mckennaapplepie:
–
Mckenna grinned at Teddy’s rambling, finding his fluster endearing in the way that he recognized it in himself as well. He hadn’t been much of anything when he started acting either, but practice made perfect and he said as much before wandering in the direction Teddy had pointed to.
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll meet you there,” he said, waving him off before disappearing into the house.
It hadn’t occurred to him then that he was entering the same home The Dollmaker had sewn together all those women. The farmhouse looked like any other, average, old, a little rundown. There was an eerie creaking in the floorboards as he made his way to the bathroom, the framed photo of apple trees on a ranch beside the doorway was looking mighty suspicious in its averageness.
Once inside, Mckenna did his business and washed his hands before patting them dry on his jeans. A tinny rattle of pills in his pocket reminded him of their existence. Suddenly, his knee radiated pain. It was hard to tell anymore whether he was imagining the aching soreness or if it had just become another excuse to swallow a handful of Vicodin. He exhaled slowly and took out the bottle, shifting the contents left to right and debating whether it’d be too much of he just had a few more.
Eventually, the pain won out. He popped the lid with a thumb before tapping out four pills and tossing them into his mouth. Mckenna ducked over the sink and cupped himself a few mouthfuls of water before tidying up like he wasn’t doing something illicit and seedy in the bathroom. He had a prescription, after all. Everyone had seen the way his knee spun around itself during the half-time game.
Mckenna emerged from the bathroom after another moment of assuring himself that everything was alright. That the day had been good and positive, filled with helpful activities and bright opportunities to do good. That a minor slip was more for the well-being of his body than it was a fracture in his psyche.
“Hey,” he said, poking his head into the kitchen where he met Teddy again. Mckenna wiped his brow with the back of his hand, finding that he was somehow getting sweatier. He put on a smile and approached the counter nonetheless. “Need some help with that?”
It wasn’t until Teddy stepped inside that a sense of dread washed over him. It had been a long time since he’d had anyone else inside the house. Sure, people often came to the door, hoping to get a glimpse of the place where The Dollmaker had lived. Usually after Teddy asked them to leave, he’d find them trying to jump a fence to get to the shed where the gruesome activities had taken place, though they’d usually run off the moment he stepped outside.
The house hadn’t really changed much since he was a kid. There weren’t any family photos on the walls, dust covered any surface that wasn’t touched frequently, and the furniture was overdue to be replaced. It was like the interior of the house was stuck in time. The outside was looked a little better though. Painting it had been one of the first things Teddy had done when he’d come back, wanting to give the place a spruce up in the hopes that people would snoop around less.
While Mckenna was in the bathroom, Teddy got to work taking ingredients out of the fridge to make sandwiches. The salad was still fresh, having only been made the night before from stuff from the garden that Teddy was barely able to keep alive. He’d never been that great with gardening, so he was proud that at least one crop had been successful.
Teddy jumped a little when Mckenna appeared in the kitchen, not used to having another person (other than his grandmother who spent most of her time in bed as of late) around the house. “Oh, yeah, that would be great. Help yourself, make as much as you want.” He said as he stepped aside so that Mckenna could make himself something to eat. “Thanks again for all the help. Honestly. I, uh, I’ve had a hard time keeping up with everything, so having your help today has really... I just really appreciate it.”
