The Darkness Within Her

Chapter 12: The Barrel of the Gun

            When I could see, I was greeted by the sight of Dad – good God, Austin, I had to stop calling him Dad – standing at least twelve feet away. Lisa Hastings was standing beside him. They were both dressed in casual business wear and on either side of the duo were four men wearing black cargo pants and bullet proof vests and holding AK-47s. My stomach flopped to my feet when I saw Caleb standing there. I had known that he was eighteen or nineteen but standing there, his face frozen in a stern expression, Caleb looked older. And nothing like the boy that I had such fond memories of.

            Feeling my panic, and the slow cracking of my heart, Timotheus’s hand gripped my shoulder. Squeezing slightly, letting me know that everything would be okay. The blue fire around him crackled in irritation, “Did you bring it Stone?”

            “I did,” he grinned, “And I see you brought her. She doesn’t look like how she did in the video.”

            “She was cooperative,” Timotheus said in a tone that was thick with arrogance.

            “How do you want to do this Peltz?” Dad asked.

            “Send that boy – the one who took my place in watching your daughter – over with the files and the money,” Timotheus smirked, “And when he gets over here, he can grab her. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind getting his hands on her again.”

            Caleb’s face flushed with anger at his comment.

            “Alright,” Dad inclined his head. I swore at myself silently. It was hard to look at Austin Stone and not see him as my father.

            Lisa bent down and grabbed the duffel bag that was at her feet, handing it to Caleb. He took it without at word, turning to walk toward Timotheus and me. I began to tremble. I didn’t want to go back. I was going to die, I was sure of it. Timotheus shifted his weight just enough to lean more into me. I closed my eyes. I could feel the tension in the air around us.

            Heather stepped forward to take the bag from Caleb, Michael by her side. They checked inside to make sure they had everything before Heather nodded at Timotheus. Apparently everything was okay. And that meant…

            I swallowed as Timotheus uncuffed me, escorting me forward so that Caleb could grab me. Caleb grabbed my arm, gripping it tightly. His face didn’t change the slightest as he guided me forward, away from the people I had grown close to in just a matter of days. I turned and met Timotheus’s eyes. They were so blue, but there was also a deep sadness in them. I turned back around, ready to face my father.

            “I was so worried about you,” Caleb said under his breath.

            “I’m sure,” I said dryly. “Was this a paid vacation or did Dad suspend you without pay.”

            “Jaye, I am supposed to protect you, and I failed,” Caleb’s voice was thick with guilt though his face didn’t show any emotion.

            “Protect me from what? Learning the truth?” I snapped. I tried to pull away but his grip only tightened.

            “Austin and Lisa were trying to cure you, help you,” Caleb insisted.

            God, what bullshit, “They were poisoning me.”

            “It wasn’t poison,” Caleb growled. “It was medicine. What’s poison are those cells in your bloodstream that make you a demon.”

            “I’m not a demon,” I snarled, ripping my arm from his hand.

            “Of course not,” Lisa’s soothing voice interrupted our conversation. “You haven’t used your powers, you are more human than those freaks will ever be.”

            “God, you are all a bunch of goddamn hypocrites,” I yelled, “They are not freaks or demons. We are not. You say you are human yet you would slowly kill someone just because you don’t like something about him or her. Something that makes them different. What are you going to do? Bleach people with different colored skin? Perform sex reassignment surgery on those who are gay because you don’t like two people of the same gender liking each other? You can’t change the way people are born!”

            In the next breath, Dad was in front of me, his face contorted in hatred and rage. I tried to step back but he backhanded me. I slammed into the ground, tasting the salty tang of blood on my tongue. “Grab her,” Dad ordered.

            Caleb hauled me to my feet by my hair, the pain bringing tears to my eyes. I blinked them away to find myself staring down the barrel of a gun. A gun that my father was holding. He gave me a savage, twisted grin. Lisa grabbed his arm, “Austin what are you doing? We need her, she could be the key to curing this disease!”

            “She is no longer of any use to us,” Dad snapped, “She doesn’t have X-72 in her system anymore. Can’t you tell? Look at her!”

            “She’s the only one who has survived, I’m sure if we start her on it again, she will be okay. This time will move her to my lab,” Lisa pleaded desperately.

            “No. I gave her a chance because you said you could catch it before it fully developed. But she hasn’t had the medicine in nine days. She is contaminated and must be eliminated,” this man wasn’t my father. He couldn’t be.

            “Dad,” I whispered, tears leaking from the corner of my eyes.

            He laughed loudly, “I am not your dad. Your stupid bitch of a mother brought you in from a previous relationship. I bet she thought that I would actually care about you. Perhaps I did, when you were human and innocent with no sin inside of your veins. But that little girl is gone, in her place stands a monster. And I will kill it.”

            The safety of the gun clicked off with a flick of his thumb. I cried out and tried to squirm away but Caleb held my hair in a knot around his fist, keeping my head still. His other arm was wrapped around my waist. I was pinned and frozen. I forgot about Heather, and Jon, and Timotheus. I forgot about all of them as I stared into the man who I had loved as my father. The man holding the gun between my eyes. The man who would kill me.

        I closed my eyes. 

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the long delay in updating. My computer crashed and for some reason I can't post on Wattpad from my phone. Good news though, this is Jaye's journey is almost finished! Just in time for NaNoWriMo :) please vote, comment, and share!