t/w for rape mention, murder
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Bogdan looked down at his young daughter, dead asleep in the crib he and his wife, Ana, had set up for her. As far as Ana knew, Masha was an infant the military found abandoned with a note and decided to place with Bogdan and his wife. In actuality, they were keeping her here so her mother wouldn't find her if she came searching for her daughter.
Bogdan felt guilty. He'd raped a woman whose only purpose was to be a weapon to make a baby whose only purpose was to be a weapon. God, what kind of monster was he?
Ana came in. Ana, who was six months pregnant with a baby boy, Masha's half brother, who she would never know. She gently lifted the redheaded baby. "I wonder what happened to her parents," She said, partly thinking aloud. "I can't imagine they'd just abandon her."
Bogdan shrugged. "It's happened before," He said, shaking his head. Ana hummed and there was soon a knock at the door. "I'll go get it." He made his way downstairs and opened the door to see a man standing there, smiling. He recognized him as another Red Room guard, though they weren't friends.
"We've found a better arrangement for Masha," He said. They hadn't found her mother, but they'd ultimately decided to take Masha back to the Red Room. That's what that statement meant.
Bogdan nodded. "Of course," He said. "Wait right here." He shut the door and paused at the steps. He'd spent his nights awake thinking about this plan. At this very moment, he'd made up his mind. He came upstairs and entered Masha's room.
"Ana," He started. "Masha is my daughter. She's from a place called the Red Room, where they're going to raise her to be a weapon. You need to go and get her out of here."
Ana was rendered speechless. "Excuse me?" She whispered, holding tighter to the toddler. "You need to get her out of here," Bogdan repeated. "Now."
"Bogdan, I-"
There was another knock at the door. "You're going to leave Russia and you're never going to let them find you or her or our son," He said, making his way downstairs.
After another moment of staring, Ana nodded. The couple then slowly made their way downstairs.
"Masha will not be coming with you, gentlemen," He said. Ana was trying to discreetly make her way out of the back door, into the woods.
One guard hummed and, without warning, shot Bogdan in the head, killing him instantly.
Ana made a run for it.
The men shouted her name and chased after her. Ana could only go so far and she only got so far before one of the men shot her in the leg, causing her to fall. Masha was crying.
The men picked up Masha before shooting Ana in the head.
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"That's the story I heard from the guards once," Yelena said as she and Masha ate.
Masha hummed. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore," She said, pushing her bowl of mac and cheese away.
