Sound. In the eerie silence,
it was overbearing, the silence shattered by the tiniest moment, the frailest
whisper…
There was still life in the room.
The slow thud…thud…thud….
It grew fainter by the second, and
he knew that it had to be her…
Had to be.
Every breath, every heartbeat…
Where was she?
"Brianna…"
Pulling himself up, he glanced around
the ravaged apartment, the stained carpet, the broken pictures, the tipped
over couch…
And there is was again. The
tiniest whimper, baby fine…
But unmistakably hers.
-*-
Blood scent had lead him there –
her bedroom.
Yes, he'd seen it before, but –
it'd been destroyed. Things slashed to ribbons, more blood –
And…the closet.
Out of the corner of his eye, he'd
seen the door move just a touch, a flicker of calico paw sticking out from
underneath the door.
Quiet sobbing…
Please, God, if I'm going to die…let
it be soon…
His angel. Brianna.
Slowly moving to the door, he couldn't
help but brace himself for what he might see, the pain they might have
put her in for her to plead…to die.
They'd…spared her.
Or thought she would die shortly
anyway.
The tiniest creak open…
And there she was. Broken.
Bruised. Bloody. Fragile shaking fingers clutching Skylar,
her precious kitten…
Both of them were covered in blood,
and he had to brace himself so he wouldn't attack…
They knew this would tempt him.
He'd…no. He couldn't do this
– couldn't.
"You're alive…" It was more
in awe than anything, as he knew that they could have killed her – in his
mind, he didn't see why she'd been spared, or…
Or had she?
"They didn't…do…"
If she had been cursed to this existence,
the same as he…
Tears sprung at the very thought.
"No…" Shaking her head, Brianna
only slightly whimpered in protest as he lifted her into his arms.
She knew, though. Now.
What he was. What he'd been
hiding from her – they'd made all of that crystal clear.
And…he was worried.
"They didn't turn me…into…a monster."