The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

My Child 
by Asena Lourenco 

A hot flush waves over me as I trudge forward in the mud, each step requiring more energy than the last. My temples compress into my skull with force; mercilessly and without hesitation. I pull my palm away from its inadvertent position, leaving finger prints on my abdomen. My throat closes up. The world whirs around me as the ground is no longer steady. A hand grasps my own as it leads me onto a somewhat clean mattress. The sheets that await me are quickly covered in the regurgitated scraps that I forced down an hour ago. A jerk hits me from inside. It’s time. Everything goes silent as my ears tune out my own deafening screams. I can no longer tolerate the pain. Shaking violently, I push with the little might I am still able to muster. I want this to be over, more than I ever wanted it to begin. Holding the hand of a stranger is not how I pictured this day. And least of all, having to let the child I never wanted slowly slip away.

Fiction © Copyright Asena Lourenco
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com.

More about Asena Lourenco:

Asena Lourenco is sixteen years old. She loves playing hockey, singing, and playing piano.

She began writing short stories and poetry at a very early age, and has been writing with The Ladies of Horror Picture-prompt Challenge since she was ten!

As the youngest member of The Ladies of Horror troupe, Asena has an uncanny command of language and has handled each challenge with grace, enthusiasm, and an aptitude far beyond her years.