Duncan drowsily opened his eyes, sitting up and rubbing his head, his hair slightly messing up as he hugged Archie to his chest. His face was wet and tearstreaked as he looked around in utmost curiousity.
"3, 4, better lock your door..."
A graveyard. He was in, what looked to be, an endless graveyard, the tombstones crumbling and moldy. Going on and on the darkness was eerie and chilling. But Duncan wasn't afraid.
He got to his feet, looking at the three little seven year old girls dressed in white. They were playing jumprope, and chanting a song.
"5, 6, grab your crucifix..."
Duncan walked up to them, smiling. "Can I play with you?" he asked innocently. One of the girls swinging the rope looked over to him, a peaceful smile on her lips. The other girls continued singing.
"7, 8, gonna stay up late..."
"Okay," the girl said sweetly. Still swinging the rope as Duncan walked over she carefully handed him the handle, being sure to keep it smoothly moving up and down.
"9, 10, never sleep again."
The chanting girls stopped singing, looking at Duncan with shy yet bright smiles. He looked happy, twirling the rope as the other girl entered the fray, jumping in a pattern.
Duncan still clutching Archie to his chest a loud, shrill screech of metal against metal erupted the blissful silence. Duncan stopped swinging the rope, as did the girl holding the other handle, and the two jumping.
"Sorry, nice boy, but he's home now," the one that spoke earlier said. In the blink of an eye the three, their jumprope, and the entire graveyard had disappeared.
In its place was a boiler room, the corridors of boilers and labyrinths of pipes steaming and smoking. It was dreadfully hot in there- though Duncan didn't seem to notice.
An evil, bloodcurdling cackle ensued, followed by another ringing screech.
"Duncan..." a raspy voice whispered in the seven year old's ear. He wasn't afraid. "I'm coming for you, Duncan..." He still wasn't afraid.
"Hello?" he called out, still hugging Archie. "Daddy is that you?" His voice and figure reasonably tensed at those words, and his breath caught in his throat; now his stepfather, he was afraid of him.
Clanking came from the end of the hallway Duncan stood, the metal grated floor shuddering ever so slightly from the sudden unknown weight baring upon it. A darkened silhouette walked down the corridor towards the boy, when coming close enough having Duncan take a sharp intake of breath.
His stepfather stood there, looming two times Duncan's height. His perfect graying brown hair sleeked back with gel, dark almost beetle- like eyes glaring loathingly at him, a sneer on his face.
"You've been a bad boy, you little shit," he spat, making Duncan wince.
"N- no, daddy! I've been a- a good boy!" he stammered softly, staring fearfully up at him with wide eyes. He tightly closed them, falling to his knees as he defended himself with his arms over his head. Archie fell from his grasp.
His stepfather softened his glare (though this would never happen in real life), and he quirked an eyebrow. He crouched down, grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling his head up so Duncan looked him in the eye.