"Prey" is a short horror story written by Richard Matheson.
Amelia is a shy, sweet woman dominated by her overbearing and verbally abusive mother. After buying a Zuni fetish doll for her boyfriend, Amelia finds herself under attack when the doll - named He Who Kills - turns out to be alive and very much intent on living up to his name.
"Prey" was famously adapted into the third segment of the anthology horror film Trilogy of Terror.
List of tropes applying to this story:
- Asshole Victim: After possessing Amelia, He Who Kills' first act of business is to lure Amelia's emotionally abusive mother over to kill her.
- Ax-Crazy: He Who Kills is constantly focused on killing, no matter what. His attack on Amelia is borderline feral, though he's quite cunning in his own animalistic way.
- Demonic Possession: After Amelia destroys the doll, the spirit inhabiting it possesses her instead.
- Downer Ending: Amelia destroys He Who Kills, but the evil spirit manages to possess her. The story ends with the possessed Amelia calling her mother over so she can murder her, with the implication He Who Kills will exploit having a human body for all its worth.
- Extreme Doormat: Amelia is quite meek and unable to fight against the whims of her overbearing mother. She always gives in to her, and the events of the story are the first time she's been forced to stand up for herself.
- It Can Think: He Who Kills is quite cunning despite being animalistic. He's smart enough to lure Amelia's mother into a trap to satisfy his bloodlust.
- More than Mind Control: It's implied He Who Kills has merged with Amelia to a degree after possessing her. The narration refers to them by both names, and his first target is her overbearing mother, implying he's acting on her own resentments.
- My Beloved Smother: Amelia's mother is quite cruel and constantly forces her daughter to kowtow to her whims. She's so outraged by Amelia moving out that she runs roughshod over her life, and she won't even let Amelia pick out her own furniture.
