The old oak stairs creaked under my feet. My heart was slamming repeatedly against my rib cage. I reached the top of the stairs. Yes, the ringing was definitely coming from up here. I forced my legs to move forwards. Wait a minute. 1.2.3.4.5.5 bedrooms. This house only has four post op where did the fifth one come from?

 

I had seen many movies with scenes like this and so I knew this would only result in something bad. But I couldn't stop myself. My brain was in a trance, as though the ringing noise was controlling it. I was my brain and the rest of my body just happened to be there. I tried to breakthrough willing myself to stop. But I couldn't.

 

The ringing was getting louder with every obedient step I took towards this abnormal room. I twisted my hands, trying to call myself. Why was I here? How did I even get into this house? My mind was blank.

 

The door to the room was ajar, just like you would expect it to be in the movies. Now, with tears streaming down my face from concentrating on my brain, I pushed the door open wide. The squeaking noise that came from the moving door was almost unbearable. Like now is on a chalkboard. But not as unbearable as the high pitches squealing of the phone in the centre of the room.

 

My brain forced my head to rise. Unknowingly, a sharp intake of breath in the darkness, almost as loud as the ringing phone. Almost. I looked around at the room, wondering where it came from. The room seemed huge, as it was pitch black. A spotlight with an invisible source was focused intently on the phone. The phone wasn't at all modern, though it didn’t  seem to be old or dirty. It was a polished black phone, with its wire trailing to the back of the room. As the ringing sounded, the phone wobbled on its stand. Just like in the movies.

 

After what felt like a lifetime, I reached the phone. My brain still in charge, it forced my hand to seize it tightly. With my hand shaking like a bird in the winter. I held the now un-ringing object to my ear and spoke.

“Hel- hello?”

 

The horrible noise of static filled my head and my brain woke up from its zombielike slumber. I dropped the phone as more invisible lights lit the walls of the room. Bookshelves. But instead of books they were lined with dolls. Just like the movies.

 

And they moved. like rats, they scurried down from their homely shelves and formed a circle around me. Then out of nowhere, they began passing an unmoving doll around and stood in front of me. In the dim light I couldn't see the features of this dolls face but it looked strangely familiar. I looked around at the other dolls and spotted another familiar face.

“Kate? What are you doing here? And why are you a doll?!”

No response. Just a haunting pair of glassy eyes staring through an unmovable porcelain face. But they were her eyes. Staring every inch of my face, taking me in, as if she were drawing me in her mind.

“Kate! You have to help me! I-I don’t want to be here! You shouldn’t be here! Please Kate! Listen to me!”

 

My words stopped short as something collided with my head. The dolls have thrown the doll at me. I blinked hard and suddenly I was on the ground, lying on my back. A loud thump sounded next to me. I tried to look. Tried to set up. Strange. My arms were stiff. Little hands pushed on my back and my shoulders and forced me to stand up.

 

That's odd. My legs are stiff too. I looked around and screamed. But nothing came out. My mouth didn't even open. I tried to smile, Frown, laugh, cry..

 

I strained my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things. The dolls. They were... big? Or was I small? I turned my stiff neck. I found the source of the loud thud from earlier. Lying next to me was... me? But…how? Split into two groups now. One group was writing on a piece of paper (which was difficult because their arms didn't bend), While the other group was trying (and failing) to lift a small mirror.

Finally the mirror group managed to lift the mirror and together they shuffled the mirror to face me. And I gasped. Well tried to.

 

A doll was staring back at me. But it was...? A me-doll? No way. Fearing the worst, I moved one of my arms. The me-doll moved the same arm. I tilted my head to the right. The me-doll did the same thing. Whatever my new body did, the me-doll did too.

“That’s cool” I said.

But I didn't. The me-dolls mouth didn't even move either.

 

Then it hit me. The me-doll was a me-doll because it was… me. I started to hyperventilate. Although, no sound erupted from my mouth. But at this point I didn't care. I was a doll.

The first group of dolls had finished whatever they were writing. While I was still panicking, they struggled to lift the paper to show me. The door. I had to get to the door. To get out of the house. Even if I was a doll.

 

They managed to lift the paper and show me what they had written on it:

'Get used to your new body. You’re going to be here a while'

 

And they dropped the paper and formed another circle around me. This time they were more threatening as they were the same height as I was. And they looked like may. Moved like me. Together they lifted me and started to waddle towards a bookshelf. I tried to struggle out of their strangely strong grip. But I couldn't.

They placed me on a shelf at the bottom and made me sit up straight. Then, out of nowhere, they used rope to secure me in, so I couldn't escape.

Without me realizing, more dolls had written something on the back of the paper.

they shifted themselves over to me to let me see what they had written.

 

'Hope you are comfortable. The ropes are just for your safety. Now relax and wait, just like the rest of us.'

“Wait for what?”

They didn't hear me. I didn't hear me.

"Wait! Where are you going? What are we waiting for?”

 

Again no sound. I know reaction from the dolls. They had dropped the paper and all the dolls, every single one, was slowly crawling towards my old body. There were thousands of them. All similar, yet also different. Like humans. Now they were picking up my old body, lifting it onto their shoulders. And together they moved the corpse towards the dark corner of the room.

 

As they moved closer towards the corner, another invisible light turned on to illuminate the most horrific thing I will ever see. If I could have gasped, I would have. Maybe even retched.

A pile of bodies, each looking like they have been there for an awfully long amount of time. There, near the top of the power was Kate's corps. A once beautiful young girl, her body was rotting away slowly, all signs of beauty last. But it was strange. Each corpse seemed to be staring straight at their old owners. Thankfully, none was staring directly at me and I couldn't make out all of their features. But they all seemed to have their eyes closed because I couldn't see their eyes.

The dolls reached the pile and managed to toss my body on. They weren't very successful. My body lay at the base of pile. And my head. My head moved slowly to face me. I gasped. Well, tried to.

 

My skull had no eyes. Empty sockets stared constantly at me. And I couldn't move it. I couldn't do anything. Because I was trapped. With no way out. Just like in the movies.