Jack the Ripper & Fairy Fay: A Living Dead Dolls story

CHAPTER 2

Fay awoke in complete darkness. A void of sorts. She sat up leaning on her hands before recoiling in pain from her right. She looked and saw that she no longer had a right hand. Instead she had a bloody stump with the bone visible. Fay didn't register this for a few minutes, staring at the remains of her wrist before her senses came back. She screamed. Nausea roiled in her stomach. Her vision went red. She felt faint.

'How can I be alive?' She thought, once again looking at her stump.

She looked around. Nothing but darkness greeted her.

'Maybe I'm not alive, for all I know I may be in hell'

Her eyes kept scanning her surroundings. Maybe in some ludicrous hope for an escape or another body with which to share her loneliness. She caught something. In the distance a soft glow silhouetted a tall figure wearing a wide skirted dress. Fay sprung up and ran to the figure, relieved for company. Something was off though. She smelled copper in the air. Fay slowed herself to a trot before stopping completely a few feet in front of the figure. The smell became too overwhelming.

"Hello there." Fay said to the figure, pinching her nose to keep out the pungent smell.

The figure turned, looking surprised. She was a beautiful to behold. Her dark hair and soft face seemed immaculate, her makeup perfect. Her dress was ornate, gorgeous yet old. It seemed to be from the 1500s rather than the 1800s. It was also dirtied, most likely where the stench came from, covered in dried, brown stains.

"Oh, hello. When did you come here?" The stranger asked. She had an odd accent. Her speech was disjointed and clumsy.

"I believe a few minutes ago. I'm Fay, may I have your name?"

"Bathory." She said, sticking her hand out.

Fay unplugged her nose and shook it, keeping in mind to hide her stump. They both stood awkwardly for a moment. Fay broke the silence.

"Do you know where we are?"

"Apologies, no. I came here myself a long time ago."

"Shame."

Another bout of silence fell, both unsure of the other. Fay broke it again.

"What is the odor in the air?"

"Blood."

Fay was now scared. "Blood? What on earth are you doing covered in blood?"

"I was drowned in it as punishment." Bathory stated, as if it were obvious.

Confused, Fay asked. "What happened? Why were you punished?"

"False crime, the general kept calling me a satanic witch, he had me drowned in prisoners blood as 'retribution for what I had done.'" Bathory said, rolling her eyes. "Then I woke up here."

Fay whistled. "Well, that's quite a story." She said not sure of believing the stranger.

"What about you?"

"Uhm.." Fay flushed. Dying as a whore was frankly embarrassing.

Still, she took a deep breath and relayed the events of that night. Bathory nodded along, listening intently. When Fay finished, she found herself being hugged.

"Oh dear that's horrible! What a nightmare you had to suffer."

Fay sighed and soon found herself crying, not knowing why. It felt nice to let herself go. A much needed relief from such an exhausting experience.

"Yes, thank you." She said as Bathory pulled away.

She only nodded, keeping her hand on Fay's arm. Something was now off about her face. There was a new red smear was across her left cheek.

"What's that?" Fay asked, pointing to the offending mark.

Bathory touched her cheek, looking at her fingers when she pulled back.

"Oh, I apologise, must be yours."

'Mine?"

"Yes, quite a nasty gash you have there." She motioned to her face making a large outline starting at the left hand side of her mouth to her left ear.

Again Fay felt faint. "Do-Do you have a mirror?"

"Let me see..." Bathory checked her dress. "Ah! Here." She handed her the mirror.

Fay looked at herself, horrified by her own mutilated face. Most of the left half of her cheek was gone, cuts were strewn across her face. Fay wobbled, then fell, dropping the mirror. Bathory managed to catch her.

"Oh dear, oh lord." Fay mumbled, incoherent and numb.

Bathory only held her head in her lap, smoothing her hair down, trying to calm her. Fay did relax, to the point of falling asleep. She awoke, again confused as to where she was before remembering the previous day. She looked around. Bathory was gone. She sighed, upset that the strange woman was nowhere to be found.

"Hallo, I was just exploring, this place is very small. You walk one way and a few seconds later you're on the other side of the world. Very strange." Bathory said as she came up from behind Fay, startling her.

"Ah! There you are! Apologise for yesterday." Fay said turning to face Bathory.

"It was an understandable reaction." She replied with a nod.

The two women talked for the next few days. Everything from their former lives to whom they loved to theories on science became topics between the two. Neither felt the urge for sleep or food. Their debates became endless. They ran out of topics eventually, soon becoming bored with the gaping emptiness of their new home. For three weeks nothing happened. Nothing changed. With the exception of occasional voices they could hear coming from nowhere, the air was still.