The Mercy of Birds

CHAPTER 44: ETERNAL DAMNATION

CHAPTER 44
ETERNAL DAMNATION

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When Clementine stepped into the kitchen, Martina had waited for her at the dining table, but she wasn't idle, as in front of her laid out an assortment of a rope, a gun, a knife, and a tube of pills.

She stopped at the entrance upon the ominous sight and Martina's eyes settled on her with a sinister calmness residing in her expression.

"Clementine, come and sit down." She extended her hand as though eagerly giving her permission to join her for a feast at the table.

Perplexion overcame her, but she knew there was never a good thing that could result in all of those things lining up against each other, while in the confine of a remote house where there were only two individuals inhibiting it at the moment. She wanted to retreat to the safety of the living room as her premonition propelled her to, but she was frozen on her spot. Inner conflict grappling inside her mind, all this time Cameron was more than eager to trust Martina, and although Clementine had heralded her own mistrust of her after the red pills incident, she found no other reason to truly suspect her of anything else other than what her unreliable, paranoid brain told her to.

Yet, here she is. Has her sick brain been right this whole time? That someone is really trying to kill her and it is Martina?

"What–what is with... all of these?" she stuttered out a question.

"Please, I want to talk to you," she urged again as she stood up from her chair. One of her hands fell on the gun when Clementine recoiled slowly. "Come on, I insist."

A mix of negative emotions crashed over her in violent waves. She could try to flee, but Martina's finger on the weapon would outrun her many times faster while she was yet to make it even out of the kitchen. She could choose to fight and charge at her, but that would be unequivocally foolish, and not to mention, vainful.

So she walked up slowly to the farthest chair across the room, which still felt too close to her, and took a seat. All her other senses grew numb except the ones necessary to her survival.

"I was always an insolent girl, even when I thought I was ready to settle down after I finished nursing school and finally have two kids on my own, but no, I longed for something more, something that a family life couldn't give me, so I left home. I abandoned my husband and children for this glamorous life that I could never afford, until one day I met this group of rich men. I scored one of them and he sponsored me through every bit of my adventure in exchange that I would come with him to some select party where I would cater to him all night; it wasn't much of a big deal, he was fairly old and was happy enough to merely be in my company.

"Then the day came where he wanted me to come to this viewing event with him. He didn't give me much explanation, so I thought it was probably like a play or something, but I never would've thought that this play involved a little girl being strapped to a bed in the middle of the room, blindfolded and clearly delirious as a man came and just... raped her..."

Martina's composure faltered then as her fingers began to rap against the surface of the table like a nervous habit manifesting.

"I didn't know what to say. My mind would only assume it all as a fake, but the old man that I came with said with all complacency that it was real and that girl was the daughter of the man who had just raped her."

She inhaled a deep breath, sitting up straight on her seat but her posture visibly quivered.

"Never had I experienced such a rude awakening in my life, even when my husband was begging for me to come home and my children called to tell me how much they missed me, I would not cave in, not until I saw you, Clementine." She stared straight ahead to her, who had her gaze down to her lap.