Waking Up Dead
Ketti: Another story to not finish, because everyone knows Ketti needs more stories to not finish. No, but, seriously, I know exactly how I want this one to go. So we'll see. I only posted this one now because it's a present for JuJu needing to do icky school stuff.
"Stop! Stop or I'll shoot!" Seras Victoria hollered as she clapped one hand to her hip, legs pumping like pistons as she ate up the distance separating her from the criminal her squad was chasing down. Eddie was going around to try and cut him off while Simon stayed with the car to keep track of them both and run the perp down if he tried to car jack someone.
The suspected murderer – suspected her ass, he'd run out of the house with his shirt covered in blood! – just laughed and threw himself around the corner. By the time she reached the same spot, he was no where to be seen. Scowling, she looked around wildly before some voice in her head told her to look up; she did. She fingered her gun for a moment before cursing and throwing herself at the fire escape to continue her pursuit. This sick bastard wouldn't get away with it, she'd chase him down to the ends of the earth if she had to. Her squad mates might call her Kitten, but she was a bloody terrier when it came to chasing down her prey.
Quickly grabbing her radio, she flicked it on, panting, "Eddie, I've got him running through the apartments, cut him off!" She heard a crackle, and a man's voice rasped in her ear, but her entire focus was set on catching up with the bastard and stopping him before he could hurt anybody else. She heard screaming as the residents of the building spotted the blood covered man running by their windows, and ran faster up the stairs and across the short walkway, hand hovering over the rail to catch herself in case she tripped.
"No! STEVIE!" A heart rending scream nearly sent her face planting the next step as a woman started sobbing hysterically in time with a child's wail. Her eyes widened as she realized what must have happened and she set her jaw in determination as she forced her legs to move faster. Faster. Faster! She passed the windows in a blur, using the rails to sling shot herself around the corners and up the stairs. She'd eat her badge before she let an innocent child get hurt on her watch. Ignoring the burning in her side, she threw herself onto the roof in a roll, gun in hand as she came up on her knees, "Freeze!"
Stevie screamed, and Seras could only watch, dumbfounded as the shaggy haired man finished his running leap off the roof to the next building. He turned to look at her, and laughed, flipping her off as he dangled the little boy – surely no older than five! – by his suspenders. Snarling in response, she shoved the pistol back into its holster as she backed up and braced herself. Pushing off from the ledge, she pumped her arms in time with her legs, forcing herself past her body's limits as she launched herself into the open air between the two apartment complexes. For a split second her heart stopped as she realized that her legs were shorter than his, what if… What if I fall? Oh god, please, please let me make it. She hit the ground hard and only instinct saved her from a leg fracture as she went limp and rolled with it, again coming up with gun in hand, blue eyes gleaming with determination. A man she hadn't seen before – he must have come up the inner stairwell – grabbed her by the wrist and twisted, but she refused to let go, and shot the perp in the leg before her firearm fell from nerveless fingers. A hard smack was delivered to her cheek and her head reeled as she fell back to the concrete, the only thing saving her from another bump the hold on her wrist. A shoe swung at her ribs and she coughed as the air flew from her lungs, rolling on her side as her numb hand was released. Stevie wasn't screaming anymore, but instead of being relieved, dread filled her core.
"Stupid bitch shot me!" A voice growled, proving that she hadn't suddenly gone deaf, and she groaned as she tried to get to her feet, one arm curled protectively around her stomach. "You don't expect me to have pity on you, do you? Idiot. You weren't supposed to be caught in the first place." The second man, the one that had disarmed her, had a voice like ice, and she could see his white pant legs through her bangs. "The bitch runs fast," by the gods his voice was irritating, gravelly and whiny all at the same time. Seras' features twisted in distaste as she wheezed, pushing herself up only to be kicked down as the white clad man's shoe nearly inverted her elbow. Screaming soundlessly, she rolled away from him as she clutched her arm, moaning as her ribs throbbed in time with her heartbeat.
"She's persistent, I'll give her that."
She could hear them shifting around, the scuffle of their soles on the hard ground, and with a trembling hand, she reached for her radio to turn the receiver on. Unfortunately for her, it crackled, drawing their attention. The perp snarled and lunged at her at the same time as she forced herself into a back-roll-flip to land on her knees with her pepper spray aimed for his face. Without hesitating, she pressed down on the nozzle, not daring to stay still longer than a moment as she threw herself to the side, miraculously avoiding a shot from her own gun. The murderer's pained yells filled her ears as she turned to face the blond man, eyes wide with fear. Oh god, he was going to… The world slowed to a crawl as she stared at the muzzle of her pistol, her heart sounding like a death knell in her ears.
The bang of her pistol sounded like cannon fire, drawing her focus down to a pinprick of light before there was a sudden pain in her neck and everything went dark.
"Seras! SERAS! Oh god Simon, get back up. Kitten, can you hear me, Kit-"
"Damaging the merchandise? How sloppy. You're lucky your brother intervened. If you had actually…"
"Bitch got some damn fine legs on her. Nothing broken, bruises will fade, nice pick, bro!"
"Do shut up and finish changing her already, the smell of her blood is making me hungry."
"Yeah, yeah, keep your fuckin' teeth in. But, hey, if she doesn't sell, we can always keep her."
…