China Doll

Emmelyn, a young woman of twenty, has lived many lifetimes before. An old soul trapped in a young, nubile body…she is often viewed as a trinket rather than a woman. Alabaster skin and piercing blue eyes complement flowing locks of chestnut hair. She is truly a vision to behold. She holds herself with a demure composure only seen in those thrice her years. Yet, this petite woman conceals a twisted side…she delights in torture and aims to burn the world down. However, she has not yet been compelled to act.

Biding her time and fighting these intense impulses, she plays her role. She permits everyone to underestimate her. She lets them believe she is too sweet to harm a fly…little do they know. She carries in her mind a list as long as the Nile. She romanticizes the many ways she can make them scream. Her list is exhaustive; it comprises everyone from her parents, siblings, friends, and anyone who’s crossed her. Strolling along a downtown avenue one day, a friend of her mother’s stops and declares, 

“Why isn’t it little Emmelyn looking perfect as usual? China dolls should stay in their display cabinet, so they don’t get broken.” 

Sauntering off with a smirk on her face, pleased with her wittiness, she failed to understand what Emmelyn meant when she replied, 

“Dolls come alive in the night, Mary Lou.”

Emmelyn decided this drab and unassuming Monday would finally be when she succumbed to her impulses…and she would start with Mary Lou. She had been fighting her urge to make this woman scream for many years. How deliciously ironic it would be for Mary Lou to meet her demise at the hands of a perfect “China Doll.” So, Emmelyn finished her chores and tasks around town before heading home. Her father, Barrett, sat in his reading chair by the fire with a drink in his hand as he always did, and she greeted him as she always did. 

“Hello, Father. Looking handsome today.” 

“Fuck-off Emmelyn! You dense girl, you do this every time! Can’t you see I am busy!” 

With a devilish smirk on her face, she replied, 

“No. Not really, but I can see your drink is almost empty. Shall I refresh it for you?” 

Barrett bellowed, “Yes! Damnit! Hurry up!” 

Emmelyn glided to the salon and poured Barrett a glass of whiskey, but this one had a titch of Valium. She needed him incapacitated to retrieve the key to one of their abandoned warehouses on the outskirts of town. She had a playdate to attend. Thirty minutes later, Barrett is passed out in his chair, glass shattered on the floor around his feet, and the fire roaring in front of him. Emmelyn sauntered past him with a giddy in her step, retrieved the key, and exited the house before anyone knew she was gone. 

Mary Lou lived three houses down from Emmelyn, a hidden pathway connecting them. Emmelyn and Mary Lou’s daughter Patty crafted it in their younger years before Patty died from “an accident.” Emmelyn always suspected Mary Lou was the cause of Patty’s demise; they did not have a warm relationship. Patty once confessed to Emmelyn that she felt her mother hated her actual existence. Well…Emmelyn would uncover the truth tonight.

Using the secret entrance she and Patty crafted together, Emmelyn slinked into Mary Lou’s house. Silent as a mouse, she snuck through the kitchen with a chloroform handkerchief in hand. She walked into Mary Lou’s room and paused, a sinister happiness knowing what was yet to come. Emmelyn slithered over to Mary Lou’s side of the bed and gently placed the handkerchief over her mouth and nose. As Mary Lou inhaled the toxic fumes, she began to open her eyes, but they quickly closed. Confident Mary Lou is incapacitated, Emmelyn carefully sat Mary Lou up, slid her to the floor onto a sheet, and drug her from the room.

Emerging out of the house through the secret entrance with Mary Lou in tow, Emmelyn applauded herself at the ease with which she accomplished this task. She dragged Mary Lou up to the flatbed trolley she placed out back. She hoisted Mary Lou’s upper body onto it first, then her lower body. She rocked the trolley back and forth to help her gain momentum to push it through the rough and uneven terrain. Emmelyn thought, “Mary Lou is extremely heavy for a petite woman, but she is ‘dead weight’ after all." Emmelyn and Mary Lou finally reach the paved portion of the road at the end of the sleepy cul-de-sac. Emmelyn jacked up the dolly and slid Mary Lou inside the trunk. 

Emmelyn, the clever little China Doll she is, started the car earlier in the evening and left it running so the sound faded into the background. All present and accounted for, Emmelyn drove off into the night with only the streetlamps to guide her. Once she turned onto Main Street, Emmelyn cut on the headlights, accelerated, and blended seamlessly into traffic. No one was aware of the horrors that would take place that night. 

She pulled up to the warehouse on the south side of town next to the defunct port that went out of business years ago. Utterly isolated, Emmelyn let out a sigh of relief at the stillness and silence that enveloped her. Grabbing Mary Lou underneath her arms, Emmelyn heaved her out of the car and onto the trolley. The sound of the creaking, squeaky wheels of the trolley on the cold concrete floor is to Emmelyn as Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 is to classical enthusiasts, brilliant. 

Upon arriving in the center of the warehouse, Emmelyn looked around and spotted the ratchet straps. She moistened at the symbolism of it; her heart raced. Mary Lou began to stir. Emmelyn calmly placed the handkerchief over her mouth and nose. Once again, Mary Lou was out like a light. Emmelyn draped the first ratchet strap around one pillar and then around Mary Lou’s wrist. Then, she moved on to the second one. 

Emmelyn ratcheted Mary Lou up into a standing position with her head hung forward like her body knew the shame that lay within. Emmelyn rooted around the warehouse to collect her “tools of the trade.” She gathered up a rolling chair, a metal table, a bone saw, a whip, meat hooks, a filet knife, a bucket of water, a hammer, pliers, and an oil lamp. Of all the warehouses her family held, she knew this one would have everything she needed. Once everything was in place and the lamp lit, she threw the ice-cold bucket of water on Mary Lou. 

Mary Lou jolted awake breathless. Stunned and confused, she came to the harrowing conclusion she had no idea where she was or who was sitting in the chair in front of her. Then she realized her hands were bound; she began to scream. Emmelyn cracked the whip across Mary Lou’s face. With an eerie calm in her voice, she said, 

“Now, now, Mary Lou, none of that. Screaming will not help you. It will only get in the way of what is to be a riveting conversation.”

Mary Lou knew that voice and replied,

“Emmelyn, what is going on here? Why am I tied up like this? Where are we? Get me down from here! Let's talk like grown women.”

“Tsk-tsk-tsk, Mary Lou, where would the fun be in that?”

Mary Lou’s face flushed with freight. She screamed,

“Get me out of here right now! Emmelyn! You wait till I tell your father and mother about this!”

Emmelyn let out an ominous laugh.

“Oh, they will discover this place, all in due time, but you are my first playdate. So, please believe me when I say you will not spoil the surprise for anyone.”

The color drained from Mary Lou’s face with the vexing realization…” I won’t be leaving here alive.”

Emmelyn cracked the whip, this time landing on Mary Lou’s stomach. Mary Lou yelped through the waterfall of tears streaming down her face. Emmelyn chuckled. Circling Mary Lou, Emmelyn snapped the whip against her back, legs, and arms before coming around to face Mary Lou. 

“Wh…why are you doing this, Emmelyn?” Mary Lou sobbed.

“Tell me what REALLY happened to Patty,” Emmelyn responded coldly.

“What are you talking about? She fell down the stairs and broke her neck! It was an accident!” Mary Lou shouted.

Dissatisfied with this response, Emmelyn walked over to the table and retrieved the filet knife. 

Mary Lou’s eyes widened with fear.

“No, no, no, no, no Emmelyn! I am telling you the truth! Please, please put the knife down.”

Unmoved by her pleas, Emmelyn strolled over to Mary Lou and grabbed her right foot. Placing the knife against Mary Lou, Emmelyn tried to shave a layer of skin off her foot. Mary Lou started kicking. Emmelyn turned around, walked to the table, grabbed the hammer, and smashed Mary Lou’s ankle. Mary Lou shrieked through her sobbing. Emmelyn moved the knife back and forth until an almost perfect square of flesh was removed from Mary Lou’s foot. Emmelyn threw the piece of skin on the table and took a sip of water.

“That was exhilarating, wasn’t it?! To answer your questions, Mary Lou, we are in an abandoned meat processing plant. We are here because I know you had something to do with Patty’s death…and you will tell me the truth.”

“But Emmelyn, I didn’t!” Mary Lou shouted.

Emmelyn ambled to Mary Lou and placed the knife on her right side. She wiggled and fought, as best she could, to stop Emmelyn. Emmelyn took the knife handle and punched Mary Lou in the stomach, stealing her breath. Mary Lou stiffened. Emmelyn shaved off another piece, tossing it on the table with the other.

“Stop resisting Mary Lou. You will only make this worse for yourself,” Emmelyn said nonchalantly.

“I watched you, your facial expressions, your mannerisms, and the tone of your voice. You loathed Patty. You were dismissive, you belittled her, and you were cruel. You must do better to convince me you had nothing to do with it.” 

Mary Lou hung her head in sorrow. She knew nothing she said would be heard. So, Mary Lou devised a plan to die quickly and make the torture stop…verbally assault Emmelyn to unhinge her.

“You and Patty were never the brightest or most interesting girls, just pretty. You both sat there all day long playing pretend. Thinking you were entitled to the world. Like you were royalty or something. What little brats you were.” Mary Lou laughed at the memory.

Emmelyn’s face soured and darkened. Mary Lou knew she had struck a chord.

“Do you have any idea how embarrassed your parents are by you? How embarrassed I was by Patty? We always thought maybe you two were little lesbian lovers. We were not going to sit idly by and let it develop. So, we decided something had to be done.” Mary Lou sneered.

Emmelyn’s eyes grew black as if another entity had utterly consumed her. Emmelyn approached Mary Lou, grabbed her by the hair, yanked her head back, and slowly dragged the knife across her face. Mary Lou’s screams suspended in her throat; she gasped for air. Throwing Mary Lou’s head forward, Emmelyn cut at her back and slit her open from side to side. Mary Lou screamed,

“You little bitch!”

Emmelyn chuckled.

“Do you know what Patty and I pretended? We played out the different ways we could murder you three. This scene was always Patty’s favorite. Although, I am taking a few artistic liberties. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. Oh, and not that it matters, but we were best friends, not lovers.”

Emmelyn made four strategic cuts, and Mary Lou’s dress fell to the floor. Shivering, Mary Lou glared at Emmelyn.

“Before you go and try to rile me up again, Mary Lou, just know I have anticipated every move you could think of, and more, to try and get yourself out of this. It will not work.” Emmelyn placed the knife on the table and picked up the bone saw. “Now…where did we leave off? Oh, that’s right, you were going to tell me what you did to Patty.”

Emmelyn approached Mary Lou, grabbed her right hand, and began to grate the saw back and forth on Mary Lou’s pinky finger. Mary Lou jerked. Emmelyn turned around, grabbed the hammer, and smashed Mary Lou’s shoulder. 

“There. That’s better. No more wiggling.” Emmelyn snickered.

Mary Lou wept silently.

“Oh, I know, dearie…let’s just finish unburdening you of this finger, then I’ll give you a moment to collect yourself. It’s a lot to process.” Emmelyn finished sawing off Mary Lou’s pinky finger, unphased by her screeching. A few brief moments passed while Emmelyn smirked at Mary Lou, admiring the work she had completed so far. “Okay! Now, let’s start from the beginning. How did Patty fall down the stairs? And please, don’t try and feed me any lines about her tripping. We both know she was the most sure-footed person we knew. She was excellent on the balance beam.”

“Emmelyn, I don’t know what you want me to say… I…”

“The TRUTH Mary Lou! I…WANT…THE…TRUTH!” Emmelyn screamed.

Before Mary Lou could respond, Emmelyn slammed the hammer into her left side, breaking three ribs. Mary Lou gasped for air; one of her ribs punctured her lung. 

She rolled her eyes and exhaled with exasperation. Emmelyn turned to Mary Lou and said, “Now, see what you made me do? You made me lose my temper. I can’t have you dying on me yet.”

Emmelyn grabbed the knife and made a small incision. She glanced around and found a pen lying on the floor in the office. She dismantled it, took the plastic sheath, and jammed it into the incision, inflating Mary Lou’s lung. Mary Lou gasped for air as her lung reinflated. Finally catching her breath, Mary Lou looked up at Emmelyn and yelled,

“You’ll never know what happened to Patty!”

“So be it, Mary Lou.”

Emmelyn grabbed the hammer and smashed Mary Lou’s left ankle. She picked up the filet knife, collecting her third piece of Mary Lou. Now, the left side. Mary Lou flailed. Emmelyn gut-punched her as she shaved away another sliver; number four now lay on the table. 

Emmelyn set down the knife and picked up the pliers. She grabbed Mary Lou’s foot and secured her big toenail within their grasp. Mary Lou kneed Emmelyn in the face. Emmelyn staggered back, holding her eye. She set down the pliers, grabbed the hammer, and pulverized Mary Lou’s kneecaps. 

Mary Lou's shrills echoed through the warehouse, but Emmelyn did not notice. She put the hammer back down and picked up the pliers. Mercilessly, she yanked Mary Lou’s toenails from their beds as her legs lay limp and shattered. The searing pain radiated through her body like wildfire as Emmelyn set her sights on Mary Lou's fingernails. Wrenching the nails out of her right hand, Emmelyn moved onto the left.

Mary Lou thrashed about, attempting to keep her hand out of Emmelyn’s grasp, but she knew what was coming next when Emmelyn picked up that dreaded hammer. SNAP! Mary Lou’s left shoulder shattered underneath its head. Mary Lou watched in desperation as her remaining five nails were torn from her body. Emmelyn placed the twenty nails next to the four pieces of flesh and sat down. She did not realize how tiring this would be, but she loved every minute. 

As she rolled around Mary Lou, Emmelyn had the most devilish idea. She stood up, placed the chair underneath Mary Lou, and released some tension from the ratchet straps. Mary Lou’s body collapsed onto the chair. Even though her body was overwhelmed by pain, she felt relief not being suspended. But she did not know what was to follow. Emmelyn amassed momentum and flung Mary Lou around in the chair until the ratchet straps could not be wound anymore before sending her spinning back in the opposite direction, like a kid in a swing. Mary Lou shrieked in agony, silently wailing into nothingness.

“Whew! What a ride?! Huh, Mary Lou?! Ha-ha, that was fun!” exclaimed Emmelyn.

Mary Lou wept and shouted, “You sick, twisted, demented girl! You want to know what happened to Patty?! Fine! I kicked her stupid ass down those stairs because I couldn’t stand seeing her face anymore!” The emotional relief consumed her, easing her physical pain, if just for a moment. 

“See? That wasn’t so hard…was it?” Emmelyn replied.

She walked to the table and grabbed the meat hooks. Turning to Mary Lou, Emmelyn said with a most menacing smile, “Now, let’s move on to the finale…part one. Mother and Father will be here for part two. Want a little preview? Okay, okay, you dragged it out of me. They get to watch as I feed you parts of your body before I set you on fire! Isn’t that just a delightful little twist?” 

Mary Lou squealed in horror, bowing her head in defeat. She knew she could not escape.

Emmelyn snickered as she lowered chains from the ceiling until they touched the floor. She shoved Mary Lou out of the chair onto her stomach. With a heartless indifference, Emmelyn pushed one meat hook into Mary Lou’s muscle tissue between her spine and left shoulder blade, making sure to go deep enough so the muscle would hold her weight. Then she moved on to the right side. Mary Lou’s screams were Emmelyn’s concerto. She attached the chains to the hooks and raised Mary Lou ten feet above the floor. 

“Time to get Mommy and Daddy. I think it is time they attend our playdate!”

As she drove away, she wondered, “Why’d I wait so long to succumb to my impulses? This is exhilarating!”