Page 53 of Dollface

I stare at the Spinster as I reach my hand up to her face. The unfamiliar physical contact shocks her as I release my hand from hers and place it on the other side, holding her within my grasp. “I will too, but fair is fair,” I croak out as I pull her to my mouth, her hard lips pressing against mine. “You made a mistake,” I whisper into her mouth.

“What?” She gasped softly, yearning for more of me.

“You should’ve killed me when I first ran away.”

The second I feel her relax I rip the chain from her neck, and in one fluid motion, I ram the stitch remover fiercely through her throat. Her garbled gasps are a fucking symphony as I stare into her pitch black button eyes, smiling as I rip my hand out. She falls to her knees, her black blood pouring from the wound, staining her alabaster skin. I grab her inky hair, her arms flailing about trying to escape me as I rip out one of her button eyes, tossing it across the floor. Havoc begins to shriek and cry out in despair, clawing at her head.

“An eye for an eye,” I groaned. “No one touches my girl.”

She cries out, screaming and croaking. “Cheater!”

I lean down to look in her remaining eye. “I’m the Boogeyman, I don’t play fair.” I rip her other eye out, ignoring Havoc’s screams as the Spinster falls to the floor, her hands wrapping around my feet as she begs for her life.

“I made you,” she sobs. “You can’t do this to me!”

“Watch me,” I raise my foot over her head. “Oh wait,” I look down at her eyeless face. “You can’t.” My foot slams into her skull, the bone crunching beneath my boot as I stomp her life away, unleashing centuries of anger and trauma, snuffing it all out within seconds. My chest heaves as I compose myself and try to control my breathing and I make my way to Blue. I have to get her out of here. The Spinster is dead but that still leaves us with another opponent.

Havoc and her fucking Nightmare.

Chapter 14

Blue

My creator had fallen, dead at my feet,

Slain by his hand in our own defeat.

Istand still, shocked and confused. How can I move? What did he do? Oh my God, he really did it. He killed her. Our creator.

“Cheater!” Havoc’s shrill shriek echoes through the still air. I look from Firefly, his beautiful, glowing light and color gone from my sight, stolen with my black button eye, to Havoc. The rage and indignation on her face is truly terrifying.

Havoc is right, though: he cheated. I was to die, and yet the Spinster is the one on the ground, turning into dust. He killed her knowing that it could very well seal his fate. He killed her for me. My heart flutters at the sacrifice.

“Cheater! Cheater! Cheater!” Havoc hisses uncontrollably.

“Firefly,” I croak out, fear and apprehension filling me. “You did—you didn’t play the game fairly. W-what does this mean?”Are we free? Does he take over Dreadmoor? Is he the new creator? Will he die?There are many threads to consider when playing a game with the Spinster, but one thread was always consistent; You cheat, you die.

Firefly strides over to me, his hands gripping my face in a desperate embrace. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. I love you. Do you hear me? I love you,” he urges. “I love you, Blue. I amyourFirefly, never again the Boogeyman. Do you hear me, baby?”

“No!” Havoc shrieks, shoving Firefly away from me. “No touches! No loves! NO FIREFLY! Cheaters are punished!” She puts her fingers in her mouth as a loud whistle echoes around us, quickly followed by a high-pitched squeal and chittering noise. I knew that noise. The room shakes, a roar growing as the shadowy creature makes itself seen.

The Widow.

“Sick him!” Havoc commands the monstrous spider.

“No!” I cry out as the monster dives onto Firefly, pinning him to the ground. Firefly cries out as one of the Widow’s dagger-like legs drives into his shoulder. I release a cry, gripping my own shoulder as the pain courses through me. “Havoc, please!” I beg her. “Stop this!”

“Cheaters are punished.” Havoc nods her head in satisfaction. “Butttt...” she taps her chin in thought before snapping her fingers. “Oh, Havoc has the BEST idea! To make things right again, Spider can take bug back to Nightmare. Dolly stays with Havoc for play time. Havoc loves dressing up dollies. So many changes!” She squeals with glee.

“No.” I shake my head.

“Bug must make things right, win fair and square, dolly.”

“Havoc!” Firefly rasps as the spider ties him in a web to drag him out of the room. “Let her go! You have me! Kill me, but let Blue go!”

“Havoc doesn’t want you!” She blows raspberries before looking back at me. “Havoc wants to see what makes dolly tick. Poke the guts. Needle and thread. Come now dolly, we have lotsto explore.” I back away, glaring at her with all the hatred I have inside me.

“No, Havoc. Let us go. You have Dreadmoor. He and I will leave and never bother you again.”

---