The In Between Captives

This story contains murder and death.

 FWEEET! The kettle on the stove whistles as I walk back into the kitchen. The beautiful child growing inside my belly gives me a small kick. I smile as I rub my belly, coming to the stove. I lift the kettle, pouring the boiling water over the tea bag in my mug. 

I lift the cup to my nose, inhaling deeply the smell I love. Another kick takes my attention from the warmth in my cup and I rub my hand over my belly once again. I pull the mug to my lips, taking a small sip then setting the cup down. 

Flashes of images run through my brain, walking through my small hometown with a manchette dripping with blood. I watch as people I care for run in terror, screaming. I could feel her deep inside and it scared me, especially being pregnant. 

I look down at my ankle to see the band pressed tightly around it. This was my saving grace. It was not, ideal, but it was what I needed at the time. 

I put the mug back up to my lips and take another sip as a pounding at my door makes me jump, spilling the tea on the floor. 

“Damn it” I mumble, grabbing the towel off of the counter and wiping off my toes. I sit the mug on the counter and walk to the door. I open the door to see my dad standing there with his usual bags of groceries that he always delivered on Sundays. It was my favorite day, because I was not alone. 

He lifts the bags as he gives me a huge smile. I open and hold the glass door for him to come in. He walks over to the counter, sitting the bags down as I make it to him. 

“How is my girl?” he asks as he kisses the top of my head. I give him a weak smile. 

“Scared,” I answer honestly. His eyebrows brunch together. “Dad, how am I going to have this baby here? What happens if I go into labor and I am here all alone?” I continue. He lets out a sigh. “Katie, baby Amber is going to stay here. When you get closer to having this baby, you are only thirty - two weeks.” 

“Some people go into labor as early as thirty weeks,” I argue. 

“I know, I am a scientist, I know how the process works.” he gives me a reassuring smile, putting his hand on top of mine. “I can’t move you closer to town or let you have this baby in a hospital. It’s too big of a risk that you will switch.” I let out a deep breath. 

“I haven’t switched in over a year.” 

“I know, baby, but as soon as that bracelet comes off she will come out. She is selfish and does not want to die.” I look down at the black technology on my ankle. I knew he was right. It was the only thing that kept her at bay. 

“Maybe she is gone.” I knew it was a lie. I could feel her inside of me bubbling up. 

“She’s not. I have been monitoring your brain activity. She comes out a lot when you sleep, but not a full takeover.” This was news to me. So I had been switching to my sleep?

“Now are you ready to make some Sunday night dinner?” he gives me a cheeky smile. I couldn’t even pretend to be happy today. 

“I’m not that hungry tonight. Can we skip, I’m kinda tired.” His shoulders fall and his smiles simply turns upside down. 

“Sure, baby.” he says, trying to mask the sadness. “I’ll be back Wednesday.” He kisses my forehead again, heading for the front door of the cabin. He stops and looks back at me. 

“I love you, alligator.” 

“I love you too, daddy.” I smile pulls on my lips. 

As the evening sun sets. I rock on the porch, reading. I wish that my life could be like the books I read. A handsome man swing in and solves all of my problems. I had never even had a first kiss, much less love. I sit the book on top of my belly, closing my eyes. Pretending I was somewhere new.

“Excuse me.” A man’s voice pulls me from my daydream. My eyes pop open. There a man stood at the bottom of my steps. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. My car broke down on the road and I saw the smoke from your chimney. Can I use your phone?” 

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. It has been forever since I have had a conversation with a human. That was not my dad. His eyes were staring at me. 

“I don’t have a phone.” His face twists with a confusion. 

“You live all the way out here with no phone?” I nod, feeling embarrassment creep on my cheeks. 

“Okay, well, could you take me into town?” I shake my head this time instead of voicing the bad news. His confusion deepens, but then changes into a smile. 

“Do you think I could just stay the night since it’s about to be dark?” 

“Sure” I smile, feeling my stomach do a flip. I barely know the man, but I am full of excitement. I stand and wave him in. He follows. 

“So, do you live here alone?” He asks. Crap, he could be some crazed killer. 

I would take care of him. He would never see it coming. The voice went through my head. She wants out. I could feel it in my bones. I push hard to push her back. 

“Are you hungry, umm…?” 

“Elijah and no, I’m okay. So how far along are you?” He asks as he motions towards my belly. I rub my hand on top of my belly. 

“Thirty weeks.” 

“Boy or girl?” I take a seat on the couch and he takes a seat next to me. 

“I’m not sure.” 

“Oh, you don’t want to know?” 

“Something like that.” he gives me a light smile, looking around the house. 

I want to rip his throat out and watch the blood drain from his body. The voice in my brain tells me in an excited, evil way. I can feel the tears prickling in my eyes. I can’t let her out and hurt him. 

“I’m going to go to bed. ummm… in the morning, you should head to town.” The confusion was back on his face. 

“Yes, of course.” I had to protect him. I grab a few blankets and a pillow out of the closet, putting them on the couch. 

“Goodnight, Elijah.” 

“Goodnight.” He smiles. “You never told me your name.” 

“Katie.” I give him a weak smile as some events in my book run through my mind. 

“Goodnight, Katie” I turn to and towards my bedroom. I give him one last smile before I head towards my bedroom. 

I shut my door, sliding to the floor, letting the tears fall freely. I would never know what true love was. I force myself to get up and get in the bed. I cry until I finally fall asleep. 

I sit up in the bed, cracking my neck. I was back. The little goodie bitch put up a fight, but I was finally free again. 

You can’t kill him, you need him. The bitch would not rest. “What exactly can I loser for?” I talk to myself. The bracelet will kill you if you try to leave. “Fuck, I forgot about that fucking piece of technology.” I say a little too loud. The goodie two shoes are right, though. I could not leave this hell hole without killing myself. 

“Katie, are you okay?” the voice from the living room yells. I smile as a plan comes to me. 

“Yeah, sorry, didn’t mean to wake.” I say in my most innocent voice. No! she yells in my head, fighting to come back out. I had been waiting for this moment, I was stronger at the moment. Something moves in my belly. “What the fuck is this?” I whisper. My belly was huge. This was a fucking nightmare. I have been out a few times at night. Why did I not know the bitch went and got herself pregnant? Why don’t I remember the night? I could’ve had a lot of fun with that. I smile at the thought. 

I walk out into the living room.

“Good Morning,” I give him a flirtatious smile. “I have a favor.” He gives me a smile back, like he knows exactly what it is. Stupid boy, I was not trying to fuck. He’d better be glad that I need him alive or he would already be dead by now. 

“I want to go to town and get help and I haven’t been able to leave this place for a long time. So, would you stay here and wear my bracelet?” 

“Your bracelet?” 

“Yeah,” I shrug, like it is not a big deal. “I can’t leave the house with it. It will kinda kill me.” 

“What? Are you serious?” 

“No,” I lie, “but my daddy won’t let me be with the man of my dreams, so he locked me in here after I got pregnant. I just want an hour to see him and tell him where I am. The device will tell him I left and will send a sleeping meds through my system before I can get there. Please.” I plead 

He thinks for a few minutes.

“Fine, I’ll do it. You have one hour though.” Deal I pull the band from my ankle. A loud beeping sound comes from the device. I hand it to him. 

“Hurry, put it on your ankle.” He looks at me like I am crazy, but he does as he is told. 

“Good, now that is over. I lied earlier if you walk off the porch or out the back door u have thirty seconds to get back or a poison into your system.” I shrug with the fuck you grin on my face. He starts pulling at the bracelet as fast as he put it on, 

“Oh, by the way, if you take it off, the beeping sound we both just experienced, well its connected to explosions around the property. So, you are dead either way.” I smile, feeling free. 

“Are you fucking with me, bitch.” I turn looking over my shoulder and shrugs. 

“Test my words and see.” I grab the handle to the door and walk out. There is an ax in some wood right beside the porch. I walk down the porch and grab it. It wasn’t my choice of weapon, but it would do. 

“You will pay for this bitch!” I hear as I am walking to the wood line. I throw my middle finger up.

I walk for about an hour, making it into town. People stare in awe. I was the talk of this small town a few years ago. I walk past a set of women gossiping and whispering. I get a deep grin on my face as I twirl the as around and sling it into one of the woman’s gut. I jerk it out and pull it back and sling it into her again the other ladies take off running. I pull the ax out and take off after them. 

“I like when you run. I love a good game of cat and mouse.” I taunt 

“HELP!!!” one woman yells. We come to the end of the road and the women part ways. I look to the left and then the right and see the huge dome building. The science center. I take off to the right. I drag the ax on the rocks. 

“Better run faster.” I taunt again. She was past the science building now. I was not killing her right now. I sharp pain shoot through my stomach, causing me to stop where I was. 

“Fuck!”I scream out. Please stop this can not be good for the baby. I ignore the voice in my head she knew who I was after. The man that was responsible for me being locked in that cabin for all these years.

Another pain shoots through my stomach, I knew what was happening. Katie was fighting to come out, she must know it was time as well. I was not letting this child fuck up my fun. I pull back the ax and slam it into the door, glass shattering everywhere. 

“Oh, daddy where are you.” I call walking in. Katie was fighting harder now. I was ignoring the pain in my body. I walk through the halls. I can feel her taking over. I am being pushed back. I stopped walking and tried to fight her, but somehow she was too strong. “I won’t let you do this” Katie says finally taking over. 

I had to get somewhere safe to have my baby. Heather was pushing back. 

“You are not going to ruin my fun.” heather calls, but I don’t let her take over I fight with all my might to stay in control for my child. 

I go inside a room.

“Someone help me, please” I grab the bottom of my stomach, and cry out in pain. “Please, someone help me.” Nobody comes. I find a chair and take a seat. I could feel the pain in my toes. My dad walk in the doorway with a gun pointed at me. 

“Who are you?” Heather didn’t remember my memories and I didn’t have hers.

“Katie!” I scream out. 

“You have to shoot her” the guy behind dad says. 

“I can’t.” he tears up “The entire science experiments will be over if you kill her now.” 

I was an experiment, that's all she needs is some fuel her to come out. I felt her coming through. I was weak.

“Go get Amber.” Dad commands one of the guys 

It was to late. 

“Oh, Henry how I have missed you she let me come out and play. Thank you for that little comment.” I stand. 

“I can’t wait.” I man yells. 

“Shoot her in the head.” Katie’s dad commands. I feel the pain shoot through my head. Then I am standing over my body with the girl I shared the body with, Katie.

“Well, that was fun.” 

“I sure it was.” She replies.

“You know we were twins in another lifetime.” I inform her. She don’t reply she watches a woman enter the room and begin cutting our body to save the baby or shall I say babies.

“Round three?” I turn to her and smile. She looks over at me and takes my hand. 

We were sisters and we were cursed to never be apart but this time we had our own bodies. Katie never remembered but I did. I knew it all!