A Doll’s House
A Short Story
Sam Whittaker
A Doll’s House
A Short Story
Published by Sam Whittaker
Copyright 2012 Sam Whittaker
Excerpt from A Ghost of Fire © 2011 Sam Whittaker
Front Cover Photo: © Liseykina | Dreamstime.com
A Doll’s House
The road hummed beneath as Mike accelerated the little old Ford Escort along interstate 90 halfway between Bellevue and Ellensburg. The surrounding landscape was all but invisible under cover of night. Mike checked the time display on the car radio and saw that it was a quarter after 4 AM. He couldn’t believe he had let them talk him into going to the stupid concert but it was hard to resist Sarah when she cranked up her feminine charms, making doe eyes and pouting her lips like a 1950s movie starlet.
Sarah was napping in the passenger seat and her useless brother Frank tapped away on his laptop in the backseat. Mike threw a glance at Frank through the review mirror. Thin white chords trailed from his ears and disappeared into the throat of his hoodie as faint sounds escaped past the ear buds lodged in his head, which bobbed in accordance with the rhythm and beat of some other obscure band only ten other people on earth had ever heard of. His face glowed from the light of the screen as he blogged about the night’s musical experience. Mike rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the road. He thought calling what had happened at the concert “music” might be stretching the definition of the word.
He made a mental note to tell Sarah not to invite him along on another one of these adventures that she and her brother were so fond of making. He suspected it would hurt his relationship with her, but after tonight that that didn’t seem like such a bad prospect as it had when she was hanging on his neck and he was being enchanted by the smell of her perfume.
They hit something on the road though Mike hadn’t seen anything irregular lying out there. The impact jolted everything inside the car and Sarah was startled awake with a yelp while Frank cursed as his laptop tumbled off his knees and onto his feet.
Mike felt the car begin to lose control and removed his foot from the accelerator and began to turn the wheel in the direction the car began to veer. A moment later control was reasserted but that provided little comfort as the telltale sound of a flat tire made itself known. He directed the car to the shoulder and parked it, leaving the engine running as he focused on calming down.
After his heartbeat had slowed to a manageable pace, Mike said, “Is everybody okay?”
Sarah nodded but said nothing. Frank, irritated and plucking his laptop off his toes, said “Yeah, I just hope my computer’s alright. Why don’t you keep it on the road, man?”
“You and your computer are free to walk to Seattle and back next time of you like,” Mike replied, heat creeping into his voice. His impatience with Frank had increased over the last few months. He didn’t understand how the guy couldn’t devote himself to holding down a steady job while at the same time pouring endless hours into his blog, internet surfing, and his half-baked garage band, all while living in his dad’s basement – rent free of course. He was twenty-eight and without substantial ambition of any kind. In Mike’s thinking, guys like Frank were what was really wrong with the world.
Sarah chimes in, “Hey, hey, guys. Take it easy. Let’s just catch our breath a minute.”
Mike grumbled under his breath and turned away to fish out his cellphone. “No service,” he announced. “How about you guys?” Sarah and Frank checked their phones with the same result. “Yeah, that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?” he complained. Without waiting for a response he opened his door and exited the vehicle.
The passengers watched as Mike circled the car, inspecting each corner until he stopped at the passenger side front corner and planted his fists on his hips.
“Is it flat?” Frank yelled.
Mike’s angry eyes came up and landed on Frank with a look that said, Are you kidding me? How could it be anything else? Frank opened his mouth to issue a snarky response but Sarah, seeming to sense this was coming, turned and gave him a warning glare that shut him up.
Mike knelt by the tire for a closer look, Sarah opened her door and got out. She rubbed her sleeveless arms which prickled with gooseflesh when they came into contact with the chilly temperature outside. Mike looked up at her and saw her losing her fight with the cold air and removed his own jacket and threw it to her. “Is it bad?” she asked.
“Bad enough that the car won’t be going anywhere until it gets a new tire,” Mike replied.
Sarah looked at the backside of the car, then back at Mike and said, “Don’t you have a spare?”
“You’re looking at it,” he said tapping the ruined rubber with the index finger of his right hand. “Which wouldn’t be a problem if our any of our phones worked because I could call Triple A, but it looks like that’s out.”
“What are we gonna do then?” asked Frank who had come half out through the open passenger door.
They all fell silent, each hoping someone else would offer a solution. None was forthcoming.
After a few moments Mike suggested, “We could start walking and keep an eye on our phones to see if we get enough cell service to make a call.”
Sarah groaned and Frank looked wearily at both sides of the road which were lined with an unceasing line of forest. “You want us to walk out here in the dark, man? Is that safe?”
“What are you, eight?” Mike retorted. “It’s probably safer than sitting and freezing in the car waiting for God-knows-who to ever come by. At least with my way we keep warm because of the exercise.” He intended that last bit as a subtle jab against Frank who wasn’t really heavy, but was fairly sedentary and just a little too pudgy for the skinny jeans he had the audacity to wear. Mike concealed a smile and turned his face to the tire as a suspicious look stole across Frank’s face.
“I don’t know,” Sarah said timidly, looking at the darkened road behind them and then ahead as well. “I don’t think we’re very close to anyone that can help us.”
“Well, I’m going to walk,” Mike said confidently but with more gentleness than he’d used with Frank. He knew that he only had to sound decisive for Sarah to likely fall in on his side of things and follow him. The only drawback to that plan he could foresee was that Frank would never stay behind with the car alone. He was too much of a coward for that, which meant he would be tagging along and muttering whiny complains most of the way. Still, it was in Mike’s estimation the best plan available to them.
“Are you sure about this?” Sarah asked.
“Are we still talking about this?” Frank interjected. “Shouldn’t we just wait for the State Patrol to come by or something?”
Mike ignored Frank and said to Sarah, “Trust me; it’s a better idea to move and keep your blood circulating than to just sit and do nothing. I’m going.”
She bounced on her heels, looked away to the darkened trees, and shivered as she considered his words. Finally she relented and said, “Alright, I’ll come with you.” She looked back at him and said, “But won’t you be cold without your jacket?”
“I think I’ve got a spare one in the trunk,” he said. Then with a smile he added, “If not, I’ll just have to huddle close to you.” He pulled her close and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. She rested her head on his shoulder as she leaned into him.
They’d known each other for a few years, but had only been friends for most of that time. Only in the past six months had they wandered into becoming an “item” and it had been more of a good time than a bad, though they certainly had their disagreements – mostly concerning a certain dead weight sibling whom she insisted on including in much of their lif
e together. He was willing to endure him for the sake of her, or at least he had been at first.
Frank cleared his throat, interrupting their moment, and causing Mike to throw him another withering glare. Ignoring the visual reprimand he said, “So, is there a verdict? What are we doing?”
Sarah pulled her warmth away from Mike and announced, “We’re walking.”
Frank grunted in frustration and muttered something about her always siding with that guy as he ducked back into the car and began to gather his things.
Mike looked to the road ahead, which disappeared in the dark out beyond the headlights. A strange sense of coldness overtook him but had nothing to do with the temperature of the night. It was a cold which rose up from inside him as he observed the darkness. He dismissed it as some primal instinct to be leery of the dark and moved to the open door by the driver’s seat. He reached inside for the trunk release and heard the satisfying popping sound as the trunk came open.
When he reached the open trunk he began inspecting the contents in the barely sufficient trunk light and moved items around. He found his extra jacket and a heavy duty flashlight. He tested the flashlight, found it in working order, and tucked it under his arm as he wrestled the jacket on.
When he went to the front of the car he found both Sarah and Frank waiting for him. Sarah seemed to be staring absently into the woods and Frank had his laptop case slung over his shoulder and he was rubbing his arms to keep warm. Mike moved past them and heard them fall into step behind.
They walked in silence for a while, each ruminating privately over their own thoughts. The only sound was their feet against the pavement of the interstate which was a mostly steady rhythm and eventually faded into a familiar background noise. No one was in the mood for talking.
“Did you hear that?”
Mike and Sarah stopped and turned to see Frank standing a few yards behind them and staring off into the woods. When Mike directed the flashlight toward Frank’s face the man didn’t even flinch. Instead he absently lifted a hand to block the beam of light. A deep concern was etched into his features as he intently studied the darkened forms of the trees.
Mike and Sarah exchanged questioning glances and then moved as one back to where Frank stood. “Seriously,” he said, “did you guys hear that?”
Mike stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. Sarah said she hadn’t heard anything either. Frank looked at Mike then at Sarah and said, “How could you have not heard it?”
“Heard what?” Mike demanded, and what was left of the remnants of his patience began ebbing away.
“Sounded like…like kids playing.”
Sarah asked, “You mean like teens or something goofing around in the woods?”
Great, Mike thought. That’s all we need right now. A bunch of stupid frat boys getting high out in the middle of…
“No,” Frank said insistently, interrupting Mike’s internal complaint. “Little kids.”
Mike sighed and began to wonder of Frank had smoked something “exotic” at the concert earlier. He’d always pictured Frank as a bit of a stoner but he wasn’t about to bring that up in front of Sarah. She thought of Frank as her angelic little brother and any suggestion that he had serious problems aroused an irrational defensive posture from her. There was enough trouble to deal with as it was without adding unnecessarily to it. That could wait until daylight and after they finally made it home.
“It’s probably nothing,” Mike said. “The dark can make things seem weird. Let’s get moving.” He didn’t wait for a protest from either of his two companions, but turned around and continued down the road. Sarah followed immediately and then Frank joined too, though his footsteps came hesitantly.
“Uh, guys?” It was Frank again. Mike turned around again and was about issue a few unfavorable observations about Frank’s backbone, but when he looked behind him he saw only empty road.
Sarah was beside him and gasped when she realized her brother wasn’t there.
“Frankie?” she called out uncertainly.
Mike swept the flashlight left then right, unable to catch sight of Frank. There was a lot of space on either side of the road before the landscape became forest and there was no place to hide. “Where’d he go? There’s no way he could have run off without us hearing him or being able to spot him.”
Sarah clung to his side and he heard her breathing turn rapid. Her voice took on a high pitch note of worry as she asked, “Mike, where is he?”
He shone the flashlight in the direction of the woods where Frank had been staring only moments before. He freed himself from her grasp and trotted beyond the edge of the road and stopped halfway between the road and the tree line. He used the light to scan the tall grassy ground and found a dark shape. He threw a look over his shoulder and saw Sarah standing at the edge of the road covering her mouth with her hands. He looked back at the dark shape on the ground and slowly started to approach it. When he saw what it was he bent down and grabbed it, lifting it up. He shined the light on it so Sarah could see what it was.
Dangling from his right hand was Frank’s laptop computer case. He jogged back over to her and they examined it together. They could find nothing wrong with it, save that it was missing its owner. They looked up at each other and Mike saw that Sarah’s eyes were wide and her nostrils were flaring with fear. He didn’t feel much better than she looked, though he tried to assert control over himself, knowing that freaking out wasn’t going to help anyone.
He slid the strap over his head so that it lay diagonally across his chest and said, “Okay, it looks like he ran off into the woods. We can’t leave him or…” he caught himself when he realized what he was saying and didn’t dare finish the thought seeing the state his girlfriend was already in. It was clear from the expression on her face, however, that she finished the thought for him. Her jaw dropped but all that came out was a small and squeaky vocalization.
“Let’s get after him,” was the only thing he could think to say. He waited for her to respond and when she nodded her head he pointed the flashlight back to the woods, he found himself walking with her huddled close to his side.
When they reached the edge of the trees they found a large gap in the trees and a somewhat wide dirt path. Mike couldn’t remember noticing the path before, but he shrugged it off, assuming he had been too concentrated on Frank’s disappearance. They passed through the opening in the tree line and commenced down the way.
They called out his name, but if Frank heard them he gave no reply. Mike listened as Sarah’s pleas to her missing brother become more and more insistent as they moved farther into the forest. He tried to keep his own voice even and calm to balance out the swelling terror which assaulted them both.
Above them the sky was inky and starless, invisible clouds shrouded the heavens and refused to allow the light of the moon to aid their search. On both sides the trees seemed to bear down on them while thrusting countless wooden fingers upward to scratch at the dark ceiling of the night. All around the sounds of nocturnal life prowled and threatened to undo their nerves. Beneath them the dirt path crunched rough complaints as they treaded upon it.
“Hey,” Mike said nudging Sarah gently with his elbow and then pointed out ahead of them. Up ahead the beam of the flashlight reflected off something that wasn’t part of the natural landscape, something reflective and yellow. It was too far away to discern what it was but the introduction of this new element brought a small but fresh wave of hope to them. They broke out of their slow gait and sprinted forward to uncover this new element.
The thing began to slowly take shape the closer they came to it, but it was still blocked by vegetation for a while yet. Finally they moved past the last leafy obstacle and illumination from the flashlight splashed over the whole of it. It was a dirty metallic yellow traffic sign attached to a green metal post. The sign read: Dead End Street.
Mike and Sarah stared up at the sign, trying to make sense of why it would be in the middle of the wood
s the first time they heard the sound. An echoing childlike laughter bounded out of the darkness, breaking their concentration on the sign.
“What in God’s name was that?” Mike demanded, hearing the surprised fear in his own voice. He listened intently, concentrating on locating the source of the sound, but unable to keep from being distracted over the incessant and seemingly overloud beating of his heart. The woods were silent, failing even then to produce the regular insect noises they had been hearing. He wondered when they had stopped and why he hadn’t noticed. The night felt unnatural without those noises to provide a backdrop.
Then another sound arose. It sounded like something was skittering quickly through the dead, fallen leaves of the forest floor, making a half circle until it came to a sudden stop somewhere near the part of the path they had already travelled. Whatever was out there blocked their retreat.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and his face began to feel heavy, threatening to spill tears from a well of terror. The emotion had come upon him so rapidly he hardly had time to identify it before it went to work dismantling him piece by piece. When he looked at Sarah he saw that she could tell he was not doing well and that contributed to her own inability to pull herself together. Tears streamed down her face and she gasped in ragged breaths.
Mike pulled her closer as he shined his flashlight in the direction where the noise had ceased. Only darkness was there, drinking up the beam of light and showing them nothing in their attempt to see. The skittering sound came back again, though only tentatively this time. Whatever was causing the noise stayed just out of reach of the flashlight beam, yet Mike was sure it was close…much closer than was comfortable for him.
He and Sarah retreated a step and in response the mover in the darkness advanced with them, staying ever beyond the reach of their vision. They moved back again, and again the thing came closer. Curiosity overruled Mike’s screaming inner terror and something within him demanded to see what as tracking them. He took another step backward and waited until he heard the first stirring of the night-shrouded thing move after them, and then Mike broke free of Sarah’s grip and bounded forward a handful of steps. Sarah screeched his name behind him but he ignored her surprise and focused all his attention ahead.
The bare light fell on their pursuer and gave it definition. Before them stood a young girl in a blue and white dress that reminded Mike of the dress that Dorothy wore in the old Wizard of Oz movie. Her skin was pale white and her hair was so inky black it seemed to be made of the fabric of the night itself. Her eyes were likewise black, like little obsidian orbs set in her skull and they were set too far apart. But her most disturbing feature was her mouth.
It was unbelievably wide, nearly reaching her ears and she was smiling like she was the happiest little girl in the world. When she opened that wide maw he could see a few rows of shiny black needle-like teeth.
She tilted her head, as if contemplating him and advanced a step farther into the light. She laughed and it was the sound of childish laughter they had heard moments before. Three, perhaps four similar laughs replied from the darkness and the blood in Mike’s veins went cold. Two more little girls, similar in appearance to the first, stepped into the light on either side of the first girl. They moved two steps toward him. Now that they were closer his mind latched onto a new detail.
They were not pale-skinned creatures as he had first thought. In fact they had no skin at all. What they had instead was finely woven white fabric. They were like living dolls out of some demonic nightmare. His brain struggled to put together what he was seeing when Sarah released a shrill scream, breaking him out of his spell of confusion.
He whipped around and threw the flashlight beam in her direction, but when the beam landed on the spot he’d left her he saw that she was gone. Her scream was gone too, cut off midstream as it were. He lashed the flashlight back around and found the trio of girls a few feet closer, smiling their needle smiles. He did the only thing he could think to do.
He ran as he’d never run before.