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Recap: After realizing that something is off with both Andy and the asylum she is in, Sam manages to obtain the proper documentation and gets approval from a psychologist, but on his way out of the building, Andy is grabbed and both are injected with an anesthetic. They wake up in the basement of the asylum, but are knocked out again. Realizing something is wrong, 15 Division sets out to find Sam and Andy, but soon find themselves running out of leads. When Sam and Andy regain consciousness for a second time, Sam realizes he's cuffed and Andy's going through withdrawals. After helping make the withdrawals more manageable, Sam gives Andy specific instructions, then watches as she climbs out the window in an attempt to find help. Andy battles against exhaustion, meds, and an injured right ankle in an effort to reach a nearby cabin to call for help. While on the phone, she spots headlights and is forced to disconnect the call. Meanwhile, Sam gets worried when after 45 minutes help still hasn't arrived. He hears a gunshot upstairs and soon after, watches as the door is flung open and he finds himself face to face with the barrel of a gun. Andy swims back to the first cabin, finds a gun, and makes her way back downstairs where she finds a woman from the asylum pointing her gun at Sam. When both women turn to face each other, one gun is fired.
Guns pointed at one another, the women locked eyes.
"Leave her alone," Sam said sharply, trying to draw the woman's attention back to him.
"It's her fault," the woman cried, gun shaking in Andy's direction. "Everything is her fault… None of this would be happening without her… She... she needs to die."
Sam's eyes flicked back to Andy. It was obvious she was barely holding it together, but even through her exhaustion, he could see her confusion. Sure she could act, but she genuinely seemed confused.
Andy tightened her grip on the gun, her finger hovering over the trigger. "You know nothing," she said, eyes darkening and eyebrows furrowing.
His heart rate picked up again. Neither woman was paying attention to him anymore. The tension in the room was palpable. Still, he had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that if he didn't do something soon, then…
Bang.
Andy squeezed her eyes shut as a small cry escaped her. Her entire body flinched, pain shooting through her at the sudden jolt. Her breath hitched. And something warm and sticky sprayed across her face and neck. In the few seconds that followed, her entire body tensed, her shoulders rapidly rising and falling as she struggled to get a solid breath in.
Sam's mind was reeling. "McNally," he choked out, his heart thundering in his chest. Every fibre of his being was now on high alert, more so than before.
No response. Her ears were ringing from the deafening sound, an obnoxious high-pitched noise temporarily blocking everything else out.
He cursed as his eyes settled on the body that lay crumpled on the floor, a pool of blood rapidly seeping out from under it. "McNally," he said again, his voice filled with urgency. "McNally."
Silence.
"Andy," Sam tried again. "Open your eyes and look at me, okay? Just look at me."
She sucked in another breath and slowly reached upward, toward her face.
"No," he said sharply, then in a much softer tone, added, "Don't do that. Don't touch your face. Just breathe and look at me... It's going to be okay..."
Andy slowly opened her eyes, blinking hard a few times, but that did little to ease the feeling of stickiness on her eyelids or the smell that was filling her nostrils. Again, she tried to reach upward, desperate to wipe her face clean.
"McNally, don't touch anything," Sam said gently, despite his frustration at being cuffed and, therefore, unable to move or help her. He took a deep breath in an attempt to keep his voice steady. "Just look at me."
Her hand stopped midair as her eyes finally found their way to his face. She could hear him better now, but the words just weren't registering.
"You're okay."
Andy's eyes flicked from his face to the cuffs before shifting to the gun clasped tightly in her left hand. Just seconds ago it had been pointed at the woman. Now it was lowered, though she didn't remember ever moving her arm. That's when she saw the flecks of blood on her hands too. And on her clothing. She let out a small noise, something like a whimper but more strained. She hadn't fired. She had been just moments away from having to make that call, but in a bizarre turn of events, the woman had taken her own life instead of Andy's. Even so, she still felt responsible, and the guilt that was now washing over her was almost paralyzing. So too was the confusion. It just didn't add up.
"Don't," Sam warned, watching as her eyes trailed further down.
Ignoring him, her eyes traveled all the way down to the cement floor. She held her breath as she took in the sight, her gaze shifting from the woman's feet to her head, where they lingered. Andy swallowed hard. A headshot, through and through. Blood everywhere. Eyes wide. Lifeless. Just like her dad, except for the nature of the wounds. She blinked hard. It could have been her. Almost was.
Sam watched Andy closely, frowning when she shook her head and let out a noise of disbelief. Keeping his eyes fixated on her, he tried to get her attention again. Distract her. "Did you call the cops?" Considering she was back, it was probably a stupid question, but he needed her to focus on something other than the body.
But, she didn't even hear him. Although her eyes were still glued to the body, her mind launched back years ago to the night of her father's death. A chill ran through her.
One moment she was acknowledging him – she was there – and the next second she seemed to be gone. He was losing her, at least mentally. To what though, he had no idea. All he knew was that he needed her to focus until they found a way out. "Did you call Jerry?" he asked a little louder this time and in a much sharper tone.
Andy blinked hard, his voice shaking her from her thoughts, her memories.
"McNally?"
Her eyes swung back to him. Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly, but was soon swept up in another wave of exhaustion. Groaning, she bent over with her hands on her knees to brace herself, the gun still firmly clasped in one hand. Even with the adrenalin pumping through her, she was spent. If she sat though, she wouldn't be getting up anytime soon and with Sam cuffed, he wouldn't be able to protect either of them.
"You did?" he pressed.
"Yeah," she breathed, her voice barely audible. The numbness and shock were wearing off, and the ensuing pain was excruciating. She sucked in a sharp breath before pressing her lips together and closing her eyes. She was cold, wet, sore, tired, hungry, and a little dehydrated. And if Jerry didn't hurry up, she'd probably be dead soon too.
"So he..." Sam fell silent as a floorboard somewhere overheard creaked.
Both their eyes shot upward before simultaneously seeking each other out. They shared a worried glance. Grimacing, she slowly reached forward and pried the gun out of the woman's lifeless fingers before Sam could say something to stop her. Then, doing her best to ignore the pain, especially in her ankle, she moved towards the door and closed it, leaning up against it as they waited in a fearful silence. Footsteps sounded above. Each step was heavy and the pattering of shoes on wood was quick. Whoever it was, they were in a hurry. And they were getting closer. Much closer.
When the doorknob rattled and the door started to open seconds later, Sam found himself holding his breath as he helplessly watched Andy throw her weight against it. For a moment it looked like she might actually be able to fend off the person, but seconds later she was grimacing and despite the rough concrete floor, her feet started to slide.
Squeezing her eyes shut again, she threw her small frame against the door once more, a small grunt escaping her. Every part of her body was screaming at her in agony, but she couldn't give up. She had to fight through it.
Sam's eyes flicked from her face to the gap between the door and the frame as it closed, then back again. She'd looked dead on her feet when she'd first come down here, but somehow she looked significantly worse at the moment. Maybe it was the blood splattered across her upper half, the suicide, or the way her wet hair clung to a face stricken with pain. Regardless, it was clear that she was using the last of her strength and that it was only a matter of time before she collapsed. He was shocked she hadn't already, but incredibly thankful.
Andy took in a sharp breath, her shoulders heaving as she desperately tried to fend off their attacker. But, the longer she struggled, the more her knees shook and her ankle threatened to give out completely. Her eyes flicked to Sam and all she could do was shake her head and send him an apologetic look. Then, gripping the guns a little tighter in her hands, she stepped away from the door, the force from the other side causing her to stumble backward and fall. Heart racing, she swung both guns upward, raising her head just a little as her eyes settled on the woman in the doorway. The overpowering smell of floral perfume immediately invaded her nostrils. She knew that smell. Had smelled it before, and it had been mixed with the same smell of blood. Without meaning to, she lowered both guns. "Who are you?" she breathed, eyes wide.
The woman's lips curled upward.
"Who?" Andy demanded, her voice shaking.
There was pounding on the door upstairs, and for a moment everything just seemed to stop. But then the woman slowly backed away and retreated up the stairs, her eyes never leaving Andy's until she was out of sight.
Biting down on her lower lip, she struggled to push herself up and forward in a feeble attempt to go after the woman. To find answers. Freedom. Anything. Even if she only made it up a few steps before passing out, at least she would have tried, right? And if she made it further, then maybe things would become clearer. Like her father's death. The workers at the asylum. Everything.
"McNally," Sam warned, his heart rate jumping again. He recognized that look, even if he hadn't seen it on her face before. It was the look that perps or victims got when they were about to do something stupid. "Don't... Don't go." His voice cracked a little.
Her eyes flicked back in his direction, and he felt something tug at his heart when he saw the tears welling up in her eyes. "I... I need to know," she breathed.
"You will, but you have to stay here," Sam said gently. "I promise we'll figure this out, but that's not going to happen if you go up those stairs alone."
Her eyes shifted back to the staircase, feeling the opportunity slipping away with each passing second.
"I need your help," Sam pleaded. When her eyes settled back on him, he added, "Please." He wasn't used to begging, but so far the only reason either of them had made it this far was because they'd helped each other.
She hesitated, her eyes flicking from the open door to Sam and back again. This was her chance. And yet, in her current state, what could she possibly do?
"We're in this together, okay?" Sam said.
After another hesitant moment, she reluctantly nodded and closed the door, her hand lingering on the wood as doubt filled her. What if this was her only chance?
"Think you can make it back over here?"
She wanted to go upstairs, but her gut told her to stay. So, grimacing, she started to hobble toward him, but paused partway there upon hearing muffled voices upstairs.
Sam strained to hear, eventually picking up a male voice – one that sounded like Jerry – but he couldn't be sure.
They listened for another moment before Andy's eyes flicked back to Sam. Silence engulfed the house once more, until Andy blurted out, "Is he leaving?"
Sam stared at her for a long moment, words escaping him. He couldn't hear anything either, but surely Jerry wouldn't just leave?… unless he wasn't able to get a warrant right away, and didn't have any other choice. Still, if Jerry had been given this address and knew they were here, he wouldn't leave.
"You sure this guy's your friend?"
Sam's brows furrowed. "You talked to him? Gave him this address?" he asked, uneasiness washing over him.
"Do you trust him?" Andy said, ignoring Sam's question.
"Yeah, I do."
With a quick nod, she pushed herself upright a little more, briefly closed her eyes, and took a couple of steadying breaths to try to slow the rising and falling of her shoulders. Then, raising one gun so it was pointed toward the window she'd climbed out of earlier, she fired. The glass immediately shattered, and the sound of voices picked up again, followed by thumping overhead. Heart rate skyrocketing, she backed herself toward Sam until she felt the cool cement wall press up against her back. She then slid down the wall until she was sitting, and drew her knees to her chest.
"Give me the guns," Sam said.
Andy glanced at him, eyebrow quirked. "Why?" she breathed. "So that if it isn't help then you can shoot and miss?" She took another deep breath. "You can't aim with your hands cuffed like that and even if I found something to use, I don't have time to pick the lock on the cuffs."
Sam hesitated. She was right, but if it was help and she shot, then there would be hell to pay. "I can't risk it. What if—"
"When that door opens we have a couple of seconds… You say shoot, I shoot," Andy said, blinking hard as her vision blurred a little. She silently cursed. She had to keep it together. "Otherwise I won't."
Sam stared at her for a long moment. He couldn't believe he was doing this. "You've shot a gun before?" He paused. "Before the window."
Andy nodded. "My dad taught me when I was thirteen. Taught me how to pick a lock when I was twelve."
Even with her eyes on the door, she could tell she'd caught him off guard. His mind raced.
"Look, we've made it this far, right?" Andy said, taking a few breaths before continuing. "Just trust me on this. I can do this." She hoped she was right.
Sam leaned his head back up against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. "You're sure you've got this?"
"I have a good shot," Andy replied, nervously biting down on her lower lip.
"You're also not 100%," Sam argued, although the fact that she'd hit the window was impressive.
"I got us help, didn't I?"
He turned to face her as the noise in the house escalated. Still, they couldn't make anything out. "You'll only shoot if I say shoot?"
Andy turned to look at him and nodded.
"Pulling the trigger is never easy."
She pressed her lips together, and he could feel her tremble a little, though he wasn't sure if it was due to fear or from being cold. "Nothing ever is," she said quietly.
He met her eyes, then nodded. She was determined; he could see it in her eyes. "You can do this."
Because she didn't know what else to do, she nodded, her eyes never leaving his. Despite how tense things were, there was something calming about looking into his eyes. Maybe it was the depth, or the warmth in them. She wasn't sure, but for the first time in a long while, she felt some of the tension lift.
"Ready?" he reluctantly asked, watching as what little calm had washed over her in the last few seconds vanished. She visibly tensed again upon hearing footsteps on the stairs.
Andy swallowed hard, adjusting her grip on the guns before turning her attention back to the door, unconsciously leaning into Sam as she did so.
The next few seconds felt like the longest of their lives. "Breathe," Sam whispered, surprised he'd actually managed to get the word out.
She closed her eyes for a moment and took a few steadying breaths before reopening them. What was taking so long?
When the door finally crashed open, she took another deep breath, her heart pounding heavily in her chest as she waited to see who was on the other side. It was another second before they saw anyone. And when they did, it was a man that stepped through the doorway, his hands immediately flying upward upon spotting the guns. When Sam still didn't say anything, she glanced in his direction, confused until she saw the smile on his lips. "Took you long enough," Sam said to the intruder, then turning to Andy, he said, "Put them down, that's Jerry."
Andy slowly lowered the guns, then set them on the floor and shuffled away as Jerry pulled out a key and unlocked Sam's handcuffs. As he rubbed his wrists and arms to try to get some feeling back into them, Andy's gaze shifted to the two officers who stood behind the detective. One was examining the body, checking for a pulse, while the other was staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes widening as the man approached her. When he reached out to grab her, she scrambled away until her back hit the wall. He reached out again and, this time, took hold of her arms, roughly pulling her to her feet. She struggled. It was a feeble attempt, but it was all the strength she could muster. A crippling fear filled her as thoughts of going back to the asylum whirled through her head. She couldn't go back, not now, not ever. "No," Andy said, squirming in the guy's hold. The grip tightened. "No," she cried out.
Sam's head snapped up. "Stop," he said sharply. "Let her go."
The cop hesitated, but obeyed as Sam's gaze landed on him.
Andy backed up again, her eyes darting towards the door. There was no way she'd have the strength to even pull herself up the stairs, but she was willing to try anything if it lessened her chances of going back to the asylum.
"McNally."
Her eyes flicked to the guns on the floor, her heart rate picking up again.
Sam followed her gaze, eyes widening. Closing the distance between them in a few quick strides, he wrapped her up in his arms. "You're not going back, okay?" he said quietly, putting one hand behind her head and gently pulling her head into his chest, while the other hand rubbed up and down her back in a soothing manner.
She nodded into his chest.
Still, he could feel the tension in her body. "It's okay," he said gently, ignoring the strange look Jerry was giving him. He really didn't even care what his friend thought at this point. Nobody knew what they'd gone through. And if he was honest with himself, right now, it kind of felt good to be holding someone.
It was another minute before her arms became unglued from her own body and wrapped around his, gripping the back of his shirt in both hands. When he finally felt her start to relax, he pulled away, shrugged off his jacket and helped her put it on. Her lips curled upward just the slightest.
"We're good, okay?" he said, tilting her chin upward. Seeing her sway, he added, "I'm going to carry you upstairs..."
She gave a small nod.
In one swift movement, he scooped her up, surprised by how light she was. As her breath fanned out on his neck again, he had to fight back a shiver. He silently cursed. It wasn't like he was deprived of female companions. He pushed the thought aside, frowning as he looked from the door at the bottom of the steps to the one at the top. "Two doors?"
"Uh huh," she mumbled.
His eyebrows shot upward and he glanced back at Jerry who merely nodded at him. Two doors seemed odd. Unnecessary. Had this place been used to hold people captive before? Hearing Andy's teeth start to chatter, he forced himself to head upstairs. She needed medical attention.
"Sammy, wait," Jerry said as they were about to step out of the house.
He turned.
"Do you recognize her?" Jerry asked, gesturing to the kitchen.
Sam glanced at Andy, hesitating, but found his feet carrying himself in the direction Jerry had pointed. Another gunshot victim. He grimaced before his eyes settled on the face. He racked his mind. "Nope," he said after a long moment.
"What about you?" Jerry said, his eyes flicking to Andy.
Sam gently shook her.
"What?" she groaned as she raised her head.
"Do you recognize her?"
Andy's eyes first settled on the woman in handcuffs before shifting to the woman on the floor. Blond hair, hazel eyes, curvy figure, pretty. She hesitated. "No."
"And the one downstairs?"
Her eyes flicked around the room before settling on Jerry. "No." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an officer leading the cuffed woman outside.
"You're sure?" Jerry pressed.
Again, she hesitated. "Maybe the one downstairs... in passing. But I don't know."
"I'll take your statements later," Jerry said, nodding for Sam to go as he turned back to examine the second body.
The second they stepped foot outside, Sam's stride faltered as he took in the scenery. "How far did you have to go?"
Overhearing, a nearby officer said, "Nearest house is just under 5 km from here."
Sam tilted his head so he could see Andy a little better, his mouth falling open a little. She couldn't have been gone for much more than 45 minutes, which meant she had to have been running, and for someone who had been locked up for three years, that had to have taken a lot out of her, even if she was running on adrenalin. No wonder she was so limp in his arms right now. She had to be crashing. Pulling her tighter to him, he descended the stairs and was met by the paramedics. He gently set her on the gurney, but the second the paramedic tried to touch her, she practically threw herself off of it. Sam barely caught her and pushed her back up. "They just need to check you out."
"I'm not going."
He ran a hand over his face. Of course she wouldn't want to go. The hospital would likely remind her of the asylum. Looking over at the paramedic, he said, "Does she have to go?"
"She should have some x-rays done."
"Do whatever you can here," Sam said. "We'll figure the rest out later."
"We're going to have to get approval for that," the paramedic replied. "I'll do what I can right now though."
When Andy started to back away again, Sam took her hand in his. "I'll stay," he said softly. "And nothing's going to happen, but you need to be examined."
She reluctantly nodded, but couldn't help but flinch when the paramedic touched her. Feeling Sam's hand squeeze hers, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on his hand rather than what the paramedic was doing.
As he waited, his mind went over everything from the time they tried to leave the asylum until the present. "She said something."
Andy opened her eyes and looked over at him. "What?"
"The woman downstairs. Before she pulled the trigger, she said something, didn't she?"
Get Drew. It had been repeating in her head ever since it had slipped from the woman's mouth, but with everything else that had been going on, Andy hadn't thought much of it. "I didn't hear anything," she said, closing her eyes again as the paramedics wrapped up her ankle.
Sam frowned. "You're sure?"
Andy hesitated, then nodded. "She didn't say anything."
His frown deepened, but the sight of her swollen ankle momentarily distracted him. "What happened?"
She followed his gaze, then fiddled nervously with the sleeve of his jacket. "I had a disagreement with the ditch... it won."
He couldn't help but laugh. After the stress of everything, her sense of humour was welcome. Before he could think of a witty response, however, Jerry approached them.
"Do you recognize her?" the detective said, pointing to the woman in the back of one of the squad cars.
Both Sam and Andy turned to look. Sam frowned, taking in the dark hair and pale complexion. "She was at the front desk when we left... I'm pretty sure that was her." He looked at Andy. "You were looking at the woman behind the desk a lot though. Is that her?"
Both men turned to look at Andy, whose eyes were locked on the woman's. With the window rolled down partway, she briefly wondered how much the woman had heard.
"McNally?"
With her eyes still fixed on the other woman, Andy took a deep breath. "I don't remember."
The corners of the woman's lips twitched, her eyes glinting in the moonlight, making her features look sharper and her gaze more intense.
Heart pounding heavily in her chest, Andy stared right back, everything around her blocked out as she looked into the eyes of what she suspected was one of only two people who could give her the answers she needed. The question was: how far was she willing to go to get them?
Thanks again for reading! I'm not satisfied with this chapter, it seems a little weak, but I'm still really curious to see what you guys think about what's going on. I mean, why would the woman in the basement commit suicide after threatening Andy? What's going on with the body upstairs? And, who is the woman that was arrested? Any thoughts? And what do you guys think about Andy at the moment? Any predictions? I hope you'll let me know and join me for the next chapter.
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