The story has become twice as twisted. It's official. I may just have nightmares about my own writing, it wouldn't be the first time 0.o
I'm sorry to say that this story will be winding to a close soon, but I'm not ending without a bang! What will that be? A lady never kisses and tells. Well, unless you're at a sleepover squealing about how "OMG I totally kissed him" and everyone else is like "OMG give me the deets!" Not at my sleepovers though. We usually just watch Monty Python.
Confession #5: Every time I write a scary gallery scene, I have to listen to Thriller/Heads Will Roll by the Glee Cast. Gets me in the horror mood :)
Oh, and awesome news! Between September and August, this story has been viewed in the United States, Canada, the UK, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, India, Australia, Poland, Spain, Hong Kong, Portugal, Germany, Norway, Indonesia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Chile, and Saudi Arabia. Thanks to everyone who's supported this story, international or not. You guys are fantastic!
So, where were we? Big blue monster? Tiled floor? I won't keep you in suspense any longer.
Review please! Thanks!
Her claws missed Cassia's face by inches, and she almost fell into Garry running away from it. It tore across the floor, leaving wide gashes where it hauled itself forward, like a possessed demonic thing. It cried out as Cassia grabbed Holly's hand and they hauled ass back the way they came. The momma doll was strong and menacing, but it wasn't fairly fast. I wouldn't be either, if all I had to propel myself forward were my hands, Cassia managed to process the thought before she went into full-on panic mode again. Garry looked about ready to pass out as he scrambled back from the huge doll, and as it locked eyes with him, it's grin grew wider. It was a horrible grin that said, remember me? Cassia didn't yet know what Garry had been through the last time he was in the gallery, but she had a feeling this wasn't the first time he'd encountered her. Between the dolls in the hall terrifying him so much and this, he must have been there before.
They walked backwards until they were on the edge of the end of the tile platform that was safe to stand on. They were trapped, and the momma doll was slowly but surely making her way across the floor, her stumpy legs dragging uselessly behind her. Holly screamed and moved closer to Cassia, and she hugged her close. Garry looked too frozen to speak, and for the hundredth time that day, Cassia thought, this is it. She believed it too.
That's before she heard the voices behind her.
"Cassia!" she turned around and saw that Adrian was standing at the end of the hallway in the other direction, Toby and Ib on either of his sides. Cassia was too glad to see him.
"Adrian, get on the purple tile!" Cassia yelled. "Tell Ib and Toby to do the same thing with the dark blue and dark red tiles! QUICK!"
He flowed her directions, and they gained their own paths jutting from their tiles. They followed them to the end as Cassia barked directions given by the painting. They were almost halfway there when the momma doll reached out for Holly and she shrieked.
Cassia pulled her out of the way as the giant claw came down. Garry recomposed himself and managed to dive out of the way. Unfortunately, it was onto a chunk of uncovered tiles, and the sickening sound of metal on metal came from above him, louder than before. He rolled away before five blades fell down, almost dismembering him. Cassia let out the breath she was holding, and steered holy away from the momma doll, which was recoiling because one of the blades had skimmed her arm. Black stuffing poured out like blood, but she didn't care. All she cared about was them.
"Garry! Keep moving!" Cassia said, and he was able to get out of the way just as another few blades rushed down to meet him. They came down with such force that they cracked the tiles underneath them. "Keep her distracted! I'll get the others over here!"
As he dodged the momma doll, blades were coming down in his wake. Some hit her, some didn't, but when they did, the cuts were worse and worse. But the creature had amazing drive, and wouldn't stop pursuing Garry. She wanted him above all else.
"Adrian! Move forward one!" Cassia's yells increased in urgency. "Ib, you too! Toby, left!"
They followed this pattern, and kept following her instructions as fast as they could until soon they were on the platform that Cassia and Holly were on. Holly clung to Toby like a lifeline. Garry continued to dive out of the momma doll's way, managing to avoid being cut by the blades. Suddenly, just as the momma doll's claw was inches from his face, he propelled himself backwards, and a blade came down, right on top of the momma doll's head. With the sound of a thousand blankets ripping, the blade tore through her cranium, and soon, she lay there still, a lifeless mass of blue cloth, black stuffing, and red eyes.
The whole room began to shake, like an earthquake had just begun. Tiles that hadn't been cracked by the momma doll's massive claws or the blades that came from the hatches in the ceiling spontaneously destroyed themselves, spewing rock and dust whenever they broke. The tiles on the ceiling did the same, raining debris from the ceiling.
"Duck!" Toby yelled, and they only had time to duck their heads and crouch to the ground before every single tile in the entire room imploded.
It was like being pelted by hail and being in a sandstorm at the same time. It was a storm of rocks, dust, and painted tile. Cassia hunched over Holly, who was whimpering underneath of her. The shaking reached a climax, and everyone braced themselves for something worse.
It never came. The shaking ceased and the dust settled, and Cassia opened her eyes.
The room was a rocky, rubble-ridden mess. Every single tile was cracked, every surface destroyed. Cassia stood up slowly, rocks rolling off her. Holly coughed the dust out of her lungs and Adrian shook the tile fragments out of his hair. Toby took his glasses off his face, which were more cracked them they were before, and rubbed them on his shirt. Cassia turned around to say something, but before she could Adrian wrapped his arms around her. She was shocked for a moment, but she hugged him back after a few second. She was thankful he was there, and his warmth was comforting. He came into the gallery just to find me, she remembered. Why? As she pulled away, Garry strode over to them, his hands in his pockets and his head down. Ib ran over to him and hugged him, silent tears streaking the dust on her face.
"It's okay," Garry managed a smile.
"Look, Cassia," Holly pointed to the far wall. "The painting. It's still intact."
Holly was right. It was covered in dust, but still intact. No rips; nothing. Cassia stepped off the platform, and nothing stopped her from walking over to the painting. Before she could reach it, though, the air shimmered in front of her. A form appeared, of a familiar little girl.
"Belle?" Holly said.
"We don't have much time!" Belle said, her expression very upset. "We have to go. NOW."
"What's wrong?" Cassia said, and was answered by a loud bang behind the door farthest from them. It sounded like it was coming from the previous hallway. Belle turned around and put her hand on the painting. It glowed briefly with her icy blue aura and it slid aside.
"Climb inside. Quickly," Belle led the way. Cassia climbed in, helping Holly up behind her. The others were close behind them as they went down the hallway. It was pitch black inside, but Belle's pendant glowed on Cassia's neck and illuminated the hallway.
"What's going on, Belle?" Cassia asked.
"She's ready," Belle said.
"Mary?"
"Yes," Belle nodded. "She has everything she needs."
"To… posses Holly?" she said quietly.
"Yes, she has everything she needs," Belle said. "Which is why we need to get you away."
They ran around a corner and down another hallway. As they went down the hall, Cassia could see the wallpaper start to fade. It began to peel and there were large, black scorch marks scarring the walls and floors. They passed a chandelier that was broken and half hanging on the ceiling, glass littering the floor. They stepped around it and moved on.
"Why does it look like this," Cassia said.
"I –" Belle looked confused. "I don't know. This shouldn't be here. I've never seen an area of my father's gallery like this before. Mary must have changed it. I didn't think it was possible, but it's the only explanation."
"So… you don't know where we're going?"
"Anywhere but there," Belle shook her head.
They came to the end of the hall. The door in front of them was scorched, as if by fire, and it was splintered, like someone had taken an axe to it. Belle froze, not getting within four feet of it, as if it's very presence weakened her spirit.
"This isn't right. This is very wrong," Belle was trembling. Cassia would hug her if she could.
There was a loud bang at the end of the hallway, followed by incessant giggling. Holly squeezed Toby's hand and said, "I remember that voice."
Cassia had no choice. She opened the door and they all spilled inside.
She shut it behind them and the room was pitch black. Belle's pendant didn't glow. It was eerily silent, and suddenly, the giggles broke out again. But they weren't outside the door. The candles on the walls flickered to life, and standing in the middle of the room was a girl, about ten years old or so. She had big blue eyes and daffodil-yellow hair. Her dress was green, but it was ripped in several places and burnt. She had long, grotesque burns up her arms and legs, and one long burn down her face. Her grin was maniacal, and Belle stepped forward, trying to compose herself as best she could.
"Hello, Mary," Belle said.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Hello, sister dear," Mary replied. She looked straight at Holly and said, "You have something I need, Belle. I'd like to have it back."
Holly recoiled, her face stricken with terror. It took all of Ib's courage, but she finally managed to say, "You can't have Holly, Mary."
Mary's head snapped towards the sound of Ib's voice and she smiled again. Ib's heart rate quickened, but she stood strong. She can't hurt me. She can't hurt me. She can't hurt me.
"Oh hello, Ib," she said. "It's lovely to see you again. Why did you leave me? We could have been great friends. Like… sisters, even."
"We were never your friends, Mary," Garry pushed Ib behind him protectively, but she moved next to him again. I can face this, Garry.
"Garry! You're here too?" Marry looked delighted. "I was sure you had died before! Ah well, soon you'll be here with me, like everyone else who comes here."
"We escaped once, we'll do it again!" Ib cried.
"Your friends here won't though," Mary said. "Not all of them, at least."
"We're smarter then you, Mary," Cassia growled. "We're making it out."
Mary replied with another grin and reached her hands into the pockets of her dress. When she pulled, them out, she had two objects, one in each palm. One hand held a little vial filled with a red substance. Ib realized with a jolt that it was blood. In the other hand was a three inch long lock of blonde hair that looked just like Holly's.
"Remember when I saved you from that horrible statue, Holly?" Mary's face was full of pity. "I thought to myself, 'Well, I've saved her life. Now she should give me something as thanks!'"
Holly reached towards the underside of the back of her hair and gasped as her fingers came up short of three inches of hair. That must be her blood, too. Ib thought, and had to actually slow her own breathing so she wouldn't pass out. She put the hair and the blood in the same hand and fished something else out of her pocket. Ib almost did pass out when she saw what it was. It was a palate knife. The same knife Mary had nearly killed her with so many months ago. The symbol of her madness. Of her mental descent.
Mary saw her expression and said, "You remember, don't you Ib? We had so much fun together!"
She took the palate knife and ran it across her palm. A liquid poured out, but it wasn't blood. It was yellow paint, but it wasn't thick like acrylic or oil paint. It was thin like watercolor. She has no blood, because she isn't real. They ran for the door, but as Adrian tugged at it, he found it was locked. Before their eyes, the door sank into the wall, and the wall rippled, like it was water and the door was just a heavy object that wasn't buoyant enough to stay afloat.
"M-m-m," Mary said, uncorking the vial. Suddenly, the wall burst into flames. Ib jumped back and knocked into Garry, and Cassia fell over. Ib was no longer in control of her body. She was forced to her knees, her hands on the floor in front of her. She looked over with effort and saw that Belle was now pinned to the wall. She was trying to disappear, but she couldn't.
"This… is… impossible…" Belle strained to breathe. "You're… not supposed to be able to… manipulate… the gallery like this…"
"Oh right, Belle. It's only supposed to be you," Mary grimaced. "Because daddy loves you best. Well, daddy isn't the strong one now. I am."
Suddenly, the pendant levitated off Cassia's neck. It floated slowly towards Mary, glowing as it went forward. Cassia muttered, "No."
"Wait!" Ib yelled. The pendant dropped to the floor with a clink, the chain swirling around it.
Mary looked over and said, "What?"
"Do you want to play a game?"
"A game?" Mary's face flashed with brief curiosity. "What kind of game?"
"Loves me, loves me not," Ib said.