“Dolls?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, this next one is about a girl who is so obsessed with dolls that she became one, and now anyone who enters her domain becomes her dollies,” Varek said.

“....Can we skip this one?” Spike asked not wanting to deal with that.

“No,” Varek said.

“Alright,” Spike sighed as he turned to the door but Varek spoke.

“Don’t you want your second power?” Varek asked.

“Second?” Spike turned back to him. Vareks's hand glowed again, and Spike felt power enter him.

“You now also have the power to teleport, use this wisely,” Varek said.

“Ok,” Spike said not wanting to ask him why anymore and he entered the portal.

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Play with me… forever…

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Spike exited the portal and found himself in what seemed to be a void.

“Huh?” Spike said looking around before spotting a big pink dollhouse, big enough for him to enter. There were fake bushes and toys everywhere around the void like a messy room.

“What fresh hell is this?” Spike asked.

“Ha,” Varek chuckled, Spike ignored him as he approached the house and knocked on it.

The door slid open slowly and Spike hesitantly entered, keeping his guard up.

As he entered expecting a cramped space he suddenly found himself in a much bigger mansion-like space.

“Whoa,” Spike said as he walked through and saw all sorts of strange things, like dolls everywhere, small and big, some even as big as he was.

As Spike walked through the house lobby he suddenly heard child-like giggling and he turned, not seeing anything off.

“Huh?” Spike said as he looked around, and suddenly he began hearing child laughter everywhere, behind him sometimes and when he turned it would briefly stop.

“Is someone there?” Spike said ready for anything, he wasn't as ready as he thought he was when a little girl's voice came to him suddenly.

“Hiya mister! Are you here to play with me?” Spike turned but only saw a stitched doll the size of a human child sitting on the ground.

“Where are you?” Spike looked around again.

“In front of you silly billy!” She giggled and he turned again to be face to face with the dolls button eyes and stitched smile.

“AAAAH!” Spike yelped jumping back, honestly tired of it at this point.

“Heeheeheehee! I got you!” She giggled and hopped back so Spike could see her full appearance.

She had beige skin made of fabric and a dress that was purple, orange string hair, and a blue bow in her fake hair.

She also had blue button eyes and a stitched smile.

“Um… hello?” Spike said.

"Hi! It's been a long time since I've had a new playmate! I was hoping they'd send a girl, but I can play with boys too!" She giggled.

"Um, actually I'm not here for-" Spike attempted before she cut him off.

“Oh oh let’s play house first!” She giggled as she ran over to a corner opened a toy box and dug through it.

“Um, actually I am here for-” Spike attempted again but it was like she wasn't listening.

“Here! You be the daddy and I’ll be a mommy!” She said bringing a smaller dollhouse over.

“I’m not here to play I’m-”

“You don’t wanna play house? Ok! Let’s plaaaaaaaay…. Tag!” She squealed and she tagged him before running.

“Hey! I need to talk to you!” Spike said chasing her trying to get her to listen.

“Yay! Play play!” She said as she ran with seemingly limitless energy.

Spike slowed eventually and she danced where she stopped.

“Nyah! Your slow!” She giggled.

“Look! I’m low on time, I need-”

“Let’s play something else!” How about dolls! I love dollies! I have a huuuuuge collection, and-”

“SHUT UP!” Spike said at his wits end with her cutting him off and she quieted.

“Sorry… I’m sorry, but I’m stressed as is with my family in danger, I’m here to collect Vareks contract,” Spike said hoping she'd listen this time.

“.....Oh…. well of course you're here for that…” She said with a frown.

“Yeah, so if you could just hand it over I-” But Spike was cut off as the doll girl walked up to him somehow with a bitter expression.

“Of course, you're not here to play with me! They NEVER are!” She growled.

“Hey, sorry, but I-” Spike attempted but she stomped with surprising force.

“No! NONONO! I wanna play! And like it or not, we’ll be friends forever! Play forever! AND YOU WILL BE MY DOLLIE!” She said as she suddenly began rising into the air, Spike backed away seeing she was doing so with strings coming out of her feet, lifting her into the air like tendrils.

“It’ll take some work… but I can make a dollie out of you just like the others, your good friend Darla the Dollmaker is here to help…” She said as the buttons turned red.

“Uh oh!” Spike ran as she extended her hands and hooks came out of her fingertips and they shot out on strings to snare Spike who managed to avoid them up until he was halfway up the stairs before several hooked strings snared him and dug into his flesh.

“Ow!” Spike grunted as she pulled him back towards her.

“Needle in the eyes, listen not to ask why’s, I’ll leave him in stitches, playtime is my riches!” She sang as she dragged him back to her.

“No! What do I do?!” Spike said.

“Try the teleport, just think about teleportation,” Varek said.

“O-ok!” Spike thought about the teleport power and suddenly he teleported out of the hooks and at the top of the stairs where he stumbled but looked surprised.

“HUH?! Hey! That’s cheating!” Darla growled and she lashed her strings out again. But Spike ran away through a door and escaped.

“No no no!” This isn’t how it's supposed to go!” She yelled from the other side of the door.

“Screw that!” Spike said as he ran into another part of the house and saw shards.

“Get collecting, unless you fancy being her doll for the rest of time,” Varek said.

“No way!” Spike said as he ran into the next hallways and collected shards, he noticed these were scattered instead of grouped up “Are there less here?” Spike asked.

“Yep, she likes to preserve her dollies,” Varek said.

“Ugh,” Spike said uncomfortably, as he ran past some of her other dolls, some of which were bleeding, now understanding he ran on hoping to avoid their fate.

Spike collected a few more shards and ran into a dining room before Darla came into the room and saw him.

“There you are!” She said as she whipped her hooked tendrils at him and Spike ducked them and fled into a room with a TV in it with a giant sticker on the screen.

“This place is all fake!” Spike said as he had to step over some more corpse dolls.

“Shut up! Fake isn’t a word here!” Darla shouted as she chased him using her tendrils like tentacles to carry her.

Spike jumped over a railing and landed on the ground before fleeing deeper into the mansion.

“WHERE ARE YOU?!” Darla shouted as she lost track of him.

Spike ignored her and collected more shards and ran into a room that looks like it was designed for tea parties.

With her dollies lined up in their chairs.

“Eugh!” Spike said not liking the sight before he fled into another hallway, where he ran into Darla who took the chance to wrap him in her strings.

“You're mine now Dollie!” Darla laughed before she opened her mouth revealing sharp teeth behind the strings and she swung her hook claws at him.

3 Lives left: “Darla wants to play…. And she’ll never let you go…” Varek taunted.

Spike wasted no time and made his way out of the lobby as soon as he woke up.

He saw the entrance to the other side of the mansion and he took it.

As he made his way through several hallways he heard an exclamation behind him and he continued running as he heard her behind him.

“GET BACK HERE NEW FRIEND!” Darla screeched as she swung her hooks at Spike’s back but Spike stayed ahead of her.

Just as Spike thought he was going to get away he suddenly felt a hand grip his head and his eyes widened as he glanced back to see she had detached her arm, connected by strings, and she was grabbing his head.

“HAHAHAHA! Tag! You're it!” She said as she dug her claws in.

“AGH!” Spike grunted and he decided to jump through a window to get away from her and he ended up pulling her with him.

“Whoa!” She exclaimed and they landed in a pool.

Spike swam to the surface and pulled out the hooks with cries of pain as he made his way out of the pool with Darla swam after him.

“You're being mean!” She yelled in a whining tone.

Spike ran as soon as he was on dry land and he booked it down a corridor leading into a dining room.

With corpse dolls in each seat.

“Get out! I haven’t set the tea yet!” Darla demanded as she chased him on her strings.

“You're insane!” Spike said as he avoided her hooks by teleporting out of the way and she accidentally smashed a table against the wall.

“NO! Look what you made me do!” She growled as she chased him into the kitchen and he ran around collecting shards as she tried to grab him.

Spike ran into the next room but his wet shoes made him slip and he fell over a railing.

“I GOTCHA!” Darla said as she lashed a string around Spike's neck.

“NO-” SNAP

2 lives left: “Guess she plays a little too rough for you,”

Spike sighed as he sat up in the lobby and he stood up, he just had his neck snapped... how much more will he have to endure before this is over...

“I’m really tempted to give up…” Spike said feeling the weight of this whole situation on his shoulders… he’s literally going through hell!

Spike fell to his knees.

“Maybe it’d be better if I just-”

“No… Don’t give up!” A woman's voice called to him.

“Huh?” Varek? Was that you?” Spike asked.

“What was me? Stop wasting my time and get moving,” Varek said impatiently.

“O-ok…” Spike sighed, must have been his nerves…

Spike made his way to the right this time and he peeked around a corner, looking for Darla.

He saw the creepy doll girl skipping by.

“Lalalala! Happiness to me happiness to you, when I catch you your existence is through!” She sang.

“She still scares me….” Spike muttered before he ran on once she vanished.

As Spike made his way down the west hallway and collected the spaced-out shards he ran by a room with dollhouses in it.

Spike moved on and found another set of shards in another hallway, but heard a screech and turned to see Darla swinging across the gap between them using her hooks.

“Wheee!” She exclaimed.

“Crap!” Spike ran on as she landed behind him and she opened her stitched mouth and sent strings to snare Spike's legs.

“Ah!” Spike fell down.

“Heeheehee! Now you are mine!” She said as she brandished her hook-like claws.

“No. I’m. NOT!” Spike grabbed the strings and yanked hard sending her stumbling to the floor.

“You meanie!” She lunged at him and landed on him and began stabbing him with her claws.

“GET OFF!” Spike yelled as he wrestled with her, she was stronger than she looked!

As she raised a hand Spike caught it.

“I’m gonna get you, I’m gonna get you!” She sang.

Spike’s family flashed to mind and he yelled before reaching up and grabbing one of her button eyes and tore it out.

“GYAAAAH!” She screamed falling back.

Spike got up and backed away as she stood back.

“You….. GIVE IT BACK!” She looked at him and he was shocked to see an actual eyeball underneath where her button eye was.

“What are you?...” Spike asked.

“A dollie… THE BEST DOLLIE EVER!” Darla said as he limbs detached and extended on strings before bigger hooks came out of her fingers.

“Huh?” Spike backed away.

“Hope you're happy… I’m so mad I’m just unraveling at the seams now!” Darla laughed maniacally and she chased him on all fours.

“AAAAH!” Spike teleported out of her strings still holding him, turned, and fled from her.

Spike ran into another room and collected shards as she came after him like a mass of strings and hooks.

“I’M GONNA MAKE YOU MINCE MEAT!” She bellowed.

Spike ran into another room with dolls dangling from strings from the ceiling and he made it into the lobby again through a side entrance.

As he looked around Varek spoke.

“The safe is located, check that room full of dollhouses you ran past earlier,” Varek mentioned.

“Ok!” Spike said and he hurried back into the hallways as Darla pursued him.

“DOOOLLLYYYY!” She screamed at him as she pursued.

Spike made it down the hallway, his good sense of direction leading him to the room with the dollhouses and he shut the door behind him.

“OPEN THE DOOR!” Darla shouted as she bashed on the door.

“Which one?!” Spike asked.

“Just start smashing!” Varek said.

“Ok!” Spike began breaking dollhouses.

“W-what are you doing in there? STOP!” Darla cried.

Spike eventually found the safe in a pink one and he pulled it out, Varek broke it open and he claimed the contract.

At the same time, the door came down and Darla saw the destruction.

“No…YOU FILTHY HUMAN! I’LL TEAR YOUR LIMBS OFF!” Darla screamed as she lunged and Spike dodged it by teleporting and fled for the exit as she chased him with a feral scream.

“NOT GOOD NOT GOOD!” Spike said as he ran from her as she swung her hooked claws at him.

Spike rounded the corner and entered the lobby and bolted for the exit.

As he broke through the door and bolted through the void for the portal Darla pursued him through the void as well.

“FRIENDS DON’T DESTROY OTHER FRIENDS STUFF! I’LL KILL YOU!” She bellowed.

“Almost there!” Spike cried and he saw the portal and he jumped for it as Darla reached for him.

And her hooks narrowly missed him as he went into the portal.

“NOOOO!” Darla exclaimed.

YOU ESCAPED!

Spike tumbled into the office panting heavily.

“Could you stop landing on my floor like that? You're starting to make dents,” Varek sighed.

“Varek… I don’t know how much more I can handle… please, can’t I just do half?” Spike asked.

“I’m afraid not, I have a quota and image to uphold,” Varek said.

“LISTEN-” Spike was about to yell but a voice came to him again.

“Calm yourself… I know you can do it,” The woman's voice said.

“I’m listening,” Varek asked smugly.

“...Nevermind…” Spike said with a sigh and he handed Varek the contract.

“Good choice,” Varek said before taking out another cigar and lighting it “Now listen, next up we have a trip to a more… relaxing environment,” Varek said.

“Relaxing?... In hell?” Spike asked.

“Maybe not the way you know it… how are you with gardening?” Varek asked.

Next time: Amidst a red background a short shadowy being with a pointy hat and a pickax was standing there, completely still as the sounds of a forest echoed in the background, and then as it looked like nothing was going to happen… he looked at you.

“Heheheheheheheee!” a mischievous voice giggled.

Author's Note

Can you guess the next monster?

Sorry about the late update, some stressful stuff was happening.