Toy

The weird things she found in old books at her grandmother's home were the things that most fascinated her. It took every knowledge she ever had in life to a different level and so it quite interested her. From black magic to summoning the greater evil, it was all there, though she was scared of trying it. Every time she even got close to doing one of those chants, she'd close the book and leave the attic. Her parents didn't know about what she'd do over at her grandmother's home. They were always busy doing other things. No one knew what she did. They asked her once, she'd always reply with a "just playing with my dolls, mommy." If only they knew, they'd flip out of their minds, she knew, so she kept it a secret. That had been when she was 8, and now that she was 12, she didn't quite remember what she used to do back then. Her grandmother had passed away from a heart attack, and her parents and her where in the process of cleaning out the house.

"Where are you going?" she heard her mother yell after her.

"Clean out the attic, mama," she replied.

"Be careful."

She ran up to the attic, almost tripping on the few steps, but she made it up there. Once she got inside, she looked for the light switch. She flicked it on, but no light came on. She sighed and looked for something, a lamp. Once she had it in her hands, she turned the light on and nearly jumped. A spider was making her web, and she had nearly gone through it. She made her way around and kicked old boxes out of her way, until the last one she had kicked hurt her foot.

"Ouch," she said dropping the lamp and heard it roll. The attic was dark now, even though it was daylight, but the windows were sealed shut with wood. She always questioned why, but never paid much attention to it.

She dropped on her knees and crawled trying to find the lamp, and once she had she turned it on, once again giving light to the room. The box she had kicked caught her attention, she wonder what it contained. The box was ripped open at an instant and sudden weird memories flooded back to her from when she was eight.

"The books," she said to herself, admiring the worn out book covers and leather satchels along with the jars and small boxes.

She took a small box in her hands and opened it, shocked to find small bones, feathers, a coin and some teeth. Carefully, she grabbed the small bone from what she could tell was a bird bone and looked at it in awe. And she wonder what it was, what the whole thing was. She sat it down next to her and grabbed a jar. Though she almost dropped it when she saw nails in the clear yellow liquid.

The book with Malum Magicam as the title had her interest. It was, to her, the oldest book and the cover was mostly worn out and stained. Once she opened it, she noticed the pages were wrinkled and slightly torn.

"Spells and rituals?" she questioned the first chapter.

She looked at the next few pages and stopped at one she thought looked interesting.

"Summoning spell?" She shrugged and read down the few lines, or at least tried. From what she could tell half the book was in Latin. But she went on and read out loud. "O tenebrosi creatura nocte voco te cum omnibus meis tuerentur et adiuva me intelligens spiritus-"

She stopped and turned her head after she heard some noise. She turned around and looked at the book again and continued. " O me adiuvant, et ego tibi assistunt, oh daemonum daemon venire ad me nunc placere adiuva me ultionem si es hie placere da mihi signum - o daemon Mena."

It was quiet, she turned her head and bit her lip. What had she read? The book was placed back inside the box and she rummaged around it to look for something else. The sound of something falling startled her. She grabbed the lamp rapidly and shone the spot where she heard the sound coming from. A toy was on the floor, moving side to side. She stood up and approached it, taking it in her hands and looked at it. Then she put it down and walked back to the box, sitting down once again and taking weird shaped jars, examined them carefully.

"Madeline! Time to go," she stood up and closed the box, pushing it to a corner, and grabbed the bags she originally wanted to get. She walked slowly to the door and pulled. The door didn't open.

She tried again, and again, until she began banging on the door. "Mom!"

She turned around and dropped the bags, walking to where the lamp was. As she grabbed it, she noticed the toy she had grabbed no longer was at the broken table like she had left it. Then she wondered, did whatever she said work? But what was it? She jumped and watched a few stuff falling from a torn box. And then she saw the toy. It was there at the top of the ripped box. Backing away slowly, she didn't take her eyes of the toy, until she almost tripped. She looked behind her and then back to where the toy was, but it wasn't. She stopped and turned around and ran to the door. Non-stop, she banged on the door and pulled the door handle. The door still wouldn't budge.

"MOM!" She yelled. "MOM!" She heard a giggle.

Her eyes widened as she turned and looked at the toy a few inches away from her. She backed closer to the door and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. And then she noticed the nail it was holding, and suddenly it smiled.



"Why are we going in there again?" Alicia Clark asked her boyfriend.

"Because it's a Wednesday night and Halloween, plus this two dumb asses want to check it out or something," Carlos Jimenez told her kissing her forehead.

"Really why?"

"They heard it from somewhere that it's haunted or something like that."

"Haunted? Are they that dumb?" she asked.

"Apparently."

They continued to walk down the street until they arrived at the rundown house. The place had leaves all over the front yard, the fence that once enclosed it from intruders was now on the ground. Alicia looked behind her and stared at the full moon. She knew it was a dumb idea to go to that house at 10 in the night. Carlos and her had plans already, to go trick or treating along with those other two dumb asses she called best friends: Armand Nichols and Tyler Garcia.

It didn't take them long before they broke in the house. According to half the town in Des Moines, Iowa, this was the most haunted place to ever be in: The Riddle house. Alicia tried her best not to step in cobwebs or like Armand told her "squeak because of a dead mouse". This is a stupid idea, she thought to herself. She wasn't comfortable, she didn't even want to be there. But the pleading from her boyfriend made her. Of course she always passed this house on her way to school, but never dared give it two looks before she got creeped out and now she was inside it. What?

"Hey guys look!" the three heard Tyler whisper from what seemed to be a kitchen, or was.

"What is it?" Alicia asked. Then she was thrown a dead rat. "OH MY GOD!"

"Dude," Carlos said walking over to his girlfriend and calming her down.

"Bitch," she said.

"It's just a plastic rat," Tyler chuckled.

"Remember what you said Ty? We don't want to get caught, dumb ass."

"Whatever Carlos," he said and followed Armand.

"You okay?" Carlos asked Alicia. She simply nodded and they went to look for the other two.

The house seemed to be even more of a mess in the inside then from the outside. Broken chairs, tables, the windows shattered, cooking utensils laying around everywhere, and tons of cans that if you weren't careful and watched where you were going, could easily make you trip and fall. Alicia would jump at the sound of rats running around freely or when she felt mosquitoes on her bare arms. Being there gave her the creeps. She had heard many stories about the Riddle house, about murders or something of that sort. They were many sides to the story, she wasn't even sure if it was all true or not, but somehow she knew it was true. Maybe not all that bull crap people told for years to scare their children. Armand approached them and made them follow him.

"Help us open the attic door," he said once they had reached the final step of the staircase. Carlos let go of Alicia and walked over to the door pushing and pulling trying to get it open, until both him and Tyler opened it.

"Can't see shit," Tyler said holding onto Alicia.

"Really?" sarcastically Alicia responded.

"Here light switch," Armand said, flicking it on and then off. "And it doesn't work."

Even though they couldn't see anything, they walked inside and felt around for something.

"Lamp!" Armand shouted, getting hushed noises from the other three.

As he turned it on, they were all surprised to see more of a mess in the attic. Boxes piled upon boxes, some open some taped shut. They noticed the many books full of dust, brooms, clothing and some other stuff there. They walked around, Carlos staying close to Alicia. They all rummaged around for something interesting, perhaps even scary to investigate.

"Hey guys look at this," the three approached Armand. He held a small toy, a very squeaky clean toy that was next to piles of dust. "Creepy, huh?"

They nodded. They toy seemed to be sewed back into one, it looked like it had been cut in half. The mouth of it also sewed and had black oval eyes, big feet and hands, just the finishing touch for its creepiness to be all complete. Tyler took it from Armand's hands, giving it a careful overlook before giving it to Carlos. He then gave it to Alicia who as much refused to hold it, looked at it and looked away.

"Why isn't this dirty? I mean everything is dirty, why not this?" Carlos asked, handing the toy back to Armand, who placed it back on the dusty table.

He shrugged and they walked around again, until they found a box, taped shut and had nails keeping it secured. It was the box that attracted them the most, so they went on and opened it. Old books, jars, small boxes and what seemed to be voodoo dolls among other things were found inside. Alicia took the first book that had Witchcraft as the title, and opened it, looking over everything and reading its contents.

"Whoever lived here was into weird stuff," she said placing it on the ground and looking at one of the jars. As soon as she grabbed it, she had almost dropped it. The jar contained teeth in a yellowish-red liquid. "Guys what the hell?"

"What?" Tyler asked.

"Those are freaking teeth!" she whispered harshly.

"Really?" Armand said and grabbed the jar. "Wow, that's scary."

"Can we leave?" Alicia asked.

"Oh come on, Ali, we just got here, no fun if we leave now because of your discovery," Tyler said. "Who knows what other creepy shit we find here."

"Exactly, and I don't want to know, let's leave."

They didn't and Alicia had to suck it up. They continued to look at the strange stuff inside the box until Carlos grabbed what seemed to be the oldest and most damaged book within the box.

"Malum Magicam", Carlos said out loud. "Did I say it right?"

They looked at the box.

"I don't know, I don't read jibberish," Tyler said, looking at cloth full of bones. "Do you think these are human bones or animal bones?"

"I don't wish to know," Alicia responded. "What's inside that?"

The book was filled with strange languages, weird images, and what seemed to be, a blood sacrifice.

"This is fucked up," Carlos said.

He stopped at a particular page and looked at the image that he thought was what described the strange wording. It was what seemed to be some sort of ghost or something floating at the top of something. Its face was not recognizable and it seemed to be looking at bodies, dead bodies. There was a pentagram and some candles around the bodies and blood around them. And it creeped him out. The wording seemed to confuse him, what did it mean?

"O tenebros-si creatura nocte voco te cum omn-nn-ibus meis tuer-re-entur et adi-u-uva me intellig-gge-ens spiritus. O me adi-uv-uvant, et ego tibi assis-ss-tunt, oh daemonum daemon venire ad me nunc placere adiuva me ultionem si es hie placere da mihi signum - o daemon Mena," Carlos said out loud.

"What?" Armand asked.

Carlos shrugged. "I don't know."

The book was dropped and on they continued with their investigation.

"What was that?" Alicia asked. The sound of small little footsteps she had heard.

"What was what?" Tyler asked not looking at her but a particular jar filled with fingernails.

Alicia scooted closer to Carlos and grabbed his hand. She leaned closer to his ear and whispered when they would leave. He replied with a soon. She grabbed his hand and laced it together with hers, and squeezed it tightly. She jumped.

"Oh my god!"

"What? What?"

"Something just pulled my hair!" she said standing up and looked around her.

"calm down," Armand said.

"I will not calm down, Armand, something pulled my fucking hair!"

"I'm sure it was n-"

Alicia screamed, pointing behind Armand. They toy that was once at the table now was behind him, and it seemed to be staring at him. He jumped and went next to Alicia, Tyler backing away slowly once it saw it. And then its head moved, this time staring at Alicia. They all yelled profanities and ran towards the door, pushing and punching, yelling but the door would not open. Tyler turned around and looked where the toy used to be, but no longer was there.

"Guys," he said calmly. They all looked at him. "Where's the toy?"

The four looked at the previous spot and gulped, wondering where it could be.

"Son of a b- Ah," Carlos yelled in pain. He pulled his left arm and looked at the inserted paper clip on his arm. As he pulled it, blood rushed out, and he looked at his friends and girlfriend in panic. "We gotta get out!"

They began to punch and push, throwing kicks to open the door but still nothing. Alicia turned behind her and saw the toy. She screamed and looked away, and she looked back, to see the toy gone once again. She screamed again and instantly put her hand over her mouth, and felt as it was cut deeply to the side. The guys panicked and tried to close her mouth and stop the bleeding after it had stopped cutting.

Alicia was crying, and it only made the pain worse. They tried to keep her calm, but the rushing of the blood wouldn't stop. She felt her own blood in her mouth and she became more hysterical.

"Sh," Carlos said, he himself crying for his girlfriend. It wasn't after a few mere minutes that Armand was now the one screaming bloody murder.

Once they saw nails being pondered on his shoulders and feet, they all lost it and tried to stop it. Tyler continued to pound on the door, trying desperately to open it. He didn't want to die, not yet. But it seemed that today would be his last day, for him and his friends. He looked down at his arm and watched as it was cut open, and the blood gushed out rapidly.

"Tyler!" Carlos screamed and ran over to him, stopped rapidly after receiving a nail to both of his eyes, now forever blinding him. He dropped to the floor, where Alicia ran towards him, and tried to keep her boyfriend alive, but her desperate cries and begging, and trying to stop the nails that were being hammered into Carlos body, she found him dead after a few seconds, and to finish it all off, a brick that had been loosen up from the roof fell on his head, silencing his pain filled moans, and loving words to his girlfriend forever. Alicia jumped back and watched the blood run from his smashed head.

"Alicia!" She turned around and looked at Armand, his stomach being cut open, and she ran over to him trying to get him to look at her.

"Ar-mand-d" she tried to say, but the pain in her mouth stopped her and more blood came out.

He didn't know what was happening- Alicia didn't either but he punched Alicia knocking her on the ground next to the dead Carlos.

"I'm sorry! Please save me! I don't want to die!" but it was all too late. Armand now drowning in his own blood, and Alicia watched as his organs one by one thrown into different directions and his heart squeezed to death. The worst thing, she wasn't even aware of the next attack, it was all a surprise. She turned and ran towards Tyler, who now was on the ground and he seemed to be loosing blood rapidly. He was half-conscious, his eyes barely open but he could see Alicia.

"Sta-a-y with me T-tyler," she said covering his cut open arms, applying pressure but it wasn't enough. He was gonna die, she was gonna die. On Halloween night only because it would be cool to go into a place that everyone said was haunted. Stupid ideas, made by stupid college students.

"Run Alicia," Tyler said, desperately trying to keep his eyes fixed on her and open. "Run and save yourself."

And soon he was dead. She cried silently and stopped as she heard a giggle from behind her. She didn't dare to look but she had too, she turned and saw nothing. She got up and let go of Tyler's limp body, and backed away slowly towards the door and tried to open the door. The immense pain in her face made her give up and turn to look around. She walked rapidly over to the lamp and grabbed it tightly, turning around and stopping. There it was, the toy, looking at her, behind him a rusty nail it held, the once emotionless face the toy held turned into a smirk. And she remembered the movie Chucky, the evil toy that murdered. This was like that, except it was real life and she was going to die. She couldn't move, she cried but no noise, it was like she was glued to that particular place, she couldn't move her legs. It moved closer...closer....closer....closer until it was just a few inches away from her. Alicia still couldn't move. She closed her eyes and waited for the excruciating pain, but nothing. She opened her eyes and looked at the toy, it no longer held a nail, but a rusty knife instead.



"..Four college students, three male and one female were murdered this day. Police say the victims were left with strange markings on their bodies and set in a circle, a pentagram drawn under them. It seemed to be a part of satanic ritual. The Riddle home has been shut off to the public and is being patrolled by officers at the time."



It was all a matter of time before they discovered the terrifying horrors that hid in that house. The Riddle House.