The Bloodmaid's Tale

Chapter 17

June hurried after Rita up the stairs, wiping the angry tears that came down her face as she heard the booming of furniture being tossed around. Fredrick's yelling could be heard loud and clear, Serena's shrill voice calling out for Rita. The air was thick with the smell of blood, Nico's and now Cora's filling the house. June ran to the door as Rita used her all her strength to open the door that was being blocked by something heavy.

"Madam!" Rita called out "Madam open the door!!"

"Here move!" June called out as she took a few steps back towards the railing of the hallway. Rita moved, her eyes panicking as Serena's screams grew louder. June ran full force towards the door, hurdling her body into the wood as the door gave a loud thump from the contact of her body. But it had moved, if only an inch as June proceeded to back up again and crash into the wood once more. Rita followed suite, both women using their combined body weight to push the door open. June heard the wrestling of bodies inside, the sounds seeming more appropriate if two rhinos were having a boxing match inside the room, and she gritted her teeth as they gave the door one more final push, the door opening just enough for them to slip by.

Rita was the first to scramble in, her yells for Serena growing as she went inside the room. June followed after, seeing that one of Serena's gaudy dressers had been blocking the doorway, it's contents spilled out along the floor as she blinked her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness of the room.

"No" she whispered her voice faint in the air.

Rita huddled over Serena's body, her flesh torn in bits and pieces, those dark reflective eyes of her looking straight at June lifeless. Her blood had been smeared along the walls and curtains, a sure sign that she had been fighting her murderer. June looked to the corner of the room, finding Fredrick looking feral and satisfied with his work of killing off his Wifemate.

"You killed her! You bastard!" Rita screamed out "You jealous son of a bitch! How could you?!"

June felt the air leave her lungs, watching as Rita screamed at the psychotic vampire before them. She wanted to speak, to warn Rita to be quiet, but her mouth was trying to catch up to her thoughts before it was too late.

Fredrick walked over to the screaming Martha, his Wifemate's body being cradled in her arms. She saw the look in his eye, knew what he was about to do.

"No! Fredrick don't-" she yelled out but the vampire was already upon Rita. He pounced on the Martha, ripping at her throat and arms as his claw sunk deep into her flesh. June ran and tackled him, her body flinging him away as she protected Rita for a moment. But Fredrick only seemed entertained by her resistance.

"You cannot save them Arista" he growled "We don't need her kind around anymore. It will just be you and me. Forever."

"Please Fredrick!" June cried out "You've done enough!"

"Forgive me my love" he said moving like lighting before her "But I must do what I must to keep us happy."

Fredrick grabbed June by the arm and flung her aside, his strength too much for her to fight fairly as she toppled to the floor, her body scrambling to get back up and protect Rita. The pop of flesh being torn made June visibly sick as she turned to find Rita being torn apart. Fredrick was making quick of his work, the screams of Rita fading out quickly as June knelled on the floor, totally abandoned of hope. 

She couldn't save anyone, not Nico, not Rita or Cora.....

She looked around and suddenly saw a letter opener that had fallen from one of Serena's bedside tables. Quickly she pocketed it within the sleeve of her dress. Either she would be using it on Fredrick.....or herself.

June looked over to the body of what was once Serena, her mouth had been open, probably from the screaming Rita and June had heard in the hallway.

"How could this be happening?" June thought to herself "How had it gotten this far?"

Suddenly Fredrick stood and her focus was back on the raving mad vampire before her. He turned to her and quickly picked her up off the floor, nearly dragging her out of the room as he tossed the heavy dresser to the side like it was nothing. Serena and Rita's bodies faded from view as June was taken out into the hallway and down the stairs into the Ceremony room. 

Fredrick opened the door and tossed her inside, June's legs giving out before her as she fell on the rug, her lungs begging for air as she began to think about what was coming next.

"You....you killed your wife" June got out, still in disbelief.

"She deserved it" Fredrick said wiping the blood of Serena and Rita's off his hands.

"Cora...." June said shaking her head in disgust.

"A trivial soul" Fredrick said flicking his hand away from the thought of the young Martha "It won't matter, her death will be justified."

"And how is that" June said sneering up at him.

"I'll blame their deaths on that bastard in the garage" Fredrick said with a wicked smile "I'll report that he went mad from blood lust, his obsession with you fueling his intent to rid of everyone that would get in his way. I'll say that I took you away to guard what was mine before he killed me and kidnapped you. It will all be arranged."

"You won't get away with it!" June screamed "The Rebellion will take over this hell hole of yours! Nico will come for me and you'll never see me again!"

Fredrick laughed at her before shaking his head, as if he was a parent and her, the stupid child.

"The Rebellion" he said with a laugh "You think that a bunch of little humans can take on me. I created the Order of Gilead! Nobody will be able to touch me, not that bastard Nico, not those pathetic humans, no one!"

"You are wrong" June said standing, her fists shaking with hatred "You may have made the Order, but it will fall, just like you."

"Insolent girl" Fredrick said showing his fangs "You are foolish, just like the rest of your kind."

"My kind...."June said growing more bold the longer she faced the Commander. She had nothing to lose now, she was already in too deep. And if she was going down, she was going to take this lunatic right with her.

"Yes, humans" Fredrick said "I had told you before how precious they are to the Order. Your blood sustains us, and we need you. But you are flawed in so many ways. You kill one another without thinking, your hate fuels you, it drives you to the brink of extinction. You need us, just as much as we need you. You need the Order to keep order."

"You might be right" June said shaking her head "Humans are flawed. We are greedy and selfish creatures. We are prejudice against others without even knowing them."

Hearing her words Fredrick began to smile.

"But" June said looking up at him "Our flaws are nothing compared to the tyranny that you have put us through! You take away our lives! Our memories! You separate children from mothers! You kill everyone who would speak against you, you think we are nothing but insects under your shoe! But we will rise, we will rise just as we have always done when faced with oppression. Our rise will be your downfall, and even if I'm not around to see it, you will know that everything you have done will be for nothing!"

Fredrick came forward and slapped her, sending her back to the floor as he stood above her, his dominating appearance threatening to the small frame of June. She didn't care if she had angered him, she didn't care about anything anymore. Fredrick would hear her, he couldn't silence the truth. 

"You're a coward" she said with a laugh "You and everyone like you."

"We will see about that" Fredrick said.

June looked up at him as he turned from her, his eyes dark and determined now as he walked over to one of the library shelves. A box with delicate silver lining was stacked on the shelf as Fredrick went to it and produced a necklace from the inside of the box. It was black, like a collar, and June began backing away from Fredrick as he looked to her with clear intent.

"Enough talk" he said "It's time."