Daughter of Darkness (AHS: Apocalypse)

Ch 14 - Blasphemy

Timothy and Emily Campbell were the two lovebirds in Outpost 3 who were nearly killed by Venable for being together – now, even though they were not officially married, they lived as husband and wife. Emily adopted his name when she was registered as a subject of Regnum Infernale, a regime she knew she could only submit to in order to survive. Before the apocalypse, she had been an avid liberal protester, passionate about ending racism and discrimination against people of color as well as the abolition of so-called "white privilege". Yet in the new world, in this kingdom, there was no concept of race, no unjust system for her to fight against. There was no concept of poverty or disparity, either – this satanic utopian kingdom was full of hedonistic, earthly pleasures to be enjoyed. Everything shunned in the old world, save for a few grievous taboos and blasphemies, was welcomed here. Most everyone was equal save for the minor distinctions between the very few in the royal family versus their loyal subjects.

Yet one flaw in this society she bore in mind since that fateful night at the orgy with her Lord and Savior was oppression. She had outright refused to be part of it and was nearly choked to death as a consequence for challenging the King. In the old world, she could have reported him as a leader of some sick satanic cult, and Michael would likely be arrested with any luck; at the very least, a police report and no further investigations. In this brave new world, she could not even speak out against him for fear of losing her life for treason and disloyalty. Was the new world of Regnum Infernale really so different from the old world?

Emily and Timothy were proud parents of three fully human children – Rachel, aged four; Devan, aged three, and Katherine, only eleven months old. However, their firstborn, a daughter, was different in every sense of the word – Ashley. More accurately, she was Emily's firstborn – Timothy stepped in as a father figure for her because her real one was unknowable. She had inherited her mother's dark, Afro-Latina features; dark, kinky curls, a tanned complexion, and dark brown eyes that looked practically black. She stood about average height, five-foot-five, and the most astounding fact about her? She was just five years old. She had the appearance of someone seventeen or eighteen, a full-grown human adult. Ashley was not fully human, though.

She was Emily's shame – she did her best to try and treat her eldest well, but every time she looked in her eyes, she saw the face of the man who nearly killed her but went on to defile her that fateful night before moving onto the others. Yet, she also was satisfied more by Michael than by Timothy – she hated what she had to do but enjoyed it at the same time. It felt so dirty to her, knowing that someone who was not even human had his way with her. Timothy knew of her pain she had to live with, but they could not speak out. They had children, a family. Ashley could be more than capable to raise her younger siblings by herself, but it would not be the same.

Emily had been busy preparing dinner, while Timothy was trying to keep the kids calm as they waited for her to finish. Rachel and Devan were still on soft foods but were treated to small bites of meat of vegetables when they could get them. Baby Katherine was still on breastmilk, and Timothy headed toward the children's shared bedroom to put her in her crib to sleep.

"Timothy?" he heard.

"Yeah?"

"Dinner's ready, come on."

He walked back out to the dining and kitchen area and sat down, gesturing the other two young children to sit in their seat as well. However, Ashley was not there yet. He looked around, and then at Emily, who shook her head indifferently, putting the contents of the pan she was cooking with into bowls. It appeared to be a soup of sorts. Timothy smelled the air and smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Smells good," he said.

"Yeah..." she seemed weary. "Better than those jelly cubes we were served."