Playtime's Over
Author's Note: Sorry this took SO long to update guys! I promised I would finish it and I have! It just took longer than expected. School and work have consumed my life! But here it is the last chapter! And a special thanks to MuffinsAreUglyCupcakes for e-mailing me to my FF account and reminding me to finish this up! Thanks! :-)
Chapter 10: The Final Battle
The room was rather dim and the lights flickered now and again. It was the perfect place for Chucky to come, but they were surrounded by enough police officers coming in and out of the station that it didn't seem Chucky would risk it yet. He would bide his time. Andy knew that Chucky wanted to kill him for good this time. It was a matter of him figuring out how to destroy Chucky for the last time.
Kyle was sitting next to him, biting on her nail. And the investigators Dan and Julie who had helped clear his name were sitting in front of a computer screen with Chucky's information gleaming at them. The infamous Charles Lee Ray and his reported killings before they even knew who was behind them. Then all those mysterious deaths that Andy had either witnessed, or people he had known. They had all been silent for the longest time. None of them knew how to stop Chucky.
Andy glanced at Dan then at Julie and back to Kyle. These people had helped him. Kyle had helped him out while they were at the Simpsons and now she was back. All of them were in danger. Chucky had managed to kill everyone close to Andy. In fact, Andy wasn't even sure his mom was still alive. He had heard she was released from the psych ward of an institution while he was staying with the Jacques, his more recent and now deceased foster family, but he didn't know where she was or if Chucky went after her. Did that mean Chucky was too powerful? Was the voodoo magic he used to transfer his soul into the doll more powerful than any of the weapons they had?
Suddenly, the idea struck him like a bolt of lightning. Andy sat up straight in his seat, drawing Kyle's attention.
"Andy, was is it?"
Dan stopped tapping his pen on his desk and turned to look at him as well. And Julie, who was standing over Dan's shoulder reading Chucky's information glanced his way.
"I have an idea, but…I don't know if we can do it."
"Hey, it's ok sport, anything is better than nothing," Dan said.
Andy's eyes widened so large that Dan's expression faltered.
"Please don't call me that," Andy said. "Chucky calls me that."
Dan exchanged a look with Julie and nodded. "Sorry, Andy. What's your idea?"
"Chucky used to know this voodoo guy. I don't know what his name was, but my mom told me she met the guy. They used to be friends or something and this voodoo guy taught Chucky some incantations. And one of them Chucky used to get inside the doll. My mom told me though that his voodoo guy is dead – Chucky killed him," Andy said, glancing down.
Dan's shoulders slumped and he nodded.
"But maybe there was some information in the guy's house, you know like incantations, or something. You know, something we could use against Chucky," Andy said.
Kyle gasped. "That's brilliant Andy. Perhaps it wasn't just Chucky and this voodoo guy. I bet it was a whole group of them, like a cult or something. They probably all practiced this voodoo magic. So if we find someone from that group, someone who knew the voodoo guy then maybe they will know how to stop Chucky!"
"Yes, exactly," Andy said, leaning forward.
"Ok!" Dan said, clapping his hands together. "First things first. We've got to find out what this voodoo guy's name was and where he was living. We can find out who knew him if we at least know the area he lived in."
Andy described to him approximately around what month and time it had happened. He also told him that his mother had mentioned the man died of injuries that looked as though he had fallen down a flight of stairs.
"I think I've got it! His name was Dr. Death."
Andy blinked. "Dr. Death?"
"Well, it was his voodoo practioner name. And it does say here he had an occult group named The Spirit Guides. I'll bet I can track down the names of all participants of this group. I just need to call a friend for a bit of help. It shouldn't take too long."
Dan instantly got up to make the phone call and Andy slumped back in his seat. Kyle smiled at him and placed her hand over his.
"Hey, it's a great idea."
Andy sighed. "Yeah, I just hope we can figure out how to stop him before he finds us."
Kyle and Julie exchanged looks, but neither one said anything. They knew it was true.
XXXXXXXXX
Nearby the Police Station at a Hunting Supplies store
A gruff man with a gray stubbly beard and messy gray hair walked to the store and turned over the open sign. He headed over to where his nice collection of guns sat to arrange them more neatly.
"Damn business is getting slow these days," he muttered. "I should really consider moving to a state where hunting is more popular."
A loud knock came at his door. He wheeled around and stomped over to the door. He looked out but couldn't really tell if anyone was there. It was already dark out so perhaps he just couldn't see the person. Touching the pocketknife he held in his left pocket, he unlocked and opened the door. To his surprise no one seemed to be there. Quickly he stepped out and looked around to see if the person had just dashed off. Mumbling under his breath, he stepped back inside and locked the door.
Something moved off to his right and he wheeled around. "Is someone there?" he said firmly.
There was no sound. The man slowly walked back toward his guns and took one of the smaller rifles off the shelf. Then he went back behind the counter to get bullets and gasped when he saw bullets lying on the floor. He heard a click and he wheeled around.
His eyes widened as he saw a doll standing on his desk pointing a small pistol at him.
"Be a good man and show me where your best knives are," Chucky said, as his plastic mouth widened.
The man gasped loudly and backed up into the wall clutching the rifle to his chest. There was no way he was seeing this. The doll laughed hysterically – a laugh that was somewhat high, but crazy-sounding. Almost as if the doll was real – as if it was a psychotic man laughing at him. And then the gun clicked and the man barely opened his mouth before two shots were fired into his chest. He slumped down dead on the floor and the rifle fell from his hands.
Chucky sneered at him and then threw the gun at his feet. "I won't be able to run fast with these huge guns. I need a small knife that I can just slip into these…," Chucky glared down at the overalls he was still wearing. "This goddamn body! When I find you, Andy," Chucky swore as he turned around.
He suddenly stopped when he saw something on the counter. It was a newspaper. What caught his eye was the headline: Andy Barclay Innocent. It was in bold and very hard to miss. Chucky picked up the paper and read the article.
"I don't believe it! That son-of-a-bitch got his name cleared! And that means those detectives are definitely onto me. If they think they can stop me, they've got another thing coming!"
Chucky searched around the store until he found the knives. There was a particular one he was drawn too. It was the perfect size for him to hide in the overalls and more importantly it had the same kind of handle as the knife he used to have as a boy. He took down the knife from the shelf and touched the smooth handle. It did remind him of his own knife; the knife that he had stolen from the first man he ever killed at age 15. It was such a beautiful knife that Chucky stole it and carved his own initials in it.
And then his mother – that bitch! She took the knife away from him. She had found it in his room one night and told him that it was much too dangerous to play with. Then she grounded him. Well, he'd had enough of that slutty, stupid, old wench by that time. He knocked her out and while his drunk father was still passed out on the couch he set the place on fire and never looked back.
"This will do the trick. After all, he's still just a boy. And those cops can't protect him for long," Chucky said, laughing as he slipped the knife into his overalls.
XXXXXXXXX
Dan had kept his promise. He had located one of the members of the voodoo group – a man by the name of Shaka. Through some investigating and phone calls, Dan tracked down where this man Shaka lived. So Andy, Dan, Julie and Kyle all got into a black undercover police car with tinted windows, to help hide Andy, and drove off to the location. Unfortunately, the man Shaka lived a couple hours away so it was a long drive. Andy stared out the window thinking about what he would ask the man. He tried not to think about Chucky finding all of them and killing them all while they were there.
Andy was surprised that Chucky hadn't killed Shaka or anyone else who was part of the group. Maybe Shaka knew the answer to that.
"You ok, Andy?" Kyle asked.
Kyle and Andy were in the back seat. Julie, who was in the passenger's seat turned to glance at him.
"I guess," Andy said quietly. "It's just…I'm worried that maybe we'll get there and the man, Shaka I mean, won't know anything and we'll be right back to where we started. And…"
"And?" she asked.
"Well…what if Chucky killed my mother too," Andy said, glancing at her. "He's killed everyone close to me, except for you so far. And my mom also knew about him and she tried to help me. She had to suffer by being locked in an institution for two years when she didn't need to be. I just found out recently while I was with the Jacques, my foster family, that she was released. But Chucky could have found her and killed her, just like he did with the Jacques."
Andy didn't realize there were tears dripping down his face until Kyle hugged him tightly.
"Hey, look at me."
Andy glanced up at her and wiped at his eyes.
"Your mother's strong, just like you are, Andy. She's fine. I'm sure she desperately wants to see you too."
"Then why hasn't she ever tried to find me?"
Kyle looked surprised. "Andy, I'm sure she has tried. For one thing, she lost custody of you so she would need permission from the court to come see you. And even if she's out of the institution and doesn't need permission from the court anymore, I'm sure it's hard to track down where you are. You moved away to the orphanage and then you moved to the Jacques and now you're with Julie and Dan. She may not be able to find you. But you know what? When this is all over with and we beat Chucky once and for all, we can go find your mother."
Andy's hopes rose. "Really?"
"Yes, I promise."
Andy smiled softly and Kyle ruffled his hair.
"We're here," Dan announced.
The car stopped in front of a small yet homey looking house. It was rather isolated and out in the country, but yet not too far from the city. Andy stepped out hoping that this wouldn't be a waste of time. They all approached the door and Dan knocked loudly. After a minute, a woman opened the door. She had on a long dress and her hair was black and very long. She appeared almost Native American to Andy, but he wasn't sure.
"May I help you?" she asked. She spoke with a slight accent.
"Yes, we're looking for Shaka. It's very urgent that we speak with him," Dan said. "We need his help."
The woman nodded and gestured for them to come inside. They walked through the small house. There were fur rugs in front of a small fireplace in the living room. And through the small kitchen, they were led to a patio outside. A man smoking a pipe was seated looking out at the green grass and trees.
"Shaka?"
The man turned and the woman spoke to him in her native tongue. The man turned to them all and nodded.
"Please sit down. What can I do for you?"
Dan approached him as Kyle and Andy sat down in chairs. Julie seated herself on the porch swing.
"Forgive us for intruding. This may sound really odd to you, but this has to do with the Spirit Guides group you were a part of. Do you remember a man named Charles Lee Ray?"
Shaka stared at Dan for a minute inhaling his pipe and he nodded. "I remember that group. And yes, I do recall a man there by the name of Charles. We all were referred to by our Spirit names however. Charles I believe was Flamebearer, and I was Windbearer. It is a part of my ancestry to practice such magic. My ancestors were shamans and used to practice rituals for the good of their villages back in the day. Unfortunately, once I got married and was forced to move when I got a job offer here, I had to quit the group."
"And do you recall Dr. Death?" Dan asked.
"Yes, he was our leader. He knew more about spiritual guidance and rituals than any of us. It seemed that he had a way with magic more than we could ever understand. Why?"
"You must have heard that Dr. Death died," Dan said.
Shaka's face turned grave. "Yes. I paid my respect by going to the funeral."
"He didn't just die though, he was murdered," Julie spoke up. "By Charles Lee Ray, or…Flamebearer," she muttered sarcastically.
Shaka looked confused. "Charles did that? Nobody ever told me that."
"Because there's no proof. Look, long story short, Charles was wanted for murder. He was the Lake-Shore Strangler than you might have heard rumors about," Dan explained. "There was a detective who went after him and shot him, badly wounded him. But Charles, or Chucky rather as he's known now, he used a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul and put it into a doll."
"By Gods," Shaka said. "The ritual actually worked."
"Yes, it worked," Dan said. "And as a doll he told his secret to Andy," he said, glancing at Andy.
Shaka turned and glanced over at him.
"And Chucky found out from Dr. Death that because he revealed his secret to Andy the only way he can get out of the doll's body is to kill Andy by transferring his soul into Andy's body. So he's been after him for several years now. He's killed almost everyone Andy's loved to get to him."
Shaka's expression became sad and Andy looked away briefly. "I'm very sorry, young boy."
Andy glanced back at him and nodded. "Please, you're our only hope. Is there anything that can stop him?"
"Yes, please, because even when the doll's body is destroyed he comes back," Kyle interjected. "Well, mostly because idiots keep putting the doll back together. So if we could just destroy him and hide the remains so that no body can put him back –"
"That's no good," Shaka said, shaking his head. "Once the ritual is complete nothing can kill him like that. He may begin to become more vulnerable and be trapped in the doll's body, but to actually stop him from ever coming back…"
He paused and then he glanced at Andy, before looking at them all. "When Charles did the ritual, he sacrificed his own afterlife for immortality. It's a dangerous and risky ritual. Most of the time it's ineffective because so much can go wrong. If everything is not in order or the chant is not said correctly, the person can die. It's why no one has ever tried any of these more dangerous rituals – not even Dr. Death. He never dared mess with forces beyond his control or comprehension. And we all respected him for that. Well, everyone but Charles."
"So even if the doll's destroyed he still lives?" Kyle asked.
"Yes, even if his body is destroyed because he lives in something that is not alive, he would be able to find a way back. Because he has gained immortality eventually the doll pieces would come back together due to the voodoo magic that is inside the doll now and has his soul connected with it. So long as his soul lives, he will always come back," Shaka explained.
"It can't be…there has to be a way to stop him," Julie said, glancing at Dan.
They all glanced at Andy and he looked down at his hands. Shaka set his pipe down on the table and stood up.
"There is still hope," he said, as Andy raised his head in surprise. "There is a way to stop him, but it's dangerous."
"We don't have a choice so please tell us," Dan said. "He's after all of us and he won't stop until we're all dead and then he'll keep killing. And we're the only ones who knows about the voodoo ritual and the fact that he's hiding in a doll's body. He'll never be stopped unless we stop him."
Shaka nodded. "Very well. Wait here a moment. I must retrieve something from the attic."
He left the room and Andy looked at Kyle. "Whatever it is, I hope it works."
She nodded. "Me too."
"Would anyone like some tea and cookies?" the woman asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway.
Andy nodded. "Thank you."
"Of course," she said smiling. "My name is Nataka. Please make yourselves at home."
She set the tea tray in front of them on the table and Andy took a cookie. Kyle and Julie poured themselves a cup of tea with sugar but Dan didn't touch anything. He was still standing and didn't sit until Julie pulled him down next to her. After a few minutes of silence, Shaka appeared holding a battered book. It was dusty and rather old looking. Shaka sat back down and held the book up.
"This is the book that we all used in the group. It was Dr. Death's, but after his death there were so many of his possessions that his family didn't know what to do with. Since I went to the funeral, I noticed this among the boxes of his things and I asked if I could keep this. I knew that it held valuable and even dangerous incantations. Some of these are rather harmless. And most of them are rituals of prayer and guidance. But there are two rituals in here that are one of the more dangerous ones – the ritual that Charles used to get inside the doll," he said, "and a ritual to undo that one."
Andy's heart almost stopped in his chest. "Wait, there's a ritual to undo the incantation he performed to get into the doll?"
"Yes, but like I said, it's almost as dangerous as the ritual Charles used. You have to say it correctly and you have to perform all aspects of it correctly and in the right order. Like I said before, none of us have ever dared to try these dangerous rituals. Only Charles has ever tried and succeeded. And he was the most skeptical of us all."
Slowly, Shaka handed the book out toward Andy, who stared at him with surprise. He reached out for it and gripped it tightly. Shaka stared at him intently and didn't let go of the book right away.
"Since you are the one connected to Charles – the very first and only person Charles himself revealed his secret to, you must be the one to do the ritual. I will help you on the pronunciation of some of these words, but I cannot show you step by step how to chant it and do the ritual. But I will tell you everything you need to do. And you must listen carefully, because if you do it incorrectly you could kill yourself."
Andy swallowed but then nodded slowly. Shaka released the book finally and sighed. "We should go over it now. I have the impression you don't have a lot of time. Lets go outside and I will explain the ritual in detail. I've also marked the place where the ritual is in that book," he said, pointing.
Andy saw a small clip attached to one of the pages in the book. He opened to it and saw the words Ritual of the Lost Soul. The rest of the words were in a different language of some sort. This would definitely be more difficult than he thought, but he had no choice. This wasn't just for his own survival, but for the people he cared about the countless lives that Chucky took, and ones he would take if he wasn't stopped.
They all walked out by the trees. It was getting darker and the sun was beginning to set. For a second, Andy felt at peace out there in the grass near the trees, just feeling the soft breeze blowing his short light brown hair. He had never before had a moment to just enjoy life because he was constantly living in fear; constantly living the nightmare that plagued him. Sometimes he would think: if only I hadn't gotten that good guy doll; if only I hadn't wanted it so badly this never would have happened. It's all my fault.
Now that he was older he understood it wasn't his fault. It was Chucky's. He messed with something he shouldn't have. Andy didn't wish the hell he went through with Chucky on anybody. It was up to him to stop it so no one would ever have to live his nightmare, and so he could finally be free of it.
"The first and most important thing to remember is that you will need something personal of Charles. This personal item must be attached to him at the time of chanting," Shaka emphasized. "Not only that, but you need Charles' blood as well to break his bond from the ritual. The blood that he bleeds is the blood of his soul that is bound to this ritual and in order for it to be broken his blood is needed. You don't need a lot, but you need something. Once his blood is on this personal item you must immediately start the chant. I will help you with these words so you get the pronunciation correct."
Dan and Julie both stared down at Andy. They knew this was going to be difficult. Shaka went over all the words carefully with Andy and made sure he sounded them out correctly. By the time they were done the sun was low in the horizon and it would be dark soon. Thankfully the ritual was short, but it had to be chanted three times in order to ensure that it worked.
"How are we going to get a personal items of Chucky's? I read on the file that his parents' house had been set on fire and both of his parents burned in it," Julie said.
"That's true, but I believe the house is still standing. As far as I know, it was never torn down. And it didn't burn to the ground, but it is severely damaged," Shaka said. "That happened right before Charles came to us. When he told us the story he made it seem like he was a victim, and so out of pity and sympathy we embraced him because he had no where to go. And then one day he just disappeared and we never heard from him again. You may still find something in that old burned up house of his. I still have the address, let me go get it."
Shaka turned and left them alone. Dan had his arms crossed over his chest. "I hope this works. And unfortunately we've only got one shot. Andy, are you sure you want to do this? If anything goes wrong and something happens to you…"
Andy nodded. "I'll be fine. We have to stop him. Even if something happens to me, Chucky's going to kill me anyway. And I'd rather die trying to destroy him than let him kill me. Dying is better than him taking over my body also. I'm not even sure what would happen to my own soul if he pushed it out and took over," he said shivering. "It's better this way. I'm glad he lost his chance at trying to take over me."
Kyle hugged him tightly. "It's ok. We'll all be there with you to make sure we do this right. We just need to keep Chucky distracted while Andy does the ritual."
"Well first we have to find a personal item," Dan said. "Then we have to worry about finding Chucky."
"I don't think that part will be hard. I'm sure he's looking for Andy as we speak," Julie said, glancing down at him.
Andy nodded. "Yeah. I don't know if Chucky would try attacking at a police station when there are a lot more people to deal with. I was thinking that…Chucky probably heard about the hearing and maybe even read Shalice's article. If that's true, if he knows my name is clear then he'll probably think I'll be sent back to the orphanage, since I have no foster family anymore."
"That's true," Julie said. "Perhaps there's a way to trick him! Set up a trap."
"How?" Dan asked.
"Well, if Chucky knows about Andy getting his name cleared, and also knows that Kyle testified and knows she's back in town, he might actually expect that Kyle would now take care of Andy," Julie said.
"Of course!" Kyle intervened. "If I pretend to adopt Andy, then Chucky would come looking for us wherever we told Mrs. Malkum we'd be. I could give her a fake address, someplace where we can fight him without any innocent people getting involved."
"Actually, I hate to bring this up, Andy, especially considering what happened," Julie said, glancing at him. "But it might actually be a good idea to lure Chucky to the Jacques' house. After all, it's still been sealed off, and you are in their will to inherit their estate so I'm sure Chucky would realize you and Kyle would go there."
Andy's face paled and he looked down. Dan slowly bent down to him.
"Hey, don't worry. The…I mean your foster family isn't there. The place has been cleaned up."
Andy appreciated that Dan didn't use the words "the dead bodies are all cleaned up". Slowly, he nodded.
"You're right. Chucky would look for us there. And if we tell Mrs. Malkum that since I inherited the place we're going there, she would believe it and so would Chucky."
"Excellent, so we have a plan. Now we just need a personal item," Julie said. "We're going to do this, Andy. I know we can."
Silently, Andy was dreading this. He knew this moment would come, and he was just hoping the Jacques' estate wouldn't turn into another bloodbath. He prayed that they would all come through all right and that Chucky would be defeated for good.
Shaka came back with the address and they took off right away. Chucky's old home was unfortunately in a different state. He was from Illinois, somewhere in the country region. And it was in Chicago, Illinois where Detective Mike Norris had shot Chucky and almost defeated him. Dan was able to book a flight immediately for that night and they rushed to the airport to catch it. He left the car there in the overnight parking lot. Dan bought them food and drinks while in the airport before boarding the plane.
On the plane, Andy was so exhausted that he fell asleep and didn't wake up until Kyle shook him. They got off the plane in the middle of the night and took a cab to a hotel to stay in. It was only a two bedroom so Julie and Kyle shared a bed, and Dan and Andy shared a bed. They woke up early the next morning and took the directions to Chucky's old house. Dan rented a car and due to being a detective got a rental instantly and at a reduced price. He stopped by a gas station to fill it up and then at a McDonalds for their breakfast. They ate in the car while driving to Chucky's.
Chucky's house was located off of Crystal Lake, Illinois. It was a small house, somewhat isolated by itself near the water. As they pulled up, they noticed it was in terrible condition. It was technically still standing, but the whole outside was burnt and windows were shattered, pieces of the house were falling off. Andy was surprised no body had torn it down to rebuild something new.
"Ok, now everyone be careful. This place could probably fall to pieces at any moment," Dan said.
"Yeah," Kyle said, gripping Andy's hand. "Let's be careful."
They slowly approached the house and Andy started getting goosebumps just thinking about Chucky. Dan was the first one to enter and all he did was push on the door a little and slip inside. Julie followed and then Kyle and Andy. The place was definitely in bad condition. There was ash on the floor as well as burn marks all over the place. They could barely make out what used to be a couch. Most of the furniture had been destroyed, but there were pieces of a chair and table lying in the middle of the room. There didn't appear to be any picture frames anywhere. Andy noticed there was a flight of charred stairs.
"Chucky's room was probably up there," he said, pointing.
"Ok, well let me go first," Dan said.
As he stepped on the bottom step they heard a loud creak. Dan's foot wavered and he quickly took it off. He skipped the bottom step and tried the second step, which thankfully held his weight. They all followed in turn and Kyle made sure not to let Andy's hand go. The stairs creaked beneath them, but didn't give. The upstairs wasn't as bad as the downstairs, which meant the fire probably started down stairs. There were only two bedrooms upstairs and one small bathroom. Dan decided to look in the bathroom and Julie went into one bedroom.
Kyle and Andy went into the other bedroom. Some things had been torched, but the firefighters had probably gotten there before the upstairs was burnt to a crisp. The bed was still standing. And while the sheets were burnt somewhat they could tell they had been blue. There didn't appear to be a lot of belongings in the room, beside the bed and some random items in the closet. Kyle went to the closet but Andy decided to check out the small bureau beside the bed. He opened it and found it empty. Andy frowned but then he looked at the bed. Sometimes when he didn't want his mom to find his snacks that he would eat in bed after dinner, junk food of course, he would hide them under the bed.
Andy lifted the sheets and slowly tried to lift up part of the mattress. He peered underneath, but couldn't see all the way under since he couldn't lift it up all the way. He put it down and went to the other side of the mattress and did the same thing. Andy held it up with his shoulder and reached his arm as far under as he could go. He moved his hand around and suddenly hit something hard. He winced and pulled back his hand. There was a small cut on his finger and it was bleeding very minimally.
"Hey Kyle there's something under here, can you help me."
Kyle walked over to him and held the mattress up for him. Andy then saw something metal and reached for it. He pulled out a small knife. The handle was perfectly in tact – no burn marks. It was a dark brown color and the blade was smooth and clean. What got Andy's attention the most were the initials carved into the handle probably with another knife or sharp object: C.L.R.
"This is it! These are his initials!" Andy exclaimed.
"Alright Andy! You did it!" Kyle said, bending down to examine it. "That's a nice knife too. I wonder why he'd just leave it here."
"Maybe he forgot about it," Andy said, shrugging.
"Dan! Julie! We found it!" Kyle shouted.
The two detectives came into the room and saw the knife.
"It has Chucky's initials on it. He definitely used it so it's got to be a personal item."
"If he carved his initials in it it's definitely a personal item. Good work Andy!" Dan exclaimed, patting him on the back. "Lets get out of this place."
All of them carefully went back down the stairs. Dan went first and he helped Andy down so he wouldn't touch the bottom step. Then he helped Julie and Kyle. They all got into the rental car and drove to the airport. On the way, Dan called in a favor and got them a ticket back to Connecticut where the orphanage was and where Chucky was currently, somewhere. When they got to the airport, they rushed to their gate. Andy was so nervous he couldn't rest on the plane. When they landed, they hurried to get to the overnight parking lot to pick up Dan's car. They all jumped in and drove off toward the orphanage.
The orphanage wasn't too far away – it was only about 20 minutes from the police station. When they arrived it was approaching late afternoon. As planned, Kyle and Andy walked up holding hands alongside Dan and Julie. The door was opened by another assistant and she directed them to Mrs. Malkum's office. Mrs. Malkum looked up at them and instantly recognized Andy.
"Andy! My gosh, are you alright? I heard about the hearing! I'm so glad your name was cleared, but I didn't realize you were a victim of so many mur…." She stopped speaking, realizing she was on a touchy subject. "Nevermind, I'm glad to see you're alright. What's going on?"
"Mrs. Malkum, I'm detective Dan Traver and this is detective Julie Larkspar. We were assisting with the Jacques' murder case."
Mrs. Malkum inhaled deeply and clutched her chest. "Yes, I'm still not over that. Have you found the culprit?"
"We're in hot pursuit, ma'am. We needed Andy because he was a witness and we've been protecting him. This is Kyle – an older foster sister of his. They were together at their last foster family. I believe it is in Andy's best interest to be under Kyle's care until we locate his mother and sort out the custody. Until that time, we wanted you to be aware that Andy is going to be adopted by Kyle, as in she will be his guardian for the time being. Since Andy has inherited the Jacques' estate, we will be taking them back there. We will of course send you the paperwork when we get a chance," Dan added.
Mrs. Malkum nodded her head slowly. "Yes, of course, I understand. I have the Jacques' address here so I'll know Andy is in case his mother tries to contact him here."
"That would be greatly appreciated," Dan said, nodding.
They said goodbye and they drove away toward the Jacques' estate. Andy's heart was pounding so loud in his ears that he barely heard Kyle speaking to him.
"It'll be ok, Andy; it's almost over."
Andy inhaled a shaky breath. "I just hope Chucky doesn't kill us all."
"Don't worry, we have a solid plan and we'll go over it while we're there. Remember, we've got to lure him to the garage so that he'll be trapped there and won't be able to escape," Dan said.
"Yes, and we've got guns. You said he's more vulnerable now that he's trapped in the doll's body so the guns should have more of an effect," Julie said.
Kyle nodded. "Yes, and I'll be there to protect you. So don't worry. Just concentrate on doing the ritual."
"What about needing his blood?" Julie asked.
"I've got an idea," Kyle said. She explained her idea and they all agreed it was their best bet.
XXXXXXXX
Without warning, the lights went out. Mrs. Malkum glanced up from her desk in shock. Cursing, she grabbed an emergency candle out of her desk drawer and lit it. A knock came to the door and Mrs. Malkum hesitated before approaching the door. It was getting late, already past 8 o'clock.
She opened the door and yelled in surprise when something smacked her in the face, knocking her backward. The candle fell but thankfully just burnt out. It left her in total darkness. She scrambled to get up and picked up the tree branch that had been swung at her.
"Who's there? I'll call the police!"
Suddenly, she was tripped and she felt something climb up on her. She tried to scream but something resembling a hand came over her mouth. Then she felt something at her throat and knew it was a weapon.
"I don't have time for games. I need to know where Andy Barclay is. If you don't tell me I'll kill you and find out anyway."
"N-n-no please don't. I-i- h-he was adopted by a girl named Kyle who left with him only hours ago," she stammered.
"Kyle did? Hmm, interesting. Where did they go?"
"T-they went to the J-Jacques' estate, Andy's –"
"Yes, I know who they are and where their house is," the cold voice said.
"P-please don't hurt me. I won't call the police."
She heard a high-pitched laugh and something struck her in the head. She fell back unconscious and Chucky stared down at her.
"Just to make sure of that," he said. "You're lucky I don't have time to kill you right now. I need to save that for Andy."
Chucky left Mrs. Malkum lying there and went back out the front door, closing it behind him. The Jacques' estate wasn't too far, maybe a couple of miles. He had no choice but to run on foot. He ran as fast as he could, feeling the weight of the knife in the overalls. He passed by the park where he had a run-in with Andy and slashed his back. Laughing coldly, Chucky remembered how wonderful it felt to pay back that fucking brat for making things difficult.
Andy was going to pay dearly…Chucky would make sure he watched all of his close friends die first. Then when Andy was finally alone, he was going to make the boy scream and cry for mercy before he finally ended his pathetic life. Just thinking about seeing Andy screaming and his blood pouring out heightened his adrenaline, or what he thought was still his adrenaline. That feeling of excitement returned and Chucky sneered maliciously as he saw the Jacques' estate not too far ahead of him. The house wasn't completely dark; there was one light on in the living room. Chucky peered in through the window and saw Kyle – that blonde-haired bitch – sitting on the couch reading. That meant Andy was probably upstairs in his nice cozy bed, sleeping so innocently. This would be a piece of cake.
Chuck climbed up the side of the house where there was a vine and slowly made his way to one of the top story windows. He opened it and climbed inside. It was dark and the room looked to be a playroom. Coming out of the room, he crept down the hall and saw one door that was partly open. He slipped inside and saw a bed in the far corner. As he approached, there definitely seemed to be a lump beneath the covers. Chucky felt a thrill of excitement as he climbed up on the bed and pulled out the knife. He was about the stab the lump, but decided he wanted to see Andy's scared face right before he killed him. So he reached toward the lamp and quickly turned it on then ripped the covers off.
"Hello spo—" Chucky was cut off as he stared at two large pillows instead of Andy.
"That fucking brat!" Chucky said as his unnaturally plastic blue eyes narrowed with fury. "He was expecting me. That stupid, fucking, son-of-a-bitch!"
As Chucky snarled the words his hand flew back and accidentally hit the lamp. It fell over and the plug was ripped from the outlet seconds before it crashed to the floor.
"Well, fuck," Chucky said.
XXXXXXXX
The crash that sounded upstairs made Kyle jump to her feet. Chucky had found them. She couldn't believe it; she didn't want to believe it, but it was happening. This was it. The moment they had been waiting for. She couldn't let Andy down now. She picked up the baseball bat to use as her weapon, praying that Chuck didn't have a gun or something with him. She waited for him to come down those steps. She knew the plan and she knew she was bait.
There were footsteps scurrying upstairs. Kyle's heart pounded as she heard them on the steps. She was far enough away that Chucky couldn't attack her from the stairs. Suddenly, that face that had haunted her nightmares on occasion showed its plastic face. Chucky caught sight of her and sneered maliciously – a look that seemed even more terrifying on a doll's face.
"Well, well, the bitch is back," Chucky said. "Where's the kid?"
"Like hell I would tell you! He's not even here!"
"Bullshit! That's not what Mrs. Malkum said," Chucky said, dropping down off the stairs.
Kyle's eyes widened. "You didn't…"
"Kill her? No, I didn't have time. But she told me you took the little brat here. And if I have to kill you to get to him," Chucky said slowly as his eyes narrowed, "I will."
"Andy run!" Kyle screamed.
Chucky's head snapped in the other direction long enough for Kyle to take off in the opposite direction.
"Fuck! You bitch!" Chucky snapped.
Kyle ran toward the garage as planned. She knew Chucky wasn't far behind her. For a doll, he could run extremely fast and he was strong too – just like a man, only not in a man's body. She ran and hurled herself at the garage door. She slammed it closed behind her and locked it, backing up with her baseball bat. She had to keep him distracted. Chucky banged on the door over and over again. Then the sound stopped. Suddenly, the doorknob was rattling. Chucky was trying to pick the lock!
Kyle ran to the far end of the garage and ducked down. The door flung open and Kyle hid herself, but peered out through a crack in the box she was hiding behind. She hoped this plan worked. If not, they were all dead! Chucky entered and looked around. The garage door was closed so Chucky knew they hadn't escaped.
"I don't have time for hide and seek, bitch. Where's Andy?"
Chucky glanced at the car and Kyle's heart almost fell out of her chest. Chucky kept his knife firmly in hand as he rushed toward the car.
"Hey!" Kyle shouted, jumping out from behind the box.
Chucky wheeled around toward her and sneered. "I should've killed you a long time ago, back when you helped Andy the first time."
"Do you really think I'd lead you to him?" Kyle spat out, keeping her bat ready.
Chucky's eyes glanced toward the car again and his mouth widened even further. He had probably realized that she jumped out as he was approaching the car. Chucky lunged up onto the car.
"NO!" Kyle screamed.
Chucky's face appeared in the back window and Andy's eyes widened with fear as he saw Chucky for the first time in a while. Chucky's eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a wider smile.
"There you are sport."
Chucky took the knife and smashed it toward the window. Andy let out a scream and threw himself up front. As Chucky smashed the entire window, Andy jumped out of the car and ran to the other side of the room. He was close to the door but knew Chucky would attack Kyle the moment he tried to escape. And this was no time for escaping. He had to finish this.
"Andy!" Kyle screamed, inching away from the car. "Andy, come on, run to me!"
Andy backed away up against a box and stared at the car. Chucky was hiding behind it somewhere and would jump out any second. Suddenly, a trash can came pelting over the car at Kyle. She screamed and dodged it, but the second she was distracted Chucky came sprinting toward Andy.
"KYLE!" Andy screamed, stumbling backward.
"Come here sport! You've got a date with death!" Chucky screamed, laughing hysterically.
"Hey you big piece of plastic shit!" Kyle screamed. She clicked the gun in her hand and Chucky, only a foot away from Andy stopped and turned at the sound.
Andy was backed into a corner and he secretly gripped the handle of Chucky's knife hidden in his pocket. Chucky laughed hysterically and turned his attention on Kyle.
"You think that gun is going to do anything to me," he said coldly. "If I have to take care of you first, I will, but you're not ruining my chances of killing Andy this time bitch."
"Why don't you come and get me then," she said aiming the gun at him.
Andy pulled out the knife as Chucky was distracted. He began inching close to Chucky as Kyle distracted him.
Chucky turned toward Andy, but Kyle shot him in the leg. Chucky screamed furiously and stumbled down.
"You bitch! You fucking bitch!"
As Chucky struggled back up to his feet Andy lunged from behind him and stabbed the knife straight through the middle of his back. Blood poured out as Chucky screamed and wheeled his arm around. Andy cried out in pain as Chucky's knife sliced across his cheek, making a painful but not deep cut. Andy struggled to his feet and backed away.
"You fucking brat!" Chucky screamed out in anger.
Kyle fired again at him and hit his leg again, making Chucky falter so he couldn't lunge at Andy. Pulling the ritual book out of his pocket, Andy flipped to the page.
"Laver merci au dupuan shione," Andy shouted as Chucky stared up at him in astonishment. "Give me the power I beg of you!"
"What the fuck are you doing?" Chucky snapped. "You really think you can use the same spell I used to get inside this body!" he laughed coldly. "You stupid brat!"
"Yaone eh puah de morte, traaen vertae eh shione!" Andy shouted.
Thunder crackled from somewhere outside and Andy knew the ritual had begun. Chucky's eyes narrowed when he realized it was not the same ritual he had used.
"What the fuck are you messing with you fucking brat? You think you can use voodoo magic on me?"
Kyle fired more shots at Chucky and he rolled out of the way. He still wasn't that far from where Andy was so he had to chant quickly.
"Laver et viday de morte, dupah le vide eh soule," Andy continued to shout as practiced.
Andy was breathing heavily and trying to calm his racing heart. The first step of the plan was done and now it was up to him to complete the ritual. There were two more lines to say to complete the ritual and then he had to say it two more times.
"Soule de morte eh laseh el gravea," Andy shouted, as his heart pounded even faster.
"Keep going Andy, I'll hold him off!" Kyle shouted.
Chucky vanished behind the car again and Kyle kept the gun steady, waiting for him. Unexpectedly, Chucky threw something else at her and as she dodged it she lowered the gun and Chucky lunged at her from atop the car. Kyle screamed as the gun was thrown from her hands and she fell backward. She managed to grab the bat in time to block Chucky's attack. He tried to stab her with the knife but she had blocked it with the bat. Chucky pulled the knife out of the bat and Kyle rolled over out of his way before he sliced her arm.
"Shione merci ah truone la chea," Andy shouted, breathing deeply.
Chucky lunged at Kyle knocking the bat from her hands. Kyle's eyes widened.
"Die bitch!"
"Traey el soule de morte eh fin."
Chucky screamed in pain as he was inches away from stabbing Kyle in the chest.
"What the fuck are you doing to me?" Chucky screamed in fury. "Goddamn it that fucking hurts!"
Kyle attempted to stand up but Chucky grabbed the bat and swung it at her. Kyle covered her face but it threw her off her feet.
"KYLE!" Andy screamed.
Chucky's furious eyes landed on Andy and he could see the murderous intent behind them. Andy's eyes widened but before Chucky could run at him more shots fired at him. Chucky screamed as he fell down from the gunshots. Both Dan and Julie came from their hiding spot behind the boxes. Chucky glared up at them.
"You son-of-a-bitch I'll kill you all!"
"You can do it, Andy! We'll hold him off!" Julie exclaimed.
"Yaone eh puah de morte, traaen vertae eh shione," Andy began again. "Laver et viday de morte, dupah le vide eh soule."
Chucky suddenly rolled out of the way and vanished behind some boxes. Both Dan and Julie approached the boxes to corner him and Dan was suddenly hit in the chest with a shovel. Dan flew backward and landed on the ground, groaning in pain and unable to get up. Julie fired shots from the direction it came from.
Andy fought the urge to go help them and continued chanting. "Soule de morte eh laseh el gravea, shione merci ah truone la chea!"
Andy inhaled to repeat the final line the second time and suddenly something struck him from behind. Andy screamed and stumbled over, thankfully not hitting his head on the ground as he rolled. Chucky had thrown a trashcan at his back which had knocked him down. Chucky jumped from behind the boxes.
The ritual book had been thrown from his hands and Andy scrambled to pick it back up. "Traey el soule de morte eh fin!" Andy shouted, his voice becoming scratchy.
Chucky screamed out in pain half way from reaching him. Andy's eyes widened as he saw something glowing from Chucky's back. It had to have been the knife. Chucky glanced down at his hands and his plastic blue eyes widened. Andy realized what he was so shocked about. His plastic hands were beginning to disintegrate – almost as if he was being slowly burned from the inside out. Chucky's whole face contorted into fury and he screamed with such anger and ferocity that Andy backed up.
"ANDY!" Julie shouted, jumping over Dan to try to get to him. Chucky picked up a wrench that had spilt from one of the boxes tumbling over.
"Julie, look out!" Andy screamed.
The wrench pelted toward her and Julie dived out of the way, tumbling into some boxes. Chucky stalked toward him, his hands burning before him. Andy almost lost his concentration. He thankfully caught himself before he stuttered the first part of the ritual.
"Yaone eh puah de morte –"
"No you don't you fucking brat!"
Chucky hurled his knife at Andy who tried to dodge it but it went straight through his shoulder.
Andy screamed in pain but forced out the words: "traaen…vertae eh shione!"
Chucky screamed in pain as his legs began to disintegrate, but he still kept on approaching.
Andy's shoulder was throbbing and he could feel his blood soaking his shirt.
"Laver et…viday de morte…," Andy struggled to get out, making sure to pronounce each word carefully. He couldn't do the ritual too fast for fear that he would mispronounce something and ruin their chances of ever defeating Chucky.
"I'm going to kill you, Andy," Chucky said in a raspy voice. "I'm going to make you scream in pain as all your blood pours out!"
Andy struggled to scoot backward until his back hit the car. He was trembling he was so terrified.
"Dupah le vide…eh soule!"
Chucky screamed again in pain and Andy watched in horror as his whole body began to glow. One of Chucky's eyes began to deteriorate and his one good eye stared at Andy with hunger. Chucky lunged toward him and pushed the knife further into his shoulder. Andy screamed in pain and felt his whole body shake as Chucky's disintegrating face came up to his.
"If I'm going…you're coming with me!"
Andy felt his eyes well up with tears as the pain and fear grew. Chucky ripped the knife out of Andy's shoulder and he screamed with pain again. Andy had but a second to stare in horror as Chucky raised the knife over him and came down. A shot was fired right in Chucky's arm and he yelled in pain and dropped the knife inches before it reached Andy's face.
"Soule de morte…eh laseh…el gravea," Andy fought to get out as tears of pain streamed down his face. He was holding the book shakily in his good arm, but the pain was so intense now that he could barely focus.
Chucky's face, legs and arms were deteriorating and he glanced down at the knife, but Andy kicked the knife under the car. Another shot was fired and Chucky screamed as it went through his deteriorating leg which crumbled beneath him.
Andy was breathing shallowly and his face had perspiration on it both from exertion of the ritual, and from the intense pain of his wound. He swallowed and even though his body was trembling, he fought to keep his voice steady.
"Shione…," Andy hesitated and swallowed. "Merci…ah truone la…chea," he said. His voice was becoming softer as the pain and exhaustion were getting to him. He was still managing to hold the book. He glanced down at the last line that he had to say. Just one more line and it was all over.
The book was suddenly kicked from his hands and flew across the garage. Andy's eyes widened as Chucky lunged at him and grabbed him by the throat, cutting off his air supply. Most of Chucky's face had been eaten away except half of one eyeball and part of his mouth. His hands were all charred and they burned Andy's skin as they wrapped around his throat. Andy's scream was cut off as Chucky choked him.
"You…fucking….brat…I will…make sure….you die!"
With that Chucky shook Andy's head and banged it against the car. The room suddenly became dizzy and all the air was out of his lungs. His lungs were burning so bad and he fought to breathe.
"Finally….finally…you will…die," Chucky said, letting loose a raspy maniacal laugh.
"Get the fuck away from him!"
Kyle fired a shot a Chucky right in his arms. Chucky screamed in pain and Andy gasped and coughed for air as his throat was released. Andy gasped for air and stared over at Kyle who had blood on her shirt and a cut on her head that was bleeding, but she stood strong nonetheless. Kyle's eyes widened when she saw the book a distance away. She hurriedly crawled to it. Chucky's gaze landed on Andy as he struggled to get move his disintegrating legs toward him. He reached out his arms. Kyle struggled to get under the car in order to retrieve the book.
"It's over, Andy." Chucky approached him, eyes glowing brightly, hands outstretched toward Andy's throat ready to break it.
Andy swallowed and took in one last breath. "Traey," he said firmly as Chucky's one eye widened in shock, "el soule de morte," he said as Chucky screamed in fury.
"NOOOOOO!" Chucky screamed. "AHHHH GOD! IT HURTS! YOU FUCKING-"
Chucky threw himself toward him. Andy opened his mouth just as Chucky lunged at his throat: "eh fin!"
Chucky's scream echoed throughout the garage. Andy sat back with wide eyes, watching as Chucky's body began to disintegrate completely. In less than a minute, Chucky's entire body stopped glowing and suddenly burst into a pile of ash. Very slowly the ash vanished into the air leaving only Chucky's bloodied knife on the ground. Andy collapsed back against the car in shock and exhaustion. Kyle came rushing over to him and helped him up. She ran to get some damp clothes to control the bleeding in his arm. Andy was so exhausted he blacked out.
It wasn't until sometime later that he woke up in the hospital. He had to get fifteen stitches and Kyle had to get five on her head. Dan had a broken rib and would take time to heal. Julie was alright except for some scrapes and bruises. Although they were beaten up, they had all survived.
XXXXXXXX
Three days later…
Andy got out of the car with Kyle and stared at the Jacques' estate. Although he had inherited this home, he didn't think he could live in it without a family. Kyle couldn't really adopt him. She didn't have the money or the time while in college to look after him. She had taken time off school to help testify for him and gotten excused from classes, but she had to go back soon because her new semester would start in just a few days. And Andy…where would he go? Would he have to go back to the orphanage? He didn't want to go back there after everything.
"Kyle, why are we here?" Andy asked, after they got out.
She smiled at him. "You'll see. Now come on."
Andy noticed that there was another car there.
"Who's here?" Andy asked.
Kyle grabbed his hand and led him toward the door. "Remember I told you I talked to Dan and Julie recently. And they said they had a surprise for you."
Andy smiled at the mention of the two detectives who had helped him defeat Chucky. It had been sad to say goodbye to them, but they told him they'd keep in touch to make sure he was doing alright.
"Yeah, you did say that," Andy said, as they walked through the front door. "But what kind of surp-"
Andy's words froze in his mouth as the figure in front of him turned. Karen Barclay stood before him and covered her mouth when she saw him. Tears welled up in her eyes and soon began streaming down her face.
"Andy! Oh, Andy!"
"Mom!" Andy shouted as he raced toward her.
His mom embraced him tightly and Andy began to cry. He didn't ever think his nightmare would be over; and he never dreamed he'd ever see his mom again.
"Oh, Andy, honey, I'm so proud of you," Karen said, pushing his bangs back from his face. "I heard you were so brave and you finally defeated that demonic doll," she said angrily.
Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, let's never talk about that again. I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, mom! I never though I'd see you again! And I thought the courts wouldn't let you be with me!" Andy said, wiping at his eyes.
"Everything's cleared up now, honey," she said, wiping at his eyes. "After your hearing, the courts overruled my sentence and my guardianship of you has been restored. I wouldn't have known where you were though if I hadn't gotten a call from two very nice detectives."
Andy smiled and hugged his mom tightly. "I can't believe this is really happening!"
Kyle smiled and approached them. "Well, it is. And there's one more surprise."
Andy looked up at her. "Really? What?" he asked in excitement.
Karen smiled at Kyle. "Well, you and I are going to be living here together in this lovely home that the Jacques' left for you. You can start up school again and we can be a family again."
"Really?" Andy shouted.
"Yes, really! The paperwork's all been done and everything!" Karen said, laughing as Andy jumped into her embrace.
"Not only that, but I plan on visiting you during my holidays and breaks, so you better have time for me," Kyle said, winking.
"I will, I will!" Andy exclaimed as he ran toward Kyle.
She laughed as he ran into her arms. Hugging him tightly, she bent down and kissed his forehead.
"I told you everything would work out ok. Now, I have to go catch my flight soon to go back to school, but promise me we can talk every weekend until I have another break."
"Yes, definitely!" Andy exclaimed, hugging her again.
"I'll miss you, Andy. But I'm just a phone call away."
Kyle kissed his cheek and gave Karen a hug before she went on her way. Andy was left with his mom and the two of them walked into the kitchen together. Karen made them hot chocolate, which they took to the patio to sit outside in the nice, warm sun.
"So, Andy, I want to hear everything I missed. Only the good stuff of course," she said, smiling.
"I will, but…were you ok there in that place?" Andy asked hesitantly.
Karen tilted her head and reached out a hand to place on his cheek. "Don't worry about me, Andy. Two years in that institution was nothing. What kept me going was thinking about you. And they didn't treat me horribly. You had a way worse time than I did, sweetie, but I knew you were strong. Even when you were little you were so strong," she said, smiling. "I was scared for you. I wanted to be there to protect you, but I couldn't. But you know what," she said, wrapping an arm around him. "It turned out alright. You had people looking after you and I'm so grateful for that."
Andy smiled and leaned his head on her shoulder. "I'm grateful for that too."
They sat there in the beautiful spring evening together, relishing in the fact that the nightmare was over. They had both survived it and had been reunited. Most importantly, Chucky was finally gone now, forever.
THE END
Story Note: For the Ritual of the Lost Soul, I just made up those words, by the way. They're complete gibberish. :-)
Author's Note: Wow, it's been forever-and-a-half! I want to thank all of you for being so patient with me! School and work have consumed my life so I had to put this story on hiatus. But I never leave stories unfinished – not ones I intend to finish anyway. So here is the last chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it!
To Reviewers:
MarcFirewing: Thanks a lot! I'm sorry it took so long to finish! You've never seen a Child's Play movie? You should watch it! It is very creepy, lol! Actually, they're remaking the first movie with all new special effects with the same guy who played Chucky's voice in the original movies. I think it either comes out sometime in 2011 or 2012, I'm not sure. But you should see it when it comes out!
SlothKeeper: I know! And I promised I wasn't giving up on it! It just took way longer than expected to update it! I'm so sorry! Well, at least it's finished now, lol! Thank you so much for that! I'm so glad you think it's better than the 3rd movie! Yeah, I was really disappointed in the third movie. But hopefully the remake of the first movie will be really good when it comes out! :-)
Sheetamoon: Awww, thanks so much! Yeah, I was really disappointed in all of the Child's Play movies after the first and second. That's why I just had to write this story, lol! Yeah I definitely wouldn't include any of those weird movies like Seed of Chucky. But hopefully the remake of the first movie will be really good once it comes out! It was my favorite one! :-)