Playtime's Over

Chapter 7: Midnight—Time's up

His lungs were burning from running and his wound was throbbing so bad he could hardly standing it. Chucky was still pointing the gun at him, forcing him to carry him as they ran. It was just like before when he was seven…it was déjà vu all over again. And this time, he didn't see anyone there to help save him. Sirens blared in the distance and he felt Chucky grab his hair.

"Stop here!" Chucky hissed. They listened for a minute and Chucky watched waiting to see if the sirens were getting closer or not.

Andy was breathing shallowly; the pain was increasing and he was beginning to feel dizzy.

"Quit hyperventilating! You're going to pass out!" Chucky hissed.

Andy could barely hear him. All he heard was Chucky's cold voice muttering "oh shit" before he completely passed out.

Chucky stared down at him while he was unconscious. A sound came nearby and Chucky turned to see a man exiting his store and locking up for the evening. He was no more than ten feet away so he was bound to notice Andy. Falling down beside Andy, Chucky pretended to be a doll. He heard the man's footsteps and then a sharp gasp came. A second later, the man was peering over Andy, feeling his pulse. Quickly, he pulled out his cell phone and was about to dial 911 when something pressed against his neck.

"If you want to live, you'll do exactly as I say," a cold voice spoke.

The man put his hands up, making sure to look forward. "W-what do you want?"

"Pick up the boy and put him in your car."

The man froze for a minute, but Chucky pushed the object closer. "DO IT!"

The man nodded frantically and reached down to pick Andy up. Very slowly he made his way to the car, too frightened to turn around and see who was holding him up. He set the boy down in the backseat and then got in the front seat. He felt something from behind his seat at his neck.

"Drive," Chucky ordered.

"To where?" the man asked, shaking with fright.

"I'll tell you when to stop, just drive," Chucky hissed.

The man drove as he was told and Chucky waited until they were farther away. Andy groaned in the back seat, but remained unconscious. After about ten minutes or so of driving, Chucky finally pressed the object closer.

"Stop here."

The man did as he was told and just as he put the car in park Chucky slammed the broken bottle he had picked up from the trash against the back of his head, knocking the man out cold. Chucky then went to the back and slapped Andy several times on the face.

"Wake up you little shit! It's time for Uncle Charles to take over your body, let's go!"

Andy groaned and blinked his eyes open. Chucky's face stared down at him, sneering and Andy nearly screamed. Chucky grabbed his shirt roughly and hoisted him to a sitting position.

"Get moving!" Chucky demanded.

Andy's eyes were wide with fright and he glanced over at the man who was unconscious before slowly getting out of the car.

"Go into this alley," Chucky ordered, pointing to it with the broken bottle in his hand.

Andy reluctantly did as he was told. As he walked into the dark alley he felt something push him suddenly. Andy let out a scream as he stumbled to the ground. He forced to turn over onto his back, where his wound was and he hissed with pain. He already had wounds on his body from the last time and now he was certain that this wound would scar.

The first thing that came to mind was that it had to be a nightmare. Andy lay on the floor stomach up while Chucky was above him, pointing a knife at him. As if that would've done anything. He was going to die anyway, why should he let Chucky take over his soul and go around killing people? After all no one would know it was Chucky and not Andy. He sighed. He thought for sure the nightmare would be over, after all he had killed the damn doll twice now and it didn't make sense as to why Chucky kept coming back.

It's the police, and everyone else. They all keep bringing him back after they find the remains. It's because the Good Guys doll company doesn't want to lose money by not being able to sell the dolls, because of me. They always put him back together and then he comes back to get me. My nightmare will never end.

The realization that struck him was too painful. Andy never asked to be put in that mess, in fact, all he had asked for was a Good Guy doll. Maybe it was too much to ask. He should've just been happy with the clothes and Good Guy toolset his mom gave him, but no, being six years old he wanted a Good Guy doll because everyone then had one. Now Andy regretted everything. He missed his mom; he missed his life and most of all he wished he hadn't seen so many people die.

"Well Andy, this is it."

Andy stopped thinking and looked up at Chucky who was grinning widely down at him. It sickened him to see him so happy, but there was nothing he could do.

Chucky put his hand on Andy's forehead and closed his large plastic blue eyes. Andy shut his eyes tightly as well; he didn't want to feel it. He just wanted to get it over with.

"Aa di duay dembell aa, give me the power I beg of you! Laver merci a dupuah shione," Chucky spoke loudly.

A crash of thunder made Andy's skin crawl, but he still didn't open his eyes. He at least didn't want to see what was happening to him. He felt a bit light-headed, something he hadn't noticed before. His head felt like it was spinning in a whirlpool and his fingers began to tingle. He almost felt like he was floating, the light feeling giving him immense relief along with fear.

Is this the feeling of getting my soul taken over?

No, it couldn't have been, Andy would've felt it before, which meant that Chucky's time was running out. Suddenly, Andy stopped holding his breath. He strained his hears as he heard the squeal of tires skidding across the road only a little ways away. Hope began rising in him. He just might be saved. He opened one eye and saw that, out of pure luck, Chucky's eyes were closed. He was concentrating on absorbing the power and he didn't notice what Andy could hear. And I sure hope he can't feel what I'm feeling.

Andy fought the urge to jump up and run out of the small store. He wanted to be saved so badly but knew that if Chucky found out what he was doing before help arrived it was most likely whoever was coming to save him would die. Chucky pressed down harder on his forehead, causing Andy to shut his eyes again. It was most likely an unconscious thing, but it still gave Andy the shivers.

"Zente ah mopuah de mort," Chucky continued.

Andy held his breath again, that was as far as Chucky always got. But he couldn't hear the sound of the car, nor could he hear footsteps. His hopes were dwindling as quickly as they had come. Still, he wasn't going to lose all hope until it was finally over. He clenched his fists and waited. Chucky took the knife and laid it across Andy's chest. He could feel the heavy weight of the handle.

Please. Please come…please save me.

The plea wouldn't help any, but it made him feel a lot better. He knew deep down inside this day was going to come, but he didn't want to admit it...he hadn't wanted Chucky to win. But the persistent possessed doll wouldn't give up. Andy squirmed a little beneath Chucky's grip and soon felt the sharp point of a knife at his throat. He gulped and held as still as he could. The storm was getting louder to the point where it was almost deafening. Andy's hands became sweaty and he waited…waited for something to happen—

"ANDY!"

Andy's eyes snapped open. "Help!" He screamed unconsciously before he could stop himself. Chucky picked up the dagger that had been lying on his chest and glared down at him, finally losing his concentration.

"Why, you little shit…"

BAM! BAM!

Chucky was thrown away from Andy and flew against the wall. It all happened so fast. Andy was pulled to his feet, not caring who was saving him at the moment. The man holding the gun pointed at Chucky looked ready to kill. His partner, a woman, looked just as angry but held Andy's hand tightly. In short, they both looked like they went through hell and back. The man lowered his gun and went to retrieve the dagger only a few feet from Chucky.

"Are you all right?"

Andy snapped out of his daze and looked up at the woman, who was smiling down at him. A worried look was upon her face, but she tried to hide it as best as she could.

Andy nodded, "Yes, I'm fine."

He turned back to see the other officer picking up the dagger with a cloth and put it in a plastic bag. He turned around and caught Andy's eye. He smiled slightly and nodded, then he looked up at his partner.

"Come on Julie, we better get out of here and take him someplace safe."

"No wait! He's not dead," Andy said fearfully, pointing at the spot where the doll lay face down.

The man turned to look at the doll, narrowing his eyes, his hand tight on his gun.

"I don't think that thing will be getting up anytime soon," he said with disgust.

"But— "

"Come on hun, don't worry about it," Julie smiled at him. "It's over now, let's go."

Andy wanted to protest, but he was too tired to even move. They didn't understand, like everyone else. Chucky wasn't dead. He couldn't die, not like that anyway. They had to do something extra this time….but what? How could he stay dead? Andy didn't know the answer to that and was sure no one would be able to help, but he knew it wasn't over; it was far from over.

Giving in, Andy let himself be led out of the small and ruined shop into the police car that had come just in time. He was allowed in the back. Once he was buckled up the car sped off. Andy turned his head to look at the shop just to make sure. He didn't see any shadows or any movements coming from it. He sighed with relief. Maybe it was over.

No, you know it's not. Chucky can't be killed with bullets.

Andy closed his eyes tightly, gripping the seat with all his might.

"Hey kiddo, you okay back there?"

Andy looked up to see Dan staring back at him. "You were very brave, you could've gotten hurt."

What he said struck Andy hard. He had completely forgotten about the pain in his chest, where Chucky had accidentally slashed him instead of that nice woman, Shalice, who had tried to help him. He winced. His nerves seemed to unfreeze and the pain overwhelmed him again. He lay his head back against the seat breathing heavily.

"It looks like we're witnesses too Julie." Dan said.

Julie then turned to look at Andy in the back and smiled. "Did you hear that? You've got several witnesses now."

Andy smiled weakly, "Does this mean my name can be cleared?"

Julie smiled back at him, "Well we don't know for sure, but we've got quite a bit of evidence to prove you didn't do any of the murders."

It was when she said that he thought about Shalice. He glanced up at her with worry. "Is that reporter…Shalice, is she alright?"

Julie nodded, "Yeah, she's in the hospital and doing alright."

Andy's face immediately lit up, "Really? She's all right?"

Again Julie nodded, "Yes, and since you'll be coming with me, we can go visit her, sound good?"

Andy nodded vigorously, glad something was going right for a change. The car turned abruptly and Andy could already tell they were only a couple blocks from the station. Perhaps his endless nightmare would turn around after all. If his name was cleared, at least if Chucky killed more people to get to him, he wouldn't be blamed. People would finally help to protect him.

People who are strong enough to live…

He sighed and leaned back, the pain exhausting him. He wasn't sure whether or not to bother them with his problems anymore. They were already involved deep enough, in fact, their lives were in danger. The moment they even decided to try and help him they had committed themselves to something more dangerous than they could understand. Even though Andy was younger, he somehow understood what that meant.

In a matter of minutes he was being helped out of the car and taken into the station. Many officers were around talking to one another or doing something. It was busy even so late at night. Most turned when they entered, some of them looked more than surprised to see him. They most likely thought he was dead or worse. He recognized the girl officer from before, Risa. Her expression was grim and she stared at Andy as he limped forward with Julie and Dan at his side.

"The chief is here. She wants to see Andy."

Exchanging surprised expressions, Julie and Dan then led Andy into the larger office down the hall. His heart was beating frantically as if afraid the chief would suddenly yell at him and tell him he was making things up. As they approached the office, Andy was surprised when he saw a woman with short brown hair and intense blue eyes sitting in the chief's spot. She was very pretty, though her expression was grim.

"Julie, Dan," she greeted. "Thank you for bringing him here. You can take your leave."

Nodding, they turned to leave the room, but Julie patted his shoulder to comfort him before she closed the door. The room was silent and he was certain she could tell he was nervous. He hoped she didn't assume he was nervous because he was hiding something.

"Andy, my name is Chief Byrons, but you can call me Mackenzie."

"Nice to meet you," Andy said quietly.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked, standing up.

Hesitating, Andy nodded. "Yeah, I was cut on my chest," he said gesturing to the place beneath the jacket Dan had given him where Chucky had sliced him with the knife.

"Don't worry, we'll get you looked at. Are you alright to just answer a few questions?" she asked, leaning up against her desk.

"Yeah," he responded.

"Go ahead and take a seat then," she said, smiling kindly.

Andy sat down, relieved that his aching muscles could take a break. The woman, Mackenzie, opened the file sitting on her desk. It was a fairly large file filled with numerous papers.

"I've taken the liberty to review your case from when it first started till now. It seems that this has happened to you before, am I right?"

Glancing downward, Andy nodded his head, feeling pain well up in his chest. He really didn't want to think about everything he had gone through. Otherwise, there was a good chance he would start crying and probably never stop.

"Dan and Julie have come to me requesting a court date for you to prove your innocence."

He glanced up at her as she stared back down at him, after closing his file.

"I'm not saying it's guaranteed, but if you could stand to have a couple more lie detector tests, we can start filling out the paperwork to get you settled with a court date."

Andy nodded, not sure what else he could do.

"There's one other thing you should know. Do you remember your last foster family, Mr. And Mrs. Jaques?"

His nose immediately began to sting and before he could stop himself, the tears began to fall. Mackenzie quickly stood up from her chair and approached him, kneeling down in front of him.

"Andy, I know this is painful for you, but I have some good news."

Wiping at his eyes, he looked at her as she stared at him seriously. "In the will of Mr. And Mrs. Jaques, they decided to leave everything to both you and Cody, as well as a couple donations to some charities. Most of their inheritance, however, went to the two of you. Since Cody is unfortunately not here anymore, you have inherited everything, including her estate."

Andy's eyes were wide with shock and he shook his head in disbelief. "But…I was only there a week! And she…she put me in her will?"

Mackenzie smiled softly. "It seems like she was very fond of you. You must've meant a great deal to you, as did Cody. I feel she probably thought you were going to stay with her permanently."

"I c-can't…I don't deserve it," Andy shook his head as more tears came. "I couldn't protect them! They died because of me!"

The chief's eyes dimmed and she stood up. "Don't think that way, Andy. It won't make any difference. It goes to you no matter what. Now, why don't we take you to the hospital to get you checked up and so you can get some rest. I've told Julie and Dan to stay with you, alright? You will be told when the court date is decided."

Nodding his head, Andy allowed her to walk him out of the office, still in a daze. He was in pain, but mostly he was in shock. The inheritance that Mr. And Mrs. Jaques passed down to him was probably enormous. He had always grown up poor, especially when he was separated from his mother and lived at orphanages. Now he owned a beautiful house and a lot of money. Perhaps he could use some of that money to free his mother from the institution she was forced into.

XXXXX

Several hours later…Guilford Hospital.

Andy was sitting in a hospital bed eating a sandwich with a glass of chocolate milk when Julie stepped into the room.

"Hey there," she smiled, approaching the bed and sitting down. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he answered, after swallowing.

His wounds had been cleaned up and bandaged and so far the doctors had found nothing else wrong with him. The only thing was his blood pressure. It was a bit high but that was because he was so stressed out and nervous about Chucky finding him. They gave him a pill to relax him and since then he had been feeling better.

"The chief told me I will inherit everything of Mr. And Mrs. Jaques," Andy said quietly, after several minutes of silence.

Julie nodded. "Yes, we found that out shortly after you did. You don't sound very happy though."

"It's great, I mean…I have a beautiful house and lots of money, but…I'd really just like my mother back. If she could live with me in that house and we could start over new, that would be the best thing ever."

Julie smiled sadly. "Don't give up just yet, Andy. I'm sure that dream will come true. Your mother was actually released from the institution last year and has been living in a small apartment in California."

"She has?" Andy's eyes widened. "But how come no one at the orphanage told me?"

"I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. "But don't worry about that right now. You'll see her again. For the time being, you should get some rest. Dan and the chief are trying to get a court date set up to prove your innocence. I've been collecting the paperwork and testimonies so hopefully it shouldn't be too long."

Sighing, Andy leaned back against the pillows. "You know, I actually never thought this day would come. Even if I don't get the court date, I have people who actually are willing to help me because they believe me. In the past, no one ever believed me. And those that found out the truth…died. I've seen so many deaths, but I still can't get used to them. Especially Mr. And Mrs. Jaques…and Cody. Even though I didn't know them for very long, they meant so much to me. And Mr. Jaques tried to protect me. He was the one who told me to run. If he hadn't, Chucky would've gotten to me much sooner and I probably would be dead by now."

Julie reached out a hand and cupped his chin. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright. You know, I believe everything happens for a reason. Maybe…just maybe the Jaques' had to die for you so that you could get a true home that you could call your own. And who knows, maybe the court date will come up in the next week and then afterwards you'll get to see your mother. You just have to have faith."

"I'll try," Andy smiled reluctantly. "At least I know things could be a lot worse than this. When I'm with you and Dan, I feel safe."

"That's good," Julie grinned. "Now get some rest, alright?"

"Okay," he said, smiling as she got up and approached the door. "Oh! Julie? What time is it?"

Blinking curiously, she glanced down at her watch. "Uh…it's almost 12:30 a.m."

Andy's heart stopped. It was past midnight, past Chucky's time when he was supposed to take Andy's soul. Now Chucky was stuck in his doll form. That only meant one thing: Chucky was coming to kill him. His face had paled and Julie stared at him seriously.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just late, that's all," Andy lied quickly, glancing away so as not to look her in the eye.

"Well, you get some rest now," she said quietly while opening the door. "I'll be back in a little bit to check on you."

Andy nodded without glancing at her and a second later he heard the door shut. He let out the breath he was holding and then pulled his knees up to his chest. Chucky was coming to kill him…and he would kill whoever he had to in the hospital to get to him. Julie wasn't safe; he wasn't safe. He couldn't stay there. And just when he thought his luck was changing, the reality came and smacked him in the face. Chucky would definitely not allow Andy's name to be cleared. He'd do anything to prevent it. Squeezing his eyes shut as tears leaked out of the corner, Andy lie his head on his knees. If he wanted to save Julie, he would have to run away…again.

TO BE CONTINUED….