
"Huh? Oh, this? Yeah, I found it in the shed out back! Pretty neat, right?"
Jonny was stunned. "…Okay then, that… that should prove useful, I guess. Why's it got blood on it?"
"Oh! I ran into another doll, no big deal." Aya said with a reassuring tone. "It's not mine."
"I… see. So, whatcha need, luv?" Jonny was so perturbed he briefly forgot about his cramps.
"Right." Aya rubbed her forehead awkwardly. "So, I found that girl's eyes we were looking for, but I can't get them to her until we douse the fire in the reception room. I got an extinguisher here, but it's a bit hard to carry that and the saw so…"
"Say no more, mum! I got this for ye." Jonny let out sounds of immense agony as he rose upright. Screams of pain followed by moans of sheer agony exited his mouth, seamlessly transitioning between each other. The others stared in awe and horror at the scene. Finally, he righted himself and headed for the stairs, each step taking agonizing effort.
Aya spoke quickly and nervously. "Uh, that's fine! I-I could just leave the saw here and carry the extinguisher! That's actually what I was going to ask so- "
"Nonsense mum! All this sitting around's starting to get to me anyways!" Jonny made his way up the stairs slowly and with great effort. Every so often you'd hear a wheeze of pain or a curse Reginald was too pained to admonish.
"Is… he going to be okay?" Aya was doubtful to say the least.
"I… certainly hope so, mistress." Reginald was equally apprehensive about the situation.
Aya shook her head and returned upstairs. As she reached the top, she saw Jonny slowly hunching over to grab the extinguisher. Aya hurriedly picked it up and handed it to him.
"Thanks, luv. Now once more unto the breach as they say!" Jonny hobbled forward toward reception. On the way, he caught a glimpse of the cafeteria through the open doorway. "What the…?"
"Aya looked in, expecting to see the maids. There were two of them, and a blood trail leading to the fireplace from where the third, armless one had stood. The maid with black hair was covered in plod.
"Welcome home mis- "The maid was interrupted by the clang of the fire extinguisher as Jonny dropped it and readied his rifle. Fortunately, it had been low enough so as not to rupture. A loud crack soon followed, Jonny's reflexes still sharp despite the pain. The middle maid's head exploded into a shower of ceramic and blood. The blonde charged Jonny, who quickly reloaded. Just as the maid was upon him, she felt a burst of indescribable pain and lurched forward. A flood of blood poured out of her stomach as the small chainsaw tore its way through.
Aya stood in front of Jonny, her chainsaw thrust forward like a sword. She gripped the handle tightly with both hands and forced the saw further in and upward, screaming in rage. The doll's screams of pain soon turned to gurgles as the saw reached and pulverized her spine.
Aya pressed her foot against the doll and tore the saw out. The doll collapsed; the saw dripped with blood. Strangely, there was little gore. It seemed that dolls had simpler anatomy than humans.
Jerry stood, frozen in shock. His jaw was practically on the floor. Aya turned to face him with a cheerful expression. "That was close! Good thing I had this, huh!" She held the saw in front of her.
"Uh… yeah! Lucky us, right?" Jonny still had to process what he'd just seen. He leaned to his side and grabbed the extinguisher. His eagerness to get out of there overwrote his pain. He made quickly for the reception hall, trying his best to ignore the saw dripping with blood. Aya merely lamented to herself how hard it'd be to clean her dress. Blood came out, but it was a real pain.
As they entered the hall to reception, a face appeared in front of them for a split second. It was a dark outline of a face, but it was far too dark to make anything out. Aya and Jonny jumped. Jonny almost appreciated the pain numbing adrenalin rush.
They entered the reception room and Jonny readied the extinguisher. With a lout hiss and the flow of water, the fire was snuffed. The his of steam and smoke was oddly satisfying for Jonny. They moved the smoldering logs to reveal a small, broken vent with a shaft leading straight down.
Aya leaned inward and cupped her left hand around her mouth. "Hey! Can you hear me?'
A voice echoed from down the shaft. "Yes! Oh, thank goodness! I was starting to get worried!"
Jonny piped in. "'Ey there, luv. We got yer eyes for ya."
"Y-yes! Thank you! Now, how do I get them?"
Aya hesitated; she may not have thought this through. "I guess… I could drop them?"
"Couldn't that be bad for the eyes?" Jonny asked. They only had one shot at this.
"I don't see any other way." Aya knew the risks, but it sounded like a bad idea.
Jonny thought for a second, then he got an idea. "Hey, you still got that knife?"
"Yeah?"
"Why don't we cut these drapes into strips, an' make a rope? Tie the bottle to the end and lower it."
"That's… not a bad idea actually." Aya said, trying to hide her eagerness.
The two worked diligently. Aya cut strips of cloth, using the long end of the coffee table as a level. Jerry knelt on the floor, tying the strips into a serviceable rope. He appreciated the change of pace and relatively less intensive work. They and the girl made conversation as they worked. They found out that the girl was from a poor family, and had been seeking help for pneumonia. The Doctor had commented on how pretty her eyes were when they met. She realized in hindsight how creepy that sounded.
In about an hour, they had assembled a makeshift rope. They tied the bottle to the end, and lowered it down to the bottom of the shaft. "It's comin' down now, luv!"
The girl gave an affirmative grunt.
A few seconds later, she shouted back up, excitedly "I got them!"
Aya and Jonny smiled at each other.
"H-hey, do- do you think you could maybe come back down?" The girl asked shyly.
"Sure! I need to be back down there anyway. Jonny isn't feeling too great though, so- "
"Nonsense! I'm well enough to see this through."
Aya hesitated. "What do you need?"
"Well… I think I found something that may be helpful to you. That and… I'd kind of like to see you both off before I go, since you helped me."
Aya sighed with relief. "Sure, that would be fine!" At least it was nothing dangerous.
The two slowly made their way back to the basement. Aya had to let Jonny rest a few times on their way. Finally, they made it to the dungeon-like room. The girl turned to face them from behind the bars.
"I can see! I can see! Oh, thank God!" The blood had dried on her cheeks and was slowly being washed away by wet tears of joy. Her silvery eyes now back in their rightful position. The girl gave a warm smile to Aya and Jonny. She pressed an unseen switch and the gate opened. She rushed out and threw her arms around Jonny and Aya. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Happy to be of service, luv!" Jonny said, trying to mask his pain.
"Yeah, it was the least we could do." Aya was happy to see the girl well again.
The girl released them both and stepped back. She gave one last smile, waving them goodbye as she began to fade away.
Aya waved back tearfully, and Jonny placed his hat on his chest. In the girl's place was another strange gem. Aya realized that this must be what the girl was talking about when she said she had something for them.
Inside the room was something Aya hadn't noticed before. An archway sat in the back, obscured by shadow. That must have been the way forward.
"You ready to advance, luv?" Jonny asked, somewhat reluctantly. He wasn't looking forward to going back to his post.
"I think so, let me just make sure I'm not forgetting anything.
Aya suddenly remembered something. "Hey, I have to check something back down this hall." She headed further down the hall that led to the shed entrance. Jonny followed, and wasn't even surprised to see Aya sawing through the barricades. The left hallway was a dead end, containing crates and a small portable ladder. On the floor was a small hand pump fire retardant sprayer. That would have been useful earlier. Aya thought, exasperated. She collected it regardless, just in case.
The right barricade contained a small room with a metal torch. The torch had a strange will o' the wisp-esque orb in place of a flame. Another gem. A pipeline lead from the wall, down to the floor. Inside the room was a gaunt, bald old man, mumbling to himself. He had countless flies circling him. He barely acknowledged their presence.
Aya leaned in to try and hear what the man was saying. "Curse that youngster… Doing everything the woman says… And so deceived as to not realize her true nature… That woman's going to create a demon! She's crazier than the Doctor!" The man sighed. "Hmph, well whatever… what should I care, I suppose?"
Aya placed her hand on the man's shoulder. He didn't even flinch. She waved her hand in front of his eyes. Nothing. She decided to turn her attention to the gem. Aya remembered the ladder and walked back over to the crates. Jonny hobbled over and placed his hands on the ladder without asking what she was after.
"Uh, why don't you let me- "Aya was cut off.
"Nonsense, luv. I can handle it!" Jonny hoisted the ladder and let out a groan of agony through gritted teeth.
Aya rolled her eyes and put down her chainsaw. She braced the other side of the ladder and helped Jonny move it to the wall near the torch. It really wasn't that heavy.
As they set the ladder down, Jonny took a deep breath. "Whew! Thanks a bunch there, mum! Couldn't 'ave done it without ye." Aya wished she could say the same. Aya quickly scaled the ladder and plucked the gem from the torch. She nodded to Jonny. "Okay, now head back! You need to recover!"
Jonny sighed. "Sorry, luv. I guess I'm not much 'ealp as I am now. I just… it didn't feel right, ye know? Standing still, doing nothing."
Aya patted his shoulder. "It's okay, I get it. Just get some rest, you'll be far more helpful once you recover."
Jonny smiled. "Aya, mum. I'll do that. I hope I can be back at full capacity soon."
Aya smiled and nodded. The two bid each other goodbye once more, and Aya headed further into the basement.
I knew from the beginning what I was gonna call this chapter.
Apparently 1800s fire extinguishers used water. I have been doing A LOT of research on this stuff for historical accuracy.
Aya didn't see the archway earlier because I didn't.