Aside from receiving a doll connected to my maniac of an uncle, the day seemed to drag on like any other day. I sat at table with my eyes glued to my laptop screen until they were sore, fighting to stay awake, while mom tried to do something to pass the time; cleaning, knitting, sewing- anything to cure her boredom. By the time I was done with schoolwork, my ass was practically numb from sitting for so long and my brain was scrambled. If mom were to ask me what I learned, I wouldn't be able to answer. Everything I had done just seemed like a blur, and yet I still managed to get good grades. It was days like these where I was just tempted to drop out of school, but if I kept up the good grades, I could try to get a scholarship to a good college, then finally move away from this hellhole.

"Done?" Mom asked. She was standing over the stove, cooking some sort of soup. She usually made it on gloomy days like these, when the sun hid behind giant, grey clouds. I slammed my laptop shut and leaned back in my seat.
"Done." I answered while rubbing my throbbing temples. I shut my eyes for a moment, just to refresh myself a little. It was the first hour of noon, which meant I had the rest of the day to do as I pleased; another perk of being homeschooled. I thought about what I could do, but everything I had wanted to do had already been done thousands of times. I could take Ruby for a quick walk around the same cul-de-sac and watch as all our neighbors closed their windows or look the other way the moment I passed them. I could re-organize my room for the fifth time of the week. Maybe I'd just sit outside and wait for the clouds to start leaking. I would text my friends, but they were still in school, plus I was still pissed off at Grayson for sending over that fucking doll.

My eyes snapped open once I remembered what was in my room. The doll. The Good Guy doll that my other dolls were pointing at. The doll that called himself Chucky. The doll that was linked to several murders in the past. He was still up there in my room, waiting under my bed for the right time to strike. I had completely forgotten about him, and I had a funny feeling that doing that was a big mistake.
I sat up, only to nearly fall out of my chair when my eyes met Chucky's. He was sitting in front of me, his legs dangling over the edge of the table. I didn't put him there- I knew for a fact that I didn't. Mom couldn't have either because she was downstairs with me; plus, mom respected my privacy, unlike some paranoid asshole. If it were one of my haunted dolls that moved, I wouldn't be too worried, but this was Chucky. The doll that was supposedly possessed by my serial killer uncle. Seeing him sitting there right in front of my very eyes was just enough proof to take this shit seriously.
My heart began to race at just the thought of what he'd do. That menacingly smile, he knew what he was doing. He knew I was scared. I grabbed ahold of my chest, making sure my heart didn't actually jump out. It was still there, beating like crazy. Chucky stared at me for a moment, until finally, he blinked twice, looked around, then stared at me again.

"Hi! I'm Chucky! Wanna play?" He asked.

"Madison? What was that?" Mom asked. I snatched Chucky off the table.
"Nothing." I answered while rushing out of the kitchen. Before mom could get out another word, I was already running upstairs. Mom wasn't as nosy as dad. She knew if I didn't want to talk then I didn't want to talk and that was final. I didn't want her to know about Chucky, because if she knew and dad found out that she did, she'd pay the price just as much as I would. I could feel my stomach churn at just the thought of what he'd do. Was this what it had come to? Hiding a doll from my paranoid father just to avoid getting hurt?
As I tripped over the stairs, I took a moment to look back at an old family photo hanging on the wall. My father stood next to my mother, holding her hand, and my mother's smile was a genuine smile. I stood between them, a great big smile plastered on my face. That was when dad wasn't as paranoid. That was when he didn't let his past scare him into ruining my future. If he had kept it that way, I wouldn't have to worry about hiding a doll from him. He'd probably help me get rid of it, or he'd take care of it himself. I yearned for him to be the dad I used to know.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I ran to my room. I opened my door, stepped inside and tossed the doll on my bed. I then closed the door as fast as I could and faced the doll.
I stood there for a while with my back against the door. My chest rose and fell with every deep breath I took and let out. My other dolls' eyes were glued on to me, some begging me to get rid of Chucky, and some told me to just burn the fucking house down at this point.
"Theres no escape," they cried. "You're done for."
My hands twitched. I wasn't going to allow myself to be afraid. He was a doll. If anything, I could easily just punt him out my window, or if I was feeling really risky, I'd steal dad's car, lock the doll in a crate and drive to the nearest river, then drop the crate there.

"That's the plan." I thought to myself. I kept my eye on the doll and slowly moved towards my nightstand. Each step I took, I braced myself, waiting for Chucky to lunge at me, but he didn't do anything. He just laid there, sprawled out on my bed, limp. I felt a little stupid for being so cautious, but I had already made the mistake of brushing him off like he wasn't dangerous and suddenly he found a way to get downstairs without my knowledge. I crept closer and closer until finally, I reached my nightstand. My eyes were glued to the doll as my hands searched for the pocket knife dad made me carry around whenever I went outside. It was behind an old picture of my friends and I, at least, thats where it normally was, but when I went to grab it, it was no longer there.
My blood ran cold for a second. I could feel my dolls' eyes glare even harder at me, begging me to leave. Thousands of voices filled my head, and most of them were my own.
"Get out of here! Run away! Grab mom and Ruby and get the hell out of here!"
Chucky began to slowly sit up.
"Fuck. Run! Get out of here! You're screwed. We're all screwed."
He slowly turned his head towards me. The innocent, open smile on his face had closed into a more devious look. I started to back away when he dug into his overall pocket. I knew he was the corporate and I knew if I didn't run now, I'd be dead...but my body wouldn't let me run. As I slowly backed away, I could only watch in fear as the doll pulled out a pink pocket-knife from his pocket. He grinned, then waved the small weapon around in a teasing matter.

"Looking for this, dollface?" He asked. His voice. It wasn't the same child-like voice he had displayed. It was the same voice I heard earlier, the one I convinced myself I didn't hear. It was raspy and had a Jersey accent to it; not as friendly as the other voice. Chucky's grin grew bigger. I guess the look on my face was exactly what he wanted to see. He let out a creepy chuckle, one I would hear in one of Grayson's scary movies. I shook my head in disbelief.

"You're not real. This is just a dream. This is just one weird fucked up dream. I'm gonna wake up soon." I laughed to myself, but Chucky and I both knew I couldn't fool myself. He stood up, twiddling the knife in his plastic hand. He released the blade, then pointed it towards me. I could see the fear in my own eyes in the reflection of the blade.

"You want me to test that theory, Maddie?" He asked, the grin still on his face. His eyes were filled with vengeance. One slice around the throat and I'm a goner.
I felt my back hit my door. Was I really getting cornered by a fucking doll? I watched him as he hopped off my bed, then slowly walked towards me.
He might've been a supernaturally possessed doll, but I was still taller and stronger than him. It would be like kicking a toddler. Obviously I'd never do that, but I mean it had to be easy. I clenched one hand into a fist and got the other one ready to swipe my knife from him. He walked closer, and closer, giggling to himself. I steadied my breathing and stayed in place, still making the fear on my face apparent for him. He thought I was still scared, thats why he was so amused. That's what the attacker usually wanted. They wanted their victim to be fearful. It gave the attacker more power, more satisfaction. I'd give Chucky that satisfaction, then rip it right out from under his feet like a rug.
He was just a few feet away from me now, the knife ready to be plunged into my chest or throat. Chucky stopped walking, then slowly looked up at me, that creepy ass grin still there.

"Whats the matter? I thought you liked possessed dolls. Those assholes over there aren't gonna give you the thrill you've been looking for." He said, pointing towards my collection. While he was distracted, I took my chance and kicked at him. Before I could land a hit on him, however, he grabbed ahold of my leg. My legs widened in disbelief as he threw me down on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I coughed and gasped in an attempt to regain the air I had lost, put it was pretty hard to do that when my back was in sudden pain. It slowly but surely began to hurt, and the more I tried to breathe, it only hurt more.
"Fu...fuck...!" I gasped, rolling on my side. Chucky walked towards me and crouched down in front of my face, then pointed the blade towards my eye. I stayed in place and stared up at him.

"That's not a nice way to greet your good ol' uncle Charles, Maddie." He sneered. As angry as he seemed to be, he was still smiling.
"Theres no way this shit is happening." I thought, biting my tongue. I knew if I yelled or screamed for help, my eye would be rolling on the floor in seconds. I wheezed out an apology, hoping it was what he wanted to hear, then laid my head on the ground.

"Sit up." He demanded. I sighed and did as I was told. I slowly lifted myself off the ground, then sat up against the wall. Chucky looked around my room, then turned towards me.

"If you move, your dog's gone. Got it?"
My eyes widened as a mental image of Ruby laying in a pool of her own blood came to my head. I nodded in understanding.
"Got it..." I whispered. "Please don't hurt her..."

"Shut up." Chucky sneered, and so thats what I did. Chucky glared at me for a second, then walked towards my closet. When he reached it, he turned towards me.
"You don't mind if I grab somethin' in here, do ya?" He asked. It didn't matter if I said yes or no, but at least he had the decency to ask...unlike someone else. Chucky opened my closet, then dug around for whatever he was looking for. I saw him pull out an old belt of mine and my heart began to pace again.

"Fuck. He's gonna beat me to death, is he? I should run. I'll just grab mom and Ruby and fucking book it."
I tried to move, but fear had a grasp on my body, chaining me down to my spot. I tried to kick my legs, or do ever so much as wiggle my fingers, but I was as stiff as a rock. Chucky turned towards me and pointed the knife at me once again.

"Hey! What did I say?" He asked. I bit down on my bottom lip, imagining my funeral.
Here lies Madison Ray. Cause of death: beaten to death by a fucking doll. God that was embarrassing. Imagine that. My heart hurt just thinking about how hurt Willow, Ruby and my mother would be. Willow was my first friend, before Jane and Grayson. We did everything together, even after I was pulled out of school. She didn't care if my dad was weird and didn't treat me differently because of him. She promised that once prom came around, she'd drive all the way over here and sneak me out and we'd go together, just the two of us.
Ruby was my baby, the only one that didn't leave me. She protected me from my father to the best of her abilities, and whenever I had a nightmare, she was there to comfort me. I didn't choose her, she chose me and I was so glad she did. I didn't know what I would do without her...but what would she do without me?
She'd be there for mom. She'd be mom's protector now. She'd help mom through such a hard time. Ruby was such a good dog to me, I'm sure if this was really it for me, maybe mom would finally be able to leave dad. If that was the case, then I'd embrace death with a smile on my face. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the pain and waited.

...

I waited...and waited...but nothing happened. I slowly opened my eyes, only to see that my hands had been tied together with that belt and my legs were tied together with one of my pillow cases. I looked up at Chucky. The knife had been put away.

"What? Did you really think I'd kill my own niece? Jesus Maddie. I'm disappointed in you." He said, frowning. I didn't even think it was possible, but he genuinely looked hurt. "You tried attacking me. I just wanted to talk to you." He explained.

"Is that why you came at me with a knife?" I reluctantly asked.
"I was just trying to scare you. You should've seen the look on your face!" He laughed. "Gets me every time!" His laugh was just as bone-chilling as his chuckles and giggles from earlier. It was loud, and yet I figured mom still wouldn't be able to hear him. Seeing him standing there, laughing at me for being scared, it started to make a little sense as to why dad was so scared of him. Once Chucky calmed his laughing, he wiped a tear from his eye, then sat down next to me.

"So baby Vincent decided to have a baby of his own." He crossed his arms, studying my face.
"Guess you got lucky when it came to genetics. You didn't get stuck with his big ass nose. And look at that! Your hair is just as red as mine!"

"My...mother has red hair..." I explained. "Wait...if you're really Charles Lee Ray...what are you doing here?" I asked. "Don't you have better things to do...?"

"Well yeah, I do, but thats why I've got other people doin' that stuff for me. I came here to help you, Maddie!" He exclaimed. I stared at him, trying to read what he really wanted, but it was kind of hard to do that.

"Help me?" I asked. Chucky nodded.

"I heard your daddy doesn't let you do anything fun. Seeing as to how he acted earlier, it doesn't seem like you're very happy here, are ya?" He asked. I opened my mouth to object, but we both knew I'd be lying if I were to do that. I looked around my room; the dolls, the picture of my friends. I thought about how people shunned me for being the daughter of a freak, and somehow that automatically made me a freak. I thought of how my father would raise his voice at me for 'not being careful' even if I made sure to be as careful and cautious as I could be. I closed my mouth, then looked down and shook my head.

"No. I'm not happy." I admitted. Chucky placed his hand on my arm.
"Well thats all gonna change now that I'm here, Maddie. Trust me kiddo, now that I'm here, you're gonna have the time of your fuckin' life!"

I had a funny feeling his definition of 'fun' was murder. He was Charles Lee Ray for crying out loud! I wasn't gonna let him manipulate me into doing something stupid. I knew better than that. I shook my head no.
"Forget it. I'm not killing anybody." I said, staring him straight in his eyes. "You can kill me  if you want, but I'm not stooping down to your level, 'uncle Charles'." I looked away from him.
He stayed quiet for a minute. I assumed it was because he was thinking about what to do to me. Hang me with my own belt? Slit my throat? Knock me out of my own window? The possibilities were endless. I heard him stand up, then he grabbed ahold of my hands. Maybe he was gonna go with the window, or maybe he was gonna chop them off. I braced myself...but instead of hurting me, he untied my hands. I slowly looked towards him, pulling my hands from his grasp.

"That's what they all say, Maddie. They all say 'I won't kill! It's wrong!' But soon enough, they end up doin' it. Hell, you've done it too! Those ants you squished as a kid, that spider you threw a shoe at, you killed 'em all with no hesitation. Killing's in your blood, Maddie. You are my niece after all." He pulled the pocket knife out of his pocket and tossed it at me.

"You were gonna kill me. I know you wanted to." He said. I picked up the pocket knife and stared at my reflection. He was right about that, but what else did he expect me to do?

"Tonight, we're gonna have a good time. You'll learn pretty quick that I'm your fun uncle."

I shook my head once again, then began to untie my feet.
"No. I'm not getting involved." I said sternly. Once my feet were free, I stood up.
"I'm not stupid."

"Madison Ray. Do you really not trust me?" He asked, looking hurt once again.

"No. I don't." I said. "It's kind of hard to trust the guy that helped ruin my social life. My father's the way he is because of you." I turned to my door and opened it. Chucky stood there, staring at me.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to take my dog for a walk." With that, I slammed my door shut.