The Demon's Angel

Chapter 29

Kurt
I had no clue how long I had been in this pit. I could guess about a week from the times I got meals and when I felt tired, but besides that, I had no sense of day or night. After awhile, I decided to pray. God could help, or he would at least watch over my family. "Dear Lord," I whispered. "Hear my prayer. Please let everyone be safe...." I heard the door slide open, but ignored the soldiers walking in. "And vhile ju are at it, please bless zese soldiers, for zey know not vhat zey do..." Someone groaned behind me, and I heard a soldier say, "Put this other mutant on the cot."

Suddenly, one of the soldiers addressed me. "What the hell are you doing, mutie!?" he growled. "Are you praying!? No, you don't! You don't pray! God doesn't listen to prayers from animals!" I clenched my teeth. "And please bless tiny Tim here most of all..." I muttered bitterly. I glanced upwards long enough to see the soldier turn bright red. "That's it, demon, that was a mistake! You're a mistake! One of God's mistakes!" The other one muttered, "Norris no...." "You don't pray!" he shouted. He ripped out his baton, swinging it viscously. It connected with my face with a crunch. Everything blurred as I fell to the floor, stunned. I heard the man yell, "I better not catch you on your knees again, hear me?! Not praying to my God!" I faintly saw the other soldier pushing him out. "Get out of here Norris!" he cried. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" As the door slammed, I heard a final, "Not my God!" That's when the tears welled. I curled up into a ball and let out a quiet sob. It hurt. My mouth hurt, blood was pooling on the floor, but my heart hurt as well. Why.... why me?! Why did these things always happen to me!? I clenched my fists and my tail curled into the ball I was making out of my body. "No, Kurt!" I muttered. "You can't cry! Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he caused you pain!" I took a deep breath, and sat up slowly. The world spun, but I stayed upright. 'I can survive this,' I thought. 'I'll be ok. I have to be... I can't leave Lizzie alone in this nightmare.'

I had been watching the woman on the cot for a few days, doing my best to comfort her in her pain. It gave me goal, a way to keep myself from crumbling into the emotional wreck that was threatening to come out every second longer I was stuck in that cell, not knowing whether Elizabeth or even my family was ok. The woman gave me a reason to stay strong. She groaned. I sat down next to her, gently grabbing her hand. "Hang in zere," I whispered. "Ju have survived ze vorst of it. Ju vill be all right. I'm here. I'm right here." I looked down at her disfigured, scarred body. "Lord... who are zese heartless monsters?" I muttered. "Ju need to be in a hospital, in antiseptic conditions. Not rotting in a cell like zis."

Suddenly, she screamed. Her loose hold on my hand tightened. I yanked it away, my panic rising rapidly. "Oh Gott! Somebody! Somebody help me!" I yelled. She clutched the blankets, and then, her fingernails grew into long, wicked-looking claws. I gasped, "Gott im Himmel...."

I choked as someone, Norris it seemed, pressed his baton against my throat. He grabbed my wrist as well, yanking me away from the woman. "Watch out for those claws," warned one of the other soldiers. "Those things are nasty sharp!" Norris grimaced. "I thought they were going to remove those damn things." As they picked her up, one said, "No, they... I think they put them in..." The other snorted. "You're kidding me..."

As they carried the woman away, Norris threw me back to the floor. He sneered. "Done any praying lately, Creepy Kurt?" I grinned. "Ja, vell... vonce. I couldn't help myself. But, it obviously didn't get zhrough, because ju are still ugly." Norris's face twisted with rage, and he raised the baton above his head. I flinched and thought, 'I have got to learn to keep my mouth shut.'