Daddy's Girl

Chapter 3
Friend's Girl

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Chapter Description: Denise, Annette's best friend since they were children, makes an attempt to escape insane Allen.

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Chapter 3: Friend’s Girl

Denise had begun to walk away before she had actually heard her best friend Annette scream, "Denise! Run!" Turning around just long enough for a pause, Allen was able to open the door and launch an ornamental glass vase at her skull. It was really bad luck, or maybe even fate, that if the girl Denise had considered a sister hadn’t called out a warning, Denise might have never had gotten involved in such horrible events. Strangely, no one in the neighborhood heard the crash, everyone had stayed inside expecting another storm like the previous night.

The poor girl’s limp body was dragged into the house, up the stairs, and plopped on to Annette’s bed, where she was without any other thought to bleed on the yellow flower bed comforter. Soon enough though, Annette’s toddler body had been placed at Denise’s feet, and placed her hands in two hand cuffs (real ones from their father, a police man who had left them there) and each one in the opposite bed post, crossing Annette’s arms. Allen left, and then walked back in with four bits of rope, tying each of Denise’s hands and feet to one of the bed post.

*****

Hours later, the sky was dark, and Denise groaned awake. The yellow world was dark and blurry and she saw an unhappy familiar child frowning at her. "Uuuuggggh! Where am I kid?"

"You’re in my room, Denise, tied up to my bed." Annette answered, her voice touching a string of memory in Denise’s mind. She was still trying to remember where she had heard it before but it was getting easier to place the voice.

"This is going to sound crazy, but you sound a lot like my friend, Annette. Where she? I was right in front of her house before...Before someone threw something at my face!

Where is that bastard?! Oops!" She grimaced, realizing she had just swore in front of a small child. "Sorry!"

"Denise...Don’t you recognize me? It’s me Annette!" Denise’s scarred face blinked in recognition, then in disbelief.

"No! No...Just no. Annette’s older than you. Much older."

The tiny girl was on the verge of tears and tried to explain, "I know, I know. That’s what I wanted to show you...I got this weird box with this magic powder or dust in it and now whenever someone sees me, they can change my look just by wanting it in their head. But then my brother went psycho and...And...I got you into this. I’m so sorry!"

Denise shook her head during the whole time little Annette spoke. "This has got to be some sort of joke. Annette told you to say this, didn’t she?"

"Yea, that’s right she did. The whole thing was part of her plan to prank you including the part where you got knocked out and tied to her bed! What the Hell do you think is going on!?"

Denise started shaking and crying. "What’s going on here?"

"I just told you, my brother went psycho or something. Listen, I’ll prove it to you! Just use your mind to want me older!" The toddler ordered the teenager, who nodded while sobbing, a rather backwards picture. Annette’s body started to grow older, her clothes and body changing before her best friends eyes. Her arms then strained themselves into pain from the handcuffs then had been crossed. Pushed to the limits, her arms were ready to pop out of their sockets and Annette pleaded, "Change me back! Change me back!"

Her body reverted back to the toddler girl as quickly as it changed. Her muscles relaxed from the strain they were on and Annette sighed with relief. "I guess I can’t just grow back up and get us out of here..."

"How did this happen? The age thing, not the brother going psycho thing. I actually figured he would’ve done this a long time ago. He was never quite...right, if you know what I mean, well...I suppose you do know since you lived with him and all. And now this. How did you ever put up with him in the first place? I mean, your mom is sweet and your dad was kinda distant when he was here but your brother OWW!" Denise, who had been ranting from the shock and weight of everything, had been forced out of it from a quick kick in the shin.

"Ok, I get it, my brother is bad, that’s what I just said, now, we need to figure out how to get out of here before Allen gets back up here."

Denise nodded and moved a little trying to get as comfortable as she could (A very hard thing to do as anybody who has been bound hand and feet to a bed post might tell you).

"Well, if growing up wasn’t the answer, how about growing down?"

"What?"

"Well, if I want you back to being an infant, then your hands would shrink out of the cuffs, then I could want you back to being a teenager and you could get me out of here."

Annette looked at her friend impressed at her clear thinking. "Ok, then. Go ahead. I’m ready..." The little girl quickly went from being a toddler to an infant in a matter of seconds, the yellow dress being replaced by a onesie. Then, with her hands free, she grew up into a teenager by her friend’s want. Now a teenager, Annette leaned over to release her friend’s right hand, then while that released hand worked on her other, Annette worked on getting her feet free.

Just with all of Denise free, they heard a pitter patter of rain on the glass. In the distance, a great boom was heard and Annette froze. "Damn it! You’ve got to be kidding me!"

Denise said in anger, Annette’s fear of lightning and thunder being almost legendary. Denise got up and tip toed to the door, silently opening it...but it was locked. "Fuck!" She swore under her breath. "Annette? Annette!" She whispered to her friend, shaking her out of her deer-caught-in-a-head-light-trance. "Come on! The door’s locked!"

"Denise...I’m not going outside..." Her friend said in fright.

"I can’t just leave you here all alone with your psycho brother!"

"You’re going to have to...Don’t worry about me...I’ll...I’ll...I’ll smash his head with the lamp as soon as he walks in."

"Fine, fine, help me tie this rope together with the blankets!" Denise commanded.

"Why?"

"You don’t think I can just jump down from the second floor, do you?" She grabbed one of the sheets and started tying it to a rope. Another boom was heard, this time closer to them, and Annette was useless. "God damn it! Do I have to do everything?" Denise had tied the rope and bedding in a hurried knot and was about to open the window when they heard a thump.

It sounded almost like a heart beat, but the two over to the source and saw the white box, just thumping. Their hearts pounded, not knowing what was going on. Annette leaned over the bed and grabbed the box from the dresser, and slowly opened it. Inside, there was another small parchment, which said,

"Dear Wanter Annette,

It’s been so nice getting to know you and your lovely

Family and friend Denise. Oh, hi Denise! I know you

Are reading this note as well even though it is for

Annette, how naughty of you! Anyways, I was

Shocked to learn that you want me to go away. That

Was very shocking to hear! You think you know a

Person and then they shock you with something like

That! Well I’ll be! Now, I should explain this to you, I

Don’t like settling in, so I’d prefer to stay in you for a

Long time, even if it means letting you get beat by

Your brother. You’ll never make it back to the shop

You can count on that.

Ciao!

Vain"

"That’s wonderful," Annette whispered.

"Yea, that’s just great, now we have to deal with your asshole brother and the bitch that’s in you." Denise grinded her teeth. "Now what are we going to do without you getting turned into a useless baby?"

"I actually meant that this was useful. Now I know that something will happen if I get back to the shop. The note almost guaranteed that." Annette smiled at her friend. "I can get this thing out of me!"

Denise smiled back at her friend’s undying enthusiasm. "Ok, I’ll get some help from the police, and then I’ll come back to you, and then when it stops raining, we’ll go to that shop together, arm in arm."

"Promise?" Annette asked in a weak voice. The day’s events finally catching up in her voice and face and Denise could tell it was taking its toll from her friend. The two had known each other for a long time and they could tell each other’s emotions like twins.

Denise held out her pinky, "Yea, promise like we used to when we were kids, appropriate, no?"

Putting her pinky out to her friend, Annette said with her grin getting bigger, but her eyes still sad and sleep, "It’s too bad, I had good ideas for when you found out, but this just ruined that..."

"It’s ok, we’ll have fun again, don’t worry. Now, help me out the window." Denise commanded.

They helped each other open up the old window, and then tied the make shift rope to the bedpost. Denise held on to the rope, and pushed herself out the window while Annette watched. Then, the rope loosened up and let go of the piece Denise had held on to. Falling down, Denise let out a terrified scream that was drowned out by thunder.

She landed awkwardly on her leg, breaking it. Huffing and sobbing, she crawled towards the neighbor’s house, only to hear the door slammed open and Allen’s crazed eyes staring into her’s, a knife in his hands. He ran up to her and stabbed her several times, twice in the throat and three times in the chest. Blood seeped into the dirt with rain water, and Allen dragged her bloody carcass into the house, eyes shifting around, only looking up just in time to see Annette’s head darting back into the house.

Annette had her back to the wall, hearing her heart beating, trying to deny in her head that she had just seen her little brother murder her best friend. The stairs creaked and

Annette knew she had just seconds left. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, she wished herself back to being a toddler, not because that’s when she felt safe, when her daddy was still around, Allen was just a harmless, cute chubby baby in her mommy’s arms, and Denise was her new best friend from preschool and that was starting to hang out around the house, but because that was the only way to hide in her room.

Her small body moved into the small elevator that they sometimes used to send food and laundry down to the floor, and slid the rope shut just as Allen had thrown open the door.

In the semi lit room, she could see the crazed look in his eyes. She slid down to the second floor and launched herself out, only to land on Denise’s still warm corpse, she uttered out a scream and ran like she was being chased by the bats out of Hell, only to land into a pair of arms.

Annette’s tear soaked face looked up only to see her mother’s confused perfect face. Annette hugged May’s neck as hard as she could and sobbed. Behind them, Annette saw Allen standing in the doorway. May turned around to face Allen. "Allen, did...where you...you the one who...cuh-cuh-killed Denise?" She stuttered and shook, her heart beat racing in her chest.

"Yea, I killed her mom, she was escaping..." Was his reply.

"And....Annette...Di-did you see him duh-do it?" Her eyes locked into Annette’s.

"Yes, I did mom. I will testify to the police if we get a chance to get out of here."

"Well then, I guess it’s a good thing babies can’t talk now, can they?" Annette looked back into May’s eyes again, just to see the same crazed look as in Allen’s as she reverted back into infant hood. Annette was now in a pink onesie and was handed to Allen. "Now, Allen, you watch your baby sister while...while mommy does a little bit of...gardening." She watched in terror as she was handed off to Denise’s murderer and her mother grabbing one of Denise’s legs and dragging her outside, leaving a second trail of blood on the floor.

To be continued...

 

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