Bella's first thought after regaining consciousness was that the floor was cold. Very cold. Cold hard cement. She opened her eyes, struggling to adjust to the dark. A light clicked on overhead and she screamed at the sight of two figures towering over her cowering body. They were dressed in silk black robes, their faces painted to match, their lips painted a stark white that was a striking contrast to their dark faces. She quickly recognized one of the figures as "Doctor Smith", the other was a tall man with long greasy dark hair and dark forboding eyes that seemed to peer right through her very soul. She turned and saw that she was being watched by more cloaked figures; at least a dozen.
"State your name," the man ordered, glaring at her.
"Who are you?" she whimpered, her hand on her stomache, checking for injuries.
"State your name or your life ends now, my lady," his voice calm but malicious.
"B-B-Bella V-V-"
"Speak clearly!" he barked.
"Vienzweit," she choked. "B-Bella Vienzweit."
She looked around frantically. It appeared she was being held in some kind of basement or dungeon. The stone walls were plastered with paintings of some hideous red-eyed creature with giant wings. Just looking at the goddamn thing made her feel nauseated. A glass case stood behind her, holding what was obviously a rotting corpse. It was clearly a man, but he was devoid of the one thing that could prove it. A gallon of blood (presumably his own) had also been dumped into the case with him. At the front of the room was an altar with all sorts of hard cover books and bottles of colored power and liquids. She screamed and buried her face in her hands.
"What the hell is this place?!" she screamed.
"Relax, sweetheart, we're not going to do anything to you," the man said in a mock tone, his eyes glistening. "Doctor Smith" reached down and pulled the young woman up by the collar of her shirt.
"We're just going to make your child....a very, very special person," she whispered, her hot breath on her face.
"You touch her and I'll kill you!!" she screamed, scratching at the woman's hands, struggling to break free.
"We're not going to hurt her, silly girl," the woman spat. "We're merely going to give her a purpose in this world. It'll be quick and easy and then...you can both go home and we'll all be happy. Happily ever after and all that shit, what do you say?"
"LET ME GO!!" Bella screamed furiously, kicking the woman in the shins and crotch.
"You're a Pertennist?" the woman asked, gesturing towards her 'Holy Family Pertennist Church' pin clipped to her shirt. Scowling, she ripped the pin from her shirt and spat on it, tossing it across the room. You filthy SCUM," she snarled, spraying saliva on the young woman's face. "You filthy piece of crap, may you and all of your little kinfolk back at Holy Family rot in hell. But you'll all get there eventually. Thanks to you. And your daughter."
"What the in the name of God are you talking about?" she demanded, still struggling to break free of the woman's grasp.
"You'll understand someday," she replied simply. For now, I strongly suggest that you join us. Join us now, and you'll be destined for an after-life of riches and paradise far beyond your pathetic little imagination could dream. Join us now and your child will be spared. You will be released unharmed, free to walk with us until the end of days, when the great one will conduct judgement day. The day the clouds will part from the sun, revealing an eternity of bliss for the ones who tread his path and honor him."
"W-What does your....your religion do?" Bella asked quietly.
"We walk in His footsteps," she replied softly. "And we shall never stray, nor look left or right."
"What's in.....what's in that glass case?" Bella choked, dreading the answer.
The blond looked up, her eyes sparkling, eager to recite what ever circumstances had brought that man to such a terrible death.
"Richter? He betrayed us," she said softly. "And he was put in his place, as you can clearly see. He has met...quite...a sticky end, poor Richter.....wouldn't you agree?"
"You're all a bunch of fucking pyschopaths!" Bella screamed, jumping to her feet. She was quickly caught and subdoed by the blond and the dark haired man.
And the last thing the young woman witnessed was being thrown down on a wooden table beside the altar as she kicked and screamed obscenities (by now her feelings on cursing had abandoned her temporarily) and a second syringe being plunged into her forearm before she drifted off into unconsciousness. And years later, neither her nor her unborn baby girl would recall a thing that happened that day. She merely recalled arriving home from the doctor (she couldn't recall ever being examined, or anything beyond the waiting room) in a lot of pain that she was unable to trace to any given event.
"State your name," the man ordered, glaring at her.
"Who are you?" she whimpered, her hand on her stomache, checking for injuries.
"State your name or your life ends now, my lady," his voice calm but malicious.
"B-B-Bella V-V-"
"Speak clearly!" he barked.
"Vienzweit," she choked. "B-Bella Vienzweit."
She looked around frantically. It appeared she was being held in some kind of basement or dungeon. The stone walls were plastered with paintings of some hideous red-eyed creature with giant wings. Just looking at the goddamn thing made her feel nauseated. A glass case stood behind her, holding what was obviously a rotting corpse. It was clearly a man, but he was devoid of the one thing that could prove it. A gallon of blood (presumably his own) had also been dumped into the case with him. At the front of the room was an altar with all sorts of hard cover books and bottles of colored power and liquids. She screamed and buried her face in her hands.
"What the hell is this place?!" she screamed.
"Relax, sweetheart, we're not going to do anything to you," the man said in a mock tone, his eyes glistening. "Doctor Smith" reached down and pulled the young woman up by the collar of her shirt.
"We're just going to make your child....a very, very special person," she whispered, her hot breath on her face.
"You touch her and I'll kill you!!" she screamed, scratching at the woman's hands, struggling to break free.
"We're not going to hurt her, silly girl," the woman spat. "We're merely going to give her a purpose in this world. It'll be quick and easy and then...you can both go home and we'll all be happy. Happily ever after and all that shit, what do you say?"
"LET ME GO!!" Bella screamed furiously, kicking the woman in the shins and crotch.
"You're a Pertennist?" the woman asked, gesturing towards her 'Holy Family Pertennist Church' pin clipped to her shirt. Scowling, she ripped the pin from her shirt and spat on it, tossing it across the room. You filthy SCUM," she snarled, spraying saliva on the young woman's face. "You filthy piece of crap, may you and all of your little kinfolk back at Holy Family rot in hell. But you'll all get there eventually. Thanks to you. And your daughter."
"What the in the name of God are you talking about?" she demanded, still struggling to break free of the woman's grasp.
"You'll understand someday," she replied simply. For now, I strongly suggest that you join us. Join us now, and you'll be destined for an after-life of riches and paradise far beyond your pathetic little imagination could dream. Join us now and your child will be spared. You will be released unharmed, free to walk with us until the end of days, when the great one will conduct judgement day. The day the clouds will part from the sun, revealing an eternity of bliss for the ones who tread his path and honor him."
"W-What does your....your religion do?" Bella asked quietly.
"We walk in His footsteps," she replied softly. "And we shall never stray, nor look left or right."
"What's in.....what's in that glass case?" Bella choked, dreading the answer.
The blond looked up, her eyes sparkling, eager to recite what ever circumstances had brought that man to such a terrible death.
"Richter? He betrayed us," she said softly. "And he was put in his place, as you can clearly see. He has met...quite...a sticky end, poor Richter.....wouldn't you agree?"
"You're all a bunch of fucking pyschopaths!" Bella screamed, jumping to her feet. She was quickly caught and subdoed by the blond and the dark haired man.
And the last thing the young woman witnessed was being thrown down on a wooden table beside the altar as she kicked and screamed obscenities (by now her feelings on cursing had abandoned her temporarily) and a second syringe being plunged into her forearm before she drifted off into unconsciousness. And years later, neither her nor her unborn baby girl would recall a thing that happened that day. She merely recalled arriving home from the doctor (she couldn't recall ever being examined, or anything beyond the waiting room) in a lot of pain that she was unable to trace to any given event.