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man in the porcelain mask, "remember who it was that saved your son's life.”
    Saved his life? What did that mean? Would he spare Gabe?
    " I want you to see something, Holly.”
    Agent Grant leaned toward her. "Remember how he says your name. Watch how he walks. Study it all.”
    The man disappeared from view, and the camera wobbled.
    " Watch and listen, Holly," said the agent, her voice almost a whisper.
    An open door came into view, and just beyond was a bright room with primary colors. As the camera entered the room, terror gripped Holly's chest. In the corner Gabe was playing with action figures on the floor. Children’s music played in the background.
    " You see,” said the man from behind the camera, "he is safe.”
    Holly screamed at the screen. "Gabe! Gabe!”
    " He can't hear you, Holly.”
    " Please don't hurt him!”
    " Do you see how happy he is?” A hand reached out and the door closed. "You know, I find it ironic that you are worried that I will hurt him.”
    Holly tried to wrap her brain around his words. Again he was implying that he would let her son live. Was her son different from the others?
    The camera was returned to its original perch, and the man reappeared in the frame. "How could I possibly hurt him any more than you?” Even with the digital effect, she could hear the contempt in his voice. "What kind of life did you have planned for him, Holly? Oh, that's right, you don't have a plan. How many years will he suffer because you decided to bring him into the world? If I were to butcher him in cold blood, he would suffer less than what you have in store for him.”
    The words sliced at her heart like a hot knife. It was true. What kind of life was she giving him? What kind of mother was she? Gabe deserved more—but she needed him.
    " Look at you, Holly. You can barely take care of yourself. What made you think you were fit to raise a child? What made you think you could be a good mother?”
    Tears flooded her eyes. He was right. Everything he said was true. She had considered not having him—saving him from a life of poverty and shame. She knew what life she was bringing him into, but she chose to have him anyway.
    " You had your chance to make the right choice. Now I'm going to do what you were unwilling to do, I’m going to make the choice for you."
    What choice? She struggled again to unravel his riddles, but her brain was numb with panic.
    " Fortunately," he said, "I will be more humane than you have been."
    His words bored their way into her head like a worm, cutting through dead tissue until they found a nerve. He would do what she was unwilling to do? Kill her son! Holly lurched forward. "No! Please don't kill my son! I'll do anything you want, anything!”
    But even as she said it, she realized—she had nothing to offer, and no one to turn to for help. She had burned every bridge and broken every promise she had ever made.
    " Will you still be selfish? Even now? Look at yourself!” said the digitally warped voice. "Do you want me to tell the nice police officers what a fine upstanding mommy you are?”
    " Please...” she whispered. "Don't." Tears poured down her nose and cheeks. He was right. Everything he said was true.
    " Do you want me to tell them that you are only one hypodermic needle away from exiting this world and leaving your son alone in a filthy run down apartment, wondering when his mommy will return? How does a six-year-old recover from something like that? I'll tell you how. He doesn't!”
    She quaked as his words resonated through her.
    " Or better yet, maybe he'll grow up. Maybe he'll have the fun of hiding his dirty little secret from all the kids at school for fear they will discover that his mommy sells her body for drugs.”
    Holly's eyes pleaded with the officers in the room. "It's not true. I would never...” She could never do such a horrible thing. It would never get that bad. She would give him to the State before she ever let that happen.
    " I'm not the