Kill Me, My Love

Chapter 44

The fight continued in the hallway. It was clear that Samael planned to make a bloody mess out of the scoundrel. Well, good for him.

– What’s your name? – Susie asked, wiping her tear-stained eyes with her sweater.

– Lina.

– And that man?

– Sam.

– Are you superheroes? – the girl asked.

Lina smiled. That was quite an idea... Superheroes... What were they, superheroes? Perhaps villains, but even those seemed like failures.

– No, we aren’t superheroes.

– Then how did you get here? That man said no one would find me, except maybe some wizards from Hogwarts.

– Well... Let’s say we are your guardian angels. How do you like that idea?

– I like it, – the girl smiled weakly.

Even such a minor positive emotion radically changed her face. Dimples appeared on her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled. A real little beauty, with a cute nose, long lashes, and luscious hair.

A few minutes later, Sam entered the room. His hands were covered in blood.

– Everything’s okay; we can leave here.

– Leave? In what? – the girl asked.

– In the bastard's car, – the dark one smiled crookedly.

Lina was taken by his demeanor. In Samael’s eyes, the darkness was still swirling, but his face was determined, his posture firm. Yes, with such a man, it was safe to go to the ends of the earth...

– Susie, are you ready for the trip? – she asked the little one, trying to exude positivity and hope for a bright, cloudless future. – On the way, you'll tell us everything about yourself.

– Where are we going?

– To a safe place where there’s plenty of food, a cozy bed, and cartoons play on TV all day long. You love cartoons, right? – Sam said, squeezing out the friendliest smile he could manage.

– Yes, – the child nodded eagerly.

– Great, then let’s go.

Lina picked up Susie and walked with her through the cluttered hallway. Carrying the little girl was not heavy at all. After all, she was as light as a feather. Here and there, bloodstains and scattered belongings testified to the fight. In her heart, the girl hoped that the scoundrel hadn’t died immediately. She hoped he suffered, that he experienced pain.

Outside, a pickup truck in a hideous orange color was waiting for them. The doors were open, and the girls quickly settled in the back seat. The dark one struggled to start the engine. The motor sputtered and wheezed like an old man. However, after five attempts, it finally roared to life, and they moved down the old, broken road.

Half an hour later, they hit the highway. Finally, the man oriented himself in their location. They were now in the state of Washington, five hours’ drive from the nearest settlement; the road promised to be challenging.

In the meantime, Susie managed to tell everything about herself. Her life story was tragic. Mom was a drug addict, changing men like socks, completely neglectful of her daughter. The child had never attended kindergarten, hadn’t gone to school, and had no friends. All her knowledge came from the kind old neighbor Mrs. Penny, who was a retired teacher and spent time with Susie every day. She taught her to write, read, count, and even sing. But a few months ago, the old lady passed away, leaving the girl alone with her problems.

Her mother brought home yet another man. He was very violent, often hit her, cursed, and drank. Eventually, he sold her to a pervert for four hundred dollars. This is how Susie found herself in that little house. The monster drugged her with sedatives so she wouldn’t resist, and then went somewhere. When the girl woke up, she heard unfamiliar voices outside and began to call for help. It was sheer luck that Lina and Sam ended up there and heard her because no one knew how it all would have ended if the scoundrel had gotten what he wanted.

When the girl finished her story, she soon fell asleep, exhausted by her experiences. Samael remained quiet, though he longed to talk to Lina. However, he understood it wasn’t the time yet. They needed to take care of the little angel first, then formulate a plan of action.

While the man was driving, he pondered what had transpired. If it weren’t for Lina, for her influence on him, he would never have intervened in the unfolding events. He had never been bothered by serial killers, maniacs, or pedophiles. They were plentiful in every city, on every street. If one paid attention to each and every one, one could go insane.

But the silver-haired girl changed everything in his life. He hadn’t saved Susie for nothing; he felt like a raging beast. From Charlie – and that scumbag was named Charlie – there wasn’t even a wet spot left. First, he hammered him with his fists, then with his feet. The most damage was done to the possessions of the fifty-year-old scumbag. He crushed him with the heel of his shoe, then shoved a piece of rebar up his backside. The man screamed like a pig, begging for help, but the dark one didn’t stop. Immersed in the memory of the scum, he saw how many girls that monster had defiled. This beast didn’t deserve to live. Only to suffer a horrible, scary death, which he had bestowed upon him.

It quickly turned dark outside, so they decided not to continue their journey and to stop at a roadside motel. Fortunately, there were plenty of them.

They chose the option with the best conditions; Sam used his hypnotic charms, and they were given a luxury suite with two large bedrooms, a living room, a personal kitchen, and a spacious bathroom. The staff tactfully remained silent (the dark one's influence was at play here too) when they saw Lina in nothing but a bra and the sleeping disheveled child. Perhaps if it hadn’t been for Samael’s powers, the administrator would have already called the police and an ambulance, shouting that particularly dangerous criminals were holding a child captive in their hotel. But, fortunately, all went well.

As soon as Lina entered the room, she began to wake Susie. The little girl needed a bath, while Sam decided to take care of dinner and clothing in the meantime.

– Wake up, beauty, – she whispered in the little one’s ear.

The girl opened her eyes, perhaps she didn’t notice when she had fallen asleep. Now she looked around in surprise.

– Where are we?

– In a hotel; we need to take a bath. I hope you don’t mind??

– No, – she shook her head in denial. – I love to wash. Especially in hot water, but cold is fine too.

Lina shuddered. What a horror, what a monster one must be to wash a child in icy water. Such “mothers” should be banned from giving birth to children!

The pristine white bathroom gleamed with cleanliness. Inside, it was warm, cozy, and smelled pleasant. Just what a child who had undergone stress needed. The girl turned on two taps and poured a bit of shampoo to create some foam. Susie watched in awe as everything unfolded. The little one couldn’t believe that what was happening wasn’t a dream, but reality.

– Do you like it? – Lina asked, testing the water with her hand to check if it was too hot.

The temperature was perfect: warm enough for a comfortable immersion and relaxation.

– I like it very much, – the girl beamed.

Suddenly, she stepped forward and hugged Lina tightly, as if afraid she would disappear.

– Thank you! – she sincerely said, snuggling closer to her savior.

– You’re welcome, – the girl’s heart melted, but she didn’t allow herself to succumb to emotion and took a step back, joyfully saying. – Now it’s time to get in the water!

The bathing routine was filled with joy. Susie seemed to have forgotten what had recently happened to her. She laughed, played with the foam, behaving like a carefree, happy child. Lina felt like a true mother. She untangled the curly mane, carefully washed the little scars, and scrubbed her back with a loofah.

Soon, the girl was shining like a new penny. She was rosy, washed, and combed. The girl dressed her in a white hotel robe, fed her fruits that were on the table, and tucked her in for sleep, telling her a fairytale:

– Once upon a time, there was a little princess. In her childhood, she was kidnapped by an evil witch who really didn’t like children. She insulted them, tormented them, and devised various mischief... So, after kidnapping the little beauty, the witch humiliated her every day. If it weren’t for the good fairy godmother who helped the princess, who knows how it would have turned out... But that’s not what the story is about.

One day, a man visited the witch's house. An evil, cruel magician. He immediately took a liking to the lovely princess, so he wanted to take her into his possession. The witch didn’t resist for long; she asked for a sack of gold, and when she received the reward, she returned the girl. And who knows how it would have been, but on the way, there was an extraordinary event.

A prince from a neighboring kingdom learned of the tragedy and was currently searching for the kidnapped princess. When he saw the carriage with the magician and the crying girl, he immediately realized he had found her. He and his guards attacked the magician and defeated him, and took the princess home. Where she lived long and happily with her loving parents...

The little girl sweetly fell asleep, listening to the fairytale, while Lina settled down in the living room, waiting for Samael. They needed to urgently figure something out.

The man appeared half an hour later with a bundle of clothes. Who knows where he found them at such a late hour, but the packages were decent.

– Shh, – she whispered, pointing out that Susie was sleeping.

Sam nodded and, carefully placing the bags on the floor, sat down next to Lina. There was a lot to discuss.

– Did you see what the date is today? – she asked anxiously.

– October twenty-fourth. There are seven days left until the planned apocalypse, – the dark one replied, running his hand through his hair, leaning his head against the back of the couch.

As if hoping that solutions to all their problems would appear on the ceiling.

– My hands are dropping... – the girl whispered. – And there’s Susie, we need to take care of her.

– I’ll handle that tomorrow. I’ll find her guardians who will take care of her like their own.

– Good, she deserves a happy life.

– You do too, Lina. We all deserve that damn happy life.

The dark one closed his eyes. His face was so weary. He bore a terrible burden. The girl couldn’t help herself; only he had the capabilities and connections to resolve anything. But it wasn’t easy... Even an immortal sometimes finds it hard.

Lina snuggled closer to him and, curling up in a ball, settled on his lap. She wanted to cry from the despair closing in around her and to rejoice at the fact that her beloved was beside her. A dissonance dividing her heart into two halves.

– Tomorrow morning, I’ll go take care of Susie; I hope to return by lunchtime, – Samael said, caressing her face with his hands.

For the first time in a very long time, they both didn’t feel the magnetic, sexual pull toward each other. Right now, they just wanted to be together. To hold hands, gaze into each other’s eyes, and embrace...

So, after a while, they moved to the bedroom and fell asleep, holding each other close.