Murder was the Case they Gave Me

Chapter 17

"I feel so huge," I muttered, resting a hand on my stomach.

            "Well, you're nineteen weeks pregnant and you're only going to get bigger," Adrianna said with a small chuckle.

            I whined, making Tanya laugh. She's been around more often, she says working in our home makes her feel more in sync to Eli. I felt a little flutter inside myself and I smiled.

            "I just felt the baby kick," I said.

            Adrianna put her hand on my stomach but frowned. "I don't feel anything."

            "Well, it might have been a gas bubble, I'm still trying to learn to distinguish between the two of them," I said.

            Sure enough, a moment later I farted.

            "Emma!" Adrianna shrieked, hitting me with a pillow.

            "I'm pregnant, you can't blame me," I said.

            Adrianna smiled, getting up to grab a glass of water.

            "What are we watching?" I asked, looking at the tv where a dramatic teenager was crying over a boy. "Let's change the channel. Adrianna, will you please change it while you're up?"

            She grabbed the remote and flicked a channel. Then another, then faster than I could keep up with.

            "Wait, wait, I didn't see what was on that channel," I said.

            "I didn't change it," she said.

            The camera flicked up and I gasped when I saw Eli. Tanya ran forward and connected a wire from the tv down to her laptop. Eli was huddled against the wall, hugging the dirty kitten stuffed animal to his chest.

            "Come on, come on, connect," Tanya muttered under her breath as a loading bar popped up across her screen.

            They pulled Eli up to his feet, holding him to keep him up. He looked too weak to stand. His right hand still clutched the little kitten, which I now noticed was missing a finger.

            Tanya's computer said, 'connection at fifty-seven percent.'

            Another bunny man came onto the screen, holding a laptop in his arms. A video started playing as Eli watched. I could immediately tell it was the video of me in the basement of the bar.

            "Her stomach, it's round," Eli said, the smallest hint of a smile dancing on his lips. "She's really pregnant. I really am going to be a daddy."

            Tanya's computer now read, 'connection at seventy-three percent.'

            The video continued rolling until you could hear me screaming over the speakers.

            "Don't touch her," Eli seethed. "Don't you dare touch her. I will make sure that each one of you regret ever being born if you lay a single finger on her head again. Don't touch her or my baby."

            "Your baby?" One of the bunny men crooned. "You mean, your little baby girl?"

            Eli froze. "Baby girl?"

            "Did I forget to tell you?" He asked. "Your little Emma went to the doctors and found out she was going to be having your daughter."

            "I-I'm having a little girl?" Eli asked, his voice breaking.

            They ripped off Eli's shirts, showing his bony body. A cattle prod came into screen and I covered my ears as he screamed over and over again. You could barely hear the electric zapping over his screams.