Hit and run

Without the blink of an eye Carrie acts. Her flat hand gives his nose a hard punch. It starts bleeding.

"Fuck, Carrie. Are you out of mind?" Quinn's screaming. "You broke my nose."

"Shut up. You will be fine."

She storms out of the room and returns with one of the guys who brought him in.

"I have to take him to medical care." She points at the blood stained Quinn.

The agent takes off the leg cuffs and opens the ring which secures the handcuffs. When he is about to attend them, she tells him: "It's ok. I take him."

She guides him through the floor, around the corner, anxiously watching if someone is crossing their ways. She keeps him moving until they reach the emergency staircase. She pushes him through the door.

"Hurry, we don't have much time till they recognize that we're gone."

They run down the staircase and escape through the emergency exit. Quinn's car is still at the visitor's parking lot. Carrie opens it and they both jump in.

At top speed they leave Langley towards George Washington Memorial Parkway.

"You're bleeding."

"Yeah fuck, you hit me."

With one hand on the wheel she searches her jacket and hands him a tissue.

He takes it without a word and presses it against his bleeding nose.

"Tell me where to drive. We got only 30 minutes left."

"Just keep north on George Washington. Then turn right on Highway 495, across the river until exit 41, turn on Clara Barton Parkway East. I live at Glen Echo Park, Oxford Avenue."

She accelerates to top speed.

"Can you open this?" He holds up the handcuffs. "Please!"

Without hesitation she hands him the key.

They arrive at his house right on time.

Quinn jumps out the car. Carrie follows close on his heels. At the door she pulls the revolver, ready to cover him.

His apartment is empty. No one is waiting for them. The loneliness of the place is increased by the nearly lack of furniture.

Carrie absorbs everything: The wobbly table with a single chair, the small mattress on the bedroom's floor covered by a green sleeping bag, the lack of any personal item. 'This place looks like a camping site.' But she doesn't comment.

The note lies on the kitchen counter. There's an unfamiliar cell phone beside it.

Quinn grabs the note, reads it and turns pale again.

"What it says?"

He doesn't reply, but hands it to her.

There are only three lines on the paper.

Saul Berenson

Fara Sherazi

Carrie Mathison

It's a fucking death list.

They are looking at each other.

The cell phone starts dancing on the counter.

It's the same like before. The screen is lighted, but no identity is shown. It's simply empty.

Quinn turns on the speaker.

The ghost voice of Alina Adal is filling the apartment.

"I give you three days to kill those people on the list. Or your son will bleed out."

"These are my colleagues, my friends. I can't do it." He screams at her.

The ghost's laughter echoes at the empty walls.

"You have to make your choice. We all have."

"I can't..." He starts again, but his voice is breaking.

"Keep the new cell phone with you. No tricks on that."

The screen turns black.

End of discussion, end of elusion.