Chapter 1: The Little Guardian
In this world, there are things that aren’t meant to be understood.
Creaks that don’t come from wood. Shadows that lean when nothing moves. Eyes that don’t belong to anyone.
You aren’t meant to notice them. That’s the rule! It’s a secret you’re not supposed to know exists.
But your toys know.
They watch you.
They watch IT.
They watch THEM.
Teddy was like that, waiting.
Not for you but for whatever wanted to come inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~♡
To anyone else, he was just matted fur and shiny bead eyes, but Teddy was special. He had a job.
He gripped the knife tightly in his soft, stuffed paws. It was sharp very, very, very sharp.
*Not safe for Sophie.*
He looked at Sophie. She was a small thing with thin arms and legs and blonde curly hair. She had big blue eyes, though Teddy couldn’t see them right now because she was dreaming. She was the one who had named him. He liked the name Teddy; it felt very much like him.
Suddenly, a floorboard creaked outside.
Teddy gripped the knife tighter and slipped off the bed, his felt feet making no sound on the wood. He stared into the darkness, looking around the room slowly. There were other toys on the floor, but they weren't like him. They couldn't move. They couldn't keep Sophie safe.
*Drip... drip... drip.*
Teddy was confused.
*Why is there dripping?*
The sound came from the hallway, just past Sophie’s pink door, the one covered in butterfly stickers and white and blue flowers that climbed the wood like a ladder.
It was silent. Teddy didn’t like this kind of quiet. Then, the bedroom door pushed open a little. No sound was made, just a slow slide, a gap of pitch black.
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
*Why?* Teddy thought. *Why is it tapping?*
*Tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.*
Then silence again. Was it testing him? Teddy didn't know. The door opened wider it was fully open. Now, all that stood between the darkness and Sophie was a bear.
Teddy was afraid. He was so small and the dark was so big, but he knew he had to be brave, he wouldn't let Sophie get caught.
That was when he saw it: a hand gripping the doorframe. The fingers were thin, black, and twisted in ways that shouldn’t have been possible. Above the hand, a pair of big white eyes with slit pupils stared out. They didn't blink or move like normal eyes. When Teddy breathed, his whole body moved but this thing was perfectly still.
*It’s not breathing.*
Teddy couldn't tell how big it was; it was too dark to see where the body ended and the darkness began. He had no time to brace himself. One second the eyes were in the doorway; the next, they were on the ceiling, staring down at him. Teddy stared back a it in shock.
*Nothing should be able to move that fast.*
Its neck twisted around like a coiled snake. Its body was impossibly large, taking up a entire corner of the room.
"What do you want?" Teddy demanded. His voice was small, but his grip on the knife was steady.
The thing didn’t reply. It lunged at Teddy, He drove his knife into its belly, over and over not giving it a chance. Blood splashed everywhere it was black like oil, staining his fur.
The creature thrashed wildly, its limbs knocking against the walls, but Sophie stayed asleep, undisturbed by the war happening beside her bed.
Teddy used the blade to tear through the creature's soft underbelly its insides spilled out, pooling on the floor in a dark heap of flesh and chunks.
*Skreeeeeeeee-hook-nnnn!* The creature shrieked, crawling backward up the wall. It knocked over Sophie’s books and pencils as it scrambled, its head shaking side to side unnaturally. It fled back through the doorway, scurrying across the ceiling until its eyes vanished into the hall.
Teddy breathed in small, fuzzy huffs. He walked forward, the bloody knife still heavy in his hand. He reached the empty doorway where the darkness pressed in violently, grabbed the handle, and slammed it shut. He threw his whole weight against the wood.
The thing threw its body against the other side.
*Bang. Bang. Bang.*
Teddy was no joke, he held it closed with his entire body. At one point, a black hand managed to squeeze through the gap, clawing at him. Teddy sliced at it, sending two twisted fingers to the floor. They wiggled like worms before going still.
*I’ll hold on till the sun comes.*
*For Sophie. I can do it.*
The creature grew more violent as morning approached. Its claws scratched against the door. *skrrreeeee.* Teddy shook with fear, but he never let go.
Then... nothing.
The scratching stopped. The weight against the door vanished. Morning had come.
Teddy opened the door slowly, expecting to see claw marks, but the wood was smooth and clean. He turned around to see the bloody mess he had carved out of the thing, but there was nothing there.
The only evidence was a stack of knocked-over books and a few colored pencils on the rug. Teddy picked them up one by one, putting them back exactly where they belonged. Once the room was tidy, he climbed back into bed and tucked himself up against Sophie, hiding his face in her shoulder as if he had never left.
