Trembling With the Strings

Gracie’s P.O.V.
I grimaced when I heard heels clicking on the concrete floor. Lady had felt the need to lock me up in the basement after spitting in my face that she couldn’t trust me. I had bit her hand when she put it in my face, but I suppose that had only proved her point. I twisted my wrists in an attempt to free them of the rope wrapped around them, but that only caused pain as the material dug into my wrists even more.

“I would say I feel a little remorse for this, but I don’t need to lie to a woman that’s as good as dead,” Lady cooed, putting a thumb under my chin and tilting my head up.

“Shut up!” I snapped, but the aggression vanished as my child started throwing a fit. I groaned, pulling back and staring at the ceiling, my back resting against the cold concrete wall.

“Don’t worry. You won’t feel a thing soon enough,” she promised with mock sincerity, freeing me from the walls and jerking me to the stairs.

I honestly couldn’t have cared less about my life being taken, but I wished I hadn’t said those horrible things to Marty. And I certainly did not want my child to be raised by a woman as awful as Lady. I would rather have him never see life than spend an eternity without his father…

I choked on a sob as she shoved me up the stairs. Could I really do that to my baby? I could take my own life before she had the chance to, and I could kill my baby boy. I didn’t know if Darius would ever forgive me, or if Cameron would ever stop cursing my name. But I was seriously considering throwing myself out of the window.

“How do you plan on keeping my baby if you kill me?” I asked her, trying to make my decision easier as she dragged me down a long, white hall.

“It’s a poison. It will kill a human, but a half vampire child will be absolutely fine. And we have magic on our side, so he will be able to stay alive outside of the womb. Don’t worry, we’ll keep him nice and safe.”

I bit back any comments. I needed to focus on the task at hand. I knew that I was on my own, and I knew that I had to make the most heartbreaking decision I had ever made in my entire life. My son would hate me forever for taking his life, but that was better than the alternative.

“Are you ready?” Lady asked me, grinning ear to ear.

I felt bile rise in my throat, but I only smiled back at her. “The question is, are you ready?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, untying my wrists.

I rubbed the red lines that the ropes had caused, and I muttered profanity under my breath. “Tell Darius I love him, will you?”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re going to hate me after this,” I murmured, my breaths catching in my throat as she pushed the white double-doors open.

The room was full of white-cloaked people, and I recognized Yvette in the front row. She was grinning, and I couldn’t help but scowl at her. I also saw someone that looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite recall the name. I forced myself to look away and take in my surroundings. The rather small room was entirely white, and it made me rather dizzy. I started swaying on my feet, but then I glanced to the only window in the room. I could see the moon rising high into the sky, and I honestly had not realized that I had been away from my family for so long.

Family. That struck a cord. I would see my mother and father soon, wouldn’t I? I doubted they would be happy to see me and their demon child, but I was certain that we were going to the same place. We had all done far too much to get into Heaven, and I was entirely okay with that. I deserved the flames of Hell for killing my own child.

I was thrown out of my thoughts as my legs buckled underneath me. I cringed as my knees smacked onto the white tiling, surely tearing up my knees. The floor had an engraving in it, and I found that I was kneeling in the middle of a large circle with a very intricate design inside it. Latin was engraved along the outer edge, but the only phrase I could read was “Memento mori.” I shuddered, knowing the translation from a literature class I had taken in high school. “Remember you will die.” Yes, I would. But I would not die at their hands.

Yvette stepped forward, nodding to Lady. Lady took Yvette’s place in the group of freaks, and Yvette stepped closer to me.

“You don’t have a clue as to how long I’ve waited for a stupid girl like you to be killed by that insufferable man! I doubt that he ever loved you,” she spat in my face, her voice a low hiss so only her and I could hear. Louder, she said, “We’ve waited over forty years for this moment, and once more we have been blessed. We will have another child for we have another sacrifice.”

I glanced over to the window as she droned on, talking to her cult members. I focused on the pane, wondering how much force it would take to shatter it. But a glint of silver caught my eye. On the table was a freshly sharpened blade. My gaze flickered to Yvette and back to the knife again. Perhaps a threat would be enough to force them to release me.

I jumped to my feet, ignoring Yvette’s screech as I lunged at the table, grabbing hold of the hilt. She started cackling suddenly.

“Do you honestly think you can kill all of us? A stupid girl like you doesn’t stand a chance!”

“I know that,” I hissed at her, standing up straight and grabbing the handle with both of my hands. “I’m not going to kill you.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

I moved the blade to hover over my stomach, taking in a deep breath.

“I’m going to kill my child.”

I heard her scream, but I plunged it towards myself, readying my lungs for the screech I was sure to let out.

I had never been stabbed by a knife before, and I certainly hadn’t planned on ever having to turn a dagger on myself. But sometimes life throws some curve balls at you, and you have to make do with what you’ve been given.

I felt a tear trickle down my cheek, and my heart shattered.