The Alpha's Dying Wish

Crack! The strange man's hand cracked against my mother's bruised cheek. The noise echoed throughout the small cabin where we lived.The bright fire within the fireplace was now crumbled into a low ember. A small cast iron kettle rested above the fireplace. The kettle's once loud whistle had faded to silence over the hours of interrogation. I lay hidden, terrified beneath the bed. People often broke into our homes, asking the same questions these guys were asking. This time, it was different. They'd been here for several hours, beating off the lock in the early afternoon. it must have been well past midnight, yet they were not losing steam. They had my mother tightly tied to one of our dining chairs, her ankles tightly secured to the soft wood. My mother sat completely stoic, refusing to release the smallest whimper in response to his physical aggression. Her hair was mixed with her blood, matting against her skin. Her face was swollen and dirty from a mixture of her blood and dirt from the men. Multiple burns from cigarettes covered her face and body, the injury raw and glistening. I wanted my mommy. However, I knew I would be in danger. I promised if anything like this happened I would stay put beneath the bed. I was tucked beneath the small double bed in complete darkness, the only light coming from the small slit in between the wood. The slit was just large enough for me to be able to see what was going on. It was like watching a widescreen tv, the top and bottom completely dark due to me pressing my face against the wood. "Where is the Alpha's illegitimate child?" Another man questioned, bringing a burning cigarette to his lips. She looked up at him, her mouth clenched. Not even a single word escaped from her dry bleeding lips. The man sighed, looking away from her and towards his men. One looked anxious, fidgeting with his hands while he looked toward the smoking man. "You know, man. It's been over 9 hours. If she had the kid, the kid would be back by now." The anxious one spoke up toward the smoking man, who I could only assume was the leader. The cigarette smoke at this point got into my hiding space, tickling my lungs. I felt the need to cough, my throat becoming irritated by the smell. "The informant told us that the bastard was here. Are you calling me a liar?" The smoking man growled, taking a long inhale of his cigarette. He challenged the anxious man, his eyes burning a hole in him. "Of course not, sir. I just do not want you to waste time drinking from a poisoned well. The information may have been old. They could be hundreds of kilometres away by now. After all, who in their right mind would stay so close?" The anxious man tried again, hoping for the leader to see the reasoning. The leader paused for a few moments before nodding his head. "I suppose your right." He turned back to my mother. Finally, he was going to let us go! "I guess we have no more use for you." The leader grabbed something from the back of his pants. My eyes didn't have even a second to figure out what I saw before he raised a gun to her forehead and pulled the trigger. I had to cover my mouth tightly in an effort not to scream as I watched him casually wipe my mother's blood from his face with one of the napkins we had set out for dinner. The chair had been tipped by the force of the projectile. I could now only see my mother's legs. A spray of crimson was on the walls behind and on the side of the chair, painting the cabin in death. No one looked surprised. . Though the anxious one looked nauseous, the rest looked completely unfazed. They each began to grab whatever they could. They left my drawing, instead of taking my mom's jewelry. I curled into a ball, my body beginning to shake from attempting to hold it in for so long. I waited until the door finally shut before I let it out, wailing for my mommy as I lay beneath the bed. I held my legs to my chest, rocking my body back and forth. "You're safe now. I wish I could've done more. Sorry about your mommy. Please, just lie low." The familiar voice of the anxious man stopped me in my tracks. He sounded sincere, remorseful almost. I turned silent, my tears stinging my cheeks. I forcefully covered my mouth, waiting for the door to shut for a second time. The door finally shut before I moved the false back, climbing through the small latch of the door into the cabin. I ran to my mother's side. She looked like she was sleeping, with a dot between her eyes. I tried to untie her, but the task was far too complicated for my small hands. I could not stop the tears from spilling from my eyes, hoping with every part of me that she would wake up. I began to smell smoke, looking up to see they had set our porch on fire. It had already spread to the front door, leaving a broken wall of flame where the door was.. Everything felt hot, my throat forcing out a cough. "Mommy. We have to go." I used all of my strength to wake her up, my entire body pushing her back and further. She didn't open her eyes. I continued to cough and push, even while the fire began to spread. I know she told me differently, that she told me where to run. But my mommy wouldn't leave me behind, so I couldn't leave her. "Mommy, please.” I begged her, my hands now on her shoulders as I shook her. There wasn't even a stir. I was running out of time, my only escape was becoming engulfed in hot flame, and I had lost hope. I left her behind, getting on my stomach to crawl towards the hidden exit. Just like she taught me. The cool rush of air hit my face as I crawled out of the cabin, my entire body shaking. A few flaming pieces of wood had fallen, burning my flesh. I could hear quiet speaking on the other side of the cabin. The men were still there. "Mommy wake up." One of the men mocked me, the others laughing with him. " At least we got the b***h. We don't have to worry about illegitimate children anymore." The leader's gruff voice floated among the trees, burning my ears. illegitimate children? "I knew she was in there." The leader continued to his men. "And now, we have a great payday." The men continued. Their voices grew quieter by the second. I took the chance to take off into the forest with no shoes, only a night gown dressed over me. I ran as fast as I could, eager to get away from the strange men that hurt my mommy.