Chapter 57: Chapter 57

Chapter 55: The angry

"...hey..."

"...are you there?"

"...can you hear me?"

"...Thomas...it's Faith..."

Trying to dismantle the lock on the rusty metal door it wouldn't work. Looking behind her, she was terrified, Austin's goons would find her at the outskirts of the plantation trying to give Thomas food. The abundant storeroom looked unsanitary, the stench inside must have been worse if she could smell it from the outside. Her heart whimpered, her anger was unimaginable. This was all Merrigold's fault. She brought Thomas into her mess. Her never ending dilemma. Faith hated Merrigold more than ever now, she loathed her and wished she could die already. Faith was tempted, she wanted to put rat poison in her food. Make her disappear once and for all from their lives. Merrigold was selfish, if she cared enough for Thomas she would stay away from him for his safety but she continued to lure him into her trap of misery that she has with that sadistic Austin.

"...Faith...?" Thomas called lowly in a groggy voice. He sounded hurt, Faith immediately putting her face sideways against the rusty metal door to be able to hear him speak. Her heart clenched with pain, tempted to cry for him and the misery he was going through because of a pathetic girl.

"...is...Merri...alright..?" Thomas groaned.

Faith cringed. How could he be thinking of that rat when he was in pain? It was all her doing that he had ended up here.

"uh...i...wouldn't know..." I don't care.

There was silence.

"I brought you food!" Faith added. "It's been nearly a week since I've been searching for you. I'm so glad I found you."

"...please check on Merri..."

Faith huffed, bloody Merri.

"You must be starving, you need the food."

"...water..."

"Yes yes I brought you water too."

Looking for a way through, Faith found a rusty crack in one of the corners of the door. It was big enough to put a hand through, enough to slide a container of food and a bottle of water. Thomas was shaking as he drank the water. Faith felt relieved. She did not want him to starve to death. Austin would not tell anyone where Thomas was. He pretended as if he did not know. The other slaves reported him missing not knowing he had been taken away at midnight when everyone was dead asleep. Even now they were worried and constantly chanting his name, trying to get Austin's attention.

'Master Austin, Thomas is missing.'

'Maybe he ran away.' Austin shrugged.

'He would never! Master Austin, I know not anyone as enthusiastic as that young man. Something is not right.'

'Then go look for him and get the bloody hell out of my face.'

Austin hoped he had died by now in that abundant storeroom. Freezing and aching with untreated wounds.

'But Master—'

'I could care less if he ran away or died or whatever. Quit aggravating me and get back to work.!'

Austin knew the reason why he had given Grover some months over. The destruction he had been planning was too deadly and Grover could potentially ruin it all since he had become a softie.

—

"Merri dear?" Mrs Brown called to check in on her for the third time. It was quiet her curtains were closed, she was sleeping on her bed, unmoving as she had been for the last five days. A bucket next to her bed, she could not stop throwing up. Her body had nothing to release anymore, she had threw up all the food that she had consumed before the incident.

Mrs Brown felt disappointed in Austin. She had assumed they'd be together and that they were meant to be together, she had assumed this would be a great love story. Austin was beyond her control. He was a monster. Even she had stopped speaking to him unless necessary. Mrs. Brown had finally given up on the little boy she had raised from an incunabulum.

Merrigold was mute. She would not speak, she did not try to speak. Her brother was unaware. No one knew except Mrs Brown, everything seemed normal to everyone like any other day. To Merrigold it felt useless, of no purpose. She wanted to die, she need to die, she thought. Mrs Brown dabbed a wet towel on Merrigold's forehead. She eyes stared straight into a direction of nothing. In her head it kept replaying itself over and over again. Thomas being hurt, Austin violating her and— him.

"Your fever ought to be gone by now. I'm confused... I've done everything possible—" Mrs Brown spoke. Merri stared unblinkingly at the distance.

"Jesus...!" Mrs Brown abruptly stood up.

"Oh God no..."

Merri did not understand why she was being dramatic.

"Merri..."

Her eyes shifted to Mrs Brown.

"Did you get your lady visit this month?"

Merrigold closed her eyes.

She just knew.

It sank.

She did not want to believe it, she opened her eyes and looked away. She bit on her inner lip from how anxious this was making her.

"Is it... uhm...Thomas...?"

It was then that Merri pulled a blanket over her head ignoring Mrs. Brown.

"Is it..."

"...I'm not pregnant..." Merrigold finally spoke under the blankets. Tightly covering her face, she was sweating under and could not breath but she did not want to face the sunlight beaming at her from her window. She did not want to face anything.

"The sooner you accept that you're, the better dear."

Merrigold ignored her. She squeezed her eyes closed, no it could be. Many months before when she'd missed her period and she was still a virgin. It would not be the first. The stress she had been through was causing her body strain. She had not eaten much and perhaps that had stopped her period from coming. Merrigold had shut down all her thoughts and images of that night.

"Can I see your belly?"

Merrigold was hesitant. She remained quiet... for some time. Wanting to prove the old woman wrong Merrigold roughly threw back her blankets standing up, she pulled her dress up to her stomach. Looking at Mrs Brown's reaction, she looked astounded looking down at it and Merrigold saw it, the slight curve almost egg shaped. She could not even see the hairs of her vagina. It should have been the first thing she saw. How had she gained so much weight and not realized it? It was weight gain that's all she told herself. Shocked herself, she immediately put her dress back down went back into her blanket. Her heart was beating so fast.

No no no.

No this can't be happening.

What kind of punishment is this?

She said a short prayer. Lord please they can violate me, rape me and dehumanize me into an object. That is fine perfectly fine, but not this. Not this thing. Not his thing... not please not this anything but this again. I can't bare the child of that demon. I can not, this can not be happening. I'm bloated, that is it I'm bloated and overthinking.

"It's an innocent child far off its father's mistakes."

Twins? Twins? Was that nun right?

Could it be? Merrigold craved death, in that very time and place.

Promising to come back to check on her later and giving her some time to rest. Faith came into Merri's room. Faith wanted to speak her mind.

"Hello Merrigold."

Merri ignored her.

"What has Thomas ever done to you except love and care for a lying cheat?" Merri blinked at her.

"He has suffered enough all because of you and your selfishness. You think he deserves all this. It's not worth it you're not worth it and I fail to see what these men see in you. All I've ever seen is a pathetic spoiled negro who does not know her place. You always thought you were better than the rest of us because you could do math and so on now look at you being the community penis keeper." Faith laughed. "Sad isn't it? Tragic! Let him go, let him be happy with me. Yes with me, he loves me. He showed me in our moments of intimacy while you were away committing adultery with your Master."

Merri was shocked, there was no other person she trusted more than Thomas. She knew he would never hurt her or be hurtful but—

Lifting up her dress, Faith smiled. "Thought I'd surprise you."

Merri gulped down.

"Thomas junior!"

"While you sleep there vandalized and a useless barren excuse of a woman. I'm standing here with Thomas child."

"Let him go Merrigold that is all I'm asking. Let him finally be happy. You have caused him nothing but pain and misery. Let him go, let him be happy even if it's not with you. My child deserves a living father, you can not let Austin kill Thomas over your already disgusting loose and worn out vagina that has accommodated the whole plantation."

Merrigold closed her eyes.

It was too hurtful for her.

"Please let him go that's all."

When Faith was about to turn away, Merri groggily replied. "You're right, I will let him go. He deserves better." After witnessing him being tortured for no reason except for being with her. Merri knew she had to do something.

Shocked that she'd even agreed Faith grinned. "I will make him very happy and take good care of him."

That's all Merrigold wanted for Thomas. If he'd slept with Faith and hid it then perhaps he saw something in her. She was still disappointed and hurt but she knew she had done worse to him. Merrigold realized she had no one.

She was alone.

Love and men were not meant for her.

So was pregnancy.

She did not plan to keep her pregnancy nor her life much longer. She had lived enough.