Deadlocked Dollhouse

by Mixi J Applebottom

  Mark drove them home, still grinning. The whole time, Kelly was wondering if there was some way to stop the curse. Surely there had to be something.

  Otherwise, cursed objects would be everywhere. Everyone would know about them, if they were truly indestructible. Every few years, someone would make one, and it'd stick around forever. It was already 2017; surely there would be at least a thousand cursed objects. At least, that was what she considered. They should be commonplace, or at least one or two of them should've been famous by now. So that meant... as far as Kelly could see it…that there must be a way to destroy them, there must be.

  Kelly sat with her eyes shut, and her broken foot throbbing as she considered these ideas. Coralina was still seething in the back seat, but Beth was acting normal. Just a regular kid. How had she avoided the curse? Or would she start sleepwalking this very night?

  It was hard to tell.

  When they arrived back at the house, she immediately started looking through the library books that Mark had borrowed from the library. She read them cover to cover but found nothing else, nothing new. Meanwhile, Mark was in the middle of making waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. He was humming happily in the entire time. She kind of felt like killing him.

  What else could they do?

  Coralina had not been out of her room. Rage had still covered the girl and by the time Kelly went and checked on her, she had been sitting and snapping pencils in half. She threw the splintered bits at Kelly when the door swung open.

  Hopefully, this would pass soon for her. "Coralina, come on. Try to sleep. It might help. It's not your fault you’re feeling so angry. It’s part of the thing that's happening to us. It's part of the dollhouse. Part of the curse."

  "I know," said Coralina. "But knowing," she snapped another pencil, "doesn't make it feel better."

  Kelly almost hugged her, but the angry slitted eyes of her daughter made her hesitate. "Okay, babe. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

  Beth was already asleep in her bed.

  Mark came over and wrapped himself around his wife. "You want to go have some fun?" he said, kissing behind her ear.

  "Mark, there's a curse on our family. No, I don't want to have sex. I want to stop the curse before you kill us. Or I kill us, or Coralina kills us!" she said, her voice rising with every bar. She was in frantic tears by the time her speech finished. And she threw herself at her husband's arms.

  He wrapped himself around her like a blanket and held her tight while she cried.

  Finally, they went to bed like that, her crying long into the night, and him happily holding her.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  When they woke up, Mark was still incredibly happy.

  Which is good, Kelly thought. Because after happiness comes fear and then... then he would kill them. Unless she could stop him.

  If she could stop him, they'd be safe until Coralina turned murderous.

  And then herself.

  She had to figure out a way to stop it. She wondered if he would get murderous, and then it would pass at a certain point. Like a flu, so he’d feel it, like he had been happy, but the feeling would pass with time. Because if that was it, then all they had to do was prevent him from killing everyone until it passed. Tie him up or something. Or was it a constant state? Would he try to kill them, indefinitely, for the rest of their lives?

  She desperately wished she knew. Kelly continued her thought from earlier, that if there was no way to destroy a cursed object, then certainly there would be more of them around. So she pulled out her smart phone and she googled cursed objects, witch objects. It was curious, but she found a small town with a box that they continually referred to as the cursed lockbox. There was a description of it, being wooden, with eyes carved in the top. Everyone who touched it would eventually murder their entire family. It sounded similar to the other stages of fear that had not been discussed. The story was called a myth.

  And yet, five families had gone crazy and murdered each other, all in relation to the box.

  The box now sat in a museum, and no one had died since.

  Had the curse worn out? Or had something else happened? She looked at the last known person who had been murdered and tried to track who was next to take the box. Thankfully, because the box was now in a museum, there was a great deal of information about it. And not a half hour of googling later, she found the first recipient of the box to survive. He was an old man now; his name was Kenneth Berkley. It took a while for her to find Kenneth Berkley. Then finally, she found three separate phone numbers. She hoped that one of the three knew something about the cursed box.

  "Hello?" she said as someone picked up the phone. "Is this a Kenneth Berkley?"

  "Yes," said a calm, masculine voice. "What do you want?"

  "Did you have the cursed lockbox? I have some questions."

  "I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied. She sighed and hung up on him.

  "Hello?" she asked to the next person on the list. "Is this Kenneth Berkley?"

  "Yes. How did you get this number?" His voice sounded harsh, accusatory, and as if he had smoked too many cigarettes.

  "I found it online. Did you have the cursed lockbox?" she asked quickly.

  He let out a long breath of air. His voice sounded very raspy. "Why do you want to know about that?" His tone was sharp, and he sounded as if his finger was hovering over the hang up button.

  "I think I have a cursed dollhouse. I was wondering if you know how you managed to stop it," Kelly said, her voice hoarse with fear.

  There was a long breath, and he paused. Kelly's heart was beating so hard that she didn't think she heard him when he did finally respond. "I killed the witch," said Kenneth. "Please don't call me again. I don't want to catch what you have." And the line went dead.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Kelly barely slept that night, running over in her head what they had to do. They had to kill the witch. That horrified her. She had never wanted to murder anyone before. She didn't want to murder anyone now.

  But – what other choice did she have?

  She needed Mark to help; he was the hunter. It was finally four in the morning when she woke him. "Mark, baby, please wake up. I need to talk to you."

  He let out a bear roar, slowly grumbling. "Kelly, what's wrong? Is one of the girls sick?" he whispered to her, rubbing his eyes frantically.

  "We have to kill the witch. I think that's the only way to stop this. You are already on the happy phase. Next is fear... And then you'll kill us all." Kelly swallowed and tried to hold back the tears. "I know that you feel really happy, but this is incredibly dangerous. And I am terrified. So far, everything we know about this curse has been coming true. Over and over again. What are we supposed to do?"

  "Why do we have to kill her? What if she kills us first?" said Mark, and there was a subtle layer to his words. Like a tremble in his voice. Like a little hum from the television set if it was left on too long. "What if she kills us? What if we die? Where will we go?" His voice held a soft hum of terror.

  The sixth stage.

  "What are we going to do if you get to the next stage?" whimpered Kelly. "What are we going to do? How can I stop you from killing us? Do you know if this stage will wear off, or will you just try to kill us for the rest of your life?"

  "I think you can't stop me," said Mark, and he burst into tears like a frightened child. His body was trembling from head to toe. Kelly wondered if he would be stuck in inaction. If fear would freeze her husband completely.

  Kelly could feel anger at his weakness. A big bright wave of fury. The anger was overwhelming, and she turned and almost strangled him right next to her. How could he be so weak?

  This was the man she loved! No, she would never love this pathetic man.

  And as he slowly cried himself to sleep next to her, she lay with her fists clenched, desperately trying not to unleash her wrath.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Fear<
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  As the sun rose that morning, Coralina was delighted. She was doing summersaults, her broken arm spinning around with her body, and singing. It seemed like nothing could damper a child's mood. Her sister Beth was quietly watching her.

  "Daddy? Coralina is too happy," Beth said, looking nervously at her dad.

  He still had a frightened look in his eyes, and he nearly jumped when she spoke. "I know," he said with a soft breathiness. It was like that hum, that static electricity sound had never left. He was terrorized. He was frightened, he was terror itself. His hands were literally trembling as he was trying to turn on the stove to make food.

  But he had this sudden thought; what if he turned the switch on their electric stove and something caught on fire? What if he was trying to cook the eggs, a towel caught on fire, then the house?

  He reached for the knob on the stove and then hesitated and put his hand back by his side and he turned to stare at his two daughters. Coralina did another summersault. His whole body shuddered with fright.

  "Coralina, quit horsing around. It's dangerous," he said, his voice cracking with terror. He turned back to turn on the stove again, but he couldn't seem to will his hand to do it. How could he turn on the stove when he wasn't sure if it would kill them? Finally, he told everyone to come eat cereal. That was the best he could do, feed them cereal. It was too terrifying to do anything else. Kelly was on the phone, and he could hear her frantically speaking. "Can't you please take the girls today? Please, Mama?"

  There was a long pause while he carefully and gingerly got out a bowl. He was worried it might shatter, and he longed to have a plastic bowl instead of one of the sharp, dangerous ceramic ones. He carried it to the table delicately.

  "Mom, please," said Kelly, her voice sounding anxious and frantic. She hung up the phone a moment later, her fingertips pressed to her temples.

  He carefully set the bowl on the table, and then he went and got another one. Carefully, he carried it also to the table. He imagined he would trip, and the bowl would shatter and impale his jugular. Or worse... his children.

  "Hi, Karen? Is there any chance you can take my girls today? We've had a bit of an emergency situation come up... and I know we aren’t very close, but... Oh. Okay, I understand. No... I'm sure it will be fine. Thanks." Kelly hung up the phone. She sat scrolling through contacts.

  He went to the drawer and he got two spoons out, one for each daughter. The more he looked at them, the more uncomfortable he felt. They seemed dangerous, inherently so. As if they were the perfect kind of weapon to torture someone for a very long time.

  Maybe he could find one of those toddler's spoons... The plastic ones with the oddly long handle.

  He realized he was starting to sweat.

  "Hi, Molly, I know we haven't spoken in... Okay." And Kelly hung up. "Fuck. I can't find anyone to take the girls. I don't know what to do with them."

  "We can't leave them with someone! They'll get killed," Mark said, his eyes narrowing on his wife. "Why did we never baby proof this house! Coralina is doing summersaults, and we have these stupid ceramic bowls. It's ridiculous." And he took the milk jug and he thumped it on the table.

  The loud thump of the milk jug made all of the silverware and bowls rattle. Mark instinctively ducked under the table. He wasn't going to let it get his jugular.

  "You are in the middle of the fear stage. It's not as real as it seems," said Kelly as she scrolled through her contacts again. But the truth was they didn't have very many friends. It was slowly becoming evident to Kelly that she was going to have to take the girls with them... Take them with. Hey, girls, want to go kill a witch?

  What a family outing.

  She wished desperately Mark was himself, but he was clearly starting to lose his mind. He would chicken out even starting the car at this point. Her fingertips pressed into her skull as she tried to get the panic to settle.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Kelly spent the rest of the morning packing the car. She packed it with everything that she thought she might need in the next few days. Food, guns, ropes. Activities for the girls. Even though in her head it sounded ridiculous. "Hey, why don't you color me a cute picture while I put this bullet through that witch's head?"

  Mark seemed to be cowering in fear the entire time the car was being packed. He protested repeatedly until Kelly threatened to punch his face if he continued. And that was enough, for all he could imagine was her fist going straight through his skull and into his brain matter. She was a feisty little woman, and who knew how much power she had in that little arm? So he stopped protesting and instead he nervously sat with the two girls, reading to them very carefully lest they get a paper cut.

  When Kelly finally announced she was ready, everyone got in the truck. Kelly drove straight to the witch's house.

  "Girls, you will have to stay in the minivan. Keep the car locked. Do not come inside, no matter what. I repeat, do not come inside." Kelly repeated this mantra every few miles as she drove. Every time she said it, Mark seemed to cower in his seat. But Coralina just looked happy as ever, grinning like a fool.

  Beth was silent, her lips drawn tight, staring out the window.

  Kelly did not park close to the witch’s cabin. Instead, she chose to park down the road, hidden in the woods. She pulled the truck deep into the woods so it would be hard to be seen.

  She handed her husband his rifle. "We are going to hunt her."

  He swallowed nervously and nodded. But his hands were shaking so hard that Kelly wondered if he'd be able to hit the broad side of the barn.

  "Girls, you must stay in the truck. Do not get out. Do not follow us," Kelly said. Then she gestured to the cooler full of snacks and food, and her cell phone. Plus the large pile of games and coloring books. "All of this should be able to keep you busy. But if we are gone more than three hours, I want you to call 911."

  "Okay, Mama! Is there any chance we could have ice cream?" Coralina asked with a big bright smile. She was making faces at Beth and giggling hysterically.

  Beth was deadpan, her face tight and stressed-looking.

  Mark was trembling as he climbed out of the car with his rifle. Kelly had her own gun, and she grabbed a backpack with the ropes and other assorted restraint devices. "All right, Mark. Let's go." She gestured for him to follow her. She hadn't parked super far because her broken foot was a huge hindrance to moving through the woods. She was limping. She lifted her rifle and used the scope to scan the terrain in front of her. She was hoping this would be quick.

  Find the witch, shoot her. And then they all would be free. Then Mark wouldn't go crazy and kill them. Or herself... or Coralina.

  Mark was so afraid next to her. She could feel the fear thick in the air. It was giving her goosebumps as they walked forwards, pressing towards the cabin.

  She peered in the windows, using the scope to magnify her sight, but she saw nothing.

  "Kelly, I'm frightened," said Mark, and she turned and saw him trembling beside her. He was a few steps back, and his gun wasn't raised. It hung limply next to his side as though he was afraid to lift it, lest he shoot someone.

  The annoyance was clear on Kelly's face. "You should fear me. Because if you harm our little girls in the next stage, I will destroy you," Kelly said, spinning her rifle to aim it at her husband. If she could do nothing for him but spur him into action, it would be enough.

  But it was too effective, and he burst into tears and started to run. "God damn it, Mark! You fucking shit head." She couldn't follow him; not only did she not run, but she needed to finish this.

  And hope with all her heart that he didn't kill the children while she hunted the witch.

  She pushed forwards through the woods, her movements slow and loud, her foot refusing to be any quieter. It was aching as she moved. And she wished she had brought the crutches.

  Finally, she got to the front door. She tested the handle and it moved easily. She went into the witch's house.

  Chapter Thirty-Five<
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  Mark didn't run very far before he immediately regretted running away from his wife. It was terrifying to be alone in the woods, even more so than her pointing the gun at him. Although...that was terrifying too. What had she said? She said that she would kill him if he hurt those girls. The idea of him being killed by his beautiful wife scared him so much he nearly pissed himself. So he decided to help her.

  Quietly, he moved through the woods, his gun trembling in his hand. He tried not to make any noise, stopping repeatedly and listening for any animals, or anything. But it was fairly silent. Just the slight breeze rustling leaves on the trees. He didn't hear another human, or another animal. Finally, he got close enough to the cabin that he could peek in the windows. He had to make a small break from the edge of the woods all the way to the front of the cabin. He ran panting, covered in sweat, terrified. His heart was thumping in his chest so hard that he couldn't see straight. His eyes felt bloodshot from the immense power of his terrorized heart. Sweat was running down his back and he pressed it himself against the side of the building. His chest was rising and falling in big, tight, short breaths.

  Slowly, he turned and peeked into the window. He saw nothing, not a woman, not the witch, not his wife. Nobody.

  So he ducked under the window and quickly slid along the wall and peeked in the next one. It was also clear. No humans.

  He crouched and went under the window, sliding on the wall as tightly and quickly as he could until he got to the front door. He reached forwards and tried to turn the handle.

  It was locked.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Beth and Coralina were scarfing down fruit roll ups. Coralina was in the middle of telling yet another joke. Beth looked somber, staring at her sister. "Do you understand what is going on?" said Beth.