Page 5 of The Dollmaker
“You are already mine, but I want the world to know who you belong to,” I tell her, kissing her lips again.
“It will always be me, you, and our baby,” she says as our hands find her flat stomach.
Hearing her groan in the near distance takes me out of the memory as they continue to hurt her. No one knows that she’s pregnant and that alone desecrates me. Again, I try to scrape myself from the gravel as I hear sirens in the distance.
“Let’s roll. Someone called the cops!” Jeremy says, and they scamper like rats. Running away as fast as they can, I lift my arms and crawl to her. Dragging my bruised body next to hers, I reach for her hand, and she jolts, her breath coming in and out rapidly, like she can’t catch her breath.
“Sav, baby. I’m here. Just keep breathing for me,” I beg as she turns her face to look at me. Our eyes connect as a tear seeps from her forest green orbs.
“W-we tell n-no one. I-I w-want to kill t-them all!” she stammers, as blood dribbles from her lips.
“I promise you, they will pay. One way or another. Don’t worry about that. I need you to just keep breathing. Hold on just a little longer,” I plead, as I place my hand on her stomach just above the gash Tatum left behind.I pray to god the baby is okay.
“I-I love y-you, Tripp. T-thank y-you for treating me l-like a queen,” she stammers. I cup her face, pressing my lips to hers.
“I love you more, Savannah. Stay with me, baby,” I beg as her eyes begin to close. “Open those eyes, Sav. Come on, baby. The cops are almost here,” I reassure her, but they never open. “Sav! Savannah!” I yell, shaking her still body.
The siren gets louder as the flashing lights reflect in the distance. “Savannah, please baby, open your eyes and breathe for me. They are here for you. Come on! This isn’t it for us. Fuck!” I yell as I hear doors slamming shut.
“Sir, sir, step away from the young lady,” an officer says.
“I’m her boyfriend, we were attacked,” I plead as the sky spins.
“Sir, are you alright?” he asks me as he speaks into his com, ordering another ambulance.
If god is going to take her from me then he might as well take me too.
Savannah
Waking Up With Eyes Wide Open…
“Mommy, Mommy, can Daddy take me on the Ferris wheel? Pretty please,” my daughter begs, her black curly hair whipping around her face. I bend down, tucking her locks behind her little ears before kissing her soft cheeks.
“Sure, baby,” I say, standing and looking at Tripp, who smiles at me. He blows me a kiss, taking our daughter Olive’s hand, walking her toward the enormous light up Ferris Wheel. The wind picks up and something pulls my attention toward the striped tents. I begin to walk, and that’s when I see her, making her presence known. An older lady with sky blue eyes stands between the tents, wearing a long laced black dress with a choker wrapped tightly around her neck. She holds her hand out for me to take as her long white hair picks up with the wind while the moonlight shines down on her, showcasing her beauty. But when she takes a step into the darkness, herfeatures change into something monstrous. Stitches cover her mouth, sealing her lips shut. Her once sky blue eyes I just saw a moment ago are gone. Now there's nothing but gaping holes. What the hell is going on? It frightens me for a second as she steps into the moonlight again.
“Don’t be afraid, child. I will not harm you.” Her voice comes in like a whisper as her breath tickles the back of my neck. I whip around in a full circle, thinking she was right behind me, but there she is, still standing under the moon, her dress flowing around her feet as she waits for me to come closer. A familiar laugh has my head snapping behind me, and that’s when I see her. Tatum. My feet begin to carry me to her, but it feels like she just keeps getting further and further away from me.
“Child, this is not the time!” The shrilling voice behind me yells, startling me. She places her hands on my shoulders, causing shivers to crawl up my spine slowly, as if a million spiders are running up my back.
“No, I’ve been waiting all this time to get her! She’s always slipping through the cracks. She deserves to suffer!” I spit and go to take a step, but I’m stuck in place with her hands holding me still.
“Let me show you,” she whispers as the shivers become unbearable and my vision goes bright white and I’m thrusted into the middle of the street as chaos ensues.
“Where am I?” I ask, standing next to her as we walk through a neighborhood with the most perfectly manicured lawns, the cleanest streets, and at the end, inside the cul-de-sac, is my house, but it's overgrown with a million red roses on vines covering the steel metal gate. I spin with tears in my eyes. “What is all this? Who are all these teenagers?” I ask as we watch them walk together as a group with dolls in their hands.
“This is what the future holds. You will get your revenge. The ones responsible for your pain will receive those dolls once they become pregnant. You will create the faceless porcelain demons and sing a twisted lullaby into each of their waiting souls. The dolls will take care of the rest. The torture and the pain you suffered will now be theirs to bear,” she tells me and a sinister smile crawls across her lips.
“But I want to be the one who makes their pain worse. Their torture unbearable.”
“Well, this is what your future will look like if you choose that route,” she says and once again the shivers become unbearable as my vision goes white and I’m thrusted into another place. Looking around, I’m in a jail cell, but not any cell. An institution. I’m sitting in the corner of a room wearing a straight jacket as I scream for help. I look like a lunatic. Turning, I look at the old lady with a raised brow.
“You went after Jeremy and Tatum, and you were caught almost instantly. Even worse, Tripp died because of it. Is that what you want? To hurt him?” she asks, and my head immediately shakes.
“No, no, I don’t. I want him with me every step of the way,” I confess, and she nods, taking my hands into hers.
“Now choose, child. We are running out of time,” she says, and I take a deep breath as tears stream down my face.
“I choose the dolls. The dolls shall set me free,” I say, and she smiles.
