The thing Colby has to realize about me is I never do as I’m told. In most instances, I’m usually more intelligent than the person trying to teach me a lesson.

These four men standing around us are no exception. They may have been chosen by Colby, who seems to be some sort of leader, but they’re nobodies. They’re guarding a young girl and a dribbling man who was once my very handsome daddy.

The gash on his arm is looking pretty nasty and by the way his eyes are glazed over, I would assume one of the Others bit him.

“Why’d you even come out here?” I chastise him, even though I know my words aren’t penetrating the numbing fog surrounding his brain. “You never could control yourself. That’s why I knew you would give in to me. You don’t know patience, and because of you, I’ve become who I am.”

His milky eyes flick to mine as his eyebrows fall over the crest of his eyes. I’d think he was still in there somewhere if it weren’t for the drool slipping over his bottom lip.

“He’s gonna be an Other soon.” I look up at the closest man standing over my head. “We’re going to have a problem when he realizes he’s hungry.”

“You’re in a lot of trouble, young lady,” he snaps back at me, his eyes flitting toward Canary.

My eyes follow his and involuntarily roll at the sight of the decapitated thing stuck to the place on the floor by the mud covering half of her body.

“She was a nosy woman, spreading vicious rumors. I saved this town from her evil words,” I snap.

“How many of these figures around town are real people?” another of the ugly men asks.

“None,” I shrug. “They’re all dead now.”

They fall into a stunned silence, the extent of my crimes hitting them full force. All of it was necessary so these men could swoop in and claim to protect the residents, but I was already doing that from the beginning. Just one little girl.

“Bee-Bee… Bev…”

My head snaps to my father as my breath gets trapped in my throat. He’s trying to say my name, even as his skin is losing its pallor and blue veins begin to travel along the surface. He’s changing at a rapid pace, but he’s still in there, trying to talk to me.

“Daddy?” I lean forward, my hand reaching for him.

I receive a swift kick to the stomach, the air in my lungs expelling in a gasp of pain, and my eyes snap closed as I force the bile back down my throat.

“He’s fucking changing, you dumb bitch!” the man snaps. “Keep your hands to your—”

He’s cut off by a loud roar, and I scramble backward, opening my eyes in time to see my father tackle the man who kicked me. It’s quick as the rest of them propel forward to save a regency leader, forgetting all about the dumb bitch. I don’t waste the precious gift my father has provided. He’s given me my escape and I take it with both hands as I scramble to my feet, running with all my might out of the door.

I’m assaulted by branches as I run through the thick forest, quickly leaving behind the sounds of violence. They’ll kill Daddy.

It hurts, the cavity in my chest encasing my dark heart, but I can’t linger. I need to make good on the time I’m given. Later, I will grieve for the man I wanted as a husband, even if he was my daddy. I will give him the attention his death deserves … later.

Right now, I need to find my husband to be and my mother dearest. There’s no way she’s dying without me seeing the glory of her last breath. I want her to die feeling the agony of losing her family, of the daughter whose life she thought she could control.

All of it belongs to me.

The sound of his whistle has me ducking behind a tree. Colby is coming back from wherever he’s taken Heidi and he has a small gathering of Others following behind him. I should be afraid out here beyond the borders. If I were to stumble upon them, they could make a buffet out of me, but I’d like to think they’ve appreciated my ode to them with each dolly I made.

We have a common enemy, after all.

Once the whistling dies down, I rush forward in the direction Colby came from and nearly laugh out loud at the sight in front of me.

An Other is holding Heidi in its arms as if she were a baby, her slight form so small in its grotesque limbs. It’s not eating her, or biting her, it’s looking down at her with what looks like pity on its face. That can’t be right, I think to myself as I scan my own body for bite marks. Am I changing? There’s no way these things can think or feel.  

When its gnarled, black taloned fingers slip through her hair, I know it’s understanding something. So I take a risk and step forward.

“Give her back,” I demand. “That’s my mother.”

The other turns abruptly and snarls, its gaping mouth showcasing the few teeth still tethered to its blackened gums. I don’t back down as my fists hit my waist. This thing is alone out here. Its family must be the ones following behind Colby. If push came to shove, I could ram a rock into its skull. There are plenty of them on the ground.

“I am Colby’s wife.” My hand hits my chest in an effort to make the thing understand. “Colby is my husband.”

“Co … by.”

“Yes, yes.” I wave my hand in the air. “Give her to me. I’m Colby’s wife.”

He steps forward, and suddenly, trepidation for the situation I’m in skates along my body. With one swipe of his claws, he could rip open my throat and transform me into a human fountain.

He looks down at Heidi again, its eyes filled with something akin to despair. Then, to my utter shock, he places her on the ground at my feet.

“Co … by,” it repeats.

“I will tell Colby you were a good boy,” I tell it as I bend down to Heidi. “You obeyed Colby’s wife.”

It tosses Heidi one last look, then turns and heads deeper into the woods, the top of his head skimming along the high branches.

Heidi’s breathing is heavily laced with a wheeze as her chest rattles loudly. So close to death. I run the filthy tip of my finger along her porcelain skin, the color nearly completely drained as her life slowly ebbs away. My mouth curves upward as an idea hits me.

I wanted to make Heidi into a dolly, but that would put this beautiful, illuminating skin to waste. I wouldn’t want to hide it inside the clay where no one would be able to see it.

“Mommy,” I lean down and whisper in her ear. “I have a plan for you, and you’ll be my greatest design yet.”

Then I kiss her cold forehead as she takes her final wheezing breath. With a quiet squeal, I grab her under her armpits and toss her over my shoulder, her weight no more than the ax I used to chop Tanner up with.

With my work cabin being used as a holding cell, I decide to head back home, and finally bring Heidi to the place she worked so hard to go back to. Only to fail. It will be me to succeed in all the areas my mother failed, and I will prove to everyone in Dollywoodland that I am more capable of leading than any of my family were.

More so than Colby.