The Monster Within

Chapter 59

"This is just great..." Arthur hisses to himself as he speeds his way out of Boston, running from the law for the second time in less than a year. His sweaty hands grip the steering wheel of his truck as tries to keep his eyes on the road.

Of course, he can barely himself talking because of the screaming infant lying in the back seat. The damned baby that he'd spent so much time stalking and waiting for the moment to grab her. His daughter was finally his to keep. He'd broken through Emma's carefully planned defences and snatched the child that he had made her carry for the past nine months. While he hated the name she was given, he could always change that in the future.

Little Sophie continues to scream her lungs out in fear, occasionally being shifted and bumped against the rough material of the seat every time the truck hit a crack or grove in the road. She was not safely strapped in a car seat and was merely lying there amongst Arthur's tools and few fast food wrappers. Obviously, she was too young to understand what was happening, but the unfamiliar environment, loud noises of the truck engine, bizarre rhythmic movements and no one familiar to hold her, it was reason enough for her to be crying. Her tear stained face reflected the rapid beams of streetlights that shone through the window as they sped along the highways and into a more wooded area. The intense lighting also frightened her immensely. She kicked and squirmed as she was helpless to do anything, her tiny foot barely touching a stun gun that was fortunately sheathed for the time being.

A stun gun that her abductor had used to also kidnap her father.

Killian Jones had taken Emma's car and had gone careening through the streets of Boston towards the home he shared with his girlfriend, her son, and their daughter. He weaved around slow-moving cars and ran all the red lights, not caring if this got him in trouble with the law. His family was in danger and he was going to save them, no matter what the consequences may be.

Once he reached the house, he nearly forgot to put the car in park before hopping out. He could all the lights on in the house, the door that was wide open, obviously opened by force to point that it nearly came off its hinges. He didn't even bother to open their white picket front gate, the adrenaline pumping in his veins causes him to hop over it and rush inside.

"HENRY! MARY! SOPHIE!" he shouted as loudly as his voice can manage. He scans the place, seeing the disaster, the contents of Emma's purse strewn about on the floor, the scuff marks on the stairs where people obviously struggled.

"MARY! HENRY! SOPHIE!" he screamed again, his throat almost completely raw by how much it hurts to scream at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly, he heard a door slam. It takes him a moment to realize that whoever this bastard was, he just went out the back door. Killian rushed out the front door, thinking he can cut off the monster before he can get away. As he hurried outside, he could hear the sounds of his screaming daughter. His heart threatened to break his chest when he realized that someone is trying to kidnap his daughter, and possibly Henry and Mary Margret too. His mind clouded over, and he went into enraged and rescue mode, he used Sophie's screams as a guide to finding the kidnapper. He went across the porch and leapt over the wall, landing in some of the garden bushes and not caring if he'd hurt himself. Once he was beside the house, he scanned through the darkened tree line, trying to see the form of whoever might be trying to leave with Sophie. Fortunately for Killian, his daughter continued to wail into the night and it seemed the abductor didn't want the harm the infant in order to silence her. He pushed his way through the trees, nearly tripping over the fence again. He landed in the grass next to the sidewalk and he saw a truck that was running. His child's voice came from over the roar of the engine and a shadowed figure placing something into the back seat. Wasting no time, Killian hurried over, grabbed the man by the shoulder so he could face him and socked him in the jaw. The docks man then tackled the man to the ground, pounding on him until the monster was subdued. He was taking all his aggression out on this man; this bastard who dared to touch his daughter and take her away from him. He doesn't care who the man is, as long as he pays for what he was trying to do. Killian used every curse word that came to his head, he didn't care how much pain his body would be in, or how bloody his knuckles would be, his mind thought of killing the man, ever dark thought entered his mind in the frenzy of blood and adrenaline. He is barely able to see his face through his constant punching and the lack of street lighting where the truck is parked.

Once the man seemed to be put into unconsciousness, Killian was brought back to reality by the screams of his daughter. He stopped, got off the man, and went to fetch her from the back of the truck. Just as he was about to wrap the infant in his arms, the man sprung back to life, reached into his coat and hit the docks man in the back with a stun gun, the very same stun gun that had been used on his girlfriend, many times before.

Killian felt his body seize up, he no longer had control of his limbs. He collapsed back onto the grass, with the man standing over him. With his body completely numb and twitching, Killian's blue eyes rolled back into his head, unable to see the attacker any longer. The man then used the stun gun again, forcing it into the docks man's stomach. Foam began forming in the victim's mouth as he twitched unnaturally at the man's feet. He then removed Emma's gun from his pocket and hit Killian in the head with it until he was unconscious.

Arthur King, now badly beaten and bleeding, he felt satisfied for having gotten the better of Emma Swan's protective boyfriend. All that could be heard was the crackling of his gun, the baby crying and...

Arthur froze when he could hear sirens in the distance. Knowing that his victim could identify him, plus all the DNA evidence on the docks man's rings, against his panicked judgement, the attacker grabbed the victim under the arms and lifted him into the flatbed of his truck. He then covered the unconscious body with a tarp, shut the back end of the truck, slammed the door to muffle the sounds of Sophie's screams and hurry to the driver's side of the still running vehicle.

He got into his truck, did a U-turn and took off, never looking back.

Now Arthur was unsure of what to do next. He had two kidnapped victims, one that won't shut up and the other who would beat him to a bloody pulp when he woke up. His face is also throbbing badly, and he thinks one of his teeth has been knocked loose by Emma's boyfriend wailing on him with such aggression. His ears are numbed from the screaming, and his mind was a complete mess of what to do next. He never intended to take the docks man with him, it was an impulsive move in order to leave no further witnesses. In the back of his mind, he kind of wished that he'd also grabbed the boy and the woman to keep from any further witnesses. However, he knew that he couldn't keep so many hostages. His first and only intention was the baby, easy because she can't talk and was small enough to hide. The man was a different story. He knows there is no way that he's going to get over the state borders again, especially with a missing baby and live body in the bed of his truck. He was lucky the first time with his kids and Emma, but he knew that this was no longer true. He had to do something, he needed a new plan.

Finally, he's fed up with the crying, he has a massive headache and it needs to stop. He pulls over to the side of the road in a cul-de-sac. He puts down the passenger and reaches over to grab the screaming infant. Her face is shadowed but visibly red from her distress. He holds her the way he used to cradle his own children. He gently strokes her head, which he knew often had a calming effect on youngsters. Sophie, while still very much confused, lessens her crying in response. Arthur then reaches under the seat and pulls out the baby blanket with her name written on it. The very blanket that he'd stolen not too long ago. He wraps her in it and then begins singing quietly, a lullaby he used to sing to Megan and Ben when they were young.

The voice and smell are very unfamiliar to the tiny girl, but the soothing motion of his hold, the warmth wrapped around her, and quiet melodic tone of his voice causes Sophie to finally calm down and stop crying completely. She continues to look up at the man who held her. It was not a face she knew, but his continued singing made her eyes begin to droop and finally close. Unfortunately, due to the darkness in the cul-de-sac, Arthur could not see the vividness of her blue-eyes, a clear indicator that she was not his child.

Once she's finally asleep, Arthur King stops singing. He kisses the innocent angel's forehead as he does for all his children. While he has no idea what he's going to do next, he can say one thing for sure.

"Go to sleep my little princess, and rest. Now to take care of the other guest."

A/N: I'm sorry that it's been so long since I updated, but here's a new chapter, just in time for the new year. I hope you enjoy it. Please follow and review.