Abe Sapien and the Witch

Chapter 48

Chapter forty- eight

"What do you mean, he's escaped?" Abe asked, all but blocking John from passing through the hallway. Red lights were flashing in the halls and sirens were howling around them.

"Like I said, it's a code red alert- Laufey has escaped his confinement cell, and we need to find him!"

Agents were running this way and that, and Abe had to push himself through them to reach the medical bay where the two most precious people to him in the entire world were.

Reaching the doorway, he was glad to find Her sitting up in bed with the baby in her arms. "What's going on?" she asked him, her panic rising as he shut the door behind him and pulled a chair up against it.

"Laufey has escaped his cell," he said, noting how she clutched the baby closer to herself. "Don't worry, he can't..."

"Can't what?" a sleazy voice echoed from across the room, as Laufey materialised from behind the long curtains at the bedside. His smug look turned to one of anger as he got a closer look at the baby, realising that it was not the heir that he had hoped for.

"You need to leave, Laufey. There is nothing for you here..." She said, edging herself closer to the opposite side of the bed, anxious not to rip any of the stitches she had needed after the birth.

He said nothing, stepping nearer. Abe mirrored him on the other side of the bed, taking slow steps closer to his family.

"What will you call her?" he asked, leaning down to read the tiny plastic nametag that was on the baby's wrist. "Ah, that is a nice name..." he added, his voice an unexpected mixture of sadness and interest. "You're right, there's nothing here for me after all..." he said, turning to face Abe. "Congratulations, you must be very proud."

"I am immensely proud of my family." Abe said, his voice serious as he reached her side near the top of the bed.

Laufey whispered something, then in a flash of green smoke he stood near the doorway. The baby was now bawling in his arms as her parents both jolted forward. She began to scream for her child, while Abe made a mad dash towards Laufey, only to be thrown back against the far wall with a powerful spell.

"It's a shame you'll never get to see her again," he added, his lips pulled back into a sadistic grin. "I'm going to put her somewhere where you will never, ever be able to find her." The baby was gone from his arms in a mere millisecond, while Abe was picking himself up from the floor. She was tearing herself out of the bed, not noticing the physical damage she was causing to herself.

"My baby!" she screamed at him, "where is she, Laufey? What have you done with her?"

Before he could answer, Red kicked in the door, causing it and the chair against it to rattle across the tiles as he entered with his usual gusto, the Samaritan pointed right at Laufeys chest.

Laufey smirked and made a move towards Abe, which caused Red to open fire on the man, shooting him through the heart.

"Nooooo!" She screamed, throwing herself down next to Laufey as he choked on a mouthful of blood that spurted up his throat. He rattled his final few breaths, still wearing a sickening smile that made him look even more insane as his mouth filled with thick red globules.

"Where is she?" She screamed, grabbing him by the collar to shake him.

"She's... in a place where... you will... never, ever find her..." he spat, droplets of blood splattering her face as he coughed and took one final, jagged breath.