The Murder of my Beloved Baby

It's a saturday and all I can think about is how tired I am. I'm not just talking about needing sleep. I'm tired of everything and everyone. More specifically, I'm tired of her. I'm tired of the amount of yelling, ignorance, and the stupidity that I have to live with. You think I'm crazy? Why don’t you try living with a psychotic demon with an IQ smaller than her shoe size. I swear, that woman wakes up yelling at her children every day. I'm exhausted! My eyes feel like lead after a week of school torture. I need my weekend sleep! Can I sleep even if it's for an hour? No. Of course I can't. She's the devil's spawn. She has no mercy.

This morning, like all regular mornings, my cousin, Nicolas, was getting yelled at by his mother. Was I surprised? No, I don't get surprised very well. As I'm eavesdropping - something I probably shouldn't do - she seems to be yelling at him because of a joke he told my sister. The joke wasn't even dirty, yet he still manages to get his phone taken away for 2 weeks.

Alright, I'm done. This has went on for far too long. I'm tired of her constant yelling at her children. She is the reason they don't behave! No wonder her own son calls her stupid. I need to think of something. I need to find a way to get rid of her once and for all. 

♡♡♡♡♡

It was around 10:22 PM when Jazmin heard a cry come out of her most beloved baby. She followed the noise and came upon a tall metal figure looming over her baby, Daniel, with a knife. She tried to run to him but her feet wouldn't let her. Not being able to do anything, Jazmin let out a strange noise as she watched the figure plunge the knife into the baby's - her baby's - chest. She ran towards her little angel and held him in her arms while crying. Daniel looked at her for a minute and touched his tiny hand to her cheek. He closed his eyes and took his last breath.

♡♡♡♡♡

Ethan awoke to a loud sniffle escaping his friend's mouth. He looked over to where she was sleeping and saw her face wet with tears. Worried, he shook her awake.

“Jaz! What's wrong?” he asked.

Jazmin woke up and looked over at him, her eyes red from crying and lack of sleep. “Nightmares. That's all” she said.

Unconvinced, he handed her a tissue. “Are you sure?”

“Yea.”

“Alright then.” Ethan opened his phone to see a spam of messages from his girlfriend, Evie, and looked over to where she slept. She wasn't there. He was just about to ask when Jazmin said, “she got up a while ago. ‘Said she had to take care of an issue. I didn't think it was necessary to question it considering ‘taking care of issues’ is our job.”

“Did she say what time she was coming back?”

“I don't think so. And if she did, I was probably still discharged and missed it.”

Ethan closed his eyes and then opened them again after a while. “I hope she's okay.”

At this exact moment, the door decided to burst open with Evie behind it. Both Ethan and Jazmin jumped, only to see their friend standing at the doorway with a worried expression on her face. 

“Is everything okay?” Ethan started.

“You guys have to check this out,” Evie said, waving her hand to indicate for them to follow her. 

Ethan looked over at Jazmin who only shrugged and ran to put on her hoodie and her shoes. Ethan quickly ran a comb through his hair - got to look good for Evie - and grabbed his phone along with his jacket and knife. Following the girls out the door, it was raining - so much for looking good for Evie - so they had to take a path through an abandoned alley. Apparently, it was a good idea since Evie was leading them there anyway. 

Ethan was lost in thought when he heard Jazmin gasp. In front of them lay a dead baby boy with the cutest angelic face; it was her little cousin, Daniel. Wide eyes open, Jazmin knelt next to the body of her precious angel and held him in her arms; her face expressionless.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jazmin got up with the baby in her arms. She looked over to where Evie and Ethan stood and wiping her bloodshot eyes she said, “You guys go on home. I'll meet you later.” Before they could reply, she had already walked away leaving behind a trail of wet footprints.

Evie turned to Ethan and looked down. He put his hand in hers and together they walked home.

♡♡♡♡♡

Three hours had passed and just when Ethan and Evie were about to leave in search of their friend, Jazmin threw open the door. Standing in the doorway, dripping wet, and holding the dead baby, she looked powerful. The moonlight shone on her face, making her look like a metal beast with ocean eyes. Ethan had never seen her look so scary. 

Evie stood up. “Hey Jaz. What's up?”

Jazmin ignored her and walked over to her bed. Kicking off her shoes, she lay her angel on the bed, not caring that he was dripping dark blood. There was a weird symbol - some type of sensor - tattooed on his right arm. Her friends went over to her and sat in silence.

The quiet mood was broken as Jazmin cleared her throat and spoke. Her voice was a raspy, dead sound, “I know who did it.”

Ethan, surprised, looked at her. “Who was it?”

“Betty - my auntie.”

“Are you sure?” Evie asked, trying to meet her eyes.

“Yes, I am sure” she said, casting her eyes down to look at her shoes.

Although she didn't sound sure, Ethan, being the great friend he is, smiled and said, “We will investigate this murderer and we will make them pay for it.”

At this, Jazmin flinched but did not say another word.

♡♡♡♡♡

The day was almost coming to an end. Earlier, the three amigos had interrogated Betty with no luck. 

Now, they were nowhere close to solving the mystery than they were a couple hours ago. Betty had only started arguing with Jazmin for accusing her of such a terrible crime. It was a pretty big deal of an accusation. However, what Evie didn't get was why Jazmin had framed Betty for the murder of her own child. Yes, Betty could have had some awful motive to do such a thing, but to murder her own baby was absurd. It was out of the question. 

Evie had even asked Jazmin why she would have thought the murderer was her own aunt, but all she got was a frozen look and an icy response, ‘humans are capable of doing anything if they put their minds to it. Someone with absolute hatred and annoyance towards another is a perfectly good motive to let loose. After all, a spark is needed to start a fire.’

A flash of aluminum and bronze broke Evie from her thoughts. She looked up and let out a scream as a man made of metal appeared before her and her vision was blinded by darkness.

♡♡♡♡♡

Evie opened her eyes to see two kids standing before her. She watched their hushed tones and caught a few of their words, ‘was an accident...is this the right one...master is pretty angry.’ Master? Who was their master? Why were they so young? Where was she? Evie scooted herself forward to hear better. Just barely realizing that she was tied to a chair, she stopped. It was too late. They had already heard her.

The two kids turned around to look at her - except they weren't kids. Although theirs was a kid-like complexion, these two were made of metal; robots. Their eyes were shining; a mix of blue and grey. As she studied them, she realized they looked familiar. Too familiar.

“Hazel? Isaac?” Evie started.

The pair exchanged glances. Hazel took a step forward. “How do you know?” she asked. 

“You are Jazmin's sister aren't you?” Evie turned to Isaac. “And you. You are her cousin; am I correct?”

Ignoring her question - what the two relatives have in common apparently - Isaac spoke. “Who you are searching for is nowhere near here.”

“Then why am I tied to a chair without my consent?”

Hazel answered for him, “That is not a matter of your concern. We were instructed to take you for you know too much.”

“What is it that I know!?”

“Too much,” Isaac repeated.

Evie studied them. The open window let in the wind, lightly blowing the curtains aside. Evie was surprised at how the moonlight lit up everything in the room to look magical. That's when she noticed the sensor tattoo on Isaac’s right arm. She looked over to where Hazel stood and noticed there was the same exact tattoo on her right arm as well. 

Memories came flooding back to Evie: a man made of metal appeared before her...‘There was a tall metal figure who plunged the knife into his chest!’...a weird symbol - some type of sensor - tattooed on his right arm. Then it hit her. The murderer was a robot. And Daniel was turned into one of them.

With a scream, Evie kicked back with all her might and broke free of her restraints. Taking out her knife, she stabbed towards the robot with all the strength she could muster and watched as the knife slipped off her grip. She turned to look to where the knife had flown off. 

Jazmin stood in front of her vision holding the knife in her hand. With her long hair and brown eyes shining in the moonlight, her friend resembled an evil queen. How could she possibly have gotten her knife? 

Jazmin flinched but did not say another word...the moonlight shone on her face, making her look like a metal beast with ocean eyes.

“Jaz, what..” Evie was cut off as Jazmin interrupted her.

“You knew too much. They told you. Do you see these wonderful creations? I turned them into what they are now. And they failed me in the end. The only one who gets to destroy them is me. And perhaps I shall destroy you as well.” Jazmin threw the knife at Evie.

After this, everything seemed to happen in a blur. Ethan, just in time to deflect the knife thrown at her, tackled Jazmin, who fell with such force, Evie could have sworn she was dead. The advancing robots fell backward as Nicolas also appeared and shut them off using a controller with a sensor on the back. 

Evie and Ethan watched in amazement as a tremble went through Jazmin and she woke up retching. Scanning her eyes around the room, they widened at the sight of her robots lying on the floor; steam rushing out of them. Brown eyes shining, Jazmin looked up at her friends looming over her and gave a soft chuckle. Opening the window, she closed her eyes and let the moonlight wash over her.

“A breakthrough at last” Ethan murmured.

♡♡♡♡♡

It was all sad in the end, really. All I wanted was to destroy her. All I wished for was for my beloved baby to have a nice life. Ethan and Evie ruined everything. What great friends I have. What a great family I have. I shouldn't have trusted Nicolas with the controller for my robots. If only my robots had been smarter I would have gotten rid of my aunt.

Those stupid robots. I should have used children with a higher IQ for my creations. Why did they have to kill my baby, Daniel?! Were they naive enough to have murdered the wrong person? If it were not for their ludicrous actions, I wouldn't be here. I would be with my baby, celebrating a victory over his mom's dead body. 

What's done is done. I have been accused of manslaughter. The people of this world will let their foolishness control them. I did nothing wrong. All I wanted, all I ever wished, all I ever asked, was for her to be gone. It was supposed to help her sons grow up and be real men too! 

Alas, I am here now, making company with the accused, hoping that I am someday to be released. Yet, I cannot say that I do not feel the waves of fear rolling around in me. Fear for what will happen to me. Fear for what I have and have not done. This fear that burns inside of me has made me regret more than I ever wanted to.