Intoxicate

A Chapter by HeyJadeXO

"Did you hear that?" Havyn asks in shock.

I nod my head in agreement.

My heart beats to a stopwatch like pace, it counts me down to the next moment of insanity. The rush of the chase accelerates my stride. I can hear Havyn’s heavy steps cracking the earth below his feet. The sudden impact of the wall causes my sneakers to screech across the ground.

A dead end.

I wipe the sweat from my forehead with my right sleeve. A door is waiting at my side.

I point it out to Havyn. He nods his head. I reach for the doorknob, fearless of what could be on the other side. Havyn takes a large breath as I turn it.

The door opens with an annoying creak.

So much for going undetected.

The room is dark except for a small desktop lamp attached to a drawing table. Havyn snags the back of my t-shirt, choking me. He pulls me closer to him in a loose embrace and I see the cause of his reaction.

A significant figure is standing in the corner of the room. A blanket covers the body like a tarp, but the feet can be seen. I start searching my pockets for the scissors, but sigh, remembering that I had left them at the gym.

My foot taps feverishly.

Havyn reaches into his pocket, pulling out a pair of gloves. He places them on each hand irritatingly slow, squeezing his hands to make sure they are snug.

Havyn rotates around me so he is standing in front.

"Stay here," he mouths to me.

He reaches behind him with his palm open, towards me, raising the seriousness of his command. His steps seem like an eternity; for a man of his stature, his stealth is something to admire. I watch him place his hands around the figure’s head in preparation for an attack.

My palms start to sweat.

Havyn clamps down on the figure so hard it falls on top of him. I watch in horror as the two bodies roll around on the floor. He places the body in a chokehold; realize it isn't trying to defend itself. The arms remained lifeless on its side. Havyn is applying so much strength to the hold that his eyelids are shut. I walk over and kick his arm. He swats me away, but I kick again.

He gets up and pushes me back. I grab his shirt tightly and point to the body on the floor.

Havyn squints his eyes.

I pull the blanket off of the figure.

"A mannequin," I confirm.

Havyn leans his body against the wall. His palms slap into the concrete. I wipe the sweat from my palms on my jeans. I gesture for him to close the door to the room.

"Just don't want any more surprises," I explain.

The shut door allows the desk lamp to illuminate more of the room. A bulletin board is covered with various newspapers. All of the articles are headlines featuring accidents or obituaries. I spot a flashlight on the table, and shake the light to revive it. A beam awakens. I point it towards Havyn.

"Did you see anything come in here?" I ask.

"No. I mean I'm not sure. Sorry man this place is distracting," Havyn rambles.

He rubs his arms up and down.

I use the light to read the articles closer and flag Havyn to look as well.

"Do you see what I see?" I inquire.

He stares blankly.

"Most of these are about the same car accident from different newspapers," I say.

He tightens his ponytail. I feel like someone is watching us.

Havyn turns away from me and begins fumbling through the desk. He holds up some large sheets of papers.

"Dude, what do you think these are?" He asks laying the papers on the desk.

"Blueprints? For dolls? That can't be possible. Look at the dimensions. Six feet!" he exclaims.

I remain fixated on the articles. A family in a deadly crash. Two adults and one child killed.

"Ares...Ares!" he shouts at me.

His voice startles me out of my trance.

"What? Yeah, that does seem strange. It's like a little shop of horrors down here," I reply, uneasy.

I hear little footsteps galloping outside the hallway. Opening the door quickly, I pop my head out to try and catch a glimpse of the cause and see the same small silhouette prancing down the hall in the opposite direction.

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