“The camera was stuck just like my sketchbook,” said Rufus. “You smashed it from the outside.”

Lou’s eyes lit up. “Exactly.”

Rufus smiled. He reached back through the bars and flipped open the book cover. Snatching a handful of pages, he tore them from the binding and tossed them to the floor.

“Yes!” Lou yelled triumphantly. She pounced on the crumpled pages. Each page was filled with sketches of the man who’d built this house. His distorted face stared up at her. It was the same face she’d seen in various frames hanging throughout the halls. Racing across the room to the roaring fire, Lou threw the paper onto the blaze.

Seconds later, Rufus jumped down from his perch on the shelves. He followed Lou to the fireplace and tossed the rest of the pages in. They grew bright before turning black.

Seconds later, Rufus was a blur in Lou’s vision. He held out his arms to give her a hug. As she grasped his middle, he faded away just like the others, and Lou ended up squeezing herself.

Opening her eyes, Lou took off before the tremors began again.

CHAPTER 34

DARKNESS WHIPPED AROUND her. Her lungs ached from running.

Lou had turned so many corners—had ducked through so many doorways—she no longer knew which section of the house she was in.

She stopped when she felt her brother’s presence leave her.

“Jason?” she called out, hoping he might answer her like he’d done during the horrid vision of the doll in the kitchen. But there was no answer.

Looking around, she found that she was standing in a vast nothingness, all alone. She needed to destroy the dollhouse to free herself from its grasp, but how could she do anything if the place no longer existed?

Somewhere close by, she heard a vague muttering. “Jason?” A dark voice in her head sounded out dim words. He left you here. They all left you here. There is no way out now.

Lou hunkered down, her scalp tingling. Covering her ears, she tried to do what Jason had told her earlier. Block out the noise. Concentrate on breathing.

The dark voice continued, Wake up. You’re dreaming again. All you have to do is open your eyes.

Lou gritted her teeth and yelled out, “Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

But more voices rose like a storm inside her head, spinning her thoughts until she wasn’t sure what was real or what was a nightmare.

Jason had been following his sister closely when she paused suddenly in the middle of the foyer. She spun around with her arms out, as if she weren’t sure of her balance, then called out to him. All of a sudden she slumped to the floor, unconscious.