The War Within Me (Revised&Edited)

Chapter 6

Song of the chapter-
Dollhouse by Melanie Martinez

Dolls.

Doll heads to be exact

Tens and tens of doll heads, there had to be at least a hundred.

The scene unfolding right before my eyes was absolutely creepy, to be honest, and there seemed to be no explanation for it.

Our new neighbour seemed to be becoming more and more of a mystery.

I looked up to him for an explanation but his facial expression seemed quite exasperated.

With a groan and a slight shake of his head he said,"If you'd like to come inside, I can fix you up some tea and I'll tell you what I'm doing since you've already seen too much."

Quite honestly, I was a bit afraid to go inside. This man had no shown any signs of normalcy besides his tea offer. But I knew I needed answers and, as risky as it was, I decided to take up his offer.

As we walked back into his house through the backyard, I felt the necklace and charm bracelet heavy in my pocket. I decided to wait a bit to give them back, I might need them later.

The inside of the house was quite bare and dirty due to it being unoccupied for a few years.

However, slowly preoccupying the walls were a bunch of portraits. Portraits of people, objects, and completely abstract designs. But what sparked my interest was the small wall in between the kitchen and the living room. It seemed as if vinyl album covers had completely covered it. There was also a vinyl record player on the counter right next to it.

"Do you like it?"

I jumped, it seemed as if I'd forgotten that I wasn't alone in- wait what was his name anyway?

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Zayn, love. How about yours?"

Now coming from a complete stranger, who apparently collects doll heads, those words should not have rolled off of his tongue so smoothly.

"Danielle."

"Now Danielle, how do you like your tea?"

"Two sugars and a little milk, please." I replied.

I took a seat on his sofa in the living room which was connected to the kitchen.

The sofa was black leather and smelled of cigarettes, absolutely disgusting.

Zayn seemed to have noticed my disdain as he chuckled,"So I'll take it that you're not a smoker?"

"Never, smoking is disgusting. You should really stop, it's not good for your health."

"Hey Danielle, your tea's ready. I suggest you take it with a cup of I-don't-care for better results."

What a jerk.

"Just kidding love. However, I don't think I'll be getting rid of my habit anytime soon. 'Been smoking since I was in middle school."

"Can we talk about your creepy doll head- filled shed? I distinctly remember that being the reason for this visit."

"Well..."