Mommy

Chapter 6: Game

I watched as both Alex and Carson pulled something from a small, dented in hole in the wall behind the door. Carson seemed to take a rusty red-handled screwdriver while Alex took what seemed to be a pocket knife, peeking out of a dark leather case. I could feel my heart slam in my chest.

Toys...weapons?

I swallowed uneasily as I made eye contact with Alex, watching as he quickly slid the blade across his index finger, a line of crimson dotting the skin. He winced, but seemed satisfied at the result. His eyes were darker than before, not holding the same shine...the same hope as before.

I couldn't tell if he was determined or afraid. But I knew something was overpowering those thoughts. When they brought out weapons instead of toys...

What was this place?

"Mommy will choose you one," Alex spoke, coldly and sharply, looking away from me and walking out the door. He seemed nervous, and I could see him pass a glance at Carson before he left. Carson turned to face me, his eyes locking with mine.

"Hide, and don't trust anyone. Not even us. We might be your friends now, but out there—we don't have a choice. Whatever the game is—hide."

He didn't even bother passing a second glance at me before he left through the open door, the atmosphere becoming rigid. I swallowed uneasily.

The only choice I had was to follow them.

I stumbled into the hall after them, watching as they, along with the other children, made their way quickly down the unstable stairs. It was quiet, and the air was filled with dread. A bad feeling ran over my skin.

I managed to spot Jen and Aki from the crowd. But something in them changed. They looked afraid and cold. They looked dull and lifeless as they walked with the rest of them. As though they were being controlled. And growing to know that place, I got a decent idea that they had no choice with what they do or not.

I struggled to keep up with them, their pace faster than my legs could carry. That, and my body refused to move quickly with the numbness overtaking my veins. I was only aware of a few things at the moment.

1) We had to play a game for Mommy.

2) We had to get Anna back.

Once we made it down the creaky stairs , I could immediately detect the scent of smoke and rot, perhaps worse than before. My nose tingled as the scent ran down my throat, gagging me. However, the fear only truly swallowed me whole when I followed them, entering into what seemed to be the kitchen. I shivered. The sight was enough to send chills down my spine and my head spilling with horror.

It was a big room, far much bigger than you would expect a kitchen to be in this house. There was a large, wooden table in the center of it, with several chairs placed around. Just enough for all of the children.

The only light in the room came from the little light that seeped in through the dusty windows, leaving faint lines and spots of light on the floor and walls. Among the furniture, broken plates and shattered glass speckled the floor—causing me to pass nervous glances towards the children's rough, dirty and bare feet.

Dark red stains appeared in large dried puddles, as though whatever was there before was left in a pool of it's own blood for quite a long time. I held my breath. At the right of the room, there was a door. A single, almost beige door. It seemed like it would've been a panty if it wasn't coated with almost a blanket of spiderwebs. Thin, black lines formed under the peeling paint, like dark oil seeping from the wood. I began to feel uneasy. It smelled like metal and blood.

And in front of that door, stood Mommy.

She wasn't the woman I saw before. Her face was dark and wrinkly, deep scars seeming to melt into her aged skin. Her dark lipstick now smeared on the right side of her face. All around her eyes seemed to be purple and almost peeling; her eyes were red, as though she had been smoking way too much. I noticed that her thin hair was falling off, her head bald in patches all around. She didn't look human.