Devil Seed: Prolog
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
What have I done? My fear; my dread of loosing you, and my… weakness have ruined a life. You were all I wanted in this grand scheme of existence. You were to be of me and of my choice in man, to create, to nurture, and to love. Is that too much to ask? I guess it is… I hope you can hear me.
"Move! Move! Move!"
"We have a woman going into labor, approximately twenty seven years of age. Heart rate is 53 beats per minute and slowing."
"Take her to room 9."
After all, you are not of any man, are you? That doesn’t make a difference to me. In a world where fathers leave their children born, and unborn... where unwilling mothers drown their off spring simply out of fear of change or responsibility, who is to say I cannot love you?
"Ma’am, you have to breathe, please!"
"What’s wrong with her? Her face says she doesn’t care."
"She’s breathing, just not at the rate she should be."
Oh the lights, they’re so bright in here. As I look up counting the ceiling lights going by, it’s like counting the seconds off my life Well, I suppose the doctors have to see what they’re doing, they can ensure that your brought into this world. A world that I wish I could keep safe from you, or is it a world I should keep you safe from. No… you are not mine. You are not of me and man. You are of me and something else. How I long to be able to take back my actions. I have tried, my dear. Oh how I have tried to keep your existence in this world from happening. It seems the times of choices are over, my dear, dear Isabella.
"We must hurry; she’s not going to make it!"
"What’s wrong with her doctor?"
"I don’t know! There is nothing abnormal in her conditions; she’s just dying."
Your… father's, and I use that term loosely, voice is still in my head just as it was seven months ago, “I’ll do this for you, and in return you will surrender your life to me, and your unborn child will walk in my shadow and not in the shadow of man. Do you understand?” I told him yes. At first I thought it was God. I have always been a woman of deep faith. Only after the event did I realize my folly. How could I do this to you, to God, and to humanity? I wanted you to have a chance at life. It was a dire situation to say the least. We would have died by the hands of those men, but he did save us. Well, he saved you rather, and granted me a short extension so I could give birth. This experience has really taught me where we, people, stand in life. The sheer insignificance of it all is terrifying. It’s just that I thought it would be better for you to live in a way I didn’t want you to, than to never live at all. It seems that was the worst choice I could make. Threw my failings as a human being, you will live a shattered existence at best. I am so, so sorry... I hope you understand.
"She is fully dilated… contractions are increasing..."
"Push! What is wrong with you woman?! Do you want this child to die?!"
Yes, I want you to die. But not threw my own selfish reasons for once. How many lives will be spared if you did die, here, now, in my womb? I could do it…maybe I can succeed here and now where I have failed before. Give me the strength! I’m doing this for you, as well as every other person in this city. No matter what happens, I do love you. I hope you never forget that. I hope you love me in return. I hope… that’s all I have left; hope. I give it as well as what’s left of my damned soul to you my lovely child, my dear Isabella.
Then, after coming to the choice that it would be better for her unborn daughter to die in her womb, Samantha tired to hold Isabella in her threw will alone. She locked her ankles and closed her legs in an attempt to keep the child inside. However, like in other previous appalling attempts to supersede the will of the demon that spared her life, she could not change her fate.
"Good god!? What the fuck are you doing!? Get the baby out!"
As the entire team of staff in room 9 latched onto the limbs of Samantha Davis in efforts to remove the baby before it was crushed, her body began to tremble and convulse.
The pain, oh god, what’s happening?
"God will not hear you. You have tried for the last time to change the motions you yourself have set in place. I want the last thought going through that wretched head of yours to be the idea that you have willingly agreed to help make your precious world that much worse when this child matures."
Begin cutting, get it out now! Now! God damn it!"
What’s happening?!"
You will never get your way, demon. I may be a terrible human, but I still have hope.
Hope is all you have! That is the most ludicrous thought to hang on to! Look around, the people you are trying to save are making every attempt to disrupt your feeble attempts at stopping them. How can you have hope?! I jest when I say I hope this child takes after me. I, myself, would kill it if it were as weak and pathetic as you. I have poured all my energies into making this child and in so condemning myself; it is as much me as it is you. Threw self preservation it will kill you.
"Doctor?! Her…Her, she..."
"What the…?"
As the staff looked in horror, patient number 43502 started gagging and coughing as a black shiny tar like substance started to spume from every orifice on her body. Over half of the staff in the room fled as soon as their wits would allow. People were tripping on cords, unplugging machines, and screaming in fear and lack of understanding of what was happening.
"Cut threw into the womb!” the devoted doctor bellowed.
As the team cracked and sawed threw ravaging body of the mother to save the child, they noticed an unearthly dreadful smell of the tar like liquid. The nurse operating heart rate monitor ran from the room vomiting as the smell over took her. Out of frustration, over powering his own fear, and choking down the urge to follow suit, the doctor grabbed the rotary bone saw and finished cutting through. After wiping the black liquid from his face that had been kicked up by the saws high speed blade, he reached in the gaping body cavity to pull the infant out of a building pool of tar.
The doctor looked around for his expected assistance, he came to the realization he was the only one left in the delivery room. He administered his slaps on the rump of the child to trigger the pain reflex to force her to breath.
In the cold silence of the near empty room, he could hear the mother taking in short painful breaths. He took the child over to where her head was positioned. Through fear of what may happen next he hesitated on giving the child to the mother. After realizing that it was impossible anyway as she was far too weak to even move, he told her she had a healthy baby girl.
"Izabella.", she whispered. "This child has no parents left. Please, please find a good home for Isabella. More than you know falls on the upbringing of this child."
"I don’t, I don’t have the ability to… I can’t...", the good doctor said in sorrow.
"Don’t look at me like that. Don’t have pity on a person who reaps what is sown. Her…my husband died just a bit ago. Tell her…I loved her. Please. Please do these for me. Thanks."
At 7:41 PM EST on February 27, Samantha Davis died with hope on her face. Standing there, soaked from head to toe with the thick black tar like ichor, Dr. Adams stood in the dead silence of the room with the only thing being a soft cooing from the baby and thought about all that had just happened. A male nurse came in to take the baby to be cleaned up before putting it in the nursery. After handing the baby off, Dr. Adams noticed the nurse walking out carrying her at arm’s length.
"That is a baby you know?"
"Yes, but..."
"Then hold it like you should, or I’ll find someone who will."
After the nurse removed the little girl, the doctor slowly lowered his arms and walked to think sink. The only thing he said was that which could be read from the expression on his face. "What the hell just happened?" was the only question it asked.
"It’s just that I really like her Donna, I can’t help it. Okay, okay. I’ll see you when I get up front.", Dr. Jonathan Adams said just before he hung up the phone.
"You really were serious when you said you wanted to adopt her, weren’t you Jon?" an elderly, yet masculine voice said.
"Walk with me to meet Donna at reception." Jon said motioning to the doctor who had a closer resemblance to a bear than a man. "Yes. Please keep this down Pete. You know the incident involving this baby is all over the hospital, do me a favor and don’t let anyone know. My career is just about ready to go through the roof; with your tutelage and my skills the skies are the limit. I don’t need people thinking I’m off in the head for adopting her. Then again… I really wouldn’t care. Have you ever… gah... never mind."
"Have I ever felt responsible for a life I saved? Yes. I’ve been around for a long time my friend. You and this little girl have been threw an awful lot and she is only a week old. You wanting to bring this baby into your life is the very same reason most of us are doctors; we just want to help people. Then again, sometimes I think you’re in it for just the fame and paycheck.", The Large, burly, and an outrageously ungroomed doctor said with a smile you would expect to see painted on a Saint Nick Christmas card.
"Bah, you’re hopeless old man. Long winded too." Jon said with an impish grin looking to meet the cheerful eyes of his mentor. "You’re one of those people who don’t know how to say things any other way than paragraph form you know?"
I don’t know that you are in any position to ridicule me of talking too much. At least what I have to say matters…", He said rapping the back of his student’s skull.
"You two really should learn to act like doctors, at least in the eye of the public. Here we have Grizzly Adams; The 270 pound man with 10 of those pounds being facial hair. Then you have his outrageously profane, yet unfairly gifted, protégé. Of all the work we do to make this place one of the most prestigious establishments in the state, you two do your best to make us look like monkeys in lab coats.", said a young Dr. May.
"And I thought you talked too much." Jon said as he turned to Pete. "She sure is mean today; she must have had an extra slice of miserable for breakfast."
"Um… I heard that!" she said in an outburst.
"I heard she goes down to the cafeteria and takes all the marshmallows out of the kid’s cereal boxes just to make them sad.", Pete said with a laugh while wrapping his trunk like arms around her giving her a massive hug.
"Put me down you ogre! I’m four feet away! Why would you say such things?!" she exclaimed face contorted in anger with a big smile showing clearly threw.
"It’s ok Damn, I mean Pam. We all know you’re a super nice lady on the inside, we just like messing with you." Tom said pointing an accusing finger in her direction. "No, no, no, it’s ok. We hear how you talk to patients!" He laughed while cutting her off.
Face red with not being able to breathe from the hug known all around the hospital, Pam grabbed the arm of the barrel of a man, Dr. Watson, and rounded the hall while Dr. Adams walked out into the reception lobby.
"Hello my dear.", Dr. Adams said giving a pushing kiss on the side of his lovely wife’s head.
"After regaining her balance she came back in a sweet voice and kind smile with "You should really start acting like more of a doctor."
"Jesus Christ, is there something in the water? Pam already told me that not 30 seconds ago." He flustered out. "Enough about me. Let me show you what she looks like in threw glass windows, not the pictures you have seen so far!"
Grabbing her by the wrist and taking off at a pace like he had a cure for cancer, Dr. Adams and Mrs. Adams headed to the nursery. After bumping into two or three workers and almost knocking down a nurse, Jon arrived at the viewing windows with an exhausted wife in tow.
"There she is, little Izzo…..hehehe…she's so adorable." He giggled
"You do know this is not a pet right? You seem to be a little over excited about this. This is a big decision that will have effects on us the rest of our lives." Donna said. "Even if… Even if I can’t give you the children you want, I don’t think we should rush into this." She continued looking around at who may hear her. "I know we have talked and talked and talked about it, but you know how I get when something important is up for the topic." She concluded.
"First, I have not, and will not, ever hold that against you. Do you understand?" He said, waiting for a reply. When he was satisfied with her nod he continued while holding his wife at the waist, looking deep into her eyes, and with not a trace of humor "Do you remember when I told you that I knew I wanted you to be in my life forever the first time I saw you at the fair? I feel that again with her. I love you, more than anything. And I want us to bring this little girl into a home where she will have no wants, no desires, and nothing to fear. We will be wonderful parents."
"Ok then, let do the paperwork, talk to who we need to talk to, and get this party started!", she said with a burst of suppressed joy.
As the two looked in on the week old baby girl Donna made the comment "I have never seen a baby with hair as dark as that."
"It’s not dark, it’s black. Her hair has no color in it from the hair follicle up. And I have never seen it either." Her husband replied. As soon as the words escaped his lips the memory of the terrifying labor procedure came unbidden into his mind. "She is a very special child." He said with a face of concern that went unnoticed by his female companion.
"And she will have a very special family to call her own." An overjoyed Donna finished.
