Chapter 1: The Room
The moment he stepped in his room the knew he would never call it home. The two doors on the left and right of the room and the closet in between them. His first thought was that he had to close both doors when he changed. There were no windows making him feel like he was in a prison. A prison of fear. He walked down the hall off to the right to check it out. He noticed a door off to the right of his bedroom. He walked in curious and felt anger and sadness to such an extreme he fell over. Lying on the floor tears welled in his eyes. He didn't know what was happening! He slowly stood up on shaky legs and wiped his eyes. Zach looked around the room. Clearly a girl had lived in here before because it was pink with a striped oval rug in the center of the room. He walked close to the bed and looked under. A face stared blankly back at him. He screamed and jumped back staring at the bed waiting for it to crawl out untwisting itself to the sickening crack of bones popping back into place. He peeked under the bed again and there it was a 3-foot doll laying on its back. Zach pulled it out and noticed it was metal with hinges that looked like they once might have moved and twisted. He lifted it up surprised that it only weighed about five pounds. He brought it over to his dad who was in the garage.
"Hey Dad look what I found," Zach said.
"What is it," his Dad responded without turning around.
"Well, look," Zachary said. His dad turned around.
"Wow look at that beauty," Zach's Dad took the 3-foot steel doll with a dog's head and set it on the work bench in the garage. He turned it over obviously searching for something.
"Hmmmmm… aw there it is," his dad said. He pressed a small black button on its nose and nothing happened.
"What," Zach said." What."
"I thought that the button I pressed would turn it on. I'll take a look at it tomorrow," His dad said.
"Okay it's fine if it doesn't."
Zach walked out of the room. Straight into the kitchen. From the kitchen he walked down the left hallway to the master bedroom. He took a look around the room to see nothing exciting. He walked back down the hallway past the kitchen to the hallway that would have been on the right. Took a left to that awkward spot where the hallways leading to his room were on both sides but you could still walk forward past the hallways to the wall just on the opposite side of his rooms wall. He took the left hallway to his room the way that had the bathroom right next to his doorway. Only a half bathroom but it was still nice to have a bathroom right next to his room just in case.
"I am twelve im not going to pee myself in the night,"
he thought to himself. His room already had been set up with all his toys, drawing supplies, clothes, his bed, and alarm clock. He took a quick look at his alarm clock angry that the drive took three hours, and he wasted an hour getting his room set up correctly for it was now eight fifty-six. His dad would not let him stay up past nine fifteen on a school night, so he closed both doors to his bedroom and changed into his pajamas with his warm fuzzy cat socks. His cat Oswald wouldn't get here till tomorrow his dad didn't want him peeing on all their stuff. They had to get rid of his litter box for the move and hadn't bought a new one yet. He grabbed his sketchbook and opened it looking at all his past drawings. They were very detailed but had no color only pencil gray. His favorite drawing a bunny half costume half the costumes ripped away to reveal a barely recognizable bloody person trapped in the suit due to unknown reasons. It was gross, but he was proud of how detailed it was. It had taken him days doing each tiny little detail on the bloody side. That shows the person. He grabbed a pencil flipped the page and started working on his next drawing. He started with the shape of a humanoid chicken with some parts stripped away to reveal a metal exoskeleton with wires coming out. Zach looked at his clock not surprised to see it was 9:15. He was satisfied with the work he had gotten done. He had the shape of it and started detailing the head. One eye had wires coming out of it the other one normal. The beak was unfinished but was looking good he closed his notebook as someone or something walked into his room.
Chapter 2: Mangled
A metal paw with 6 inch claws like knives stepped into his room. Though the paw was visible the rest of it was not. Suddenly his dad called out.
"Zach are you in bed," his dad appeared in the left doorway the one where that thing wasn't.
"Dad the-there was a th-thing in the door-doorway," Zach stuttered.
"I don't see anything Zach," his father said.
"Well walk over there I saw it, it had claws and it was metal I swear." Zachary's dad walked over to the door way and into the hallway. Suddenly something swung down from the ceiling and landed on his dad. Zach screamed as the metal dog that he found under the bed slashed and bit his dad. When it turned around it glared at Zach with its thirsty red eyes. Every step it takes his heart rate goes up. If this thing didn't kill him his heart rate would. But he couldn't move; he was frozen with fear. In one motion it jumped to the ceiling and swung down on top of Zach. It raised its head, opened its mouth and swung it down towards Zach's Throat. Zach woke up in cold sweat with his sketchbook on his chest and his lamp on. He never remembered falling asleep though he was glad that he did. Zach looked at his alarm clock it was five fifty-three only seven minutes till he had to wake up anyways, so he didn't bother trying to fall back asleep. Getting out of bed he set sketchbook and pencil on his nightstand. He looked down on the spot where his dad was killed in his dream, thankful to see the carpet had not been stained by blood. He got dressed, went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and headed for the kitchen. He was still a little frightened. He walked out of the hallway, turned and was in the kitchen. His dad was up making pancakes for breakfast.
"So how did you sleep?' his father asked Zach
"Fine," Zach responded. Even though he did not sleep well at all. His Dad served a large pancake with butter and syrup to him. He began to dig at his massive pancake with a fork. Some syrup had soaked into the pancake so when he cut into it, it dripped out like blood. Like blood pooling out of a person who had just been stabbed. That vision was too much and after his dream Zach lost his appetite. He stood up and started to walk out of the room.
"Zach where are you going," his father asked
"I'm not hungry" he called back. His father didn't respond. When he was in his room Zach started to pack his backpack then remembered it was the last day of school they weren't going to do any schoolwork not like the teachers' idea of fun was actually fun.
"Hey dad," Zach hollered.
"What?" his dad yelled in response.
"Do you mind if I stay home today it's the last day, and we won't do anything,"
"Sure that's fine with me,"
"Ok." Zach walked down the hall past his dad and into the garage. He looked at the thing. It didn't move he walked closer and pressed the tiny button on it's nose. It jerked to life the head of it looked at Zach opened its mouth then fell back to sleep. Zachary's dad had just walked into the garage. Zach turned away from it ran past his dad into the kitchen.
"Actually dad I uh think I will go to school," Zach said." I uh never said bye to my friends."
"Okay I don't care about the last day of school. If you want to go you can." Zach's dad and Zach got into the car and drove to school. He would be switching schools this was his last day there. The drive was very tedious. About an hour drive he didn't bring anything like his iPhone. He was just to freaked out by that thing. It looked at him he remembered his dream how it swung down from the ceiling. How it landed on his bed without even a squeak from the springs. He started to get goosebumps.
"We should get rid of it," he silently said to himself.
"What," his dad asked. "What did you say."
"Nothing," Zach said. His dad didn't respond.
. . .
The school day was boring but at least he wasn't getting mauled at his house. As he was leaving he walked up to his friends and said his goodbyes although he would see them again over summer break. When Zach and his dad got home he immediately checked the garage. The thing was still there it hadn't moved an inch. He walked inside pulled out his phone and looked down at it. He noticed footprints on the carpet. Footprints with claws. He thought to Oswald who should be here. He followed them to his room. Oswald was there on his bed. He lazily glanced up at Zach.
"Meow,"
"Hi Oswald," Zach said to the cat who gave no indication that he heard his name. Zach laid down next to his cat. He heard a barely audible high-pitched noise.
"Ah what the hell is that noise," Zach said
He just ignored it after that. He heard a knock from his closet. He jumped. He looked at his closet then glanced at Oswald.
"What was that Oswald."
"Meow," The cat responded. He headed toward his closet surprised to find a hole about as big as his fist in the wall. He looked at it and saw movement down there. He also saw stairs barely visible but definitely stairs.
Sorry I haven't posted in a while I left my computer at school for four days while I was sick I also have been really busy with my sport enjoy chapter 3.
Chapter 3: Fort In The Forest
529-2659. Zach dialed the number on his phone.
"Hello," The person answered.
"Hey Noah," Zach responded.
"Hi what's up," Noah said.
"Actually a lot," Zach said.
"In," He paused. "Two hours,"
"Yeah so let me explain," Zach explained the weird doll thing he found then the hole with stairs. Zach never said anything about the doll moving that was too scary to bring up and so was the dream.
"So can you come over tomorrow?" He asked.
"Let me check be right back," Noah set his phone down to check with his parents. About two minutes later he came back.
"Yeah I can come over tomorrow if it's fine with your mom... uhhh sorry,"
"It-It's fine," Zach said. " And you can come over,"
"Okay see you tomorrow then," He said
"Yeah bye" Zach said then hung up. He took a shaky breath. He had tried to forget that night. The night his mom disappeared. He was only seven his mom went out to the woods and never came back. He didn't cry then he thought she just stayed the night somewhere. But she never came home she never came back to Zach anyway. She might have left his father for someone else. It didn't matter to Zach Laura his mom was gone.
"Dinner is served," Zach's dad yelled. He looked startled at his alarm clock to see it was quarter till six. Had he really been lost in thought that long.
"Okay I will be right there," he yelled in response. Zach got off his bed and walked into the kitchen. There was spaghetti with red sauce and big meatballs on his plate. The sauce was chunky unlike blood that was thick but wasn't chunky unless something else was in it. Why did he always think these things when he was eating. He hungrily gulped down the rest of his food. Zach sat there full just staring out into space. Staring where no one had ever stared before. so far into the galaxy nothing would ever find him there. He heard mumbling around him but it was barely audible, so he paid no attention to it. Something started moving in his space. He woke out of his trance and noticed his dad was looking concerned.
"Are you okay," His father asked.
"What, why wouldn't I be," Zach said.
"Well you were staring at that corner for a long time,"
"I'm fine," Zach snapped.
"Okay you don't have to snap at me for asking if you're okay. You know, sometimes I worry about you. With your mother well not being here and the move,"
"Dad really I'm fine I don't need a therapist jeez,"
"Are you sure," His dad teased. Zach laughed a small laugh.
"Dad can we watch a movie or something tonight I'm bored and don't know what to do."
"Yeah what movie."
"Any movie is fine," Zach said then walked away.
Zach shouldn't have let his dad choose the movie. He chose a bad late 70s cowboy film. Zach fell asleep quickly, watching it.
"Hello Zach." A high raspy voice said." I don't know you but I need you. I have been trapped down here for years trying to escape. Some think I am a monster. A monster that kills children but I hold a special place in children's hearts. Don't you think that it is unfair to be judged without being seen. I wouldn't hurt a fly unless it flew into my stomach." Suddenly Zach awoke in his room. It was nine eighteen. He slept till nine eighteen a.m. He grabbed his phone which was on his nightstand. He turned it on and a text from Noah said.
"Be there at eleven ttyl."
Zach turned his phone off and rolled back onto his stomach and putting his face in his pillows. He knew he had to get up, but he didn't want to. Reluctantly he rolled out of bed, got changed and walked to the bathroom. He then went back to his bedroom. He turned on his phone and started to play some video games. He wasn't really trying on them or thinking about them. Instead, he was thinking about his dream. How it said.
"I have been trapped down here for years trying to escape." That was weird trapped where. And the other thing he said the last thing.
"I wouldn't hurt a fly unless it flew in my stomach." But did the fly willingly fly into his stomach or unwillingly. Maybe he ate the fly then killed it in his stomach. Just then he died on his game. Fake blood splattered around the character. He turned off his phone and walked to the kitchen. He made himself a nice full bowl of cereal. Cocoa Puffs were his favorite cereal, but he was just eating cheerios right now. He slowly ate the cereal after he was done he rinsed it out in the sink then sat down in a chair. He didn't know what to do until Noah got here. He checked the time on his phone it read. 9:38.
"Great, only an hour and twenty minutes to spend," He said sarcastically to himself.
"Dad," Zach yelled. There was no response. He left the room to the garage where he found his father.
"Dad I'm gonna go out front,"
"Ok, and this doll thing I don't think it's going to work again." His dad said.
"Ok that's fine," Zach said quickly. Remembering it turn it's head look at him with those eyes. Zach opened the garage and headed out front. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the light. His big house was on a grassy hill. The hill was not that steep but steep enough to play on. He knew he had to do it he didn't want to, but he knew he had to. He layed down then rolled down the hill. The world spun like a top with one spot barely spinning and the others blurring like a wet painting that was smudged in a circle. When he reached the bottom of the hill he tried to stand up but fell he was extremely dizzy. After a minute of convincing himself the world was not spinning he got up and ran to the top of the hill. He rolled down again and again. For close to fifteen minutes. After he stopped he was smiling he hadn't had that much fun by himself since his mom had disappeared. He was bored with rolling down the hill now. And he still had at least an hour to kill. He walked around the house just looking at it. Then he remembered there were woods behind him. He turned around to face them. He ran down to the woods. Bored he started picking up long branches and setting against a tree to make a fort. Since he lived next to these woods he could come back and keep building up this fort. He heard someone yelling. Was Noah here already had he spent that much time in the woods. He tried to find the exit of the forest, but he couldn't . He didn't know where he came in! He started yelling
"Dad, Dad, Help," He heard someone yelling but couldn't make out the words.
"Help," panic rose in his chest his breathing was faster. He was scared how would he get out. Maybe if the police come they can search the woods if I'm lost too long. He started to calm himself down. He walked toward his fort and sat in it. Zach kept yelling for help. Finally, he decided to try to escape the forest. Zach walked toward the way he thought he had come out of the forest. He heard yelling then suddenly it stopped. He slowly walked toward where he thought he had heard the sound. Then he stopped he heard heavy footsteps coming from behind him. Then the bushes parted and he saw it. That thing, that doll he found was behind him. It's body was twisted. His back half was twisted above its head. Hanging on to a low branch with its tail. And its face was staring straight at me. Those eyes held no life they looked almost like they were staring through him. Its jaws snapped open and closed with no apparent pattern. Then it lurched forward balanced on its front legs and untwisted its back half to make it look more normal. It snapped its jaws shut and started running towards him. He turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction it was like playing tag but with higher stakes than just becoming "it". If this thing caught Zach who knows what it would do. Zach was becoming tired his chest hurt. Every breath he took felt like millions of tiny ice-cold knives were stabbing inside his lungs. He heard no footsteps behind him and made the mistake of looking behind him. It wasn't there! He slowed down and just as he did a heavy thud just in front of him. He looked forward saw the thing and screamed. It must have swung through the trees. He didn't think he just charged it and at the last second jumped to the right and burst out of the forest.
Hi! I haven't posted in months. Hopefully my writing style did not change too much. My computer broke so i gave up on making this but I decided to come back to it on ipad so these chapters may take longer to make.
Chapter 4: Small Rooms
Zach burst out of the woods breathing heavily. He kept running all the way to his house. Zach turned around staring at the woods. He hadn't noticed his dad, Noah and Noah's mom.
"Zach where were you, we have been searching for almost thirty minutes," His dad said
"Yeah Zach I'm glad you're safe," Noah's mom said looking at me weird. She doesn't trust dad. Zach thought, She thinks she isn't going to find her kid when she comes back.
"Yeah you were in the garage, so I wanted to build a fort in the trees, but they were like a maze." Zach said to reassure Noah's mom it wasn't his dads fault.
"Okay, just don't do it again," His dad said.
"I won't it was scary enough for me. Zach said.
"I'm going to go inside." Zach announced. Zach walked to the back door but it was locked. He heard Noah's mom say bye to her son. Then he walked around the house and into the garage. He saw the doll was there.But it was in the woods how did it get here. He walked past not taking an eye off it. Opening the door behind his back was easy enough. He walked in and immediately tripped and fell. He turned around to see the thing looking at him with glowing red eyes. He didn't dare move. They stared at each other for what felt like hours. Then Noah's mom came around the corner drawing his attention away from it. He looked back and it was in its normal position.
"Zach are you okay," She said.
"Y-Yeah I'm fine just tripped," He said. She walked away not saying anything. Noah rounded the corner. Just as Zach stood up.
"You said there was a secret room in your house right?" Noah said.
"Yeah follow me," Zach said. He led Noah to his room. Then they walked into the closet.
"Look," Zach said shining his phone light into the fist sized hole. With the light they saw stairs about 5 feet wide and about a 10-foot drop to the first step. The steps led to darkness nothing was visible after about 6 feet.
"So should we break it open?" Zach asked.
"I don't know it's your room," Noah responded.
"We will never know what's down there unless we do," Zach said.
"Watch we break it open and it leads to nothing. Noah said jokingly.
"Here we go." Zach reached in the hole and pulled. A small portion of it was ripped out.
"A little help Noah," Zach said. They both grabbed and pulled. Bigger chunks came out each about the size of a small laptop. Zach kicked the wall and a big chunk of it gave way. It was now big enough for them to crawl through if they crouched down.
"I will go in first if you jump in right after I just don't want to be down there alone." Zach said
"Ok," Noah replied. "I'll jump down right after you." Zach took a deep breath and jumped. He hit the stairs and immediately bent his legs. The fall was a little jarring just because it was concrete.
"Careful jumping it's a little jarring," Zach called. Then something caught his attention further down the stairs. Noah jumped down.
"It wasn't that jarring," Noah said.
"Hmph show off," Zach muttered. Noah ignored it. They took their phones out and turned on their flashlights. They started walking down the stairs side by side. Their steps felt louder than thunder. After walking down about 40 feet they stopped in front of a wall with a single red button. Noah looked at Zach while he stared at it. Zach felt déjà vu as he stared at it. He was sure he had seen it somewhere.
"Should we press it or stare at it," Noah said. Zach didn't respond right away.
"Should we press it," Noah repeated.
"Huh," Zach said.
"Should we press it," Noah said slightly annoyed.
"I don't know," Zach said without taking his eyes off of it.
Zach peeled his eyes off it and looked at Noah.
"Well…" Zach said. "We have too"
Zach warily reached out. The button didn't press easily. He had to switch from his index finger to his thumb to press it. A door slid slowly open to Zach's left.There was a big fan on the ceiling of the room but by the looks of it, it no longer worked. The room was small about the size of a small office. They both walked in the room and the doors closed. The room lurched. They both almost fell but regained their balance. The room they are in is not just a room. It's an elevator.