Living in Darkness (Bloodbreeders) Read Online Free Page B

my flesh. My eyes flew open as
I attempted to scream with the little strength I had left. He gripped me
tighter, spoiling my attempts to push him off. My heart began to race faster
with each passing second, as my head began to swim.
    I wretched my body, trying to fight harder, but he was too strong. Every
ounce of strength seeped from my body as I became limp in his arms. He held me
like a lover as I felt my life begin to slip away, and all I could think about
was how he had said that I would be with him forever. Then, why God is he killing me? I screamed a silent scream for my
mother, while my head fell slowly backwards. Someone help me, was my last thought…then
I was gone.
    Martin carried my limp body back to the farm, and placed me in my father’s
barn where he knew I would be found.

 
    *****

 
    Early the next morning, my brother Sam Jr. came waltzing into the barn,
expecting to begin his daily chores no doubt. Instead, he found me lying at the
bottom of the stairs amongst the loose hay.
    “Oh my God…Ma… Pa,” he screamed. He snatched up my lifeless body and
ran back to the house. My father saw him coming, and knocked everything off of the kitchen table, that had just been set for
breakfast. My mother just stood back shaking as my father helped Sam place my
corpse upon the table. No doubt she was in shock. She just stood back staring,
shaking her head in a manic fashion.
    “Woman, get a hold of yourself and help me,”
he said in a stern voice, but she didn’t move.
    “No, no, no” she said repeatedly. “This ain’t real, this can’t be real.” My father began to walk over to her, but she started
screaming, “No, Sam, get away, this ain’t real”
    He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her with all his might. When
she didn’t stop screaming, he did something he had never done in all their
years of marriage. He slapped her square across the face. She collapsed to the
floor, sobbing. He knelt down, pulling her into his arms and started rocking
her gently.
    “It ’ s real, Ma. It ’ s real. But now we have to take care of her, and I
can’t do it without you.” My mother nodded, and tried her best to compose
herself. My father helped her to her feet, and brought her to my side.
    Sam Jr. sat by the table and wept, as my mother took me up in her arms.
She held me, rocking me back and forth. “I’m so sorry, child. I’m here now.
You’re gonna be fine.” My father and Sam Jr. just
looked at each other, knowing I was not going to be fine. They knew she needed
more than they could give her, so my father turned to Sam Jr. and told him to go
on down and get Mrs. Miller, and tell James—my other brother—to fetch Doc
Taylor.
    Sam was off like lightning.   My father
tried to pull my mother away from me, but she wouldn’t let go, so instead he
held us both and cried. When Mrs. Miller showed up, she took over without
saying a word. She gathered water, rags, and some soap to clean my body. She
went over to my father and said, “Sam, take Myrtle out and I’ll care for
Renee.” Ma shot her a look that most people never saw from a woman like my
mother.
    “You keep your hands off my baby,” she yelled.
    Once again, my father tried to pull my mother away from my body.
    “Come on, Ma, she’s only trying to help.”
    “I’ll do it,” she said adamantly. “I gave birth to her, and I can damn
well get her cleaned up myself.”
    Mrs. Miller came around the table and gently took my mother in her
arms.
    “Let me help you, Myrtle. You’ve been here for me for so many years. Please
let me be here for you now.”
    “Why would God take my baby, what did she ever do? She’s a good girl.” Then,
after a short pause, she said softly, “She was...”
    My father went outside as the two crying women held each other. After a
few moments, they undressed my body, and together they did what was necessary
in the situation. When they were finished, my mother went upstairs to her old wooden
chest and pulled