Chapter 4

“Maggie, calm down! The children…”

“They’re mychildren. By the grace of God, they’ve been spared the horror of this…this…I want you to get away from me and never to see them again!”

He didn’t remind her they were his children, too. She was too distraught.

“What about the baby?”

“I don’t care what you do with that thing. Throw it in a dumpster. Leave it in a landfillSell it to the Martians!” she spat.

“Magdalena, he’s your baby!” Ben could see she wasn’t thinking rationally. He had known the almost rabid fear his wife’s family held of what his own bloodline contained, but for her to deny her own flesh and blood like this, for her to be willing to condemn their tiny son to death…

“Oh, my God!” She tore at her hair. “I nursed it at my breast! It had its mouth on me!” She began scraping her breasts with her nails.

Ben stood there feeling helpless.