Demon Child

Chapter 16 - The Chase

    May. Finally the warm summer is closing in on us. Finally the wars are finished. The fighting is over. The election is up. Wayne is in the running. I wake up with an unusually need to run to the bathroom. I barely make it before I throw up the contents of my already empty stomach. Flu? I haven’t heard or it running. The fear of the past months finally catching up to me? That’s two months late. I doubt it. Maybe… No, Shawn and I have been careful. I look down at myself, would the swell be visible this early? No reason not to get a test and make sure.

    Positive. I’m pregnant. Sixteen years old and with child. How could that be possible? Shaw and I have been extra prudent! It can’t be– in my cell. Before the rebellion. That’s when! I stand and rush to our room where Shawn slept through my unusual wake, my walk to the store and the test. I sit on the edge of the bed beside Shawn, trying to wake him softly. He smiles in his sleep, wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me down into his arms.

    “Shawn, are you awake?” I ask silently.

    “Mhmm, I am.” he manages to answer through the sleep. Well, I’ve got one heck of a wake up call for him coming up.

    “Shawn.. I’m pregnant.”

    His reaction doesn’t surprise me. Suddenly, he’s wide awake and sitting up on the bed, with me pinned down on my back. His face is surprised as he tries to read my eyes to see if I’m lying. His second reaction does, on the other hand, surprise me. He smiles, and pulls me up against him.

    “I’m going to be a dad! We have to go tell Jess! Gods, Wayne is going to be thrilled!” he laughs to himself.

    “Shawn… there’s something I need to tell you first.” I whisper, turning my gaze from him. “Before the rebellion, you – or at least I thought it was you – came into my cell through teleportation, and told me you loved me. You made love to me then, do you remember that?”

    “I–“ he stared at me a moment, suddenly his face turned red with anger. “You were rapped by someone taking my appearance?! Are you saying this child could be theirs, Crissy?!”

    “It’s a possibility… I mean, it’s the only time we weren’t protected… even in the shower that night, we were.” I sat up on the edge of the bed, suddenly ashamed of myself.

    “Crissy, you were rapped and you never told anyone?” he whispered in my ear.

    “I thought it was you!”

    “Gah! I’ll kill that bastard!” he yelled and walked out of the room.

    I followed him into the living room where he was already on the phone.

    “Tell me Wayne. I need to know.–- Yes, guards who can change their appearance? –– You’re kidding me, two demons with the same ability?! That’s impossible! –– Alright, wait I’ll write them down –– Ahuh, Zavier and Lander. Good thanks.” he hung up abruptly, taking the note in his hands.

    “Shawn… you can’t go after them. Its too dangerous.” I whispered in a last attempt.

    “I will, because I love you and because that bastard rapped you. I don’t care about the danger right now.”

    “How will you even get there? Your teleportation isn’t strong enough to get you there.”

    “I can’t ask you, can I?” he sighed when I simply stared at him. “I’ll practice it. When I’m ready, I’ll go fight him. I have military training too, you know.”

    “I know that, but its been years since you escaped. They changed and all… he could be stronger then you. And how will you know it’s the right guy? He can change his appearance at will.”

    He poked his head with an amused grin. “I can concentrate on anyone I want. I’ll see him change.”

    After that, he left the house. I spent the rest of the day curled up on myself, holding my lower abdomen until Jessica came home and refused to leave me there. I told her that Shawn was going to fight a guy that had hurt me before the rebellion, all she did was laugh. Shawn was her brother, she knew what he was capable of. Eventually she told me that I was the first girl he wanted to fight for in anyway.

    Shawn came back only late that night, took a shower and went straight to bed. The next morning, he got up before the sun was up and returned only late at night. That routine kept on for the whole month. I was afraid for him, I didn’t know what would happen.

    When June finally arrived, he was unusually jolly. He pulled me into his arms with a kiss, but pulled me up to take me to the bedroom. He made love to me for the first time since I’d told him. I had gotten bigger so it was a little weird. When it was over, he pulled me into his arms and cuddled me close, kissing my hair every so often.

    “Will you get an abortion at least?” he asked.

    “What–– no, I’m sorry, but I can’t kill a child.”

    His body went rigid behind me, I knew this would infuriate him even more towards the guard but I wouldn’t lie to him.

    “Please…” he begged through his teeth.

    “I’m sorry, Shawn. That’s not something I can do.”

    “You don’t mind running around risking your life for others, you don’t mind harming others for your safety, but you can’t kill a child that was the result of rap?!”

    He got up and got dressed. I didn’t know what to say. Everything he’d said was true, but even though this child was the result of rap, it had never asked to be conceived. I couldn’t kill such an innocent and defenseless child.

    “You realize that this child will live through as much hell as you did? She’s going to be strong. I know that the guards are all above 90% pure. And depending on which guard it is that rapped you, the child may be even stronger. Your 97% pure. Angel is 96% pure. Zavier is 95% pure. Lander is 91% pure. You see? That child is going to be the center of attention.”

    “I’ll keep him or her here with us. Safe.” I looked at him, directly in the eyes. “Unless you’d never accept the child as yours?”

    “That’s not the point Crissy! Don’t you see? Arg! Just never mind!” with that, he disappeared.

    It took months before I saw him again, he’d come back every two months for a week to remind me that he loved me. He never told me if he was making any progress though. When he didn’t show up in October, I decided to go find him. I was in my last month, but I was worried. I had an ugly feeling about the reason he hadn’t shown up this month.  I’d teleport right to him, I knew I could so I did. What I saw when I arrived, knocked the breath out of me. I hadn’t expected it in the least. They were fighting.