A/N: This ficlet was inspired in part by the Jen Titus cover of "O Death," which I think is somewhat fitting for Reese - the title of this story comes from the song, which is a traditional dirge. (This story was formerly titled "Eyes" and has been somewhat updated.) I do not own the characters, despite how much I really enjoy Person of Interest.
Joss Carter had seen all kinds of bad guys, both in the service and as an NYPD detective. Most bad guys were driven by the everyday, run-of-the-mill motivations: money, power, sex. Sometimes, people killed each other for the most petty, trivial reasons. A few bucks out of a cash register. A fender-bender that dinged up a new car. A careless word.
But the worst sort, as far as Detective Carter was concerned, were the people who were just plain broken.
When she sat down across from the nameless bum, she could see it in his eyes: mirror-like, they reflected a bleak and hopeless view of the world. Even if she hadn't seen the video of this individual (could he still be called a man?) single-handedly beating Anton O'Mara and his thugs to a bloody pulp, she'd have felt chilled by those pale, empty blue eyes.
What had happened to him? Was it the war that shattered him, leaving behind a hollow shell of a human being? Or was it something else, something closer to home? Did it even matter, now?
Looking into those eyes, she felt like icy hands were wrapping themselves around her soul. Did he even feel pity, or remorse, or compassion anymore? Quite frankly, she was surprised that the Anton and his friends were still alive, given the cold dispassion in his expression. All that was left was control. Once that was gone...
He didn't even care when she took his plastic cup to get his fingerprints. He merely sat there, watching her. She tried her best to conceal the shiver that ran down her back. There was an old saying, that eyes were the window to the soul. What she saw in him... well. He wasn't just on speaking terms with death - inside, he already was dead.
All that was left was for his body to follow, one day. The only question was how many people he took with him along the way.