• Chapter 1: It all starts here


    In front of a 24 inch mirror sat a young lady with bronze hair, whose wild waves were securely gelled to downward spikes. She had cleverly arranged her locks in such a way that she would be able to imitate the hairstyle of a certain boy, whose picture she held in her hand. She was Helian. She’s been playing games since she can remember. So it only appeared natural for her to purse becoming a game designer. Because of her “game influence” she was never the typical 17 year old female everybody expected her to be.

    "Helian, I need it." Kristoff called from behind the wooden door. "Can I have my hair gel now?"
    "Helian, I really need it now." Kristoff persisted.
    Helian rolled her light brown eyes at her brother's persistence. She got up from her mahogany chair and pulled up a royal red cloak from the desk. She opened the door, and handed Kristoff the jar of gel. "thanks brother." She said.

    Kristoff scrutinized her outfit. He knew she was part of a cosplay convention, but he never knew who she'd cosplay. "And you're susposed to be...?" He asked with slight annoyance.

    "The main character of FF agito XIII...You know, the one with the Tarot Cards."
    "That's just speculation...The main character thing, I mean."
    "Who cares? He's cute." Helian proudly strode to the stairs in her cosplay, all the while her red cloak danced in the air, as if to mock Kristoff. She headed downstairs where she heard the news.

    "…eight children bodies have been discovered. According to authorities they had died the recent plain crash a week ago bound to this city. It's said the handler had planned to take them to the opening celebration of the new branch of Toy Land, especially the--"
    "Mom if you're not watching TV please turn it off." Helian said, turning off the TV. She didn’t pay much attention to the news. Most especially when she has a contention she’s been looking forward to since the day she bought cloth for her costume.
    "Actually dear, I was listening." Her mother replied patiently. She had just finished washing the dishes, and was drying her hands. "You're going to the cosplay event, right?"
    "why else would I dress like this?"
    "Be back before it gets too dark." Her mother instructed, and from a small red purse she took out some money and gave it to her.
    "Okay...I'm off." She dashed out of the door and went straight to the event.

    The date was April 18, 2010--the day Toy Land was going to be officially open. To celebrate the event, the management arranged for a cosplay convention to take place. The venue was the store itself--a ten story building filled with toys of all sorts, every kid’s dream haven. As expected, the store was jam-packed with people. The first floor was cleared out though to make room for the food stands and the stage, which was at the center of the floor. There were exactly 100 cosplayers, and from the 100 they would pick the best cosplayer out of the top ten...However, the anouncement of winners wasn't until later on in the event. Time passed as the guests were entertained by performances of all sorts. There were dances, role-plays and presentations. The best of all, there was a buffet catered by one of the top food industries in the country. It was an excellent event. Soon, the guests gathered at the center, awaiting the announcement of winners. With a proud laugh, the MC introduced the Top Ten Cosplayers who were personally called during the "free" period. The MC introduced them one by one, and the audience applauded the cosplayers. Among them was Helian, dressed as the speculated main character of FF Agito XIII.

    "...And so, here's the moment you have all been waiting for!" The MC continued. "It's time to announce the Best Cosplayer for Toy Land Cosplay Event 2010!" The audience tensed. The top ten members tensed...Slowly, the MC took out a card from a white envelope, which contained the name of the Best Cosplayer. "...Our best cosplayer of this year is none other than Ralph, as Azure Kite!!"

    Everyone applauded. Ralph dashed to the stage where he happily received his award. However, not everyone was happy for him. Ralph has been envied and hated because not only is he a game master but he is also a member of a union of game critics. He has criticized more people than he can remember and most people he criticized are not all that grateful for his critics.

    "dammit. That b*****d won." cursed a man from the crowd.
    The man's companion crushed a tin can that he held. "It's time we gave OUR reward, boys."
    Sinister expressions broke across their faces as they walked away.

    The Event was over. The announcing of winners had finished, and now everyone was set to go home...The time was 11pm. The guards patiently waited for the guests to leave.

    Behind the crowd, Ruthienne, a cosplayer, approached Tana--another cosplayer.
    "Uhm, excuse me..." Ruthienne started. "Can...I mean, do you know where the bathroom is?"
    Tana turned around. It was difficult for Ruthienne to identify Tana's gender, as she became a complete replica of a male game character.
    "Yeah," Tana replied in her feminine voice, which answered Ruthienne's silent question. "I'm heading there myself. We should go together."
    Ruthienne agreed to go with her. They walked a bit across the center, which was now empty as the stage was already taken down...Deep in the western side.

    "Gah!!" cried Ralph, as a strong kick was dealt to his stomach. "You bastards!!"
    "On the contrary, Ralphy..." said one of his assailants.”We're doing you a favor. Your little 'Rise to fame' might just make your head bigger."
    Ralph struggled to his feet, but another hard blow knocked him to the back of the dark room.
    "See you later, 'Azure Kite'!!" with a satisfied laugh, he closed the door to the Stock room, convinced that Ralph was losing consciousness.

    "Oh shoot...Hang on, Lufeine."
    "huh? what is it, Lytta?" asked Lufeine.
    Lytta and Lufeine were both cosplaying in the event as well. They were twin sisters who both shared the same interest in anime and manga. That’s why both of them aspire to become a manga artist and work together. Lytta searched her pockets frantically, looking for something.
    "dammit...I think I might have lost my phone..." Lytta reported bitterly.
    "b-but, we're leaving, and--"
    "You go on ahead! I'll be right back!"
    "N-no wait! sister!"
    Lytta ran off as fast as she could back to the extra stands near the center of the room.
    "Ouch!" Helian cried, as Lytta bumped into her.
    "I-I'm sorry!" Lytta said. She resumed running after Helian gestured her it was okay.
    Helian watched Lytta run all the way to the center, but something else caught her eye...
    A little girl covered her face with her little hands, and from the abrupt motion of her shoulders, Helian could tell she was crying.
    "m-mom!! Mom!!" the little girl cried from behind her hands. With a quick turn, the little girl ran further back.
    "H-hey wait!!" called Helian, who immediately regretted she called out to her. Reluctantly, she decided to follow the little girl.

    Hazel turned around. Her attention was caught by Helian's call...She saw Helian running towards the back end of the room.
    "Huh. Must be something urgent." She said to herself...But as she turned around and looked at the gate, very few people were left and the guards were just about ready to close.
    "Oh dear...!" She said. She ran towards the guards and told them about the situation...
    "Well, closing time is 11:30 so you have just about 15 minutes." the guard said.
    "Wha--me?" protested Hazel. Before she could get another word in though, the guard turned around and went back to the gate.
    Hazel was about to go up to him and protest, but she suddenly thought of what urgency the girl was in “giving” in to her conscience, she decided to go and follow her.

    "So you're Ruthienne, huh? The name's Tana." Tana said as she combed her wet hair. She had just washed off the gel that spiked her hair. "You're cosplaying Momohime from Muramasa: The Demon Blade, right? That costume is pretty impressive."
    "Thanks...Your Noctis costume is also pretty good." Ruthienne replied from behind the door. "I see you're a Final Fantasy fan."
    Moments later, Ruthienne flushed the toilet and unlocked the door. She pushed at it, but it wouldn't open. Then, she pulled the handle...It still wouldn't open
    "Is...there a problem, Ruthienne?" Tana asked. Somehow she regretted asking that question...
    "I can't...open the doooooor..."Ruthienne whined. "Heeeelp..."
    "...This is...ugh." She sighed.

    Helian had finally reached the end of the first floor, where two escalators laid. Running up the escalators was the little girl...
    "Mommy!! Mommy!! Mommy!!!" She yelled frantically.
    "Hey kid wait!!" Called Helian...Just as she was going to go upstairs, Hazel came and stopped her.
    "Wait, the store is closing!" Hazel warned. "Whatever it is you're looking for, you have to wait for tomorrow."
    "I can't do that! There's a lost kid up there!" protested Helian. "Can't you hear her crying?"
    "Kid...?"
    Hazel calmed herself and listened patiently to her surroundings...The little girl's cries echoed down the escalators.
    "Oh my!! There really IS a child! But the guards..."
    "Then let's hurry!" Helian urged, and dragged Hazel up the escalators..

    "The areas are all clear." replied a security guard over a walkie.
    "Roger that...Looks like everyone's out." said the entrance guard.
    "What about that lady who said she was gonna go get someone?" asked his coleague.
    the guard shrugged. "She must have left without us knowing. Francis said there's no one in the security cams...
    "Oh well. Okay, let's close down."
    Slowly, the guards lowered the shutters and turned off the lights...

    "Whoa!!" cried Tana as she yanked the cubicle door open.
    "Yes!! I'm free!!" said Ruthienne. "Thanks a lot, Tana."
    Tana remained silent, a horrified expression on her face.
    "Oh no...please don't tell me..." she said.
    Tana dashed out the comfort room. As she had feared, all but the floor lights were off.
    "oh...Oh NO!! No no no!!" Cried Ruthienne, who had just dashed to Tana's side.

    "Sis!! We're locked in!! We're locked in oh we're locked in!" Lufeine cried frantically.
    "No, no this can't be!!" said Lytta.
    "Hey, is someone out there?!?!"
    Lufeine jumped in surprise. "W-who's there?!"
    "Someone!! Help! Get me out of here!!" cried Ralph, banging on the stockroom door.
    "Someone's there, and that someone's stuck!" Lytta observed.
    "sis??"
    "Where are you?! Answer me!"
    "Here, the...The stockroom!"
    "Keep hitting the door so I can find you!!"

    "Oh shoot!! The lights!!" cried Helian.
    "No!! No this...This can't be! I told the guard--"

    Hazel was interrupted by the intense sobbing of a little girl...Helian and Hazel had reached the second floor, and with the dim floor lights as a guide they were able to make out the figure of a small girl. She wore a simple blue dress and long, white socks and brown shoes. Large pink ribbons tied her curly brown hair into pigtails.

    "Mommy...Mommy..." The little girl sobbed. Her little voice was getting weaker and weaker somehow, as if she was losing her energy.
    "hmm...This is gonna be rough." Helian mumbled. "Hey, little girl? It's okay...We're here. We're your friends, see?"
    Slowly, Helian approached the crying little girl. Her back faced them so Helian didn't know if her coaxing was working or not.
    "Come on, little girl...Don't cry. We're here for you." Helian persisted.
    Slowly, the little girl put down her hands. Hazel's heart skipped a beat. She saw large cuts on the little girl's wrists...
    "Oh my...!!"


    Tana and Ruthienne made their way to the control room. Tana had seen it during the event, so she knew where it was. With the floor lights as a guide, they slowly made their way to the room...To their surprise, it was unlocked. They had at least expected the night guard to lock it.
    "Let's see..." Tana whispered.
    "Hey Tana...isn't this suspiscious? I mean, won't we get caught for this?"
    "It's their fault for not checking if anyone was left. Besides, it's also their fault for not locking this room properly."
    While Tana searched for the right switch, Ruthienne looked ahead. There was another door which led to the inner room, probably where the security cameras were...There was a small glass window Ruthienne could see through...She saw a man sitting down on a chair...
    "Hey...Tana, there's--"
    "found it!" Tana said triumphantly as she flipped on two large switches. Immediately, the entire building lit up.
    Ruthienne screamed. The man in the chair was in fact a large doll with the face of a clown. Ruthienne wasn't the only one that screamed. Up in the second floor, an ear-piercing scream shot throughout the rooms.

    "What the hell?!" Cried Helian. The little girl had turned her head around 360 degrees.
    "Mommy...Mommy..." She chanted.
    "It's...it's a freaking doll?!" Hazel shouted.
    Hazel and Helian plugged in their ears, as the doll continued screaming.
    Suddenly, Hazel screamed as well. "T-The dolls!! The dolls!!" she cried, pointing at the dolls that were on display on the shelves.
    The dolls had started jumping off the shelves, and somehow, their hands had become claws.
    "Holy crap!! Oh holy night!! What the hell are those?!" Helian cried.
    "L-Let's run!! RUN!!" Hazel shouted.
    Helian and Hazel quickly turned and tried to run, but as they did, dolls had blocked their way. A group of dolls then jumped on Hazel, and tried to claw her face!
    Hazel tried her best to parry all the attacks, all the while kicking at the incoming dolls.
    Helian had her eyes on the little girl. Its plastic eyes were almost alive, as if someone had implanted real eyes into her plastic skull.
    "Argh!! Ahhh!! Help me!!" Hazel pleaded, immediately catching Helian's attention.
    dolls were charging at Helian as well, but before they reached her, Helian ran to the right side of the room...She searched for something to hit the dolls with--something with a wide range.
    She groped around the messy floor, her mind stricken with panic. Behind her, the little girl was approached her.
    Helian looked around, desperate to find something to fight the dolls...Then, she finds a toy weapon. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it was a weapon. She grabbed it, and tore it out of its container.
    Helian had her doubts. She knew the toy could only knock them off balance...But all of a sudden, a rising feeling in her heart grew. As she held the toy in her hand, she suddenly felt like she was becoming part of a different world.
    "what...the...?" she thought. She shook her head rigidly to shake off the thought. "You can cut her down. You know you can." her inner voice said.
    It freaked her out...But she needed to save Hazel! Frustrated with her own thoughts, she got up and ran towards the doll.

    Tana and Ruthienne ran upstairs. Lytta, Lufeine and Ralph ran right behind them, but they were all too confused to start asking questions...When they got to the second floor, they all froze when they saw Helian cut down a plastic doll with a plastic scythe.