A.N: Alright, so I know that this chapter might be a little boring, but bear with me, its important. I promise. Anyway, just so you know; Coconut Growl, I NEVER think ANYONE sounds like a freak if they gush about the story. XD it makes me feel good that you guys are actually interpreting my writing and getting what I'm putting across. I appreciate everyone's reviews, and I promise a next installment VERY soon. Thnx, and Enjoy!

(Updated 2/28/11)

Chapter 10; Darkest Hour

Teri watched him turn around, her heart threatening to pound through her chest as she felt the intense fear that coursed through her veins. She had anticipated that the worst thing they could do to her for her act of violence was lock her up in solitary confinement. She never thought that she'd be staring into the mask of the underworlds most feared vigilante. "I don't know what you want." she whispered.

"Said you killed for sister." Rorschach stated, "Never mentioned her after confession in journal."

Teri chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "Yeah, so?"

"Mentioned in every entry until last."

Teri pulled her legs beneath her, wrapping herself in the sheet, "So." she told him simply.

Rorschach groaned. He wanted his answers. He thought briefly about using force, but Walter immediately shot the idea out the window. "Not leaving until questions answered." he hesitated before deciding not to take a step forward. The last thing he wanted to do was to expel a weakness. He needed the upper hand in this conversation, thus he stood at the end of the room, his hands in his pockets.

Teri stared at him, contemplating whether or not he was telling her the truth. She considered his presence. If he'd wanted to dispel her, perhaps he would have already done it. If he was going to kill her, he'd do it whether or not she said anything. No one would know the difference. Rorschach didn't seem the type to leave a murderer living for the police anyway….

Her mind trailed to the thought of how wonderful it would be to get those memories off of her chest, especially if her fate didn't matter. "What was your question again?" Teri asked, her voice low and soft.

"Sister." Rorschach answered gruffly. "Not with her. Why?"

"She's dead." she confessed, her eyes misting. "Why, again, do you need to know this?"

Rorschach swallowed, eyeing her weak form, watching her in the darkness. "Trying to help." Rorschach winced. he couldn't believe he had just said that. He didn't intentionally say it. It must have been Walter. Had to have been.

Teri nodded, accepting that. She could see why, especially if he was going to hound her out of his city when they were finished. At least she'd be able to share it with somebody. "My plan didn't quite go like I wanted it to." she brought her eyes to him, gesturing for the seat beside her bed. "It's a long story."

Rorschach was silent as he came forward; he preferred to stand, but if it would get her talking than he'd do it. At least the words coming out of her mouth didn't have the dull past of a newsvendor, they were actually somewhat interesting to him.

Teri sighed, gathering her thoughts. "When I found out about the organization, I applied at the hotel that they were supposed to be holding it at-"

"How did you know?" Rorschach interrupted.

Teri blinked. She was tempted to scold him for interrupting. But she wasn't the scary vigilante that killed people that got in his way. She decided against it. "I integrated myself into the underground world." she answered. "I made contacts; people I trusted for information."

Rorschach nodded. The route all women eventually take; she turned into a whore. Rorschach secretly hoped that Walter was closely listening.

Teri continued, not knowing the fallacious thoughts that were bounding through his head. "Anyway, I worked as one of the maids for the hotel." she ran a hand through her hair. "I scouted the place out while I worked, day after day. I wasn't poky, and I was very obedient." she paused.
"No one told me of the auction, and I guess they figured the less I knew, the better it was for them. So when the day came, they weren't surprised when I just played along." she took a breath.
"The hotel closed down that night, and recorded in the books that it was for maintenance checks in all the rooms. They put me in charge of serving the drinks and the food to the buyers."

Teri averted her eyes, scratching inconspicuously at her leg. "I had it all planned out. I would poison the food and drinks, and take out any of the organization that refused refreshments. I knew I'd have to disengage the camera's as well, but that wasn't an issue. The cameras were only in the main areas of the hotel, and they weren't state of the art." she shrugged, managing a roll of her eyes. "It doesn't take a genius to pull the plug, but apparently it takes a genius to figure out that the plug was pulled. I had plenty of time." Teri took a deep breath, glancing at Rorschach.

"It went very simple. I put cyanide in the both the food and drinks. Hotel staff were forbidden to eat or drink leisurely, so I didn't expect they would. But they weren't the ones I needed to kill. I knew as soon as the organization was massacred there, they wouldn't come back to the hotel anyway." Teri shook her head. "But something happened, and half of the people I delivered refreshments to didn't keel over. I couldn't figure it out, and as soon as the panic started when people started to die, I had to get rid of the people who survived, I couldn't just let them go."

"Hard to see you kill someone." Rorschach muttered. "Physically weak."

Teri stared at him. "It doesn't take much to open a bottle of cyanide. Nor to pull a trigger." she paused to make sure that he was finished. "I was a real emotional wreck; I used anything I could to kill them." Teri rubbed her face with her hands.
"When I was finished; when I had disposed of everyone in the organization–I went to find the girls. I went to find Sam." Teri trailed off, staring down at her hands.

Rorschach cleared his throat, pulling her from her thoughts to stare at him. "Go on."

Teri sighed. "While I was on a delivery, one of the waiters had been told to take a tray of alcoholic drinks to the girls. To help calm them. Get them loose, before the show..." she started to break down, her bottom lip quivering with recollection. "W-when I f-found t-them…"

Rorschach watched as she curled up, sobbing into her hands, her knees. She didn't have to say anymore. It was clear to him what happened. She had unintentionally killed the ones that she had meant to save. The trays had been switched without her knowledge.

He let her get it all out, observing her feeble attempts to stifle her loud sobs with her hands. "You feel guilty?" he asked as her crying slowed. Sure innocents lives had been taken, but for the reward of so many disgusting, undulating worms dead.
In Rorschach's eyes it was merely a transaction loss. Well worth it in the long run. He saw no reason to fret over it, even if it meant the loss of her sister.

Teri nodded, trying her hardest to stop the hiccups that were emerging from her throat. She had opened a door, letting all her built up emotions loose and now was having a hard time shoving them back into place.

"You put them out of their misery." Rorschach told her. It was true: had Teri not succeeded, the young women would have been taken to various countries and used like rag dolls. Then sellers would have gone elsewhere, collecting more innocents; a vicious cycle to a vicious world.

"That wasn't my intention!" She cried out, her voice raspy as she fought for breath. "They weren't dogs, but normal people! They had lives Rorschach, lives!" she gasped.

"Breath." Rorschach told her, staring her reddened eyes and wet face.

Teri wiped her wet nose on her sleeve and took several lengthy, deep breaths. "One of them was my sister…" she whispered.

Rorschach watched as her walls came tumbling down around her. He watched as the bashful newsvendor Walter knew, sat before him, broken and bleeding under his gaze. Her bleak past out into the open air waiting for his judgment.

Teri echoed a few sorrowful moans as she started to fall back into that rut again. Walter reached out, tentatively, with his gloved hand. He knew her pain. He knew of the sacrifice that she had made to condone that pain. He understood.
His gloved fingers brushed lightly against her cheek, taking a few tears from her flushed skin. Teri closed her eyes as the rough material stroked her, and eyed him wearily when he pulled back.

"Thank you…" she whispered, pulling her knees close. She knew that she'd needed to get those emotions out to someone, and for once in a long time she was beginning to feel better.

"I… am sorry." Rorschach got out. But this time he didn't deny that it was his voice that had spoken.

Teri wasn't sure whether he meant for reading her journal, or for making her relive the death of her sister. But it was an apology, and she wasn't going to question it.

She waited then, for Rorschach to get rid of her. Possibly a bag over her head, or a rope. But he merely stood and strode back to the window. "You… you're not going to…" she swallowed, a large obstruction squeezing away at her chest.

He placed his hands on the window, unlatching it and lifting the thick glass enough so he could climb out. He looked over his shoulder at her weak figure.
He felt disgusted that he'd listen to her babble and sob at her own infirmity, but he felt a newfound reason to help her. They shared a common factor. No longer was he going to be Walter's errand boy. This was his fight too. "Be back tomorrow."

When he left, Teri sunk back onto her bed, her sobs coming back to her in a great flood. She cried as she remembered the look on her sisters face as she laid on the ground, her scanty bathing suit clinging to her skin.

She remembered all the women in that room; none of them over twenty. None of them had survived. None had the chance to run home to their families, to embrace their parents and friends. None of them had the chance at a better life. All because of a single, poorly thought-out plan.

Tonight her dreams were no longer of her sweet–and seemingly naïve–neighbor, but of the blood that was spilt and the lives that were ruined.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Rorschachs Journal, November 24, 1984,
confessed. killed sister unknowingly. sad story. hit hard. left to thoughts. promised return. probably wont sleep tonight.

Walter sat on his bed, watching the sun's morning rays filter in through his curtains, illuminating the dust that floated incautiously through the air.
He tapped his feet on the wood floor, the toes of his boots clicking serenely.

It was almost time for him to leave to meet Teri. He was having a hard time focusing, though. Last night had not only been trying on Rorschach, but Walter as well.

Teri had passed all possible stereotypical biases that he'd had about her when she confessed to murdering not only a large group of organized criminals, but to the murder of her sister and the numerous women that had been collected state wide for the auction.

He saw now why she'd come here, why she'd given up her life in Detroit to live in the slums of New York. He knew why she'd moved across from him.

Walter massaged his shoulder. There wasn't much they could do about her situation. Sure, they could track down the lone survivor before he got to Teri, but after that?
"Not turning her in." He told himself, shaking his head. "Can't." her acts were not done out of cruelty, or of sinful motives–they were done in vigilantism whether Teri accepted that or not.

Rorschach crossed his arms. Can't get caught up in details. Figure it out later.

Walter nodded, agreeing as he stood and began to leave for the afternoon. He shrugged on his coat and started out the door. Rushing down the stairs and out of the building, he quickly to avoid his landlady who would soon be demanding rent.

His mind wandered as he traveled down the wet sidewalk to the newsstand; he hoped that Teri would have room for him. He hoped that maybe they could one day come to a term where he could share with her, his dark passenger. Perhaps then they would come to an impasse.

Walter rounded the corner, the newsstand came into view. Feeling his spirits lift as he caught sight of the coffee pot–its contents full of black liquid–Walter prepared to let his sign rest off of his shoulders. That is, until he saw Bernard emerge from the edge of the newsstand.
Walter froze, shifting his eyes around the large man, looking for the woman he'd come to accept as a friend. Of sorts.

"Er, well good afternoon, sir." Bernard greeted, turning to take Walters' copy of the New frontiersman off of the side.

Blinking at him, Walter's irritation got the better of him: today was Teri's day to work. "Where's Teri?" –If she was out to lunch with some pretty-boy–

Bernard faltered a moment. He couldn't believe that he'd actually heard the 'end is nigh' guy call Teri by name.
"Uh," he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "She came by earlier," Bernard handed him the paper, "Think she's down with the flu or somethin'." he shook his head as he accepted Walters coins.

"Whatever ailed her, she didn't look to good." he shrugged casually. "Ya know, the purple under her eyes and stuff," he placed the coins in his pocket. "I sent her home for the next couple o' days, just until she feels better."

Walter's stomach dropped. "She okay?"

Bernard frowned. "Couldn't tell. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep." he smiled to Walter. "I'm sure she would appreciate some soup though." he insinuated, nearly elbowing Walter, but suddenly thinking better of it.

Walter considered this. "Hurm." he stared down at the paper in his hands, before nodding his thanks to Bernard.
He found himself gazing around the corner, considering going back to his apartment to check on Teri.
There wasn't much to do on the streets at this hour anyway. All the information that he needed could only be obtained at night, when he had his face on.

Walter chewed on the inside of his cheek before taking a sugar cube out of his pocket and unwrapping it.

Someone's voice caught Walters attention, and he turned his head back to look at the man Bernard was talking to.
The very pretty-boy from yesterday was asking about Teri as well. Walter sneered at the repulsive businessman, and was pleased when all Bernard gave out was that she wasn't feeling well.

Walter plopped the sugar cube in his mouth, sighing as he crunched down on it.
His eyes followed the man into the Gunga Diner and then–bored–trailed themselves over to the direction of home.

Teri wasn't a priority, but she was important to him. Walter pushed himself forward, back to their little rundown apartment building. Setting his sign in the alleyway underneath the fire escape, and pocketing his hands he went inside.

The landlady's door was closed, but she was screaming at her kids. Not unusual. Though, it did hit a soft spot in Walters psyche.

Regardless, he found himself stepping back up the stairs to the second floor. Fear struck him as he neared, and he mentally reprimanded himself for it. Walter stopped at her room, staring at the wood. His hand reached out, his fingers stroking the new metal deadbolt; allowing him to remember that day, before rapping his knuckles against her door.

Silence.

"Teri?" Walter asked, wearily looking down the hallway towards the stairs, hoping that the landlady didn't hear him and come stomping up.

"Yes?"

Walter pulled back suddenly from the door. Her voice had come from behind it, but it was so near–unexpectedly. "You alright?"

"Fine."

Walter tilted his head, seeing a large shadow in the space underneath the door. He blinked. She must have been sitting against the door. "Sure?"

"Yep."

"Can… er, Can I-I come in?" Walter asked, shyly. He didn't like her short answers she was giving him; it did nothing for the pit in his stomach.

The answer took a minute to come from the other side. "No."

Walter waited a long moment before turning around and backing up to lean against her door. He hadn't expected for her to decline his company. After so long of her asking for his, when he finally agreed, she'd refused? That didn't make sense to him.

His head rested against the hard wood of her door. He supposed he understood her motive though; She had opened herself to Rorschach. Opening a scab to a recent wound, did it not make sense that she would close herself to the rest of the world?

Walter slid down the door to sit on the floor, imagining her curious gaze turning to stare at the odd noise.

He felt more inclined to help her now that she'd refused it. Walter scratched his head, running his fingers through his short messy hair as he rested his elbow on his knee.

This wasn't like him. He didn't go around people because they didn't want it. He left them be, if they wished it…But then again it wasn't everyday that someone was kind to him on her level. It wasn't everyday that someone drove him to please himself by just written words in a journal. It wasn't everyday that someone called his name, unconsciously in their sleep…

Walter groaned, his life had been much less complicated before Teri had come here. Before she'd arrived, he was actually able to make decisions that made sense to him…Perhaps this would be one of those; 'wasn't everyday days'…Walter opened his mouth, searching for the right words as he treaded on unfamiliar grounds. "Want some soup?"