Beth ignored him, her attention solely on the doll.
“Um, Beth? Hello?” He approached her from behind, the feeling in his gut growing. “Are you okay?” He noticed a large bump on the back of her head, her hair matted up around it.
“I’ve never been better,” Beth informed him, her voice cracking. What came from her mouth was the sound of two different women talking at the same time, but someone was fiddling with the volume knobs for both of them. “I had to wait many months to escape, to come to this place of rest. I watched the door every day, hoping to finally make your acquaintance. I wanted to start fresh, to be a part of you. And the first thing you did was give me away.”
Suddenly, an invisible force threw Mike across the room, where he crashed into the shelves. He scrambled to his feet and dove out of the way when the cloth-covered couch attempted to crash into him.
“Wait. Wait!” Mike stood up, his back aching. “Nobody told me about the monsters, I didn’t know!”
“It doesn’t matter now. Or maybe it never did. Because I found something better to inhabit.” Beth turned to face him, pulling the glasses away to reveal pitch-black eyes. “Much better than a stuffy old doll.”
“Oh, shit. Beth, are you in there?”
“It’s not Beth anymore. Beth has left town, flown the coop, alley-oop!” Beth did a little dance with her arms, and pointed to the doll. “But I have given her back to you, for there she sleeps, no eeps, no peeps!”
“Who are you?” Mike asked. "What are you?”
Just then, Tink, likely having heard the commotion, stepped into the living room.
“You,” Beth said upon seeing Tink, her eyes narrowing. She let out a cry, and the furniture between her and Tink threw itself aside.
“Run!” Tink yelled, grabbing Mike by the hand and pulling.
A coffee table lifted itself into the air above him. He moved out of the way at the last second, the table crashing into the floor where he had been standing.
Tink led him out the front door, where Cecilia now stood.
“What is happening?” Cecilia asked, her face a mask of concern.
“Jenny,” Tink replied, as if that explanation sufficed.
Cecilia uttered a string of words in another language, harsh words that still sounded beautiful. Then, “Is she still in the doll?”
Tink shook her head. “She has body now.”
“Fuck.” Cecilia started to say something to Mike, but the front door opened.
Beth stood in the entryway. Her unkempt hair drifted as if caught in a breeze.
Mike froze in place, unsure where to go. The evil grin on Beth’s face sent a chill down his spine. Her fingers were hooked like claws as she moved toward Mike.
Cecilia let out an ear-piercing shriek. Mike and Tink covered their ears, but Beth fled back into the house, crying out in pain.
“What the actual fuck is going on?” Mike asked.
“This place isn’t built only to keep the outside world out,” Cecilia told him. “It’s also built to keep some of us in.”
“Wait, there are bad monsters here?”
“Sort of. Jenny is more of a dangerous object to be kept locked away than a monster. Unfortunately, she always had an aptitude for escaping. It has been decades since she last inhabited a human body, which means she is very sensitive to the five senses for now.” Cecilia frowned. “And now she’s loose inside.”
“If she wanted to escape, why come back at all?” Mike asked.
“Because she is tied to this place. She will always come back.”
Mike heard a heavy thud behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see that Abella had arrived.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Jenny,” Tink and Cecilia said at the same time.
“Fuck,” Abella said. “Is she wearing a skin suit?”
Tink and Cecilia nodded.
“Okay, well first things first. Get her outside, and I can take care of her body.”
“Please, stop!” Mike put up his hands. “What is Jenny, exactly? What kind of monster?”
The others looked at each other, then at him.
“She’s a ghost,” Abella replied. “A very angry, nasty ghost. She was put in the doll a long time ago by...” Abella stopped and stared into the distance for several seconds. “Anyway, the hope was that someday she would fit in, but it never happened. As time marched on, she got meaner and meaner. One of the previous caretakers locked her in the Vault, after she escaped last time.”
“The Vault? What the fuck is the Vault?” Mike asked.
“Vault for bad things. No go in Vault,” Tink informed him.
“That... fine, we’ll discuss later. She’s inside of Beth right now, and she said something about Beth being inside the doll instead.”
“That’s the gist of it,” Abella said. “It isn’t easy, but if the conditions are right, Jenny can possess a body. The only way to get her to go back is to kill the host. She doesn’t want to move on, so she will swap back at the last second.”
“Absolutely not!” Mike yelled, horrified. “We don’t just kill people! Especially not people we know!”
Abella shrugged. “It’s what we did last time.”
Mike looked at Cecilia. “You can’t just pull her out?”
Cecilia shook her head. “No more than I could pull you out of your body. Once Jenny is knocked loose from her host, she will go back into the doll. I can’t remove her from there either. I’ve tried. Our best option is to trap her back in the doll and then put her in the Vault.”
Furniture crashed inside, and all four of them turned to look.
“If we can get her into the garden, Naia may be able to help,” Abella offered. “She has magic, right?”
“Sounds like we have a job to do,” Mike muttered. “How do we get her outside?”
“She’s overtly sensitive. She isn’t used to a human body anymore. You saw what happened when she heard me scream. Use bright lights, loud noises, anything that can get her out.” Cecilia looked at Abella. “If you watch from up above, you can tackle her when she comes out.”
“I’m on it.” Spreading her wings wide, Abella leapt upward and disappeared onto the roof.
“I can help with sound, but you’re going to need to find some way to make noise on your own, or blind her with a light,” the banshee said.
“Ok, let’s do this.” Mike opened the door and stepped into the front room. Tink and Cecilia followed. Already, they could see that the furniture in the front and side rooms had been strewn about.
“Do you think we should split up?” Mike asked.
“Absolutely not,” Cecilia declared. “Unless you want to end up dead.”
“Why would she want to kill me?” Mike asked.
“You obviously did something to hurt her feelings. Emily let her out of the Vault once in an attempt to make peace with her, but Jenny trashed the room she was in because the curtains got left closed and she couldn’t see outside. She also likes to try to possess you if you fall sleep, but that doesn’t always work. If she can knock you out, she may take off in your body.”
“Too bad I left my helmet in my other house with all my other monsters,” Mike muttered.
The front room had been torn apart, all except for the doll. Its sad eyes looked into Mike’s when he picked it up. Staring at the creepy little doll, Mike wondered if it was wearing any underwear.
“Bring it with us,” Cecilia said, hovering over the mess. “The last thing we want is for her to hide it away in case she does go back.”
“So where exactly is this Vault?” Mike asked. He moved carefully into the kitchen. Seeing that it was empty, he grabbed his cellphone and pulled a flashlight out of the junk drawer.
“Basement,” Tink said, taking the flashlight. “Tink go there all time. Make sure stay locked.”
“What else-never mind. I’ll ask later.” Mike wondered what else would be stored away in the Vault. Was Jenny just one of many dolls? Were there gia
nt cages, lining the walls of the Vault, filled with every manner of bad monster?
A loud bang from upstairs grabbed their attention. Tink ran ahead of Mike and began hopping up the stairs as best she could with her little legs. Mike actually picked her up for the last few steps-it was faster for them both if he did. Cecilia hovered up the main entryway, her feet not quite touching the floor when she landed beside them.
All of the bedroom doors were still closed, but an icy draft made Mike turn his head.
“This one,” he said, grabbing the doorknob. It was cold to the touch. He pushed the door inward and found himself looking at the blue room, the one that Beth had said his dad probably stayed in. It was an odd thought, so suddenly, but had his dad stayed here? If so, had the monsters remained hidden, or did he simply forget about them?
The room looked untouched, with the exception of the the closet door, which stood open, an icy wind emanating from it. Moving close, he opened up the flashlight app on his phone and pointed it at the closet. Stepping wide around the closet door, his jaw dropped once he saw inside.
“What the fuck is this?!?” Instead of an empty shelf with a bar for clothing, Mike was staring into a cave. “There is no fucking way that there’s a cave here! We're on the second floor!”
“It make head hurt,” Tink agreed. “But hurt head change nothing. We go. Me see just fine.”
“I’ll wait out here,” Cecilia said. “In case she tries to come back out. Be careful.”
“But...I...”
Tink grabbed a handful of Mike’s pants and pulled him into the cave. He ducked his head to avoid the hard rock up above. “Did you know about this, Tink?”
“Tink know. House have secrets. Make no sense, but Tink accept.” She slid her goggles over her eyes. “Tink see prints.”
“I’m glad one of us sees something.” Mike was busy looking at the random doodles on the walls. Some of them looked ancient, animals being hunted by men with spears, drawn with charcoal. Others were pictures done by children, masterpieces of crayon and chalk. “Where the fuck are we?”
Tink shook her head. “Less wonder, more walk. Secret tunnels, go through house. This one go...” Tink’s eyes went wide. “Hurry, quick!”
“Wait, why?” Mike ran after the goblin, his head bent at an angle. It was hard seeing up ahead, Tink 's flashlight waving everywhere. He chased her along the tunnel, the dark shadows dancing away from her light. Finally, they stepped out into an opening.
Mike stared in awe. The ceiling was now hundreds of feet high; giant, glowing crystals embedded in its surface. In the distance, a large waterfall fed into a river that disappeared into a large structure composed of tall, stony walls and large hedges.
They stood on a ledge, the trail winding back and forth on the cliff beneath them. Several levels down, Beth was stumbling across the rocks, struggling to keep her balance.
“Is that...” Mike was afraid to say it, his eyes on the distant structure.
“Yes,” Tink said, adjusting her goggles. “That is the Labyrinth.”
Mike peered toward the bottom of the trail. Beth was most of the way down, and the loose gravel became a paved path that led to a large pair of iron gates. Between the rocky trail and the Labyrinth was a giant pool of water, the still water reflecting the ceiling of the large cave.
Tink pointed at the pool. “Shortcut for get out. We stop Jenny before Labyrinth, or lost forever.”
“Where does the pool go?” How could a pool be a shortcut? How could a cave be in his house?
Tink was right. Thinking about it hurt his head.
“Outside,” Tink replied, already running down the slope. “But not sure where!” She was picking up speed, her tail swishing behind her as she ran. Mike was close behind, then passing the goblin. The ledges were steep, and it took Mike quite a bit of effort to keep from slipping and falling. Looking down the slope, he saw that Beth was still much too far ahead to catch up to.
“Fuck it,” he swore, stepping off the beaten path onto a worn patch of stone. The switchbacks were close enough together that the fall was just over five feet, but he was able to land safely, his knees creaking in protest. He ran to the next spot where he could drop down safely, cutting the distance between them dramatically when he jumped down.
Beth never bothered looking back. She appeared disoriented, stumbling constantly. Mike was close enough now that when his feet scattered stones, she looked back at him. She scowled, and broke into a limping run down the final ramp and toward the path that led into the Labyrinth.
Mike howled, his adrenaline peaking and threw himself off the next ledge. The fall was farther this time, but he landed safely and rolled forward, then quickly found his feet. The idea of Beth dying was simply too much for him. It was his fault if it happened, his fault...
It was all your fault! his mother’s voice screamed in his ear.
Sprinting now, Mike closed the distance between them.
The large iron gates of the Labyrinth opened with a loud creak. An ominous figure stood just inside, holding a large axe. Mike’s outstretched fingers closed on the hem of Beth’s dress, and he yanked her backward, clutching her tightly against him, pulling her into the pool of water.
“No!” Beth screamed, her voice harmonizing with Jenny’s.
The cool water embraced them, the world spinning as gravity changed directions. Mike’s ears popped, and his body filled with unexpected pressure. Beth fought him, trying to shove him off, and suddenly they burst out of the downstairs closet, water cascading across the wooden floor. The closet door slammed itself shut, splashing him in the face.
Mike stumbled to his feet, his inner ear throwing a tantrum.
Beth was sprawled out, barely able to get on her hands and knees.
“Look, I’m sorry I gave you away. If I had known I would have-“
“What, let me stay? Let me sit on the shelf? Talked to me when I was lonely, played with me when I was bored, made me feel like I mattered?” Beth dry-heaved.
Mike shook his head. “It could still happen that way.” He pulled the doll out of his pocket. “But I’m going to need you to leave Beth alone.”
“Fat fucking chance,” she hissed, dark eyes squinting. The coat rack by the door flung itself at his legs, tripping Mike up and knocking him to the ground. Beth crawled on top of him and wrapped her fingers tightly around his neck. “I’ll make you pay. I’ll make everybody pay.”
Gurgling noises filled the room, like a washer machine draining. Beth and Mike looked over at the closet, which opened up, dumping gallons of water into the room. Spilling through the doorway, green limbs flying everywhere, was Tink. She collided with Beth, knocking her off of Mike.
Beth clawed at Tink’s face, but Tink was having none of it. She lifted Beth’s head off the ground and head-butted her, knocking her out.
“Fucking ghost girl ruins everything,” she snarled, climbing off of Beth. Her hair was a wet mess, her dress torn in several places. Mike realized that her goggles were missing.
“Tink, what happened to your goggles?”
“STUPID COW FUCK TOOK TINK’S GOGGLES!” she roared at the top of her voice. Her green skin flush with anger, Tink stormed to the closet door and slammed it shut. “When Mike done with Jenny, we go get goggles back!”
Mike shook his head, rubbing his eyes. The shadowy figure just beyond the gates sprang into his mind, weapon drawn, a shadow that had filled him with dread. In his mind’s eye, he could see the dangerous horns tucked just to the side of the brow line, the tail, the thickset legs...
“Wait, a fucking minotaur took your goggles?” Mike cried. Tink nodded, large tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. “Tink, a fucking minotaur lives in the walls?”
“Cow fuck live in Labyrinth with other fucks!” Tink sniffed once, twice, then let out a wail. “Tink wants goggles back!”
“Tink, I...” Mike didn’t know what to say. The goblin was melting down, her rough exterior suddenly cracked. How could he tell h
er that he didn’t think messing with a minotaur was worth it? What did that even entail? Beth groaned, putting a hand to her head. “We need to take care of this situation first. We will figure out the goggles later.” Kneeling, he pulled Tink toward him and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Goblin husband promise?” she asked, sniffling. When Mike nodded, Tink wiped the tears from her eyes, her composure back again. “Then Tink help.”
Between the two of them, it was easy to drag Beth out to Naia’s fountain. Cecilia, having heard the noise downstairs, had floated through the ceiling to open the back door.
Abella picked up Beth and held her like a child until she began to stir. Then she wrapped her arms tightly around Beth’s waist, ensuring that she couldn’t escape.
Naia sat on the fountain’s edge, her chin on her hand in contemplation. “Abella explained everything to me,” she informed Mike. “And we need to come up with a plan before she wakes up. From what I remember, last time Jenny took a human host, the host was killed to keep her from causing more problems. The time before that, it took an exorcism with a priest to boot her out, and then the priest came back later to try to wipe us out. Hence why we started killing the host.”
“Shit,” Mike muttered. Jenny really had caused problems. “Who is she?”
“A ghost. An old ghost.” Naia stood on the water’s surface. “Once upon a time, she was a young woman who caught the eye of a widower in town who was quite wealthy and handsome. Jealous of the attention she received from him, some of the local women accused her of witchcraft, of killing the man’s wife and seducing him with the dark arts. They burned her at the stake, and her soul got caught in the doll that a little girl was holding. Her vessel has changed a few times since then, but she refuses to move on.” Naia shook her head. “And all she ever does is cause us trouble.”
“So we can’t get a priest,” Mike said. “And we are not going to kill her. So what can we do?”
“Hmm.” Cecilia stared at Beth. “Upon termination, her soul should immediately flee the host body for the afterlife, yet it ends up back in the doll and the host is still dead. Which doesn’t make sense, because I get the impression that Beth’s soul sleeps in the doll, meaning Jenny should simply pass on while Beth remains trapped. But that isn’t what happens.”
Radley's Home for Horny Monsters Page 16
