Dollhouse

by Tim Miller

  Bob couldn't help but think that is what made him more terrifying.

  "So," Ernie continued, "They left in a hurry. I guess she was going over a hundred miles per hour. They got on the freeway, and a semi pulled out in front of her. She couldn't stop in time, and the car went right under the truck."

  "Holy shit."

  "Yep. That truck tore the top off the car like a sardine can. It was a closed casket funeral for both of them."

  "Fuck dude! That's so messed up."

  "I know. I went into mourning for a year or so and then decided I was tired of being alone. I was having trouble getting a date. I realize I'd been out of the game for a long time. But these girls acted like I was some kind of ogre. So, one night I tried to get one girl to talk to me. I was giving her a ride home, but she kept trying to get out of the car. In pure frustration, I wrapped my arm around her neck and choked her until she passed out. From there, I noticed I could move her around how I wanted. I could sit her up, lay her down and then it hit me. I could take care of her. I found out about the moonseed berries and experimented with them. Sadly, that particular girl was one of my failed experiments."

  "You killed her?"

  "Not on purpose! I was working on my juice mixture and apparently I made it too strong. She began vomiting all over, had some kind of seizure, and then died. I had a few of those until I got it right."

  "Well, I guess if you're gonna make an omelet…"

  "Yeah, yeah," Ernie said. "Over time I've perfected my methods. I have a nice family of young ladies, now, who know I'll take good care of them."

  "You said something about a proposal."

  "Oh yes. You obviously enjoyed yourself with Jodi. How would you like to be able to see her whenever you wanted?

  "Are you serious?"

  "Of course. I just ask for a few things."

  "Such as?"

  "For one, a new phone. This piece of shit keeps shutting off randomly. I don't have an upgrade for another year yet, and I want a new one. You run that store; I know you can get me one."

  "Ok, fine. New phone. No problem."

  "All right. Good. Next thing. It's getting trickier for me to get girls alone so I can drug them. I usually plan them in much more detail. Jodi just kind of fell into my lap. How do you feel about helping me out? You could just chloroform them and grab them. I'm not near strong enough to handle them fighting me. You bring them to me, and I'll drug and prepare them. You can play with whoever you want."

  Bob couldn't believe what he was hearing. At first he was stunned, but on second thought, this could be fun. No more trying to trick girls into fucking him. Though he could still do that if he wanted. But now they'd totally be under his control, especially Jodi. Part of him got turned on just thinking of the terror in her eyes as he’d fucked her earlier.

  "Ok," he said. "I'll do it. Why do you trust me? How do you know I won't run to the cops or try to free Jodi and the others?"

  "For one, I have you on video fucking a girl who is obviously drugged. And two, I can tell you're like me."

  "Like you, how?"

  "Frustrated watching women destroy their lives. We both want to protect them, to hold them and cherish them. I can see it on your face. You just never had a way to do it. You're not a thinker like I am, you're a doer. We'll be perfect working together. Like in that show Wicked Attractions! No telling how big our beautiful family can grow!"

  Bob thought about it for a second, and nodded his head.

  "Ok," Bob said. "You got a deal."

  Chapter 14

  Three months later

  Ernie dressed Jodi, brushed her hair and sat her back in her chair. She had no idea how long she'd been Ernie's prisoner. Every day and night seemed to blend together now. It might have been weeks, months… maybe a year? It was all a blur. Some days it felt as though her mind would no longer hold together. Bob visited and raped her daily. Some days he was incredibly rough. Others he was very easy and gentle.

  Not that she’d enjoyed any of it. If she could have moved at all, she'd have bitten his dick off and shoved it up his ass. During the time she'd been here, Bob had begun helping Ernie out. He brought back a few girls on his own. That seemed to be their arrangement. Ernie mostly stayed home now, tending to his dolls. One of the girls, Emily, had died a few weeks ago. She was just a kid, maybe in her teens. One day she just stopped breathing. Probably due to whatever drug it is he gave them. Over time, their lungs probably gave out.

  Whatever it was, it was likely to happen to her one day. She had no idea how long Emily had been there. But Ernie had been more than a little distraught by it.

  "How can you girls just sit here smiling?" he screamed at the paralyzed girls around the table. "Emily is gone! She was your baby sister! My little girl! And she's gone now! Gone!"

  Jodi tried to tune him out. His outbursts had gotten better recently, but since Emily's passing he was becoming more and more unhinged. As much as she hated Bob, at least he was there to calm Ernie down before he started beating all of them again.

  "Dude, why don't you go get some air, ok?" Bob said.

  "No! These girls need to show some respect!"

  "Tell you what. How about you let me talk to them. I can help them learn respect. I'll do it calmly. Ok? We need some more beer and more protein shakes for the girls. How about you run out and grab some. You'll feel better. Ok?" Bob said.

  Ernie finally calmed down as he backed away from the table.

  "All right. I'll be back in a few hours." Ernie said as he headed out. Once he was gone, Bob looked straight at the newest girl, Jordan. He'd been looking her over ever since he'd brought her in the other day. He walked over and picked her up, carrying Jordan into the back room. Jodi couldn't see, but was just glad he'd moved on from her for a change. That was until he grabbed her chair from behind and dragged her into the room. He sat her chair in the corner where she could see Jordan laying naked on the steel table.

  "Don't worry, Jodi. I wanted you to watch this. I wouldn't do this to you. But I think it would be fun with Jordan. Just sit back and enjoy." Bob said as he removed his clothing and began raping Jordan. Jordan lay lifeless as the occasional whimper escaped her throat. Bob seemed much more agitated with Jordan. There was no build up and nothing gentle as he slammed his cock in and out of her repeatedly.

  As he grew more intense, he began slapping her across the face while he yelled and grunted. His open-handed slaps later turned into punches as he laughed and howled while fucking her. He grabbed the scalpel of a small table nearby and began slashing up Jordan's face. Jodi had never seen Bob behaving this brutally with anyone. He slashed away at Jordan's face until it was nothing but bloody ribbons hanging off. Her eyes stared up, lifelessly, as her chest continued rising up and down.

  He took the scalpel and sliced her nose off, tossing it to the floor. He then pulled the skin away from the bones in her face creating a pocket, perfectly fit for his dick. He thrust his cock in and out as Jordan gagged and wheezed. Within a few minutes he was ejaculating inside the bloody hole. He pulled his cock out, now covered in jizz and gore as Jordan gagged and thrashed on the table; clearly his spunk made its way down her nasal cavity. He watched with amusement while she slowly choked to death as his semen clogged her airway. Unable to talk or move her mouth, she finally lay still.

  "Well, that was fun!" Bob said looking at her. "What did you think? Pretty hot, huh?"

  Jodi sat there thinking that what she had just seen had to be the most horrible way to die. Yet, in some ways she envied Jordan. While she’d suffered horribly, at least now she was free. She hadn't even been with them very long. Not the weeks or months like Jodi and some of the others. If there was an actual Hell, Jodi was certain this was it.

  "What did you do?" Ernie called from the doorway. Bob stood there with the scalpel in his hand, the smile fading as he looked like a little kid whose hand just got caught in the cookie jar.

  "Don't worry, I'll clean it up," Bob said.

  "You kil
led her? Why? What did you do to her? Jesus Christ!"

  "Just had some fun is all."

  "Fun? You call this fun? Are you a fucking psycho?" Ernie screamed.

  "Hey, I've seen you fuck some of the girls up when you thought they pissed you off."

  "That wasn't for fun. That was an expulsion to make them an example to the other girls. I hated doing that. It was necessary."

  "Whatever." Bob said.

  Ernie walked over and looked Jordan's body up and down.

  "Jesus. What did you do to her?"

  Bob got dressed and nudged Ernie.

  "Hey, let's go get a beer. You've had a rough day. We'll talk about this."

  "This is so brutal. What did you do to her?"

  "Come on Ernie," Bob said again. Ernie nodded as they headed out, leaving Jodi in her spot to stare at Jordan's dead and mutilated body. She sat there for what felt like hours. She figured they'd be back by now. After another hour something happened she hadn't experienced since she'd arrived. Her big toe moved. Or did it? She tried it again, and she was able to wiggle all her toes. The medicine was wearing off. When had they given her the last dose? Bob had given some to the other girls earlier, but he'd been busy moving her into the room to watch him and Jordan.

  Within minutes, she was moving her legs, and her arms. She needed to go! Now! She tried to stand, but her legs were weak and practically useless from sitting for months. She flopped to the ground but used the steel table to pull herself to her feet. Jordan's dead leg flopped onto her arm as she pulled herself up. She ignored her repulsion as she was now, for the first time, fighting for her life.

  Once she had her feet under her, she stumbled into the main room. The other girls were sitting around still staring lifelessly at each other.

  "You guys, I'm going to get help. I promise," she said just above a whisper. Her throat was incredibly dry, and the words were difficult to form. "Please, don't hate me, I promise I will return with help!"

  She got to the main door and listened. There was no sound. She listened for a few more minutes to be sure. Sliding the door open she found herself in a walk-in closet. Before opening the closet door, she listened again but there was only silence. Slowly, she opened it and stumbled into a bedroom. Jodi clumsily worked her way through the house until she reached the front door. It almost didn't seem real. After months and months in this private hell, she was this close to freedom.

  She couldn't believe nothing was locked from the inside, but with all the girls paralyzed, there was no need. Ernie had probably never had anyone escape before. Part of her was thankful that Bob had come along to fuck up Ernie's routine. Ernie seemed to look up to Bob in some odd, big brother sort of way. Like Bob was the cool jock Ernie was happy to hang out with.

  Jodi undid the deadbolt and turned the door handle and stepped outside. Adrenaline was surging through her, giving her legs newfound strength, although it was still extremely painful to move. She, at first, stumbled down the sidewalk, but her stumbles turned into strides that turned into a dead run. She reached the end of the sidewalk, turned the corner and found the highway. She was finally free.

  Chapter 15

  "Where the fuck is she?" Ernie screamed as he ran through the house looking under every piece of furniture and in every closet. "How did this happen?" They had gone out for a drink to calm things down and discuss what to do with the dead girl and options of replacement ladies. When they got back, hours later, all the doors were open, and Jodi was long gone. Panic immediately struck Ernie. He was so terrified of going to jail; he was shocked there weren't already SWAT teams parked outside his house ready to drag him in.

  "I don't know, Ernie," Bob said. "I'm sure it will all be fine." Though Bob looked awfully concerned himself, at least at first. The more they looked around the calmer and cooler he got.

  "Fine? Fine? I've never had someone get away before. Did you give her the last dosage? I wrote it down back there on the refrigerator.

  "Umm, I don't think I looked."

  "Didn't look?" Ernie screamed. "What do you mean you didn't look? I put the schedule there for a reason! So this doesn't happen! But no, you're so caught up cutting girls' noses off and fucking their faces. You sick motherfucker! This partnership was a mistake…!"

  Bob grabbed Ernie and slammed him up against the wall.

  "Look!" Bob yelled. "I'm sick of your shit. She has nothing on us. Nothing! I'll just say we had been dating. It's her word against mine. You make sure that back part of the house stays hidden. You said yourself you're a respected member of the community. They ain't got shit on us. She can go and say what she wants. Trust me."

  "You really think so?"

  "I'm positive."

  "How long do you think she's been gone?" Ernie asked.

  "I'm not sure. We were gone for about three hours. It could have worn off about an hour after we left, maybe, if your schedule is right."

  "Oh, it's right."

  "Whatever. So about two hours. Chances are she's already talking to the cops. So from here, we just go about our lives as if nothing has happened. I'll be back at the store tomorrow, you do your little sales job, and it will all be cool."

  Ernie took a deep breath.

  "Ok."

  "Got it?"

  "Yes, I got it." Ernie said.

  "You've been so careful for this long. Don't spaz out now. Just play it cool. I have to get going. Remember what I said."

  Bob walked out the front door as Ernie stood contemplating what to do. Bob was right about the back room. He needed to paint back over the panel door, so it didn't look as obvious. He bought the house a year or two after his wife and daughter were killed. He'd had it for months before he’d found the hidden room. Back then it was just filled with old boxes of vintage books. The stuff was worth some money at least, but it was just a storage area. He'd fixed it up and turned it into the lovely dollhouse it was today.

  The door was flat, and you had to push it in, which made it pop out so you could go into the back. Even as it stood now, unless you knew it was there, it wasn't very obvious. Before he could think any further, there was a knock on the door. He walked over and cracked it open to see a police officer standing outside with a man in a suit.

  "Yes?" Ernie asked. "Can I help you?"

  "Ernie Lester?" The suit guy asked.

  "Yes? Who are you?"

  "Detective Alvarez. This is officer Smiley. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

  "I guess so. About what?"

  "Mind if I come in?"

  The detective didn't wait for an answer as he pushed the door open, moving Ernie aside.

  "Do you happen to know this woman?" Alvarez asked, holding up a photo Jodi. They must have just taken it. She looked scared, her hair was a mess and tears were streaking her face. Ernie looked at it for a minute and shook his head.

  "No sir. I'm afraid I don't. Should I know her?" Ernie asked.

  "She says she knows you. She says you kidnaped her and kept her drugged up while raping her and killing other girls. You and some Bob guy."

  Ernie put on his best shocked face as he could muster.

  "Oh my God? Are you serious? She said I did that to her?"

  "Yes, she did. I was shocked myself. I know how involved you are in the community."

  "Yes, very much so."

  "Anyway, she's pretty hysterical and insists you did this. Do you mind if we take a look around? Just to scratch you off our list?"

  "Be my guest," Ernie said.

  The two officers went through the house looking around, but not actually disturbing anything.

  "One last thing. She mentioned a secret room behind a closet. You have a closet with a secret room?" Alvarez asked.

  "No sir. Just one closet in here." Ernie walked them into the bedroom and over to the walk-in closet.

  "There you go," he said waving his hand at it. Ernie held his breath as Alvarez walked over and looked around. He pushed the clothes to the side and felt along the wall in various places. At
one point, his hand ran right along the door itself. Beads of sweat glistened on Ernie's forehead as he watched. Finally, the detective turned and nodded.

  "Ok, thank you, Mr. Lester. We're done here. Sorry to bother you."

  "Oh, it's fine Detective. I know you're just doing your job."

  Ernie showed them out and watched them drive away. Once they were gone, he closed the door, turned and took a series of deep breaths, pressing his back against the door. That was way too close.

  He locked the door, walked into the bedroom, and opened the secret door in the closet. Once inside he stood at the table, looking around at his dolls, his family.

  "All of you are in big, big trouble," he said.

  Chapter 16

  Jodi sat in her bed, staring at the wall. The hospital room was small and stuffy, but it didn't bother her. She'd been admitted to the psychiatric unit after her escape. A motorist found her and called the police. She was taken by ambulance to the ER where her injuries were treated and she'd made a report to the police. They’d sent some detective to talk to her, some asshole named Alvarez. He hadn't believed a word she’d said.

  "Ernie Lester?" he'd said. "Ernie Lester is a respected member of this community. He's on the school board, little league board, and he used to be on the city council. He's always donating to local charities and doing fundraisers. You mean to tell me that Ernie Lester, a pillar of the community with no violent history, kidnapped you and a bunch of other girls. Furthermore, this was all in an effort to play with 'human' dolls in a little house of horrors along with your former boss? Do I understand you correctly?"