WHEN TYLER came to, he found himself laying in a contorted position on an unfamiliar tiled floor. At first, staring up at the yellow flickering light that hung on the ceiling, he was surprised that he was still alive.

He didn't believe it at first, and had to crane his neck to find his body. Emily was also laying unconscious across his bent legs.

He discovered that they were in a bathroom. It reeked of waste and mold, overwhelming his senses and causing him to dry heave the instant it hit him. He doubled over, coughing and gagging until his stomach acid poured from his lips and onto the ground.

He exhaled at the burning sensation in his throat, dropping his head weakly to the floor again.

The bathroom contained a broken sink, a bathtub, and a toilet. The toilet was grimy, the porcelain drowning in a layer of dirt and an unknown green substance. The floor tiles were caked with mud and slime, which Tyler could feel each time the flesh of his neck touched the ground.

He was becoming increasingly disoriented with each change of scenery he experienced, confusion engulfing his mind. He had no idea where he and Emily could possibly be. What place had that many mucky, dark rooms?

He looked down at his hands and feet which were wrapped in gauze, blood soaking through the top. He had almost forgotten about his horrific encounter just before he passed out, and the recollection of it made goosebumps slither across his body.

He noticed that Emily had gauze on her hands and feet too - The Man must have done it to her after Tyler fell unconscious.

Emily woke when Tyler leaned over and vomited loudly again, the pressure behind his head throbbing with each heave. She lifted her head off his legs before she craned her neck to look at him.

"W-where are we?" she asked quietly, taking in her surroundings.

Tyler spat on the ground, his chest swelling up and down. "I don't know," he said, trying not to gag again.

She sniffled. "Are you okay?"

Tyler groaned roughly under his breath, his empty stomach turning with discomfort. "I'm great."

He looked into her dark brown eyes that were filled with worry.

"I'm so scared, Tyler," she whispered, her words faltering. "I'm so scared."

Tyler didn't say anything, he just pushed his head back against the wall and stared up at the rotting ceiling. He couldn't deny that he was afraid, too, but agreeing with her would only make the situation worse. He wasn't sure if he could stand listening to her cry at that moment more than any; his stomach was twisting and his head was pulsing with an unbearable pressure.

"Good morning, my beautiful Puppet Boy and Puppet Girl," The Man suddenly appeared in the doorway.

He flicked another light on in the bathroom, illuminating the room with a brighter bulb which only accentuated the dirtiness of it.

Tyler looked up at him, his eyes glazed over.

"I am going to bathe the both of you, my puppets, to prepare for the big show soon. Oh, I'm so very excited," he clapped. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet excitedly. "It's going to be a full house, I can already feel it!"

The Man leaned down and roughly grabbed Tyler from the ground by his shirt before sitting him on the edge of the tub.

He almost slid off again, but The Man held him in place. "Why cant you sit still? Are you too excited? Too nervous?" he questioned casually.

Tyler's head rolled back as The Man took a scissor and sliced through Tyler's shirt, cutting it off and letting it fall to the ground.

The Man stared down at Tyler's bare abdomen and traced his fingers along the fading definition of his muscles. "You are perfect. How did I get so lucky?"

Tyler didn't answer, he just stared at The Man with fear-filled eyes.

He unzipped Tyler's pants and lifted him up to pull them from his legs, tossing them to the doorway of the bathroom. Tyler was far too weak to protest, and he was quickly losing his desire to survive. Death was beginning to feel like a dream to him.

After The Man stripped him from his clothes, he set him into the unsanitary tub that was already filled with boiling hot water. Tyler winced the second his flesh touched it, his head leaning against the side of the tub as he tried his best not to show how uncomfortable the water was.

"You better not touch me!" Emily protested angrily. Tyler just sighed. How could she not understand by now that mouthing off to The Man would get her no where? Couldn't she tell by now?

The sound of the water dripping from the faucet nearly drove Tyler insane, but he had to focus on it to drown out the helpless sounds of Emily's protests as her dress was stripped from her.

Tyler tried not to look at Emily, but The Man was eyeing him expectantly.

"Look at your wife," The Man demanded. When Tyler did not comply, he only spoke louder. "I said, look at your wife."

Tyler slowly brought his eyes to Emily's face. Her cheekbones were flushed and shiny from her tears, her hair was stringy and tangled. Her swollen eyes were staring back at him with an expression he could not read.

"Well, what do you think, Puppet Boy?" The Man asked, clearly proud of his find as his eyes worked down her body.

Tyler looked back down at the water. "She's... pretty," he said, his voice timid and low.

"She's stunning," The Man added, lust-filled eyes refusing to move from the humiliated girl.

"Please, let us bathe ourselves at least," she begged. "Please... please."

The Man ignored her pleads, raking his perverted eyes down her unclothed body again. She tried to squirm away from him but with no success.

The Man lifted Emily and gently placed her in the filled tub beside Tyler. She was crying as The Man just took a wet, soapy cloth and pressed it to Tyler's chest.

He began to sing to himself, only frightening them more.

"Twinkle twinkle little star," The Man whispered. "How I wonder what you are..."

He grabbed Tyler's hair to pull his head towards him more, scrubbing the rag through the shaggy mess.

"Your wife has been giving me attitude lately, Puppet Boy," The Man told him.

Tyler stared down at the foggy water.

"Look at me when I speak to you!" The Man demanded, dropping the rag in the water. Tyler instantly looked at him.

The Man's eyes were exceptionally terrifying in the light of the room. They were so brown that they actually seemed black. His pupils glittered as they studied Tyler's face.

He slammed his hand down on the side of the tub. "Puppet Boy, you better stop looking at me like that before I drown you right here! I'm not afraid to find another Puppet Boy, do you hear me?"

Tyler glared at him for a few seconds before closing his eyes.

"What do you say to your creator?" The Man egged on. When Tyler didn't answer, he screamed louder. "What do you say?"

"I'm sorry," Tyler said forcefully, his lips barely parting to let the words out.

"Why are you taking that tone with me? Why do you hate me so much? I made you!" The Man reminded, and Tyler wished that he would just kill him already so he could stop living this nightmare.

The Man began to cry. "Why do you hate me? Why? I am taking care of you!" he bellowed. "Say you don't hate me. Tell me that you love me," The Man ordered while grabbing Tyler's shoulders roughly.

He pulled his mask up so his nose and lips were revealed, and he gently touched his nose to Tyler's.

"Say it!" he shrieked again, making Tyler jump.

"I don't hate you," Tyler forced.

"And what else?" he asked, tilting his head and pressing his forehead against Tyler's. "What else?"

Tyler tried to flinch away from The Man. "I- I.." he exhaled. "I love you..."

Tyler was relieved when The Man pulled his face away from his.

"You do?" The Man said, laughing with excitement. "You do! You love me! My sweet Puppet Boy loves me. Do you, Puppet Girl?"

Tyler hoped that she wouldn't rebel and refuse to say it. It would only worsen their situation.

Much to his surprise, she actually obeyed. "I love you," she said quietly.

"And I love you both too. We are a family, the three of us. We will be together forever," The Man said. He then picked the rag up again and continued to scrub Tyler's flesh before he moved onto Emily.