INSTILLING FEAR

A few months had passed. Tim was sitting in the doomsday bunker looking at a few papers. He had gone to the doctor and found that he had a terminal illness. He looked at the papers which told him of the illness he had. The doctor said he only had a few months left. Tim had other ideas. He did not want Maddie to see him in a weakened condition and laying on his deathbed while Maddie worried, so he decided not to tell her right away. He had other ideas. He had people he hated, people he wanted dead. Walter to be precise. Tim was planning to kill him. He sat there in front of a video camera that was set up and thought about what he was going to say to Maddie. Then, he turned on the camera, took a deep breath, and looked into the camera.

Maddie was at school walking down the busy hall full of students. The kid that harassed her a few months ago followed her. He walked behind her and grabbed her hair.

"Hey sexy," he said, "You got a nice ass. You work out or somethin'?"

Maddie grabbed his arm and pulled it off her hair.

"Fuck off," she said.

The kid laughed.

"Oooh, I like a girl like that," he said.

"I'm not messing around anymore."

He grabbed her by the chin.

"I'm gonna have my way with you," he said, "Understand me you bitch? No girl turns me down."

Maddie pulled his arm off and smiled at him. He grabbed her breasts and she kneed him in the groin. He bent over in pain and then Maddie punched him in the face, knocking him into the lockers. She stood over him as the students around watched. She placed her boot on his neck and began choking him while laughing. Then, two teachers, one an older man, and another, a middle aged man named Mr. Henderson intervened. Mr. Henderson was Maddie's science teacher.

"Madeline stop!" Mr. Henderson said as he pulled her away, "What's wrong?"

"He shouldn't have messed with me. I had to teach him a lesson."

Mr. Henderson was disturbed by the look on her face.

"Madeline it's all right," he said.

The other teacher helped the kid up but he pulled his arm from him and walked away.

"Nice shot," Mr. Henderson said, "I can't stand that kid."

Maddie smiled. This was the reason he was the only teacher she liked.

At Black Mesa, Tim walked past Walter's lab and saw another scientist inside. He was short with glasses and had brown hair. Tim walked in.

"So, has Walter been showing you more ridiculous experiments," Tim said.

The scientist turned around, his nametag read Spencer Ackerman.

"You again?" Spencer said, "Leave us alone okay."

Then Walter walked in. He was no longer carrying a folder and seemed more self-confident than in years past.

"Tim, what the hell are you doing here?" Walter asked.

"I just had to see what you came up with in the looney bin."

"That's none of your concern."

"Just how many people do you plan on dragging in to this? You know what, don't answer that, I'm leaving."

"Good!"

Tim walked back to his office with a smile on his face. To him, berating Walter never got old. He wanted Walter to go back to Stonebridge Heights. His immense hatred for him grew more and more intense and couldn't wait until the day he would kill him. He had plenty of HEV suits that were fully functional. As he performed a maintenance check on one of the suits, his phone rang.

"Tim Brennan's lab," he said.

Tim arrived at Adams High School to pick up Maddie. She had been suspended for a week. He saw her sitting in the office.

"Maddie, what happened?" He asked.

"This boy was bothering me, he touched me, so I beat his ass."

"We will talk about this later, let's go home."

After they arrived home, Maddie sat on the couch and Tim sat on the recliner.

"Are you all right?" Tim asked.

"I'm fine."

"You did right. No one has the right to touch you. I'm glad you beat him up."

"It felt good."

"I guess you're here for a week. Stay in the bunker and don't, and I mean don't, go outside."

Maddie chuckled.

"Yes daddy."

Tim went into the kitchen and Maddie walked upstairs. She went into her room to change her clothing. With nighttime a long way away, she decided to sharpen her knives to prepare for her next mission.

Later that night, Maddie stood on the edge of a rooftop, looking down at the city below. She waited for Tim to give her a location of a crime.

"Okay, Maddie," Tim said in her earpiece, "There's a prisoner that broke out and is heading down McCullough Avenue."

Maddie leaped off the building and grabbed the edge of the next one. She ran across the large rooftop.

"The prisoner is identified as Bashir Hamad," Tim continued, "The mass shooter who killed 11 people. This terrorist needs to die. Get this Muslim fuck."

To Maddie, the religion or background did not matter to her. If they were bad, they needed to die. Maddie leaped across the buildings with the urge to kill on her mind. She reached McCullough Avenue and looked down from the building at the slums. She saw Bashir and made it down to the street. He walked through the empty slums carrying a crowbar. The streetlights were dim and most of the buildings were abandoned. Then, a cat meowed and ran away. It startled him. Then, Maddie walked out from the darkness in front of him. He was frightened.

"Meow," she cried.

He got ready to attack with the crowbar.

"And what are going to do with that?" Maddie asked.

"I'm gonna kill you!"

Maddie giggled.

"No, you see, I'm gonna make you fear me, I'm gonna make you beg for your life. Then, I'm gonna slice your flesh and drink your blood."

He began shivering as Maddie walked towards him, instilling fear into him. He swung the crowbar even though she was nowhere near him. Maddie held a large knife in her hand. When Maddie got close, he swung the crowbar. Maddie did a backflip and kicked him in the face. She struck him with more kicks to the stomach and face in rapid succession. He fell to the ground and tried to grab his crowbar but Maddie stepped on it. He tried to take it but was unable to. She kneeled down beside him and grabbed his hair. Using the knife, she cut his cheek and then cut his forehead. He screamed in pain. Maddie was mesmerized by the blood running down his face. Then, she stabbed him in the arm. He screamed loudly and Maddie embraced it.

"Please, no," Bashir said. "I'll go back, just please, don't kill me."

"The people you killed, they begged and you killed them anyway. I have no sympathy for you."

As Bashir shivered in fear, Maddie stood up. She licked the bloody knife which instilled more fear into him. She walked around him, staring at him with an evil gaze.

"Where was your sympathy?" She asked. "Now here you are, a coward who is going to die!"

Maddie stomped on his head repeatedly while laughing. Blood spurted outward in Maddie's face with each stomp. She stood over his dead body as pure joy pulsed through her veins.

When Maddie arrived home, she still had blood covering her face. Tim placed his hands on her face and the blood smeared on his hands. She stared right into his eyes as Tim brushed her hair back, smearing the blood in her blonde hair. Afterwards, she stood in the shower; cold water running through her hair and down her face. The paint that was mixed with blood washed away as she stared straight ahead.

For the past two days, Maddie made best of her time at home during her suspension. She continued her training in the bunker and read the books Tim got for her. One day while she was in the bunker, she saw someone on the security camera in the backyard. She grabbed a knife and went into the house. Then, the doorbell rang. She looked outside and saw Gordon Freeman on the porch. She opened the door and there he was, in the flesh. Maddie smiled and let him in.

"Hello Maddie," Gordon said.

Maddie hugged him.

"I'm so glad to see you!" She said. "You finally came over."

"I really wanted to see you."

Maddie playfully hit him in the chest.

"You should have come over long ago," she said. "I thought you were dead."

"That dumb bitch almost killed me," Gordon said, "But I got away."

"Are you going back to Black Mesa?"

"No, not anymore. I have to stay away from there."

Maddie held his hand and pulled him closer.

"I still love you," she said.

Gordon smiled and Maddie smiled back.

"I love you too," Gordon said.

Maddie shrieked with excitement and tried to kiss him. Gordon held her hair back.

"You know you can't resist me," she said, "Besides, I'm older now."

Gordon leaned in and the two shared a kiss on the lips. Maddie wrapped her arms around him as they continued kissing. Later, the two were in Maddie's bed. Gordon was shirtless and so was she. Maddie was breathing heavily and staring at the ceiling.

"That felt so good," Gordon said.

Maddie turned towards him.

"I've been waiting so long for that," she said. "You make my body tremble with pleasure."

"And you…you make my deepest desires, my fantasies come true.

They both laughed. Maddie put her arm on Gordon's chest.

"He's gonna be pissed," Gordon said.

"I won't tell him."

Maddie kissed him on the cheek and they once again locked lips.