Here is the continuation to a one shot I wrote last year. This one was written almost immediately after the other one but due to some problems with my computer at the time I thought I'd lost it. Fortunately I've been able to find a copy of it in an old pendrive. Tomorrow I will update my Star Wars AU story but today I thought I would upload this. Hope you enjoy
LD: I don't own Silent Hill.
Endings and New Beginnings.
"A rather stupid move on your part" Sewell said with a smug smirk on his face as his minions finished tying Anne up to a chair. "Coming here alone without reinforcements."
Anne just glared at her father's murderer, all her hatred of him increasing by the moment, she wanted to kill him even more than before. Not that she had a chance of course, and everything because she had been stupid and she hadn't listened to Murphy. The former convict had had her best interests at heart when he had tried to convince her to take the evidence they had collected to the FBI, and tell them of everything Sewell had done. She however had ignored his warnings, choosing to ignore her common sense and the man who'd been working with her since half a year ago to bring her father's murderer to justice. And as a result she had landed on this situation.
"For a year you've been investigating my every move sweetheart. I would have thought you would be smarter than to fall into a trap like this." Sewell spoke again pulling Anne out of her own thoughts. " Did I overestimate you?" He laughed. He was enjoying this Anne realized. "I thought you would be more of a challenge. With all advantages I've given you and all the time you've had to prepare."
"How do you…?" Anne began surprised that Sewell knew about their private little investigation.
"Oh come on Honey." He said as hate substituted surprise on Anne's mind again. "No one gets to be someone like me without being a step ahead of everyone, especially an agent of the law. I know you have been after me for at least a year, in fact you even tried to confront me on the locker rooms when you transferred, perhaps with the mindset to kill me, I truly don't know what stopped you then. You really should have." He smiled. "And I know Pendleton has been helping you for some time too. I actually was surprised by this, I never expected the bastard to still be alive although I suppose it makes sense since it was you who reported his defunction" He smiled sadistically. "I wonder what his expression will be when he sees the news of your death on tv. I wonder how he'll take your death, this was his chance to redeem himself in front of your old man after all. He couldn't save him from me after all, I'm sure he had made some kind of promise in front of his grave to keep you safe or something like that" he chuckled cruelly. "He is kind of useless though, he didn't have the guts to kill his child's killer he didn't have the guts to either save or kill your dad." He paused and looked at her. "And he didn't have the guts to come here with you to keep you safe. Not that he'd been able to, he would have ended dead, for real this time." He said as he and his goons laughed. "He is a pathetic, worthless piece of crap"
"He is worth much more than someone like you!" She replied angrily and he backslapped her in return pulling a gun and pointing it at her.
"Shut up you whore!" Shouted Sewell.
She closed her eyes to avoid the tears of frustration and hate from falling from her eyes. There weren't only tears of frustration hate and regret though, there were also tears of sadness about Murphy. If she knew the man she had come to see as a good friend he would feel responsible for her death, like he felt responsible for her father's death to a degree, and she knew that he would suffer, kicking himself for not insisting. He had warned her after all, he had all but begged her to listen to him and she had been too harsh on her refusal.
The sound of a gun made her open her eyes again. At first she thought it had been Sewell or one of his goons the and that she had been shot, but when the wave of pain didn't come and neither did the wave of pain she searched the werehouse the three of them had taken them too just as Sewell fell to the ground dead or heavily injured and his goond kneeled with their hands behind their hands. A group of FBI SWAT shouted orders at the criminals while they approached them and secured them while one of them released her.
"How?" She asked completely confused about how they knew where she was, also how they were able to enter the werehouse without her or her captors hearing, but the second question was not as relevant since she new the special team had it's ways.
"A man by the name of Pendleton came by one of the FBI offices earlier today to give himself up and warn us about you coming here." One of the SWAT officers told her. "Have they hurt you?"
"They hit me on the back of the head with something and he has slapped me but he hits like a girl and I don't think it will even become bruised." She replied with humor making the SWAT member chuckle. Despite her response a pair of paramedics were already approaching her to check on her and helped her walk towards an ambulance. As they came out of the werehouse Anne looked around, it seemed that Sewell had taken her to a town that reminded her of Silent Hill, she shivered before entering the ambulance as she remembered what had happened on that cursed town a year ago.
As she laid on one of the stretchers, both paramedics got on the ambulance and headed for the hospital.
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Anne didn't have much rest at the hospital as she did have to answer to the very unpleasant questions from the FBI, since Sewell's criminal activities had been commited on several states it fell under . It seemed that they had finished interrogating Murphy and had some questions for her as well. They weren't as hostile as she thought they could be, she had after all let a prisoner escape by faking his death, but they just didn't seem so interested on that story, whether it was because of something Murphy had told them or not she ignored it.
"Excuse me, what has happened to Pendleton? The man who warned you about my actions?" Anne asked. And the special agents interrogating her.
"He has been cooperating with us to tell us everything he knows about Sewell." The older of the two, a man about the age of her father, told her. "He will be on trial soon."
Anne tried to play it cool, she knew they surely knew or had guessed something about her involvement in Murph's escape but they hadn't press her about that yet and she didn't want to take on that kind of interrogation yet but she was worried about her friend. "I do have some information on the charges on Pendleton."
The younger agent, a young woman who had possibly recently graduated from Quantico raised an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean?"
"Sewell, he said that Pendleton didn't kill his child's killer or my father. He said he didn't have the guts to do it so he'd done it himself." She made a face as she remembered the expression the former prison guard had as he spoke of that.
The female agent obseved her partner who just looked at Anne as if to try to discern if she was telling the truth. Finally the man nodded and said. "We will take it into account Mrs Cunningham." He said before both agents exited the hospital room.
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Two weeks later Anne found herself back at home in front of a bottle of Scotch and boringly switching tv channels. She was now officially unemployed, the DoC couldn't allow a guard who purposefully let one of the convicts escape, although she guessed she could consider herself lucky that she was alive and free, especially free. The thought of freedom reminded her of Murphy, the man who had helped her bring her father's murderer to justice, the man whose actions had saved her life at the cost of his own personal freedom, she laughed bitterly at the irony of that before drinking her glass as if it was a shot of tequila.
Murphy Pendleton had done what was right, he had helped bring a bad guy to justice and had more than served the sentence for the crime he had committed thanks to the crimes of which he was framed. Not only that after meeting her on the cemetery he had come to her aid leaving his new life behind to help her close the case, to get her vengeance and all he had gotten in return was his return to prison.
She had tried to talk with him on the FBI office he was being held on but the feds hadn't allowed her in and her boss had demanded she went back, so that he could personally fire her for her action, before she could try twice. She boringly switched the channel again and saw his face. Her eyes went wide as she observed Murphy Pendleton walking along his lawyer as they exited the courthouse.
"Today was the final day of the trial of former convict Murphy Pendleton, Pendleton alledgedly escaped prison after the bus transporting him and several other convicts suffered an accident when he was presumed dead until he turned himself in two weeks ago. In a surprise twist, and listening to both the recommendation of the authorities and his lawyers he's been set free after it has been proven that he was framed for many of the crimes he supposedly commited." The female news anchor spoke over the video. "Apparently this decision was also made taking into account that Pendleton along with an unknown colaborator have helped federal authorities in bringing to justice former DoC's officer and alledged criminal George Sewell. Sewell has..." The news continued but she turned the tv off
Murphy was free, he had been set free, justice had completely been done. At this she smiled, he deserved it, he deserved that ending, he deserved society to know that he wasn't a monster, that he was a good man. She thought on calling him but stopped herself. Her last words towards him had been harsh, she had called him a coward and told him she didn't need him. He had seemed hurt then but Anne had ignored his expression and had stormed off headed for an improvised police operation that almost took her life. No, he was free and she was happy about that but she wasn't going to call him, she didn't deserve to be his friend, she would let him enjoy his freedom not only from prison but from her also. She poured herself another glass and drank it in one go as she had done with the first one. She was definitely getting drunk that night.
A knock on the door prevented her from filling the glass a third time. Leaving it on her living room table she headed for the door of her apartment and saw him, Murphy, dressed in civilian clothes like he had ever since he began helping her but the air was different. Since their encounter at the graveyard six months ago she had felt that Murphy felt uncomfortable with his clothes. She hadn't figured out why until one night he told her that he'd grown too accostumed to the prisoner outfit he usually wore
Whenever they were out she normally wore a cap and sunglasses or something to cover his face to prevent from being recognized and reported by anyone, even if the authorities thought he was dead the former convict preferred not to take risks. Now however he didn't wear anything, his face was completely visible and his air was relaxed.
"Murphy?" She asked a little unsure. She had had two glasses of scotch but she was sure she was not drunk yet.
"Hey. Can I come in?" Murphy asked casually. She looked at him for a brief moment before stepping aside and letting him in. He entered and headed for the living room with her following close behind after closing the door. He noticed the bottle of alcohol and the glass with ice and turned to her.
"Were you drinking?" He asked although the answer was obvious. The look he gave her was one of concern
"I was... celebrating... celebrating our victory." Anne lied in a rather unconvincing tone.
"I see" he said. "Care If I join you?" He asked, this time his concern gone, perhaps because he thought that with him there she wouldn't drink much. And he was right for Anne didn't feel like drinking anymore that night.
"I think I've had enough for today although I'll be glad to pour you a drink if you want." She offered.
"No thanks." He politely declined. "I've heard from the FBI agents that you were asking for me back when you were in the hospital."
"Of course I did" She replied. "I was worried about you, the SWAT team that rescued me told me you had gone to the authorities. You gave up your freedom for me."
"I told you I would help you" he replied simply. "I also heard that you told them that Sewell had confessed to what he did to your dad and my child's killer." He added. "So thanks for your help."
She chuckled and looked at him again, her eyes betraying her intentions. "Murph, I am sorry about what I said to you when you told me going after him was a bad idea."
"There is no need for apologies. Besides if you hadn't gone after him I would still be a dead man without the chance to start anew" He replied and she nodded but something about that made feel sad. Start anew meant leaving his dark past behind and even though Anne considered him a friend and she was pretty sure he had come to see her as one too, starting anew meant leaving her behind.
"I think I'll actually take another glass of scotch." She said her voice not betraying her emotions. "Care to join me?"
"Yeah, I will" He said noticing a sudden shift in her mood. She smiled and motioned for him to seat when she went to get another glass and more ice, returning after just a few seconds out of the living room.
"So what will you do now?" she asked doing her best to sound casual.
"Now that you've served it I guess I will drink it" he joked and she rolled her eyes with a small smile.
"I meant with your life" she said. "Your were speaking of starting anew."
"Well that's what you do with you finish something like what we have been through, both with Silent Hill and Sewell, isn't it? I think I will get out the state and find a job, I was thinking of going to California." He replied as they clinked and took a swig of their drinks. "What about you?" He then asked as the alcohol burnt both of their throats
"I don't know for me it's not quite done yet. The FBI contacted me a few days ago, they want me to give them my statement I don't know if they'll need me to testify, they do have a pretty solid case even without my testimony." She said. "Afterwards I suppose I should also start looking for a job."
"So the DoC has fired you? After all you've done? One understandable miss and they fire you?" Murphy asked and Anne wondered if he was trying to put all the blame on the DoC not to feel guilty for her situation, which he wasn't.
"It's normal, I let you, a convict, go after all. If they hadn't fired me I would probably have left myself." She said although she didn't sound as convincing as she would have wanted. "Plus like you said it's time for a new beginning, to start a new. Again she clinked both glasses and took another larger swig.
"Perhaps together" He said almost in a whisper and she looked at him with her eyes opened wide.
"What did you say?" Anne asked perhaps in a more brusque way than the one she'd wanted. He looked at her and drank a little himself as if he didn't dare to repeat what he'd said and wanted to let it go. "Murph." She said this time in a softer more encouraging tone.
"I said that perhaps, we could start anew together. You know since we both have a new beginning ahead of us." He repeated still rather insecure.
Anne observed her friend for a moment trying to decipher the implications of what he was saying. She'd feared Murphy leaving her to start anew because he was her friend and she was always sad to lose a friend especially since making new ones wasn't her forte. But male friends didn't ask female friends to start again together in life if they didn't feel more than friendship for them, which meant, which meant that Murphy felt something more for her. That he loved her or at least liked her enough to make such a proposal. And that worried her a little because it awoke on her an inner struggle because she couldn't with a hundred percent certaintly that she only saw him as a friend
She shook her head, she was overthinking things, and she wasn't in the best state of mind right at that moment. Perhaps he just meant as friends, go to California share a flat be friends and perhaps find love again with each other or other people. Perhaps his guilt over her being fired from her job had been what prompted him to say such a thing. The last thought angered her but she calmed herself and decided to find out
"What do you mean?" She asked. "If this is because you feel guilty because I lost my job..."
"It's not that!" Murphy interrupted her and relief washed over her, then it could only be one of the two other options, and from Murphy's expression and behaviour she could already guess which one it was. "I meant I want you there with me." He said confirming her suspicions. At first she didn't know what to respond, after her first marriage had ended she had lost faith on most stable relationships, sure there were one night stands here and here but never something serious. Looking at Murphy though, she had something, something that told her that they could make things work, that a relation was possible. The question was, would she want to?
She observed Murphy and somehow he seemed more nervous than he had been even on Silent Hill when she pursued him, even more so than when they'd began working to bring Sewell to justice but not more than when she'd decided to put her life in risk when he'd fought her and adviced her against it and when that hadn't worked he had gone to the Feds with what they had and his word, knowing he would be interrogated and probably thrown in jail. He truly cared about her and she, she now realized, cared about him, as the only thing she had been able to think about since Sewell was arrested and her father avenged was Murphy and even before when she thought she was going to die she thought about him. She loved him and wanted to be with him.
She smiled glad that she had cleared her thoughts. Clinking their glasses one last time she said. "To endings and New beginnings." And the next thing he knew she had her lips on his giving him a clearer answer.