Bonded

Prologue

Lightning struck the open plains along the east coast of a young United States. A deafening boom of thunder follows. The light from the lightning illuminates a small log cabin. The cabin nestled among the tall grasses of the open plains with tall trees to protect against the harsh winds, which ravage the open plains. From within the cabin a silhouette of a person stands at the window looking out into the fast approaching storm.

The person is backlist from the fire burning in a fireplace and their features are hard to make out. Another loud crack of thunder ripped through the stormy night, as the plains are illuminating in bluish light. The person turned away from the small window and glanced towards a door with a worried expression. The person has a lined face weather beaten from the hardships of living in the rural country. The person's hands callused from hard work, clenches them in frustration and worry.

Suddenly a loud painful scream echo's throughout the cabin from behind the door the person is watching. The person startled by the scream jumps, feeling the hairs on his arm stands on end. With swift strides, the person stepped over to the closed door and knocked loudly.

"Midwife," the gruffly voice of a man spoke, "Is everything ok in there?"

Silence is the only response to the man's question.

"Answer me Midwife!" The man yelled banging his fist on the door.

The man reaches for the door when no one responses. He froze in mid-grab as other painful scream rocks through the small cabin from behind the door. The scream tears through the man's heart and soul. Shaking off the shiver of fear, the man grabbed the handle and pushed. To his shock, he finds the door locked. Another long wail of pain causes the man to stumbled backwards and make the sign of the cross. Another scream causes the man to fall to his knees and cover his ears against the unearthly sounds that pierce his very soul.

"Dear lord in heaven," the man muttered in a prayer, "Make it all stop. I beg of you, make it stop!"

A loud boom of thunder from outside shakes the small cabin as lightning arcs across the dark sky. Unexpectedly, the thunder fell silent, but the lightning still arcs. The man looked up suddenly as he hears the door open with a creak. A robust woman in a simple woolen dress stood in the doorframe illuminated by the candle light emitting from the other room. The man stood up on weak knees. He used the table to help himself up, afraid that his legs would give out at any time.

The woman stepped into the room slowly and the man saw sorrow etched into her plain face. She held a bundle of cloth in her arms as she walked out to the room. He clutches his chest feeling a deep pain. His breathing becomes short and raspy as his shakes his head.

"No, no, no!" the man cried out in agony. Fearing what was to come.

"I am sorry Jacob," the woman said in a sorrow-filled voice. "Your wife and Sarah are dead." She shook her head sadly.

Jacob could not believe what he was hearing. They had a girl. Sarah was to be the given name for their newborn daughter and Jacob if it was a boy. Sarah was his wife's name.

"This cannot be," Jacob said in confusion, "Sarah was healthy and..." His voice trailed off.

"Jacob, sometimes these things do happen," the midwife soothed Jacob, "It was a difficult birth."

"Please, may I see my child?" Jacob pleaded holding out his shaking hands and sobbing. Jacob feels tears running down his bearded cheeks as his voice cracks.

With a deep sigh the midwife walked up to Jacob. She slowly handed the tiny bundle into his arms. With tears blurring his vision, Jacob pulled back the cloth to gaze upon his daughter for the last time. A sudden boom of thunder ripped through the night and shook the cabin through its foundation. Jacob felt a chill run through him as if cold water doused his body.

'What was that?' Jacob thought. It felt like something pasted through his body, but he could not explain it.

Shaking his head, he looked down to see the lifeless body of his infant daughter, but he sucked in breath with shock. What he saw did not make sense to him. He saw his infant daughter face had rosy red cheeks and healthy pink skin. He had seen dead people during the Great War and he knew what death looked like. His friend's dead bodies still haunted his dreams. His daughter was alive and breathing.

She had beautifully golden color hair spun from the sun itself. The infant opened her eyes and Jacob saw two hazel eyes looking up at him. Jacob stood frozen in place staring at his daughter. His mind could not figure out what was happening. He was not sure if it was a trick of the fire light, but he noticed flecks of gold dancing within his daughter's serious eyes. Another boom of thunder and Jacob jumped almost dropping his infant daughter. He steadily himself and narrowed his eyes at the Midwife.

"I...I," stuttered Jacob as he stared at the Midwife, "I thought you said Sarah was dead, Janet."

"Jacob, Sarah was still born." Janet said soothingly as she stepped up to him and placed a comforting hand on Jacob's massive shoulder. Janet gasped in shock and horror when she gazed upon the infant. Her hand flew to her mouth as she stumbled back mouthing words she could not say.

"Explain to me why she is alive." Jacob asked standing with confusion on his face.

"I assure you, Jacob," Janet responded in a low voice, "She was dead, I check so myself."

"How can she be alive then?" Jacob questioned as he looked back into the serious face of his daughter, "It is a miracle." He said in s hush whisper.

"This is no miracle, Jacob." Janet pleaded crossing herself in the sign of the cross, "This is wrong. Evil is at work here."

Jacob turned on the woman with anger his face. "Do not say such things!" Jacob shouted.

"Jacob, she was dead," repeated the Midwife keeping a arm distance from them." In addition, your wife had brown hair and brown eyes. Your real daughter was born with brown hair. I saw it myself." She took a deep breath, "That thing has golden hair and those eyes." Janet shook with terror feeling her neck hairs stand up.

"Get out of my house," growled Jacob with malice in his voice, "now."

"You are not thinking straight," pleaded Janet, "grief has blinded you, Jacob."

"Leave now or I will throw you out." Jacob said through clenched teeth as she took a menacing step forward towards Janet.

"Jac..."

"Leave!" Jacob shouted cutting her off.

Dumbfounded and scared, Janet backed up towards the front door. She fumbled with the handle, crying and praying as she opened the door into the stormy night. She ran out of the house into the night not looking back. Jacob walked over to the front door and slammed it shut.

Jacob sat down in a chair and stared at the miracle of his infant daughter. It was still hard to believe that she was alive. He stared at her as her calm demeanor soothed his anger. Sarah smiled at him, this caused Jacob to laugh ,and hug is daughter while he cried. Jacob cried for himself, for this dead wife Sara ,and his infant child. He glanced up towards the bedroom where a cloth covered his dead wife. Grief struck his heart at the sight of her body.

"Your mom would have loved to see you, Sarah." Jacob said rocking his child.

Baby Sarah cooed and reached for Jacob's finger. Jacob let her grasp his finger for his daughter. He laughed loudly as she held tightly onto his finger, another loud boom of thunder, and a knock upon the door. Standing up he looked towards the door in confusion. Another knock on the door caused him to jump.

'It must be that blasted Midwife.' Jacob said feeling the anger swell up in him again.

"Go away Janet!" He yelled.

The knock came again repeatedly slowly and steady. He walked towards the door and stopped short as his daughter starts to cry.

"Hush now," Jacob soothed rocking his infant, "I know you're hungry, I will feed you soon."

Stepping up to the front door, he opened it with a rush of anger, "Janet, I sa..."

His voice fell short as he opened the door. Lightning lit up the night sky and three darkly cloaked figures. Sarah let out a wailing cry as Jacob felt a sharp gut wrenching pain in his stomach.

Looking down at his stomach with his mouth hanging open, he saw the pain that he felt in his stomach. A shiny hilt of a knife held by a slim white hand protruded from his stomach. He slowly looked up into the dark hooded face as blood dripped out of his mouth. His face froze in horror when he saw red glowing eyes staring back at him.

Jacob gasped in pain as the knife was ripped form his body. White-hot pain coursed through him as his blood poured out of him. His knees gave out as he fell to the ground on his knees. He heard Sarah crying as if it was coming from a distance. He saw a serrated knife staring at him. His flesh and blood covered the blade of the knife.

Jacob coughed and more blood dripped down his chin. Sarah had stopped crying and he looked down at her. Specks of blood were on her cheek. He tried to lift a hand to wipe away the blood, but it felt heavy.

'How odd,' Jacob thought as he looked into the face of his daughter. "She looks so calm.'

Her face was serious, but the deep gold replaced hazel color in her eyes. He felt warmth spread through his body and the pain he felt in his stomach eased. Suddenly he felt himself falling backwards toward the floor. The white hand, which had been holding the knife, now plucked his daughter from his arms as he crashed onto his back.

"Sarah." Jacob managed to whisper, as he lied on the ground bleeding.

The cloaked figure held Sarah in her arms and smiled wickedly as the man named Jacob lied on the floor dying. The cloaked figure looked down at Sarah and said, "Hello again Afriel," It was a woman's voice that spoke form beneath the cloak hood, "We meet again and this time you will not escape me." The woman let out a low chuckle.

Afriel or Sarah started up into the red eyes of the cloaked woman. She cried and tried to wiggle out to the woman's hands, but the blankets confined her. The woman laughed in an evil voice as she held Sarah tightly in her hands.

"Is she the one, Mother?" Another cloaked figured asked in a female voice.

"Oh yes," The first woman replied, "Afriel has been found again."

A murmur of approval ran through the other two women. A feeling of charged excitement filled the air.

"Come, we must go." The first woman ordered, "There is much to be done and time is not our friend."

The woman covered the baby with her cloak and followed by the other two women walked off into the stormy night. The dying man stared at the ceiling as blackness closed in all around him. His blood spread out beneath him like wings.