Freaks

interlude • ii

Victoria Starling: sister of Arlene Sparke, sister-in-law of Theodore Sparke.

She didn't wait long before she started her angry tirade.

"What do you mean they're not here?!" she barked at the two strangers. There was an unchecked anger in her tone that the general knew was unwise to incite. "Who are you people?"

"Their bodies were taken away earlier this morning, ma'am," the agent replied calmly. "We're just doing a grounds check to ensure that whatever caused this tragic accident has been fully deactivated"

The anger in her eyes faded away. Sadness and confusion took over. "...Deactivated?"

"Nothing for you to worry about, miss," the general interjected, his tone brusque and aloof. "Assuredly, we'll be out of your hair soon. Then you can properly grieve the loss of your two—"

"Two?" Vic's eyebrows furrowed. Her lips parted to speak again, yet this time her inquiry is abruptly interrupted by a loud screeching sound coming from a device owned by both the agent in the headgear and his supervisor.

"Perimeter sector 11——west wing of building——there's——below the ground. A b——x? Trying to pull——Wait, we think—!"

The line went crackly.

The general brought his strange communicator up to his face, barking as they began walking to the location that had been mentioned, "Speak clearly, agent. What is the situation?"

The line crackles again for a moment. The two men were too focused on their task to notice Victoria was still following behind them.

Eventually, the line became clear, and a new voice said, "Sir... you'll want to see this for yourself."

The two men exchanged questioning looks, hastening their pace until they came across the site in question: an excavated piece of land with a crane dragging what looked like a large metallic safe through the soil. The men fell silent. Vic's hands flew to her mouth. She'd been standing in this room not more than a week ago. Now it was a wreck.

"Do you know what is inside the safe?" the general asks.

"We think it's another body. They were reports of a crying noise coming from this area. The men are trying to lift it out completely to see."

"Impossible," was the general's reply. And yet, as he spoke, he watched as the impossible came true.

The safe was unlocked in a matter of minutes. A dark haired agent in a suit dipped in to pull a young blonde girl in a frumpled blue dress out of it.

A series of collective gasps filled the air.

"It's a young girl."

"She's alive!"

"How is that possible?"

"Emmy."

As the words left her lips, Vic found she could no longer hold herself back. She raced to the girl's side, snatching the child from the clutches of her rescuer and embracing her. "Oh, Emmy," she whispered, wiping her niece's tear-stained cheeks. "What have they done to you?"