CHAPTER#46

"Hello Jenny." Mike stood and waited, unsure if the doll would even speak with him. The last time he had dealt with Jenny had been an unmitigated disaster. Jenny had lost her temper, possessed Beth's body, and attempted to kill him. He had spent all night thinking about how he could get into the Labyrinth, and he knew of only one person now who could get him in.

A minute passed, and then another. With no response, Mike continued. "So, I think we got off to a bad start. We've both had a chance to cool down, and I was hoping that, if you were interested, we could come to an agreement that means you aren't just locked away in here. The house has plenty of room, and we could make a space just for you. One with a view, maybe? I don't know exactly what it is that you want, but you had the chance to leave and never come back, yet you came here. There must be a reason."

He waited another minute. The Vault was silent. He could hear the steady thudding of his heart in his ears, a gentle beat that seemed to echo from the walls of the room.

"Okay, well, I thought it would be worth a shot." Mike turned around, carefully picking his way through the room.

"Wait." Her voice echoed across the room, coming from several places at once. Frost accumulated on the walls, and the whole Vault creaked.

Turning around, Mike crossed his arms. "Okay Jenny. I'm listening."

Several seconds passed, and Jenny remained silent. Mike was about to leave when he felt a chill wind pass through his body, grabbing him from behind the heart and pulling him forward. The room spun around him, the Vault disappearing from sight.

-

Mike stood in a small room, staring at the door that had been painted on the wall. He ran his fingers along it, his fingers feeling the soft grains of the wood beneath. The furniture in the room had a blocky quality to it, the sofa nearest him having the appearance of cheap plastic. Mike knelt down, running his fingers along the edges. His fingers confirmed the truth.

"Jenny?" Mike called, standing up. He walked up to a window, one that wasn't just painted on. The world outside the dollhouse was full of stars, stars that slowly moved across each other with no set direction. "Jenny, where am I?"

The only door in the room opened, creaking quietly. Rolling his eyes, Mike walked through the dollhouse. It was a close replica of his home, but several of the rooms were simply painted along the back wall. The clunky furniture closely modeled what was left in his home after Jenny's last tantrum.

Walking down the stairs, he saw that the front room with the fireplace had a fire in it. Her back was to him, her long hair down to her waist. She faced the wall, her red dress billowing gently outward in a room with no wind.

"Where are we?" Mike asked.

"Inside your mind," Jenny said, her voice coming from everywhere. "Trapped in a moment, walled off in a well, in the place between awake and asleep."

"Is this a trick?" Mike asked. "Did you possess me?"

"No." Jenny turned around. Her hair hung loose over her face, hiding her features. Goosebumps sprouted along Mike's arms and legs. "Not possessed. Talking. Easier to talk here."

"So I'm still in the Vault?"

"It is like being asleep." Jenny held up a hand, clenching it dramatically. "You can wake if you want. Ta-ta, toodle ooh, thanks for coming by!"

Mike squeezed his hand, then released and squeezed again. If he concentrated, he could feel the world around him fade, feel the cold concrete beneath his feet. Relaxing, he let the dollhouse snap back into place. "So why bring me here?"

"Easier to talk. I am weak." Mike's mind was blasted by an image of Beth's body riding his cock, Jenny's soul jumping ship to go back into the doll. "We can talk here. It's quiet, personal, safe, enjoy the fries, they're fresh today!"

Mike rubbed his chin, doing his best to avoid staring at Jenny's creepy visage. "You are still recovering."

Jenny nodded, the motion causing her hair to droop and then part. He caught a glimpse of the pale face beneath those locks and quickly looked away.

"I'm sorry we had to do that," Mike said. "But I want to talk about it. Are you still mad?"

In response, the whole house shook. The furniture vibrated across the floor, and the walls creaked around him. Mike waggled a finger back and forth.

"Un-uh. If you throw a tantrum, I'm leaving you here for another week." The tremor ceased, and Jenny stood, waiting.

"I don't like it here," Jenny said. This time, images of the Vault bounced around his head. Shadows crept from one shelf to another, objects moved on their own, and the room was full of whispers. "Not one bit, chicken little. The sky is falling."

"Would you like to leave the Vault?" Mike asked. "And I don't mean for a little bit. I mean for good."

The dollhouse rumbled but quickly settled. Jenny took a single step toward him, her body teleporting across the distance. Her figure shimmered, like static on an old tv, and he could see the dark eyes hidden behind her ominous bangs.

"Objection! Sustained! Parole for good behavior!" Her voice bounced off of the walls, assaulting him from every direction. "Yes! Please, I want to leave!" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I can feel them watching me."

This time, he was assaulted by hundreds of images at once. He was in the Vault, watching the shadows creep closer in, then he was atop a bonfire, the flames creeping ever closer to his feet. Faces of men and women from centuries past filled his mind, followed by inhuman creatures, shadow people, and then a figure with glowing red eyes in a hat. Mike stumbled, falling backward, but Jenny seized him by his shirt, holding him up.