4. Maria
Chapter four
Maria
Pain ratchets through my chest and out my back. Burning. Throbbing. Pulsing.
Wet warmth plasters my t-shirt to my skin.
I’ve been shot.
The nightcrawler appears at my side and leans over me.
I’m weakening. Dying.
“Mommy?”
Zinnia.
No, baby. You can’t… You were supposed to stay. To hide.
I try to speak those words, but they come out as a moan instead.
Run!
Foam wets my lips as they part, and not even a whisper follows. I have no strength left to scream out the word to save my baby.
The nightcrawler’s head rises and his gaze locks on Zinnia. “Fuck.”
Monster. Stay away from my child. Don’t you dare go near her.
“Mommy?”
Run, baby!
The nightcrawler suddenly snatches up my wrist. A momentary sting pierces my flesh.
Something slithers into my veins. Something warm. Something inviting.
My eyes close as desire and pleasure sing me a lullaby. Like I’m a princess in a fairytale, one prick to my skin is all it takes. I spiral into a deep sleep.