The image flickers, and Gary is before me again.
I let loose a harsh breath, shaking my hands out to calm the sharp nerves spearing through my body. I breathe in deeply, in through my nose and out through my mouth to calm the anxiety.
Breathe, Sibby. Daddy is dead. He’s not here anymore.
This is why I’m here. This is my purpose. To protect my garden of flowers from wilting because of people like Gary and Daddy.
Gary pulls a gray beanie out of his hoodie pocket and pulls it over his head down low until his hair curls around the edges. His eyes travel across the foyer, noting the battery-operated woman giving birth to a demon on the couch—fake blood spurting from her orifices.
When he starts walking through the living room, the doll with the kitchen knife pops out from around the corner, cocking her head at Gary eerily and walking towards him.
“Stay the fuck back, you creepy bitch,” Gary spits, venom in his voice. The girl stills, and for just a second, she breaks character as shock and fury flash across her eyes.
It’s not very often we get aggressive guests. Afterall, the whole point of them being here is for them to chase after you and scare you.
The doll recovers quickly, a sinister smile building on her face as she continues her perusal. She has a job to do, and she’s going to fucking do it. Don’t enter the den of wolves and ask not to be bitten.
Gary scoffs. “Tell me which room Jennifer is in,” he demands sharply. The doll ignores him, distracting him while another monster creeps up from behind him. A large man, nearly almost as big as Cronus, stands behind Gary.
Feeling the presence breathing down his neck, Gary turns and comes face-to-face with a monster that looks like a demonic man. Most of the skin is missing from his face, showing just the muscle beneath. The man is holding a chainsaw, and the second Gary lays eyes on him, the man revs the chainsaw, laughing manically as he does. Gary yells, his eyes dilating further, and he takes off up the stairs.
The opposite way he’s supposed to go, but that’s okay. He won’t be lingering around for long.
I giggle, following him through the walls. I prance on my toes, keeping my footfalls light. I peek through each hole, keeping track of where he’s going, laughing as the excitement of my kill builds.
He’ll be so cute when he’s ripped open, his lifeless eyes staring at me from between my thighs.
When he wanders in an empty room, I start to sing.
“Ring a’round the rosies.”
Gary’s head whips towards my voice, though he can’t see me. His frantic eyes swivel around the room, ignoring the animated mannequin in the corner of the bedroom, stabbing itself with a knife brutally. Jackal is right outside of this room, having already scared Gary when he rushed in here.
Now that he’s in here and Jackal has heard my singing, Gary will never come back out of the room.
“Pocket full of posies,” I continue loudly. Jackal walks into the bedroom, his big yellow eyes locked on Gary. He checks the hallway one last time before shutting the door behind him. I swear his smile widens further the moment the door clicks shut. Gary whips around, jumping when he spots Jackal, his chest heaving.
He’s not as unaffected by the monsters as he pretends to be. We’re famous for a reason.
“The fuck do you want? I’m just trying to fucking find Jenny,” he rages.
“Ashes, ashes.”
Gary flinches from Jackal, his face painted in fear. It’s such a beautiful sight, and it makes me squeal in excitement.
My henchman stalks towards Gary. His melted face and yellow eyes are a sight to behold. Sensing something is off, Gary begins to back away, searching left and right for an escape route. There are two doors in each room. The door our guests come through and the door they exit out of. The hallways and exits points aren’t traditional to a real house, they’re set up in an elaborate, but organized maze so each room will ultimately connect to the other.
Angling myself so I can see the exit point Gary is backing away towards, I smile when I see another one of my henchmen, Baine, appear behind him. The Grim Reaper, blocking his exit and sealing his death.
I bounce on my toes, giggling excitedly. How fun!
Gary doesn’t notice him, though, too petrified of the melting monster before him. His chest heaves faster. His eyes are no longer dilated from the drugs, but from pure terror. Though I’m sure the drugs coursing through his system are intensifying the fear.
“What the fuck is going on?! Let me out of here!” Gary shouts, attempting to strong arm his way past Jackal. I almost snort, amused by his pathetic attempt. Gary is a tadpole compared to Jackal.
“We all fall down,” I sing, drawing out the last note in a sorrowful tone. It seems as if the world stills, the three men on the other side of the wall pausing. And then they snap into action. Gary darts towards the door but Jackal catches him by his hood and shoves him back into the wall. The evil demon opens his mouth, preparing to let loose a scream, but Jackal’s too fast. He shoves his hand over Gary’s mouth, and punches him in the stomach with the other.
Gary loses his breath, hunching over from the pain. And just like that, Jackal brings his fist down on the back of Gary’s head, knocking him out cold.
Gary slackens, his hunched body falling forward and crashing face-first to the dirty ground. I laugh when his body settles into a position
