Terror

Chapter Seven

"Okay, I think we're doing this right," Cindy said.

Scarlett had not expected to give birth three months earlier than planned. The contractions felt like intense period cramps, but worse. It was as if like she was being repeatedly stabbed. Her heart raced and her hands trembled with fear, while her body tensed with each painful contraction.

She groaned as another contraction tore through her. Her hands shook, and her heart pounded. She gritted her teeth, trying to focus, but the pain was overwhelming.

"What the hell do we do?" Nevaeh asked, turning to Cindy. "I've seen Fifteen and Pregnant with my two older sisters, but this is real life!"

"Do I look like a doctor?" Cindy snapped.

Scarlett's body tensed again, and she hissed. Somewhere in the blur, she noticed a dark shadow of a head.

"It's a girl," Nevaeh said as Cindy quickly cut the umbilical cord. "She's slimy."

The baby cried, wailing against the strange new world. Nevaeh wrapped her in a towel, her small hands slippery with new life. Scarlett leaned back against the wall, exhausted.

When the crying softened, the baby opened her bright blue eyes and instinctively latched onto Scarlett. She felt a warmth flood through her, washing away the sharp pain in her body, though her limbs still ached from hunger and exhaustion.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll have kids," Nevaeh remarked as she stood.

"You have to name her," Cindy said.

There were multiple names that had come up in her mind. There were Natalia, Lydia, and Alyssa. No, she remembered the name she liked.

"Cassandra," Scarlett declared.

"You need a middle name?" Nevaeh said, bouncing over.

Cindy attempted to clean up the area, but it wasn't exactly working considering there were other stains on the ground.

"Delilah."

"That's fitting," Nevaeh said, waving a finger at her and leaning against the cement wall.

Strangely, Scarlett no longer felt any pain in her body. It felt like all of it had washed away. She didn't get it because half her body was destroyed as a result of starvation.

"All of the blood is gone," Cindy remarked.

"You were wiping it all up," Nevaeh said.

The blood and other residue that were on the floor had magically disappeared.

"Did the baby..." Cindy trailed off.

"You guys do realize that Ashley's plans have failed," Nevaeh said.

Ashley's plans failing was a miracle, but Scarlett wanted to be a good mother to Cassandra. Yet she knew her daughter was putting a pause on Ashley's endgame.

Cassandra stared up at her. Scarlett couldn't help but noticed the dark brush of brown hair. It seemed a bit darker than her own dark chocolate hair.

"Should we stay here or head back?" Nevaeh asked.

"I don't want to take the risk of going out there," Cindy explained.

Scarlett held out her finger to Cassandra's opposite hand, which she gripped. As any baby could, she still seemed normal.

"Should we tell Zane, or do you want me to tell Greyson?" Cindy asked.

"I'll tell Greyson unless he finds out somehow," Scarlett said.