Raising Rosemary

Escape or a Game?

"Long ago, a young girl went with her mother to pick berries for her father who was hard at work. But the forest greeted them with a dark, cold silence, the bushes empty. Yet, determined to find the berries, the rascal broke free from Mother's grasp and vanished into the trees. Mother's worried cries faded fast as the girl ran on; over vine, and under branch and into the forest deep. Feeling strange eyes upon her, the girl recalled Mother's scary bedtime tales and her throat became bone dry. Then the Bat Lord appeared! He greeted her warmly and bit his own wing. 'Come, child. Quench your thirst,' he said. So she drank the thick, dark blood and smiled with joy. Passing through a graveyard, menacing storm clouds loomed and the air turned bitingly cold. The girl was shivering in her thin clothes. Then a Dark Weaver appeared, and with a click of his fingers, crafted mist into a beautiful dress. 'Come, child, warm yourself,' he coaxed. So she clothed herself and smiled with joy. Across waters deep and ominous she went, hoping a boat she found would carry her home. But hunger's grip tightened and her heart grew heavy. Then the Fish King appeared and offered one of his many fins. 'Come, child. Eat your fill.' So the girl ate and smiled with joy once more. Continuing on, she soon entered the forest's dark heart. Then an Iron Steed appeared, bearing a beautiful, golden gear. The creature said nothing as the girl approached...and snatched what she thought was another gift. The horse grew angry and summoned the other monsters. Terror filled the girl's heart as a wild wind rose about the beasts. Suddenly, a witch appeared – dark, yet regal. 'Gifts we gave, but more you took,' she snarled. 'So more, in turn, is due.' In a blink, the girl was trapped inside a mirror..." Mia smiles as she closes the book.

"What's with the creepy story? She's only six months old." Mia hands the book to me as she speaks, "Woman at the store said it was traditional. A local tale. Besides, Rose doesn't seem to mind," she smiles and starts petting Rose's head. "Because she doesn't understand it, thank god. We moved here so she wouldn't have to deal with any of that, remember?" She stops. "There's nothing wrong with my memory." The face she gives is stern and angry. She blinks a couple of times before softening her gaze and loosening up, looking away. She looks back and smiles softly. "You're just being paranoid." "It's not- I-... Never mind. I'm sorry. But I'm not paranoid. I'm just cautious." "Then, go cautiously take your daughter to bed. I'll finish dinner." Mia hands Rose to me. The sleepy baby in a pink sweater has her mouth open and is drooling slightly, sleeping peacefully.

Mia pats Rose's head once more before walking off to the kitchen. I look to Rose. "It's okay, Rose. Your mother doesn't want to remember, I can't blame her." "Did you say something?" Mia calls from the kitchen, slightly scaring me. "Nothing- I'll put her down." I walk out of the living room and glance into the kitchen, spotting Mia standing by the stove, spinning and occasionally adding spices. I walk over to the sink and open my mouth to say something but Mia cuts me off. "Don't get too close to me when I'm cooking, babe." Sighing, I back up and head towards the stairs.

I step onto the first step when suddenly- Snap! I freeze in place and slowly turn my head to the door behind me. Eh, it's probably just raccoons or something. Chris said we're safe here. I turn back to the stairs and walk up, carefully.

"Waah!" Rose cries out in her sleep so I stop. Carefully, I start bouncing her as Mia does. I put my pinky to her forehead and trail it down to her nose. I pick it up and then poke her nose softly. "Boop," I whisper, watching my kid go back to sleeping peacefully. "It's like I said to your mom- that book's too scary for you," I mutter to Rose, not knowing if that myth about babies being able to hear you while sleeping is true or not. I continue up the stairs for a couple of steps. I glance around the top of the stairs, scanning for any hazards. Spotting nothing but the old music box that holds Mia and I's favorite song. I bring Rose over to it and wind it up. "Your mom and I love this song so much." Watching the capsules turn and the figures on the top spin, I bounce Rosemary softly, smiling.

Continuing down the hallway, I see a photo of a mailbox and some flowers. What the...? Eh, never mind. Mia would probably get mad if I asked. I turn towards the white door and open it, stepping inside. The room has Rose's toys here and there, Mia and I's bed on the right, a cabinet with a...covered mirror over it? Maybe Mia got self-conscious? Or is scared about seeing...Eveline? I don't know- I spot Rose's crib and walk over to it, moving out of the ways of the toys. "There you go, sweetheart. Don't you worry, I'll be right downstairs," I state, resting Rose down slowly into the crib. I pat her side softly, push the black button, activating the mobile's music, and stand up.

Walking out of the room, I close the door softly. I sigh softly, walking back down the hall, past the music box, and down the stairs. Walking next to the stairs, I enter the kitchen. I go and stand by Mia's little side table by the kitchen island. I cross my arms and smile softly as Mia grabs the pot and turns around. "Is she okay?" Her face is soft and calm while her eyes still have that slight...anger in them. "Sleeping like a...well, like a baby." I chuckle softly and glance at the stairs. Mia puts the white pot down on an oven mitt, scooping up a little bit of the soup she made and smells it. I breathe in, catching a whiff of it. The soup smells like meat and broth? "Mm, that smells good. What's that?" I reach for the soup, wanting to taste it but Mia smacks my hand with the soup cradle lightly. "Hands off, mister. It's ciorba de legume. It's a local recipe." I chuckle softly. "Wow. You've gone full native, haven't you?" She smiles and she picks up the wine bottle. I get a glance at the label. "Regina Rosie." I pick up the wine glasses. "Local wine, too. But, if you're going to be sulking all evening, maybe you shouldn't have any." We walk over and I sit down at the table, setting the glasses down in front of us. "You have to stop worrying," she pours the wine and smiles at me. "It's just...finding you in Louisiana, the pregnancy. Chris moving us here, the military training- it all happened so fast." Her face falls as I talk and she glances out the window for a second. "Well, at least we're all together." She turns back to me, shaking her head as she talks like she's talking to a kid, smiling. "You, me, Rose. Now, everything's going to be-"

"Seriously?" She's taken aback for a second. "You think we can just forget what happened in Louisiana?" She looks annoyed by this. "It happened so long ago. I just- I don't understand why you are so-"

The sound of a gunshot rings out, along with the sound of glass breaking. Mia's right shoulder jolts back and she looks up with confusion. "Wha-?!" She glances back at her bullet wound before looking back at the now broken window. I look at the window now too, worried for my family. "Mia, get down!" The power cuts and both Mia and I look up. What the hell?

All I hear next is gunfire. I push my chair back and duck down a little. I look over at Mia and her entire body is being thrashed around by the bullets like a ragdoll. She falls to the table and I reach out to her. "Mia!" I try to call louder than the bullets but they just keep coming. She pushes herself up and gets hit more. I watch her body hit the floor and then hear something hit the roof. I look up and see the lights that hang above the table being shot and hitting the roof. It swings back towards the place it got shot at and falls, shattering the bulbs on the other side of the table. I look to the right of me and spot the wine cart. The bottles of wine burst when being hit and the cart falls over. The gunfire stops and I peak up above the table slightly, trying to scan the environment, before leaning to my left and looking at my injured wife. She's not moving. Dear God, she's not moving. "Mia. Oh, god..." I continue crouching behind the table, trying to hide from our attackers the best I can. I spot a pair of legs dressed in all black. They look to have a coat with pointed ends. They're holding a gun, probably ready to finish Mia and me off. They grab the table and fling the table to the side, revealing Chris Redfield. I look up at him with disbelief. "Chris...?! What the hell!?" The man who trained me, promised us that we'd be safe, gave us a home- all to just take that away?

"Sorry, Ethan," he looks at me with a stern look and then looks away. I follow his gaze and realize he's raising his gun to my wife. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mia sit up slightly. "No!" I reach out to Chris, praying in my head that he won't hurt her. He shoots her five times. "What?! Why!?" I hear more glass breaking and turn to my right to see another guy in all black. This time, however, they have a ski mask and their gun is raised to my head. I glance to my left and spot someone with the same exact setup- gun raised as well. I look back in disbelief as the two men come and pull me up, slightly hurting my shoulder. Chris turns and starts walking, motioning the two other guys to follow. They shove me forwards and we all heading to the front door. I hobble in front of the other two guys as Chris is standing in front of the door.

"Go on, move!" I turn and glance at the guy who shouted at me as he pushes on my back to keep me moving. One of the guys walks past us and a babies cries can be heard.

"All clear," the one who walks past says to Chris as another soldier walks in from the stairs, holding Rosemary. "Rose? What the hell are you doing with my daughter?" I rush forwards and watch as the soldier who carried Rose in gave her to Chris, the man who murdered my wife. I'm about two, maybe three, feet away from Chris.

"Package secured, sir." The soldier who took Rose from her crib says. Package? They couldn't be talking about Rose, right? "Take him away." Chris motions towards me and turns to walk out the door. I run towards him and grab his shoulder. "I said get your hands off her!" "Ethan, no." I step back and turn around, only to be met with the back of a gun, smacking me in the face. I fall to the ground as my vision blurs. Rosemary cries out and Chris turns and starts walking out the door. "Rose..." I reach out with my left hand as my vision blurs like wheel when spinning fast. My hand falls as everything goes black.

Screech! Crash! Waah! I open my eyes slowly and push myself up. Ring, Ring! Ring, Ring! I look around and see a phone that's ringing. I grab it and pick up.

"About damn time! What's your status? Is the package safe?" The voice from the phone yells. I pull the phone away and try to read the name but to no avail. Everythings...blurry. I put the phone back to my ear and respond. "What are you talking about? Where's Chris Redfield, and Rose?" I look around slightly, we're in a truck? The doors are closed and there's some guys who, I assume, are dead. Eh, I'll check in a minute. "Who is this? This is a secured channel, you are not authorized to use this-" The man's voice is cut off and I pull the phone away, seeing a black screen. Huh...dead. I look back at the two people near me. Reaching forward, I put my fingers under their helmets, semi-hoping that I wouldn't be alone out here. Not feeling a pulse, I sigh and pull my hands back. I look around and hear a baby crying.

Rose.

Panic sets in and I stand up, trying my hardest to ignore the pain in my back and legs. I look through the small window that leads to the front seats in the truck and see Rosemary laying in one of the people's arms, crying. "R-Rose!" I try to reach for her through the window but to no avail. I turn and walk over to the slightly elevated doors. I turn the handle and push the door open. I look around to see a very dark wooded area. I look back and to my left and see a couple of flashlights hung on the wall. I grab one and hop out of the truck. I walk quickly to the front and go around to the passenger's side. Opening the door, I grab Rose from the person, hug her close, and start to bounce her, trying to calm her down. "Shh, shh. It's okay, Rose. Papa's here," I whisper to her. "You're going to be okay." I stroke her head like Mia always used to do. She slowly stops crying and falls asleep. Looking at her, she's still in her pink sweater and pajama pants. I sigh and, holding her with one arm, take off my coat. I wrap her in it, hoping to keep her warm in these cold, snowy woods.

Thank God for my hoodie. I hold her in my right arm and my flashlight in the other. "Let's see if we can find somewhere with food for you, huh?" I hold Rose close, not wanting to lose her again, and walk where the headlights from the truck are pointing. A couple of feet away, I see some footprints. Eh, worth a shot?

Following the footprints, I come across a barbed wire fence that goes for a bit into the forest. "This isn't going to be pretty, Rose," I sigh. I pull the coat up around her face just enough that if the barbs went for her face, she'd be protected from it all. I crouch down, turn Rose more towards me, and lift up a wire from the fence. Crawling under it, a stinging pain radiates from my hand. I get past the fence and look at my hand which is now bleeding. I take a deep breath in and continue walking. Maybe I can find some bandages or peroxide around here.

After a good ten or so minutes of walking, I spot a dead bird on the ground. Sorry, little buddy... I walk past the bird before coming across maybe ten or twenty more. Some of which are hanging. I hold Rose closer and continue walking.

Caw! Caw! Caw! I step back as one of the birds spring to life. Their, apparently still living, body springs to life, flapping their wings all over the place, trying to get free. Rose starts crying and, since I have nothing to cut them down, I push past the bird and walk faster, trying to get Rose away from the sound.

Maybe 100 or so feet away, I stop for a second and start bouncing Rose again. "Shh, you're okay. Everything will be okay. We'll find somewhere for you to get warm and eat, I promise. You'll be safe." She stops crying but stays awake. I smile softly at her and continue walking.

Snap! I freeze, looking up. Something runs forwards, kind of looking like a wolf but on two legs. I sigh. Goddammit. It's so cold. If that was a wolf then I need to get her inside now.

After what feels like forever, we come across a small, abandoned house. I chuckle lightly. "We could probably stay here for a bit..." I look around for a door but, when I spot it, I start to wonder if we really should stay here. There's a blood puddle, right in front of the door and the door itself is opened slightly. I hold Rosemary closer and sigh. There's only forwards... I pause, afterall, if we went back to our house, Chris would just come after us again. Not to mention all the holes in the walls from their bullets and the broken windows. It'd be unsafe for Rose. I sigh. "Heh...looks like we'll have to deal with the dark and creepy." I push the door open with my left hand and step over the blood. Looking around the house, it doesn't look too bad. It looks like it may have been abandoned years ago but that doesn't add up with the color of the blood. It should've been much darker to add up with the house. Maybe someone else tried to hide from that wolf-thing...and failed?

I open a couple drawers and closets and chuckle to myself. Opening up closets when you, yourself, haven't come out? Ironic. I spot a doorway and walk over to it, uncovering a stairway into the basement. I walk down there, holding Rose as close as I can, and look around. It's not much to see other than the fact that they owned a lot of garlic. I chuckle again. What if they're scared about keeping the vampires away? Stupid... I spotted a picture frame with the stand sticking up. I pick it up with my left hand and look at the image closely. The picture looks kind of old but the features are interesting. It seems to be a person wearing a crow mask? Maybe having a crow head. They've got a golden, circular ring hovering behind their head like a halo, with what may be wings to the side. They're dressed in a black cloak or robe with a white-ish, grey-ish center. The entire image has this god-complex feel to it. Whoever this was, whether it be a cosplayer or something, were they worshipped as a god? I put the picture back down with the frame and continue to the next room.

Thud! I jump slightly at the sound, turning and looking to see that wood just fell over, revealing a painted picture. It looks to have some sort of ring, similar to that other photo, just with writing, but with a veiny fetus inside, four wing-like smears poking out on the left and right of the ring. All of it in white paint. "Weird but okay?" I chuckle nervously. I continue walking to open a closet with a blood smear on it, only to reveal a mouse, a broom, and a bucket with something on top of it. I turn around and start to make my way back up.

Crash! The entire ceiling shakes, dirt falling through the wood. Holy shit! I freeze. What the fuck was that? I walk slowly towards the stairs, trying to not wake Rose. I pause and look at her. "How did you not wake up to that?" I chuckle lightly at her little face. I continue forward with extreme caution. Whatever that was, it couldn't have been a normal-sized wolf. I manage to reach the stairs without shitting my pants and climb up slowly. Once at the top, one of the wardrobes fell over, blocking the path. I crouch down, laying Rose on this side of the wardrobe. I crawl underneath in a path of blood, pushing everything out of the way. Before standing up, I turn around and grab Rosemary, lifting her above the blood but underneath the wardrobe. I put her in my right arm once again and looked around. All the furniture is knocked over and there's a giant hole in the wall. "What did all this?" I walk through the hole in the wall and outside, climbing over a slightly broken fence and through the forest on a path.

Eventually, I see a small opening where the light shines through. I push past the branches and walk near the rocks to the clearing. Looking out across the land, I'm at a loss for words.

"Where the hell am I?"