Chapter 73

SISTER BENEDETTA

She has been feeling weird since morning. She has prayed and prayed and prayed, but the feeling wouldn't abate.

Something terrible is going to happen.

Sister Benedetta already knows this, but she kept praying. And yet, the feeling just won't go away. Which can only mean that it's already written in the stars that it will happen....whatever it is.

And yet, she still prayed.

After, the morning devotion,she can't stop thinking about Lani. The girl that's like a daughter to her.

Lani is in her last month of pregnancy. Sister Benedetta wondered if Lani is alright.

All her prayers these days goes to her Lani. She doesn't want anything at all to happen to her at all.

Sister Benedetta was in the middle of walking outside to join the bus going to the orphanage when the feeling slammed through her again. This time very harder and fiercer.

With it, came the whispering of the wind.

Lani is in danger. Lani is in danger!

ZAVIER [Zero]

"You're going home?" Morris asked me when I walked right past him.

"Yeah. I can't leave Lani alone at home. I won't be able to bear it at all, worrying about her all the time. She's most vulnerable now, and my doll, isn't really a violent person." I stated gruffly.

"Alright, I'll cover for me. Call me if there's anything."

I nodded gratefully and headed out. I drove out of the station and started for the road. My cellphone rang.

I was surprised to see it's Sister Benedetta. I cleared my throat and mentally washed my tongue out with soap before I picked the call.

"Good afternoon, Sister." I answered, steering the wheel with my free hand.

"Are you at home? Are you with Lani?"

"No, but I'm on my way to her."

"Rush home, my son! Be fast! She's in danger, I know this!" She shouted fanatic on the phone, I wasn't understanding.

"What?"

"Lani is in danger! You have to hurry to her!"

My heart slammed in my goddamn chest. I hung up immediately and dailed Lani's number.

It rang three times without being picked up.

I threw the phone away and sped up the car, driving at the highest speed.

LEILANI

My chest was thudding hard. Panic in my very blood.

"W-What are you doing here?" My voice was a shriek, unable to swallow the fear. I eyed the knife on the table, just a few feet away from me.

Thank God that I used the knife to eat some fruits or it wouldn't be here.

"You know, preggi, I kill roadblocks. That's my way of taking them away so they won't distract or disturb me. But then, I pitied you..." his eyes roamed over my body, "...because of your condition. I've never made a more mistake in my whole life."

"Why do you hurt l-little children?" I know I have to keep him talking, to distract him enought at least until Zavier gets here.

Oh God, Zavier where are you!? I cried inwardly, so filled with fear.

The hooded man cocked his head to the side and started advancing on me. "I don't hurt little children because I don't kill them. Killing them is hurting them."

I took steps away from him, stepping back and back. With one hand, I held my towel tight. "You're hurting them. It's n-not good to do to them what you do to them!"

Anger flashed in his eyes behind the leather mask. "Do you know that I've not had any fun since you took it upon yourself to ruin things for me. The goddamn police has been on my tail ever since."

My ankle hit the bed but I diverted, still taking steps back from him while he advanced, I headed for the door. The table with the knife on it is just beside the door.

I forced myself to keep him talking and not to agrrevate him. "Then, you shouldn't be here. You should run away or the police will find you here and capture you."

He didn't stop coming closer to me. "I've been away for months, but I know I have to kill you." He grinned evilly, "You see, there should be no witnesses. And you have me very angry."

He touched his head and winced. "It's still hurts even after all this months. You almost killed me, preggy."

I reached behind me and touched the doorhandle, my eyes never leaving his. "I'm s-sorry."

His eyes left my face to the door. "If I were you, I wouldn't do that, Preggy. You can't outrun me. You can only hurt yourself and your baby."

I snapped my hand away from the doorhandle and tears brimmed my eyes. I held my towel tight.

Why did something like this have to happen to me? Why now?

But I can't give in! I just can't!

With sharp reflexes I learnt from Zavier, I rushed the knife on the table and picked it up. I held it toward him threateningly.

"Stay away from me or I'll s-stab you to death!" I threatened, trying to sound strong and not as shaky as I feel.

He raised his hand in mock surrender, but I couldn't help but notice that his eyes were laughing at me.

"You have to get close to me to be able to use that weapon, Preggy. Come on, honey, just come close." He cajoled.

I pressed myself deeper to the door.

He laughed. "I wonder if your belly will allow that movement I'll take to stab me." he seem to be in thought before he said, "You know what? I don't think there'll be fun in killing you."

I took breaths of relief.

"At least not right away." He finished, coursing another wave of panic through me. "I can kidnap you and keep you hostage. After all, your husband is sheriff. He can release my friend for me and I'll kill you before giving your body back to him."

Oh God....! I contemplated screaming, but I know that there's no one for miles who can't here me. It'll only make him hurt me faster.

Just then, I heard our door burst open.

Zavier! I know it's him!

"Zavier!" I screamed then, allowing the terror to wash over me.

The man cursed in agigation and then, what happened next happened in slow motions to me.

His hand shot out, he snatched the knife from me and he pushed me out of the door with so much force.

I lost my balance and fell hard on the ground as the door burst open, and he ran out.

I cried out with the amout of pain that reverberated through my body at the force of my fall.

ZERO [Zavier]

I was worked up when I burst the door open but when I heard Lani scream, I lost it.

I. Fvcking. Lost. It.

Taking the stairs four at a time, I got upstairs just in time to find a hooded man running out of our room.

With a dive I grabbed hold of him but he stuck a knife into my shoulder, a knife I didn't see on time. But it didn't deter me at all. I felt no fvcking pain.

Instead, as I grabbed hold of him, I threw the both of us down from the rails.

As we fell from upstairs, I held his neck tight and used him to break my fall. He fell on the floor with a hard thud and I fell on top of him, the impact hard the breath knocked out of him. He shouted in pain.

I snatched the knife from him and without wasting any fvcking time, I struck it on his throat.

As he made choking sounds, I dragged the knife down his chest, down to his belly. I opened him up like a chicken and dragged out his intestines.

While he choked and grunted and was dying, it wasn't nearly enough. I ripped his beating heart from his chest, sneezed it until it bursted and snuffed it into his mouth.

He laid dead in the pool of his blood. All these happened in a few seconds.

I jumped away from the b@stard and started upstairs again in a dead run, fear and rage mixing inside me.

Lani...! What did that b@stard do to my wife!?

I burst the door open. The sight before me knocked the rest of the breath out of my body.

Lani was lying on the ground naked, in the pool of her own blood, flowing from between her thighs, her face as white as a ghost.

She didn't look at the door when I entered, her eyes were glazed over. She doesn't seem aware of her surroundings.

If I didn't study extensively about her condition, I wouldn't have known what's happening to her now. But I know, and I've never been more scared in my life.

Lani is haemorrhaging.

"Lani!" I rushed to her, grabbed the bed cover and wrapped her before lifting her into my arms from the floor.

"Hurts...." She only whimpered, staring unseeingly at the ceiling, a tear dropping from her eyes. I ran out of the room, and rushed downstairs, her blood coating my arms and my body.