Beyond Human: Queen's Shadow Series

24.) The Way The World Is

~~~Apollos

Life, that's what Dottie asked me she asked me to give her a new life in a dream world. A new world where she forgets who she is, a world where she lives a different life as a different person and unaffected and unscarred. After everything she told me I didn't want to do this, I felt like it was just plain cruelty to have to relive a life of Lies. But then I thought about it that's what I wanted when it was offered to me to be able to live a beautiful lie, to living a life where my children grow and I grow living life free. The truth of the matter though, It would have all been a lie My children would never have been real. All of it would have been a lie, all of it. I could not live with that, I refuse to live with it.

This was the gift I was going to give her, a gift that would have taken me a few weeks to make. I would give this girl a beautiful dream and love. As I'm enjoying a fresh cup of blood, I think to myself, why am I doing this? Why am I doing this? This is something I don't think I should be doing, to be playing the role of God in another person's life is something I've done before but yet it's something I've never liked especially since I've killed so many. I've played God in their lives by snuffing their lives out, it's then I hear a knock on my hotel door, robbing me of my personal thoughts.

I open the door and I see it, a nun with a wide smile and beautiful eyes. 'Hello, Prince Apollos,' She says, curtsying before me, 'I am Henrietta, one of the people you defended,' "Oh, I saved you?" 'Thank you for protecting those children when I couldn't at that moment,' She said, 'You protected them in a way that I could not," I said to her. I welcome her in as a means of not being rude but I could see that she was here for more than just talking. 'I know it was hard for you to make the choices you had to make, my prince but yet I must ask you, is this the only way?' "Is what the only way?" 'Is killing them the only way to save humanity?' I run my hand through my beard as I say, "Yes it is,"

'Is that what you keep telling yourself or do you know it is to be true?' "I know it to be true because I've been in this situation before," 'I heard about the situation. I heard what you had to do,' "Yes and I've never been proud of what I've had to do. I've never been proud of that battle at all" 'Yet they compare it to one of the bloodiest and most dangerous battles in history,' "I wish you could say it was as simple as that. I got a name that I did not think I would ever get," 'The Bloody Bastard of Alaska?' "Yes," I say in a sad voice.

'I'm sorry. I know it must have hurt, doing all of that,' "It is my sin to bear, I don't expect anyone to understand. Now if we could dismiss the pleasantries?" Her eyes focused on me as she said, 'I'll be honest with you. I thought I could find a reason why you would be lying to me, I thought I would find a reason why you would want to kill these children as fast as possible but I can't seem to find a reason why you would want to do it,' "No one wants to be a killer, Henrietta," Her eyes focused on me as she said, 'I wasn't making,' "No, you weren't making the assumption but you were asking in a roundabout way if I enjoy doing what I do. I don't, I never have. I don't enjoy killing or taking lives. I don't enjoy watching people suffer, I don't enjoy it yet I am forced to do it every time. I don't expect you to forgive, Henrietta but I expect you to understand. I expect you to know that I don't have a choice. If I let them live, all of humanity dies. If I kill them, I will be hated by the humans here yet I have to make this choice. I have to make the choice that no one else wants to make,"

It's then that I see it, her eyes not just focused on me but shooting through me, 'I'm so sorry that you're the only one that can make that choice,' Then she hugs me, her head on my stomach as I feel her breasts overtop of it. 'You have to choose that most humans would break apart from making. You have to do something that most people don't want to do and I'm sorry that I came in here with ill intent. May God give me more understanding to realize what you've gone through," It's then that she grips her cross so tightly as she says, 'I'll stand with you, Apollos. I'll help you in your goals but please honor the children that are to fall by your hand and to try to honor every soul that falls by your hand and I pray for you,'

'Yes Apollos, let her pray for your soul,' I hear Zamiel whisper in my head. I then slowly push her back as I say, "It's okay but I will do my best to honor those who fall by my side and those who fell by hand," 'Thank you,' It's then that she curtsies again as blood-red tears fall from her eyes. Before she leaves, she says, 'I'll do my best to make sure no one interferes with what you do,' she said in a strained voice. "Thank you. Your assistance may be necessary so I don't have to hurt anyone else. I want this to be as painless as possible and I'll leave the city," 'You're asking me to stand against my sisters and brothers?' I look at her and say, "I'm asking you to not only do that, but I'm also asking that you make sure that they don't stop me. If you can't do that, I understand but please don't make it any harder than it has to be. I really don't want to hurt anyone else,"

'I won't and I understand what you're asking me to do, Prince Apollos. I'll do my best, I really will,' "Thank you," I say to her, calmly. It's then that she wipes the tears from her face as she says, 'I'm going to put on a brave face and a brave smile for those children. I hope they don't see through it,' "They do but they always seem to put on the prettiest smiles and the bravest looks I've ever seen. Maybe the world would be better if we let children run it," I said to her. 'Yeah, children always seem ot know the best way to do things,' she says in a sad voice.

As she leaves, I sit there, thinking. What have I become? As Henrietta leaves, I begin to think about what I was thinking about before, about how war is fought and I remember that it's always affected the children and the innocent people who don't want to be a part of it, people who are forced to fight, trying to defend their territory and those who have to fight, defending their homeland. All of this is why war is something that should not be had, something that should not be forced onto those who are innocent yet that's what we do.

It's then that I hear another knock on my door and I hear her thoughts as she says, 'Hello Prince Apollos, I'm here now,' Jeane. It's time, I think to myself, it's time to craft Dottie's perfect world. 'Where is she?' I hear Jeane asking. I take a minute to look at her, she decided to cut her hair into a pixie cut and she even went out of her way to wear warmer clothing, I guess it's been a while for her since she's been able to travel. Her last leave was only a year ago after the battle, I gave all of my progenies a much-needed leave and I guess they all enjoyed it.

"How's Anton?" 'He's great,' I see her blushing a little bit, they have gotten closer over the course of a few years and I'm glad they have though I'm not sure what I can say about it. She curtsies as she says, 'I guess it's time to begin,' "Yes, let us craft Dottie the perfect world," 'Yes, my prince. It will be done,'

End of Chapter: The Way The World Is