Somewhere deep between one dream and the next lies a building. A nexus of impossibilities and potential, a way-point for burgeoning Heroes in the simple guise of an office building. Here a doll wearing a lovely business suit just a bit too big for her current frame, one obviously made for a doll of a different variety. Presently she is desperately diving off of her desk in an attempt to escape the oncoming headed right for her. Manila folders fly, as she hits the floor rolling and popping up into a run her feet moving faster than thought, the room expanding with every step.

She ran and waited, for the inevitable crash that never came she turned to find a full-sized charter bus idling in front of her desk. Looking down she noticed the skid marks on the floor, that’s when the smell hit her, burned rubber and diesel. She could hardly believe that it didn’t hit the desk when it appeared it was right in front of her. Her eyes followed the tired marks deep into the office, much much farther than the room had been before. I guess the room resized itself. Then she blinked, Was I ever in any danger? She let out a snort at the thought before straightening her new suit and making her way to the bus.

Taking note of the mess of folders now strewn across her floor contents magically still inside, she felt a tired sigh. That’s a lot of people to handle. She was tempted to start picking up the files and go through them to get an idea of who she was dealing with, except that would take time, and she was already surprised no one had exited the bus.

Standing in front of the door she politely knocked. It was the correct thing to do. Now they should open the door to see who it is. Then I will explain things and send them off one by one easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Except no one answered. She couldn’t even hear any talking coming from inside. So she knocked again harder and waited.

Again nothing.

Now she was practically bashing on the door, now she thought she heard grumbles, and a shout, “Quite!”

“Fine if you don’t want to be polite.” She said aiming to break the door when it suddenly opened.

#

Somewhere on a road in the fading twilight, a man drives his car heading home. His mind is distracted and his eyes drift constantly between the road and a little toy constantly changing direction on his dash. His mind was a mess having learned that he didn’t know himself as well as he thought he did. It was the strangest thing to learn he didn’t know what he desired, and then have it pointed out to him by a magic fidget spinner that refused to sit in one place. It kept pointing back to the way he came, then home. Every time it pointed back it stayed just a bit longer, till it seemed to just lock onto the house he left.

How can I not know what I want?

It was driving him bonkers. He had been on this stupid quest for so long and what had he found? Nothing, except more questions, psychic dogs, Fae people, learned how to make spells, use magic in his world, and find a random underbelly of rituals in the park. As he listed off the random things he had discovered, or learned he realized why he was still going. There was so much to learn and though he was stumbling blindly through it he found he was enjoying himself.

He was still completely lost, but now it didn’t feel as big anymore. Feeling more relaxed than before, his mind calmed as he thought of helping Drystia for a bit, and smiled. I think I would like that.

Taking one look at his dash told him he was right as the arrow pointed home, for about a second before turning back to the house and Lilly.

#

A woman sits in the back of a bus just trying to not feel the road underneath her. Everything hurt. It had been so long since Jennifer felt anything other than pain. Arthritis, her lower back, even her muscles hurt if the weather wasn’t perfect. Some days were better than others, sometimes it was almost enough to fool herself what she was feeling was normal. That the smallest bump on the road didn’t compress her spine in just the wrong way sent a pulse of burning agony through her. Sadly, or perhaps fortunately today was not a day where her mind felt clouded and heavy, where she simply forgot she was in pain.

Jennifer had grown so old yet it felt like it was just yesterday she was hanging with her friends from school. It had all happened slowly over the years one new issue, one new illness, every time she learned to adjust how she moved, how she lived. Now she didn't even recognize herself in the mirror, hunched over, with her walker always next to her. She refused to use a wheelchair, though she didn't know how long before she'd have no choice. The home was constantly insisting. Today though, she sat on her personal cushion she brought with her on travels trying not to think about her back or hips, or how they burn.

She was doing her best to be excited about the change of scenery. There was only so much she could do watching TV all day at the Home, or playing cards. Even that seemed to hurt holding up the cards. There wasn't much she could do these days, but the one thing she could do was sit and lose herself in a play, show, movie, or song. It was its own form of painkiller, so when she realized they were no longer on the road. She wondered, Are we already there?

It was an appropriate thought since she didn’t feel her sciatica flaring up which usually did when they were about ten minutes out, She could always use that as a bit of a gauge of how close they were. Only her arthritis and lower back hurt, which was much better than other trips but even if today was one of her better days this was still much too soon. Then there was the outdoor, or better to say indoor decor right outside the window. She had never been in an underground parking garage with bookshelves and a drop ceiling. Normally she’d see concrete, pipes, electrical work, all running along the walls or at least a few helpful signs, not to mention there were no cars, and what looked to be carpet.

The entire thing was utterly strange, as her mind took it all in slowly, finding herself wandering to her old office job. It wasn’t the most glamorous being a saleswoman but it paid the bills and put her daughter through college. Then there was the scandal, with her boss sleeping with his secretary, which they both resigned over. Though last she had heard they were happily married until he did the same thing. She had been such a bitch to Jennifer that she had laughed.

Lost in her head she nearly missed the rising volume of the other residents, the driver and a few of the nurses were huddled together. That dick who always tried to make her feel like she was losing her mind Raiji something, and she was certain he was doing that. She had watched him move her things around when he thought she wasn’t looking. He had even swapped some of her medicine. Surprise surprise he was the one completely ignoring the others who kept looking over concerned, at us. Aw Cary, she was alway nice, maybe she would tell her what was going on.

"What’s going on?" She shouted trying to get her attention or really any of the huddled group. The group didn't even stir.

"What’s Going on?!" She shouted louder her throat burning. Shouldn’t have done that. Carey turned towards her shrugged then went back to the group.

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What does that mean? Confused she stood, expecting her back and knees to burn forcing her into her hunched shape. Only. Only she found herself straightening going far past where the agony usually forced her to stop. Then she was standing upright with her back straight, a faint ghost of pain there, yet far and distant easily ignorable. She froze lost at how she was able to do this, she hadn’t been able to stand without immense pain for the last year.

What? Her mind was racing. Where is the pain? It was so far away barely there, but as she searched it seemed to return yet not. She could still feel the burning from her muscles, the sharp sting in her knees and ankles. The tightness in her feet, except it was, not gone, muted like it was both there and not, a dream of pains once there only fresh or not at all. It made absolutely no sense at all to her. That was until she met the man sitting next to her’s eyes, they were filled with both terror and hope, as a tear fell down his face. She didn’t know the man well, she never really talked to everyone in the Retirement home. Too afraid to make a new friend only to lose them all too soon. But as she looked at the man with tears falling she wished she had. “Oh. We’re dead.”

Her words were a whisper, that somehow became a pronouncement that echoed through the bus, demanding silence as all eyes turned to her.

Tap-tap-tap. Three knocks, all eyes shot forward to the front of the bus. Someone was knocking on the door. No one dared to stand or look. If they were truly dead, what kind of creature would be knocking? Would it be Saint Peter, one of the angels, or perhaps it was a demon to pull them away?

Tap-tap-tap. The knocks came again and again. Each time sounding more insistent.

Soon it was too much for the driver who stood and made his way to the front. Carey tried to stop him only to be pulled back by Raiji who shook his head, saying something to the other nurses who nodded back. They stood in front of their charges, which surprised Jennifer that Raiji would actually do that.

The driver looked confused down at the door, before turning back, “I don’t see anyone.”

“Open it.”

Hesitantly the man pushed a button at the front and the door opened. The driver’s eyes widened in horror as he tried to quickly close the door, except it wouldn’t. Realizing this he made his way back behind the alert nurses.

What did he see?

Tip-Tap the light sound of feet made its way up the stairs. Jennifer tried to prepare herself for anything. A monster, an angel, God, or Satan himself, but when A doll stepped into the cabin. She almost laughed, at the absurdity. Why is the driver afraid of a little doll? She was about to say something when she noticed everyone else’s terrified faces.

Then the doll spoke. “This is going to be a lot of paperwork." She said shaking her head, "Alright!" Her voice raised to address the bus. "Please stay calm and one at a time."

The nurses nor the driver stayed calm. A few started screaming.

Then with everyone who had yet to notice anything amiss awake, they all began shouting.

#

A man steps into his apartment tossing his keys on a table, wincing as they hit the solid wood. Got to get a bowl or something. As he looked at the numerous scratches on the console’s wood. That when he heard it, the faint sounds of sobbing coming from the living room. He found himself rushing towards the sound concerned at what he found. He was met with Drystia sitting on the couch head in hands as faint sobs came out.

“Drystia. What happened?” he asked looking around for whatever was causing her distress. He’d never seen her cry, he didn’t even know she could as a doll.

Drystia looked up her hair a mess, as she moved it out of her face trying to wipe the tears away with her oversized suit. Is that smoke?

Before he could ask she was already running across the room jumping into Nicki’s leg only for her to cry harder. He picked her up and took a seat on the couch with her. Letting her get it out. It took a while for her to calm down, in the entire time all he got from her was, “He was a monster. An absolute monster.”

Hearing that he subtly began looking over her for burns, or bruises. Except there was nothing. Which only made him worry for her.

Eventually, she calmed down enough to talk. “It all started how it normally does.”

“With screaming.” He quipped he couldn’t help it, but the chuckle followed by her glare was well worth it.

“Yes screaming. Then I calmed them down, and told them to come out of the bus one at a time.”

“Bus?” Was this her first big group?

“Yes, a bus appeared. Stop interrupting. I was picking up the files when an old man came out.”

#

“Brave of you to be the first one out,” Drystia said to the elderly man standing with a cane right in front of the pile of folders she was gathering. He looked apprehensive and winced back when she made eye contact. Why do so many worlds use dolls in horror stories? She wondered for what felt like the thousandth time.

He cleared his throat and grumbled. “I’m just tired of waiting. I think the not knowing is worse and I'm old.”

“To right.” Finally getting the pile of manila folders under control she holds the stack precariously between her arms. Looking up at him, “And you are?”

“Gerald Fontaine— the third.”

That was a weird pause. “That’s a fancy name.”

“And it’s all mine.” He said smugly.

Not knowing what to say she jumped back to her desk and dropped the folders onto the desk Search for the one labeled Gerald Fontaine the third. Except that file felt wrong, completely different from the man in front of her. It was strange, she had always thought there was something special about the folder. This was the first time she really felt it. It must be because there are so many.

Curious she held onto Gerald’s folder before moving through the rest of the pile, before she found the one that reminded her of the man in front of her, DeLon Gresh. Why does this feel like him? It took her longer than she’d like to admit for her to realize he had given her someone else’s name.

Setting DeLon’s folder down she began to skim through Gerald’s folder. The old man looked relieved when she opened the folder which only raised her eyebrows. Skimming through Gerald's folder, everything looked rather ordinary not a lot going on but nothing too bad or too good. Except maybe the portion where he gave up all his money to charity before entering the home.

“I take it everything is in order?” The man interrupted her as she skimmed the file. Still curious why he gave someone else name. It wasn’t like she would send him somewhere worse if he wasn’t as good.

Drystia ignored him to keep reading, only to be interrupted again. “So what’s heaven like?” She looked up to see the man smiling still.

Of course, they didn’t listen when I told them they weren’t dead. “No idea. DeLon but I am curious why you said your name was Gerald?”

“It is.” He said confidently.

“Since when?”

His smile turned sharp, “Since I took it.”

“and when was that?” DeLon was starting to look visibly nervous. So she put Geralds folder down and picked his up. As soon as she did the man lunged at her when his cane.

The man jumped at her cane already in the air. Casually, Drystia reached up grabbing the mans cane and putting him in an arm lock against the floor.

Stop struggling. “Now why don’t you tell me why you don’t me yo read this.”

Holds up folder.

DeLon glares angrily saying nothing.

Drystia then began to read the absolute evil that was this mans life. She jumped from page to page seeking something anything redeemable. There were only things that lead to more, and more horror and atrocities. Her eyes kept jumping between the folder and the seemingly innocuous man. If she could she would have thrown up.

"MONSTER." She proclaimed as the world vibrated once more at her words. The man’s eyes widened and the room started to grow warmer. She had never truly seen something so vile. A being that needed to be put down. She could see it, if given the chance he’d take it and do so much worse. She couldn’t look at him turning away finding a fireplace burning bright behind them. It always knows.

Without a second thought she tossed the folder into the fire, and watched it burn. The man under her screamed as she let go. No longer held in place as his body burned turning to ash. She gave the pile one last look before even that was burned beyond even ash. To nothingness.

She felt her heart break. At what she had done and what she had to do. But not only that for those who he had broken, and torn. “Never Again.”

Once more she looked down at the pile of remaining documents a tear falling down her cheek. “How many?” Suddenly, it all became to much and she left. Leaving the remaining people behind.

* * *