Jack In The Box

Prologue

"Honey, we shouldn't do this. It's not right for the baby." Monica Smith said worriedly to her husband, watching his as he ran around the tiny room

"Mon, if anything is going to be right for the baby, it's this. We have to go now or they'll catch us!" William huffed, stuffing the few items of clothing they owned into a bag, zipping it shut

"Billy, we don't even know if there's anyone still out there. And do you really want to risk the baby getting sick? They're living like animals!" She huffs, raising her voice only to be shushed by her husband.

Footsteps clack towards them.

Louder.

Louder.

"Who's there?" A voice booms

"Shoot... Mrs. Barry." Billy whispers, motioning for his wife to hide in the closet

"I'll go out. You two stay hidden. I know you can do this." He nods

Monica begins to argue, but he pushes his wife and child and the small red bag into the closet and shuts the door just as Mrs. Barry enters the room.

"What in the name of Christ are you doing here?!" The middle-aged woman yells

"I'm so sorry ma'am, I forgot my booklet in my room and I needed to--"

"Nonsense! Come with me." She insisted, grabbing Billy by the shoulders and pulling him out of the room

"W-Where are you taking me?" He cried, resisting as best he could

"Won't it be a shame when your baby will have to grow up knowing her father was an untrustworthy man who put his family in danger of having Evergreen just so he could have a place to stay?" She growled

"What? No! I'm not sick! Look at me, look at my eyes, I'm not sick!" He pleaded

"I never asked."

The door slams shut, leaving Billy's screams to be all Monica could hear as they took her husband away

She chocked back sobs, one hand over her mouth and the other on her stomach, holding the only thing she had left of Billy.

Their unborn child

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"What do I do, What do I do?" Monica paced around the hallway, hardly worried about Mrs. Barry coming back.

"Oh, William... I will find you. I will always find-- oh my goodness!" She fell to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain

She gasped

"No, I need to... I need to find him!" She grimaces, holding onto the doorknob. "This can't be happening!"

She falls, and a pained yell escapes her lips

"Help me! I need help!" She yelled

A shadow emerged from a door Monica knows to have been locked, and walked across the hallway

"Wait! Sir! Please help me!" She pleads

The shadow stops, and looks at Monica on the floor, her white jeans soaked.

"I'm going into labor, please!"

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And on June 5th, 2028 Jacquelyn Willma Smith was born.

A bouncing baby girl with her mother's brunette hair and wide smile, and her father's violet eyes