Chapter 7

Jack stood up, feeling a sense of determination wash over him. He looked down at the upgraded cross in his hand, feeling a surge of power emanating from it.

He knew that he still had a long way to go. The Queen and her minions were still out there, waiting for him. But with the upgraded cross, Jack felt a sense of confidence that he hadn't felt before.

He began to make his way through the dollhouse, searching for any sign of the Queen or her minions. As he walked, he noticed that the dollhouse seemed to be shifting and changing around him. Doors appeared and disappeared, and corridors seemed to stretch and twist in impossible ways.

Jack knew that he had to be careful. The dollhouse was a maze, and he could easily get lost in its twisting corridors. But he was determined to find the Queen and put an end to her evil plans.

As he turned a corner, Jack heard a faint whispering in his ear. "You'll never find her," the voice said. "She's hidden too well."

Jack spun around, trying to see who was speaking to him. But there was no one there. The voice seemed to be coming from all around him, echoing off the walls of the dollhouse.

Suddenly, the lights in the corridor began to flicker, and the air grew cold. Jack knew that he was getting close to the Queen. He could feel her presence, lurking just out of sight.

With a deep breath, Jack steeled himself for what was to come. He knew that he was in for the fight of his life, but he was ready. He was determined to defeat the Queen and escape the dollhouse once and for all.

As he turned another corner, Jack came face to face with a door that he knew would lead him to the Queen. He raised the upgraded cross, ready to face whatever lay ahead. And with a deep breath, he pushed open the door...

As Jack pushed open the door, he expected to see the Queen, or at least some sign of her presence. But instead, he was surprised to see a man sitting in the corner of the room, hunched over a small, leather-bound book.

The man was counting, his lips moving silently as he tallied up days, seconds, and minutes. He seemed completely absorbed in his task, oblivious to Jack's presence.

But as soon as Jack stepped into the room, the man's head jerked up, and he stared at Jack with a look of shock and surprise.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other, Jack's eyes locked on the man's. Then, without warning, the door behind Jack disappeared, leaving him trapped in the room.

The man's eyes never left Jack's face. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jack hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. "I'm Jack," he said finally. "I'm trying to escape the dollhouse."

The man's eyes widened, and he looked at Jack with a mixture of curiosity and fear. "You're the one," he said, his voice trembling. "I've been counting the days until you arrived."

Jack's confusion deepened. "What do you mean?" he asked.

The man hesitated, as if unsure of how much to reveal. "I've been trapped here for...for a very long time," he said finally. "I've been counting the days until someone came to rescue me."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" he asked again.

The man sighed, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "My name is Malcolm," he said. "I'm the doll maker."

Jack's eyes widened in confusion. "You're the doll maker?" he repeated, his voice laced with skepticism.

Malcolm nodded, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Yes, I'm the one who created the dolls," he said. "But I didn't mean for them to become what they are now."

Jack's mind was racing. He had assumed that the doll maker was a monster, a person who had deliberately created the evil dolls. But Malcolm seemed different, his eyes haunted by a deep sadness.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Malcolm sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I was a toy maker, a craftsman who loved creating beautiful things," he said. "But then I became obsessed with the idea of creating the perfect doll, a doll that could think and feel like a real person."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "And that's when you made a deal with the devil," he said, his voice firm.

Malcolm nodded, a hint of shame in his eyes. "Yes, I made a deal with a dark entity, trading my soul for the power to bring my dolls to life," he said. "But I didn't realize the horror I was unleashing."

Jack's expression softened slightly. He could see the remorse in Malcolm's eyes, the deep regret for what he had done.

"What happened to you?" Jack asked, his voice a little gentler.

Malcolm's eyes dropped, and he spoke in a barely audible whisper. "The entity I made a deal with...it twisted my creations, turning them into monsters," he said. "And then it trapped me here, forcing me to count the days until someone came to rescue me."

Jack's heart went out to the old man. He could see the pain and the regret in his eyes, the deep sorrow for what he had unleashed upon the world.

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