The doll had clearly been left behind by the killer, that much Garry was certain of. And after the shock of his attention being caught by it, he realized that it wasn't alone – there were two other dolls hanging in a similar manner in a path behind it. They all looked alike; the same stained fabric for skin, beige matted in mud and hues of red, eerily resembling blood; sadistic smiles stitched onto their faces unevenly; different colored dresses with worn hems and a light blanket of lint sticking to the linen. Everything about the dolls gave Garry the creeps, and even though he knew it was impossible, it felt like their sloppily sewn-on button eyes were smirking at him as he shifted his weight anxiously.

Ib was clearly less distressed, approaching the one closest to them to study it closely. Her mouth twitched with what Garry thought was a frown as she reached up to grab the doll's hand and gently spin it around, looking for something. Their new companion seemed to be as uncomfortable as Garry was.

"Ib, don't touch those!" Mary whined. "They look scary." She sounded more like a little girl than a college student. But, then again, Garry was sure he would sound just as bad, if not worse, if he could muster up the courage to say something.

Wrinkling her brow, Ib turned back to them and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't understand what these dolls are doing here. There doesn't seem to be any kind of clue on them, and the killer obviously wants to play this game with us," she said with a slight hint of frustration in her voice. Her eyes flicked to the unopened door a few feet away on the other end of the room, the gears in her mind obviously whirling as she thought of possibilities for the dolls' significance.

The girl moved towards the door without any other word and reached for the doorknob, expecting to be met with resistance. But, to Garry's surprise, it twisted easily against her palm and the door opened.

Immediately, Garry wished it hadn't.

"I'm going to have nightmares about this," he muttered behind the younger girl, his pitch slightly higher than usual.

The room was about the size of the one they were already in, dimly lit and the air thick with the smell of must and mold. There was a narrow path that was cleared for someone to walk through, but Garry couldn't imagine why anyone would want to. Tables and chairs had been pushed haphazardly against the walls of the room, and every inch of their surfaces was covered in dolls. If the dolls in the old prop room were scary, these were downright demons.

Each doll was made from indigo blue fabric with the same unevenly stitched mouths on their misshapen faces, but they stretched further, almost up into the black button eyes that had been sewn on with red thread. Black felt had been cut to make the hair on each of their heads and it was caked in what looked like dry, flaking glue and dirt. There was even a stench that emanated off of them that reminded Garry of dirty socks and old garbage. It was nauseating.

"I don't like this," Mary whimpered, hiding behind Garry's much taller form.

The male inhaled and let out a shaky breath, clenching his fists in an attempt to remain calm and not show just how much the dolls freaked him out. Luckily for him, Ib didn't seem to notice and she took a tentative step into the room to take a look.

"Ib! Wait!" Garry pled. "Let me check it out first, okay?" He didn't know why he blurted out those words, the idea of being surrounded in a room full of manic children's toys the very picture of Hell for him, but something that he suspected was chivalry chided him for being such a coward – especially when Ib, who was nine years his junior, was about to march inside fearlessly. It didn't help that he was starting to feel some kind of protectiveness and affection for the girl, even if he had only known her a few hours and led her down into this nightmare. He felt completely responsible for making sure he got her to safety after this.

With a determined purse of his lips, he strode past Ib and into the eerie room. You're a freaking idiot, you know that? He chided himself silently, fighting the shiver that threatened to run down his spine. The dolls were staring at him, through his very soul it felt. He would definitely being running from these things when he fell asleep that night.

If you even survive that long.

Mary was seriously excited about this couple. They were flawless. She could not wait to see their faces when they got even further into the game and came against more of her set ups. Not once did they let their facades down and slip out of character, and even when some of her stuff wasn't all that good – yeah, she admitted she had come up with better scenarios in the past – these people ate it up like no one's business.

This was the part she was looking forward to most, when they came across the doll room. It was the creation of both her and Weiss' imaginations, both agreeing that those things at the dollar store were frightening like none other and that it would be a perfect addition to their game. After they had dirtied the dolls up a bit, the two drama club members stuffed them all in the room with a hint hidden inside for someone to find.

They had conjured up the best of plans for that room and for the poor soul that happened across it first.

"H-hey, Ib," Mary began slowly, forcing her voice to quiver, "I think I see something over there in the corner. Maybe you should check it out." She pointed back to the wall behind them.

Ib nodded and furrowed her brow in determination, following Mary's line of vision. She set to work on finding whatever it was that the older girl thought she saw, unable to see said girl inching towards the door to the doll room with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

By Garry's second step inside, he was ready to have a panic attack. Those toys were staring him down and crawling under his skin with their promises of later mental torture. He had a feeling they'd subconsciously creep into his paintings in the next few weeks.

"Guys, I really don't know what I'm look—"

He had turned to shoot Ib a desperate glance in hopes of getting some help, but she was no longer in the doorframe. Instead, the new blonde in their little troupe was eagerly pushing the door closed with a soft click of the lock.

"Whoa! W-wait!"

But it was too late. The blonde must not have seen him turn around or heard him, because suddenly he was shrouded in darkness and confusion. Why had Mary shut the door? She had absolutely no reason to imprison him inside the hellhole, unless…

Garry's eyes went wide. He practically slammed his body into the door, fists pounding against the painted wood as horror washed over him and drowned him in sweat and thoughts of death.

"Ib! Ib, let me out! Help!" His trembling hands were clawing at the obstruction, growing more frantic with each heartbeat and each gasp of air that scratched his throat. "Please! Ib!"

The small brunette had jumped at the sound of Garry's muffled cries and desperate attempts of escape. Having found nothing in the corner of the room, she turned to give Mary an apologetic shrug and was about to ask why she looked so frightened when the noises startled her.

"What the hell just happened?" Ib snapped at Mary. She rushed towards the door in long, urgent strides.

"The door just closed on its own, I swear," the older girl lied, clutching her wringing hands to her chest. "I-I thought I heard it click, like it locked though!"

Ib wrenched at the doorknob and found, much to her dismay, that Mary was right. It had locked itself when it closed. "Shit," she hissed.

"Ib, please! Get me out of here!"

Her heart dropped at the sound of pure terror in Garry's muffled voice and she began to pull at the stubborn partition with all of the strength she could muster while Mary looked on, face pale.

"Garry, it won't budge!" Ib called back in frustration. She hadn't felt more panicked the whole night than she did then, which was a little strange, she recognized, since finding a bloody body should have affected her much more than this did. But something in her snapped when she realized Garry was stuck. Sure, he had been the one to lead her down into this waking nightmare, but it wasn't entirely his fault. He had just been trying to help her, even if he obviously had no clue where he was going. And, he had just taken her spot in that awful room. It could have easily been her stuck inside had he not volunteered to go instead, and she didn't even want to think about her own breakdown had she been in his position. It was pretty easy for her to act calm and not display much of anything besides indifference when she wanted to, but this was beyond her abilities. Those dolls were monstrous.

"Is Mary still out there with you?"

Ib's lips turned downward into a frown. What did that matter? "Yeah, she's still out here," she called back, glancing at Mary and mirroring her look of confusion.

There was silence on the other side of the door, like Garry was trying to think about something.

"Maybe there's something in the room that could help you, Garry?" Mary had stepped beside Ib.

Garry wouldn't say a word for another few seconds before Ib could hear him shuffling against the door and taking a ragged breath. "I…I don't know. It's dark, and there's just a bunch of these creepy dolls in here," he responded. "Ib, do you think you could slide your phone under the door so I can use it as a light?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Ib dug her phone out of her purse and crouched down to do as Garry requested. She waited until the saw a faint light under the door to stand up straight again, satisfied that he had found it in the darkness. "Look for a another clue to get the key for this door!" she called. "You may have to check the dolls!"

Ib could hear Garry gulp through the door, and once again it felt like her heart was breaking for him. Poor guy. She'd have to think of a way to repay him for everything if they managed to get out of the Rec Center in one piece that night, because she wasn't sure if she could handle those dolls without losing her mind, and he was doing a pretty good job at keeping his sanity.

There was a shaky gasp for air before Ib finally heard Garry speak again, the voice sounding more faint through the wood than before.

"Well, here goes nothing, I guess."

A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm feeling like this is finally starting to pick up a little on the drama side, so I'm really hoping you guys will enjoy this chapter. (and I promise that some romance is gonna sneak up on our two heroes soon~ oh ho ho!) Anywho, reviews are awesome, and if you have any suggestions or questions, hit me up with 'em! I'd love to hear your ideas.