I move towards my desk, the past measurements show that her hair is growing so slow. Irritation spikes in my veins as Ithrow the papers. I have moved my desk upstairs and locked the basement. I can’t let her see the corpses and my equipment. It feels wrong to call her Elsie so I have been saying ‘Doll’.
She looks the part. Her characteristics sometimes anger me, they’re way different than Elsie’s.
But Ihaveto make her Elsie.
It’s the only version that I can control to be mine.
A soft hand presses on my shoulder “Clayton, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” I sigh.
Hearing her say my name never sparked the longing I felt before. But, it will do.
She has been wearing my shirts for the past months and I’m not complaining. But, she needs her own wardrobe and it would be the perfect time to see how she adapts in a social setting. Not that I plan on letting her out much.
She can walk,speak,hear,smell and everything so no one would suspect a thing.
Even if they did, no one questions me in this town anymore. She will walk beside me like a queen and they wouldn’t dare to look her way. If someone did, then clearly they have no idea who I am. There is always time to learn and I love taking my time to teach them.
I take her hand in mine. “Doll, how about we go outside and get you some clothes?” She looks out the window then back at me. “Outside? Is it safe?”
“You’re always safe with me, understood?” Raising her head up to me with my finger on her thumb. She nods smiling and I take her hand, walking towards the front door. I grab the extra coat from the hanger, helping her wear it.
“If anyone talks to you, don’t respond until I speak. People out there are monsters, they will use a pretty woman like you.”
Opening the door as she links her arm with mine. We walk to my car as I open the door for her, once she’s settled and looking at me through the mirror with that clueless gaze, I close the passenger door and head towards the driver seat.
I lean over and buckle her seatbelt. “Don’t take this off.”I drive down the hill as trees pass by our car windows. I have built the road leading through the woods me and Elsie met in. It’s the only way to reach my house and no one can pass through it, only me who knows the way. It’s divided into 6 roads, only one of them is the right road. When someone wants an extra dose of the drug that I haven’t allowed and dares to come to my house will always get lost. Hopefully, killed by someone in the woods and buried.
Glancing beside me to find her glued to the window, taking in every tree as if she’s counting the last seconds she has in the land.
“It’s nothing special, trust me. This town is useless. Without my drug they will all kill themselves, but that would be boring. There won’t be any more toys to play with, right?”
She looks at me, hesitating. “It’s nice of you to help them survive and give them something to look forward to every morning.”
I will say, she does have that in common with Elsie.
Being naively kind.
I focus on the road ahead as we drive through the middle of the town. Stores line up, neon signs flickering. Some people lean against the walls in the alleyways, smoking or beating each other up.
I park the car in front of the only store that has more than a few options of clothes. I unbuckle her seatbelt as the neon lights illuminate her features.
“Doll, stay beside me and remember what I said, alright?” She nods frantically in excitement.
As I get out of the car, some are already sizing me and others recognize me, immediately turning their gaze elsewhere.
I open her door and she almost bolts to the store, I grab her arm.
“Patience.” I grit, scanning the area around us.
“First thing, you need to always be aware of your surroundings.” She looks around us but for a completely different reason. She discovers the world asI link her arm with mine as I sigh. “I wish I could have shown you the world in a better place”placing a kiss on her forehead as we get inside the store.
A Short pale woman appears from behind a beaded curtain. She pops her gum and my eyes twitch.
Obnoxious.
Her nails wrap around a cigarette and from the scent I can tell it’s weed. She looks at my coat then walks closer towards us.
