Dusk Till Dawn

XVI

I pulled on my chain as I sat up while looking out the small window that showed only concrete with weeds poking out of the cracks as I sighed as I heard faint crying in the home as I perked my head up to only look around trying to get to the bottom of what was crying. That's when the crying got louder until it was in front of my door as a small figure was pushed into the light as my heart had dropped into my chest. "Mae!" I gasped as I grabbed the small girl by her shoulders as I held her close to my semi-nude body. She was crying with tears falling down her small cheeks as I wiped them off her small cheeks while I kept her close while I see Sangwoo's figure hiding in the shadows. "You monster!" I rasped out as I knew he really couldn't do anything but cut me since he broke my ankles, like last time. "Mommy! I'm scared!" Mae whimpers as I looked at her and nodded. "I know baby," I hushed her as Sangwoo took a step forward as I growled at him and pulled her beside me as he frowned at my action. "Can I not get to see my daughter?" He blinks at me. "Why should she, she is seeing the true monster that her father really is," I answered him as he stared at me. "This hadn't had to go like this," I growled at him as huffs and turns around while slamming the door behind him as I turned to Mae who's eyes were bloodshot as she continued to whimper quietly as I held her close. 

"We're gonna be okay, they'll find us. The police will, and you can go and you don't have to see me anymore," I told her as she shook her head. "I want to go home," She says as I nodded. I wished I hadn't suggested to meet up. I wish I could've protected her from this nightmare. But now she will have to watch me repeat my nightmare, which resulted in her being in my life. I sighed deeply as she stared down at my feet that were knowing swollen and were at a limp angle as I closed my hand over her eyes. "Don't look there, you'll be fine," I said as she nodded and looked straight at me as I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I leaned my head back. I hope they find us in time because I don't think they'll be me anymore. And I don't know what he'll do to Mae once I'm gone. And that frightens me as I held her into the crook of my arm as I rubbed her arm as she sniffled but kept her close to me, as her breathing started to become shallow before she fell asleep. I stroked through her hair as I hummed while keeping her asleep.

"Where the north wind meets the sea
There's a river full of memory
Sleep, my darling, safe and sound
For in this river all is found," I smiled at the tiny child snores as I looked out to the window as I see the sun was starting to set as I closed my eyes letting my spirit go as I gasped as my spirit half left my body. I passed through the window as I stared at the abandoned mansion that we were hidden in as I saw the car that Sangwoo was using as I walked up to the door that leads into the front area as I see movement in the kitchen as I walked into the room and see that Sangwoo was leaning his head down with the bat leaning against his leg as he was thinking long and hard about something. I pulled away from the scene and walked out of the home as I tried to find the path back to the main area of Las Vegas or back home. But I couldn't get far, or it felt like I was being weighed down as I returned back to my body as I opened my eyes a little. "Yes, she will sing to those who'll hear
And in her song, all magic flows
But can you brave what you most fear?
Can you face what the river knows?
Where the north wind meets the sea
There's a mother full of memory
Come, my darling, homeward bound
When all is lost, then all is found...."

"What did you find?" Grissom asks as I see the dogs were starting to wake up but were pounding themselves on the bars trying to get themselves free but they soon find out that was fruitless. "I found Maria's blood but the other droplets you found and on the porcelain shard, was a match to the other blood splattered. It's Male, but CODIS didn't get a hit," Wendy explains as she shows him the paper. "How about the girl?" He asks as she nodded. "It was confirmed in the blood that both types of blood was a match to Maria and the unknown male," she says as Grissom stared at her. "The father was there?" He blinks at her before walking out as he went to go find me. I stood near the dogs as they were starting to become agitated. "Nicky! Hey, can I have a word with you?" He asks as i nodded and walked over to Grissom as he spoke. "Tell me about Maria, and if she had met up with someone before the kidnapping?" He asks as I looked back through my memory trying to think if she met anyone. Then it hit me. She had a run-in with the father of her child. "She had a run-in with her child's father. Of course, she wasn't happy. She was actually paranoid," I answered him. "Is there a reason why they are not together," He says as I nodded. "Maria explained to me when we were in the box, that she was a victim of sexual assault and that's when she found out she was pregnant. Of course. That was a young girl, and she said that the man was not a good man at all. She said that he was keeping a man in his home, who was actually a friend of Maria's who told her that he needed help to bring something over to him," I told him.