Bella's eyes open, her eyelids sticking together and feeling gritty from the extremely dry air of the room. Her back was against a cold tile wall, her brittle fingers running over the individual panes before she realised they were covered in crimson.

Covered in blood.

Bella's brain began working again and she recoiled her hand in horror, brushing off the blood onto her denim dress, which seemed grimier than she remembered. She leaned forward, and her dress made sticky noises as it pulled off the blood-coated wall, mixed with her brown locks. Bella's eyes seemed blurry as she adjusted to her surroundings, her vision zooming in and out like a camera trying to focus until it finally stopped moving so weirdly. Bella swallowed her saliva to prevent herself from vomiting from her vision acting up.

She blinked twice and looked around the room. The walls were covered in tiles and more blood, with a little window at the top of the wall to her left, near the roof. The sunlight beamed onto Bella's sun kissed legs, magnifying the little dust particles as they danced through the air. A little smile teased her lips as she gazed at the source of light, before looking around the room again. There was a padlocked wooden door to the wall beside her, and a bench opposite to where she was sitting, and not a nice one either. It was splintering and cracking at the sides, so Bella decided not to sit on it. Bella got up off her feet, her hands and dress covered in crimson as she slipped in the pool of old blood at her feet, before checking herself for injuries. 

Unscathed and okay. Except for her bruised wrists, but that can't be helped. Bella padded noiselessly to the door, which had a little window with bars over it. She peered curiously through the bars and saw another door, with another prisoner looking through the bars right at her. Bella's eyes lit up happily and she smiled at the stranger, who gave her a shy smile in return. Bella couldn't see the person's facial features very well, but she guessed that it was a boy.

Bella's brain decided to fast forward and catch up with her then.

She gasped and pressed her left hand to her forehead, stumbling back and catching herself on the handle of the door. 

"Where am I? Who is he? What am I doing here?" Bella murmured frantically to herself, her eyes darting around the floor, terrified. Bella's eyes popped up at the corner of the window to look at the other prisoner interestingly, who was looking right back.

Bella almost fell over as she regained her composure and gave the boy a quick smile before she heard footsteps coming down the corridor. Slow and sluggish, whoever owned the pair of feet most likely couldn't move very fast, which was an advantage for Bella. The boy and Bella made quick eye contact and both ran for their old positions, Bella slumped on the wall, and the boy sprawled on the floor.

Bella heard keys jingle outside her door, and she squeezed her eyes closed, clearly terrified. Her door creaked open slowly, and was accompanied by heavy breathing as Bella felt short, meaty fingers grab her shoulder and shake her slightly.

Bella opened her eyes slowly, pretending to wake up from a nap and let out a yawn, looking curiously at this newcomer. There was a mask over their face, along with a black cape covering their head and body. The figure stood up, and beckoned for Bella to follow them. Bella stood up again, still slipping in the blood, and followed the masked man, as he unlocked the boy's door next. Bella waited outside before the boy was brought out, and boy, was he handsome. He had a chiselled jawline, sparkling blue eyes and fluffy chocolate brown curls at the top of his head. Even though his hair was matted with blood, and his jawline was covered in dirt, Bella fell for him hard. They made quick eye contact as the figure walked down the hallway, and agreed to shut up until they were alone.

The figure led them through long corridors, which seemed like an endless puzzle to Bella's brain, until they finally reached a door with a padlock on it. The masked man pulled his keys off his belt, and unlocked the door, standing aside and pushing it open for the duo to step inside.

And they did.

Bella felt the boy's hand brush against hers, clearly shaking as they walked to a spotlight on the floor, a blaring light centred in the middle of the room. They stood in line with the theatre light above their heads and all of a sudden, a loud crash sounded from the other side of the room.  Bella yelped in fear and grabbed the boy's arm, who tensed in horror as they both stared at the are where the crash came from. A low, scraping noise filled the room, like metal being dragged against limestone.

Metal against limestone...

Bella's brain froze in fear, and she squeezed the boy's arm urgently, whispering into his ear, "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."

The boy leaned down and whispered into her ear, "I know. I'm thinking the same thing." He said with a shaky voice, the both of them backing towards the door, as a figure entered the spotlight.

It was a woman with a slender figure, her stringy red hair pulled back into a stern-looking bun, with a hooked nose and warts dotted around her face. Her mouth curved up into a sickening smile, revealing her yellow, disarranged teeth. The woman was wearing a figure-hugging black dress, revealing her bulging veins in her arms and neck. A machete glinted dangerously in the stage light. If Bella didn't know better, she'd call the woman a witch, but Bella knew that was rude and would probably end with her being impaled, so she clamped her mouth shut.

The woman opened her arms welcomingly, "Won't you say hello to your own mother?"

Bella and the boy stared at each other in bewilderment. Mother? Both of them thought about their mothers. Where were they now? At home, preparing a meal for a child that will never come back?

There was a piercing silence in the room as the woman stood there with her arms open, in a Jesus pose almost. Her smile began to turn into a sneer as her arms slowly returned to her sides.

"Are you children so disobedient as to not listen to your Mommy?" The so-called Mommy cooed at them, her voice dripping with malice. Mommy took a step forward and dragged her machete across the paved floor, making a sound so horrible Bella and the boy winced and curled up instinctively.

Mommy's eyes met Bella's, "You. Bella. You little whore. Wearing such revealing clothing? Disgusting. I would have thought better. After this, we are getting rid of that disgusting spectacle." Mommy said, waving her hand dismissively at Bella, as if she was a judge at a fashion show. There was something in Mommy's eyes that Bella couldn't figure out. Revenge, Betrayal?

Jealousy?

Bella felt heat boil up in the centre of her chest as her fists clenched together and she glared at Mommy defiantly.

"And you." Mommy said, looking at the boy next to Bella. "Cole. You look exactly like your dearest father. Oh, you even have the same jawline." Mommy sneered, her beady eyes looking Cole up and down.

Cole, defiantly looking Mommy in the eyes, said, "Sei una donna crudele e meriti de bruciare all'inferno." 

Cole spat at Mommy's feet.

Mommy's face began to grow red. "How dare you, you insolent child! I raise you from young, and you treat me like this?" She shrieked hysterically.

"Ma'am, we aren't your children!" Bella piped up.

Mommy's face grew even more red. "Such ungrateful children!" She hollered at the sky, before looking at both of them with a face of eerie peace.

"That's why we're going to turn you nice." Mommy smiled, clicking her fingers. The door behind Bella and Cole opened, making them jump, and revealed two children. The children moved towards Bella and Cole like robots, with halting, jerking movements, until they were almost directly in front of them. Their mouths curled up into an eerie smile as their glazed eyes stared lifelessly at the duo.

Mommy walked over to the two smaller children and ruffled their matted, dirty hair, staring lovingly at the two of them.

"Oh, at least I have two children that listen to me." She tutted at Cole and Bella, looking at them disdainfully. "You will be like them sooner or later."

Bella's face went pale, and she felt like she was going to vomit.

"What did you do to them?" Cole yelled at Mommy angrily, looking at the two children who didn't even flinch as Cole screamed at Mommy.

"Well, my dear boy, I just made them obedient. Like I will to you." Mommy smiled eerily at Cole and Bella. 

Bella felt a pinch in her shoulder, and she gasped as the world began to go blurry. She stumbled to the floor and was on her hands and knees, trying to fight the dizziness.

"Bella? BELLA!" She heard Cole yell, and run to her side, his strong arms wrapping around her waist as Bella slumped like a doll to the floor.

"Goodnight Baby." Mommy giggled as she pressed a needle into Cole's shoulder gently.

A few hours later...

Bella opened her eyes warily, and was faced with a bright, blaring light in her eyes. She winced, and tried to roll over, but her arms and legs were strapped to the cold, metal table with leather belts. Bella squirmed uncomfortably, as the belts were rubbing on her wrists and ankles and making them burn.

She tilted her head to the right painfully, and found Cole lying on another table, his wrists strapped and his eyes closed.

"Cole!" Bella yelled, trying to break out of the straps angrily, as she saw Cole weak and defenceless. Even though they hadn't known each other for too long, Bella felt a connection with Cole.

Bella heard a throaty laugh sound from the other side of the door as it slammed open, and Mommy and the two children entered the room.

"Well well well. The slut is awake." Mommy smiled sickeningly.

"Don't call me that." Bella growled, tugging at her restraints.

Bella heard a groan from the other side of the room as Cole woke up.

"Cole! COLE! Help me!" She screamed as the two robot children clunked over and stood on either side of her, their mouths set into a straight line.

Mommy stood at the end of the metal table, her head craned over Bella's.

"I want to keep you awake so you can witness what will happen." Mommy cackled joyfully, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Begin the operation, children." Mommy ordered the two children, and they picked up the utensils to slice Bella open.

"STOP! NO, PLEASE!" Cole yelled, tearing furiously at his restraints as the robots advanced on Bella.

In the robot's hand on the right, she had a thin scalpel. In the robot's hand on the left, he had a meat mallet. The robot on the right pressed the scalpel on Bella's forearm and jerked it downwards, making Bella cry out in pain and Cole holler for them to stop.

But they didn't.

Blood trickled down Bella's arm onto the table and the robot pushed open the cut, revealing Bella's bone and even more blood. Bella was crying helplessly, as the pain was excruciating. As she glanced down at her bleeding arm, her head hit the table and she fainted. Mommy had a look of delight on her face as she passed the robot child the wiring for Bella's arm. The robot carefully pushed the wiring underneath, making a big square bulge out of Bella's forearm.

"Hmm." Mommy mused, seeing the cube and looking at the robot on the right.

"Mallet her forearm." Was all Mommy said, and the robot on the left brought down the meat mallet onto the circuits under Bella's arm. There was an unmistakable crack of bone as the mallet met the circuit and broke it completely. Cole screamed Italian curses at Mommy as she told the robot on the left to stop, and she inspected Bella's arm.

There were wires poking out of Bella's skin, and there were chunks of circuit spread underneath her arm, making it bumpy and irregular.

"Stitch her up, and then start on the boy. But more gently. I want my dollies to look perfect." She smiled sweetly at Cole as the robot threaded the needle and began stitching up Bella's arm, sealing the jumbled circuits underneath and leaving her to bathe in agony as they moved onto Cole. The robot with the scalpel wiped it gently and brought it down on Cole's arm, repeating the procedure with Bella.

Some time later, after they both woke up...

Cole groaned as he came back to his senses. The first thing he felt was pain. He looked down to his forearm and almost vomited as he saw wiring protruding from his skin painfully. Cole clenched his eyes shut and leaned back onto the floor and yelled in pain.

Cole heard a yelp from the other side of the room.

"Bella?" Cole cried, attempting to pull himself over to where the yelp sounded.

"Cole! I'm over here!" She sobbed as Cole clawed himself over to Bella's sobbing.

But when he reached where the sound came from, no one was there.

"B-Bella?" Cole stammered, his eyes darting around the room, terrified. Where was she? He was sure he heard her crying. 

A low laugh filled the room.

A light, a little next to where Bella had been, lit up, and revealed a trail, leading into the depths of the darkness. Cole pulled himself off the ground and winced in pain as his jumbled arm grazed the wall. Cole staggered down the path, following the trail until he was lost in the darkness.

"B-B-Bella! Help!" He cried, a tear running down his cheek. He just wanted to see his Mami and Bella again. He needed to know he was alive.

A spotlight centred in the middle of the room, bright and tinged yellow. There was a throne in the middle of the spotlight. A nice one too, with velvet padding and gold embroidery. Cole's eyes filled with recognition and fear.

"Oh no." He whispered.

The back of the throne was facing Cole, and as it slowly rotated, Cole braced himself to see Mommy. 

And he did.

Mommy was sitting in Bella's skin.

Mommy used Bella's skin like a wet-suit, completely gutting her and sliding it onto herself. Bella's eye-sockets screamed agony at Cole. There was blood all over Mommy, even Mommy's fingers were inside Bella's. Mommy's eyes were crazy with laughter.

"I'm FiNaLLy PrEtTy, aM i NoT?" Mommy said, her voice-box making the scariest noises as Cole's whole body trembled with fear.

From behind Mommy, robot children began advancing in their hundreds.

Mommy smiled.

A hand clamped over Cole's mouth.