The Monster Within

Chapter 63

Warning: Intense implications of violence in this chapter

Sophie awakens when the sun begins to shine into her eyes through the window. She tries to turn away and blinks herself awake. Despite her young age, she knew that she was in a strange place and begins to cry. She can't see her crystal mobile or her stuffed animals. It was all different and not at all comfortable for her. As she cries, she expects to see the people who care for her, but her mommy, daddy, or her big brother have not come. Once she started crying, someone she can recognize would come and care for her. Except no one comes or responds.

She begins to scream out, only to be met with hostile words.

"Shut up," Arthur mutters in anger. "Why can you let me sleep?" He swears under his breath as he sits up to go and care for "his" daughter.

He picks her up and Sophie continues to cry not recognizing the person holding her. It was also still badly swollen and had cuts and band-aids, a terrifying sight for a young child. He also wasn't gentle or kind in his tone of voice, giving her even more reason to fuss.

He rummages around until he finds the pacifier that had been in her mouth previously. His exhaustion makes him want to shove it in the child's mouth to shut her up, but he stops himself. Even if he was not a great human being, he would never hurt a child. Sophie reminded him too much of his own children when they were this small. He waits and offers the pacifier. She turns away at first, her mother's stubborn nature shining through, but eventually, she accepts it again.

The crying instantly stops, and she looks up at the man, tears still in her eyes. While she is calmer, she is still not happy... not at all.

Arthur gazes at her eyes for the first time and his stomach twists. The girl's eyes were a captivating blue, very bright... more than babies' eyes could be. He knew he had dark eyes and Emma... she had hazel that sometimes looked green.

His heart drops to his stomach. He pulls out a photo that he'd taken of the family when they'd gone for ice cream. He looks at the man, who was now tied up in the back of his truck and looked at the girl's features.

"Son of a bitch!" he snaps angrily.

He places Sophie back on the seat as gently as he can before getting out of the car and walking straight to a tree.

Without a second thought, he slams his fist against it. He unleashed a tirade of obscenities and continues to punch and kick the tree in frustration.

He was such an idiot... a total moron. He went through all that trouble, the whole scheme of abducting Emma, taking her prisoner, caring for her while she was pregnant, taking her to the hospital, going on the run, and hunting her down again... and the child wasn't even his! All that for nothing! NOTHING AT ALL! It was the God-damned boyfriend's the whole time. He was a complete idiot! A moron! A fool! He'd done all this to give his family one more child and he ended up completely alone and now with a hostage and baby that wasn't even his. How had it come to this?

This was all the dumb blonde's fault! She couldn't give him what he'd wanted and if she hadn't been pregnant already, then maybe things would be different. Maybe the boyfriend wouldn't be tied up in the truck and the child laying on the seat, confused and scared. Maybe he could have just gone and driven off with his child... but it was all Emma's fault, and now the boyfriend's. Arthur King was a wanted man again (even though he was one before last night's events) and things were only going to get worse.

He leans forward, pressing his forehead against the tree... contemplating everything. He needed a next move. He could take the easiest way out, but it was also the darkest. He couldn't do that to a child... despite everything that he'd been through, deep, deep, deep, deep down, he still had a moral compass. He could still run off with the child... raise her as his own, ditch or execute the boyfriend and leave him on the side road. He could leave them both somewhere and just try to flee the country... start over and make a better life for himself.

All the possibilities swirled in his head, but he needed a plan for now. He needed to get off the streets and someplace where he could think... like the cabin... or someplace, any place isolated enough for that. He also had to keep the boyfriend in line; he would no doubt be more of a fighter than Emma, but the baby could be the card to play to ensure cooperation.

Sophie begins to whimper from the cab of the truck and Arthur knows he has to move as soon as possible. He had all the supplies he needed to care for her and to remain on the run.

Returning to the truck, the man puts a seatbelt around the child's middle, puts a blanket on her and keeps the pacifier in her mouth. He revs the truck up and navigates the back road he had driven the night before. As far as he could tell, the other hostage was still unconscious which meant it would be easier to drive along the highways without drawing the suspicion of a tarp moving in the back.

He turns on the radio.

"The family and friends of Emma Swan are still in the grips of terror after a horrible home invasion last night left a teen and a mother injured and an infant and the child's father missing. An AMBER Alert has been issued for Sophie Swan-Jones, she is three months old with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was last seen dressed in purple and white pyjamas. It is also believed that her father, Killian Jones has been abducted along with her. He is 32 years old, has black hair, blue eyes and stands 5 feet 10 inches. He was last seen wearing a black suit and tie. The alleged monster who perpetrated this crime goes by the name Arthur King, whom you might remember was responsible for the abduction of Emma Swan herself last fall. The man is considered to be armed and extremely dangerous so if you see him, do not engage and call the police immediately. Arthur King stands at 5 feet 7 inches, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. There is no information about a possible vehicle at this time, but the city of Boston and all surrounding communities are ordered to be on guard as this man could be travelling near you to evade police..."

Arthur smirks in delight... at least he could gain some satisfaction from being so notorious.

The idiots on the radio continue to discuss the case.

"What has our city come to?" one of them asks.

"I know what you mean, first it was the disappearance of Emma Swan, then she managed to escape and was rescued at that hospital, and now her infant daughter and her boyfriend have been taken."

"And all by the same man."

"Could it be some kind of conspiracy? Perhaps revenge for escaping? Retribution?"

"I wish I could say for sure, but that could be a strong possibility."

"Bad luck for that poor woman. She works for law enforcement as well."

"Really? The poor poor woman. We'll keep our listeners informed of any news updates..."

Arthur drives along, trying to stay calm and not freak out every time a car passes by. He remains focused on going into hiding, and the rest will fall into place.

So he hoped.

A/N: So Arthur finally knows that Sophie is not his child, but that's not going to stop him. He's going to find a way to use this to his advantage. It's sickening. Sorry, that it's been so long since I've updated. Please enjoy.