Chapter 6

The doll collection room was exactly what it sounded like - filled with dolls of all sizes.

And many teddy bears too.

At first glance, I couldn't even tell which were real dolls and which were...

"Wow, so pretty!"

"There's so many! The whole room is full!"

The girls were excited. Even Daisy had never been in here before. She had a girlish look of wonder.

The boy was clearly uninterested.

He poked and prodded randomly before bumping a music box. It began to play.

"The dolly and the teddy bear dance, dance, dance..."

One girl hugged an ornate Baroque-style doll, her eyes full of envy.

"Daisy, your mom is amazing. Look at this dress, it's so beautifully made!"

"Um... can I have this one? I really love it..."

Daisy was very generous of course and immediately agreed.

I looked carefully at the doll and said, "Maybe you shouldn't take that one. How about choosing a different doll?"

She glared at me. "Daisy already said yes. It's none of your business. This isn't your house anyway."

They mocked and ridiculed me.

The boy chuckled. "This reminds me of a horror movie about creepy dolls. Have you guys seen it?"

"Shut up!" the girls yelled, but their voices lacked conviction.

He continued, "It was also set in a mansion. The lady of the house loved collecting dolls. Guess what the dolls were made of?"

"Real children."

"Ahh! Shut up!"

The girl holding the Baroque doll screamed and started hitting the boy with it.

Crack— thunk thunk—

The doll's head fell off and rolled away.

"Oh no, I didn't mean to..."

The head rolled into another room. The lights were off and it was very dark.

"Lily, where's the light switch..."

After I turned on the lights, they were shocked by the scene before them.

"Is... is this a workshop?"

There were syringes, gauze, and a trash can with bloody bandages.

The table held various knives and a half-finished project that looked quite disturbing.

A strange smell wafted from the bathroom, like a foul odor mixed with air freshener.

The music box outside was running out of power. It made a buzzing sound and seemed to slow down.

"The... dolly... and... teddy... dance..."

A girl's voice trembled: "This is creepy. I'm scared."

Another agreed: "Me too. I want to go home."

BANG—

The door suddenly slammed shut, making everyone jump.