AN: Hey everyone,
Welcome to the final part. I hope you enjoy it, and I will see you at the bottom.
The Murderer
Part 4: The Survivor (2.8K)
Skye POV
I yell curses into the room, more from the expected surprise of being shot in the arm from behind, not so much the pain.
I spin around to see a bald man standing in the door with a gun in hand, and it is clear he shot me. I raise my own gun this time and take the shot for his head, knowing I won't miss. As I do this, there is screaming coming from downstairs. As my finger presses on the trigger, Ward senses what is going to happen and rushes towards me from the couch, and before I have a chance to react, Ward pushes my arm, and I miss the bald man.
"Jesus," the man yells and continues with, "Dude, she tried to kill me."
"You actually shot me. I wouldn't have tried to kill you if he hadn't interfered. I would have killed you." I snap.
"That is really reassuring, sweetheart." The bald man says and lunges forward only to be stopped by Ward grabbing my arm tightly, which sends shivers up my spine.
Ward turns to the guy in the door and says, "Kebo, you shouldn't just shoot someone without asking a question." At least I have a name to go off of.
"She had a gun pointed at you, plus it was a minor gunshot. I really think this conversation can wait. Downstairs is about to be a bloodbath." The man named Kebo says.
Ward then turns to me, and pulls the gun from his waist, and looks me in the eyes, and I feel his whiskey eyes begin to melt my fake green ones. "Skye, I need you to stay here."
"She's Skye? That explains so much, dude." Kebo says, and with that, Ward sends him a look, and Kebo keeps quiet. Then without giving me a warning, they both race out of the room. The shock stuns me for a second, and then I begin following them down the hallway. I am surprised he hasn't noticed me sooner because when we walk around 30 feet down the hallway, Ward snaps around he realizing I am behind him.
Ward glares at me before walking the 5 feet back towards me. Like I said. I was not being quiet. Maybe his skills have also slipped in the last decade. He turns back to me and whispers, "What do you think you are doing?"
With the question, Kebo turns around as well, and I see a look of surprise cross his face, and I realize he didn't hear me as well. I then turn back to Ward and say, "We need to talk."
And he rolls his eyes, "Yeah, those words never sound good coming out of a women's mouth, and especially not good when gunshots are being fired. You need to stay here and not intervene; I don't exactly trust you right now."
"You don't trust me?"
"Well, in the two times we have met, you have aimed a gun at me each time, and the first time you actually shot me. So, I am a bit skeptical about your intentions, and I really don't want to get shot again by you. so, stay here, or so help me, god."
"To be fair. He shot first," I mumble under my breath, not looking up.
I never receive a reply, and instead, I hear footsteps walking away from me. I look up only to see him and Kebo take off again, leaving me in my gown standing there tapping my foot for about 30 seconds before I race after them in my dress with my knife still my leg and my gun still in hand from my previous encounter. Expect this time; I keep it drawn as I round each corner until I am back at the balcony, carefully walking over until I can see over the edge without being seen by the voices I hear from down below.
As I look over, I see the ballroom floor now empty with some people crouched around the sides of the dance floor by the tables, and on the dance floor is Ward, Calvin, Kebo, and a brown-haired female all on one side. Meanwhile, there is a small army of men on the other side, all with guns risen at one another.
Great a standoff. Just what I want.
"We aren't here for you, Mr. Johnson. We are here for Ward, so just allow us to leave peacefully."
"Excuse me?" Calvin questions and I know deep down this isn't going to go well. "You want me to hand over my best bodyguard to you after you come and disturb my party, which was fantastic, by the way, and you didn't even have the decency to wait until the end. You shot up the place, and I am in no position to attempt negotiations. Try again later," Calvin yells back at them, waving his arms dramatically and spot him looking at all the exits, and that is when his brown eyes catch mine for only a second until he breaks the contact.
Okay, so he knows I am here. Does Ward know I am watching?
If Ward had similar training to me, he would know to check, but as I look at him now, he doesn't even look like he is breathing with how he is so incredibly still with his gun trained on one of the guys across from them.
The man in black steps forward again and, this time lowers his gun and says, "We just want Ward, then you can continue your party."
"What for?" Calvin asks as I slowly make my way over to the other side of the edge to get behind the guards from above.
"He is wanted for his crimes."
"'What crimes?" and I find myself trying not to laugh since little do they know there are so many.
"He killed John Garrett, and he needs to be taken in," and I freeze and barely avoid stepping on a piece of glass as I finally get behind the military-styled guys.
Apparently, Ward and I aren't the only living people who know about the warehouse.
Meaning I might've been wrong.
"That man died over a decade ago; why are you just coming now?" asks Calvin, and I feel the tension begin to build from the opposition.
"None of that is relevant. He killed our leader, and he needs to pay, so send him over," the leader snaps of the oppositions. Great, They're growing impatient, meaning he is going to become unpredictable really soon.
So, I take this as my moment to step forward and train my gun one of the soldiers and reach under my dress for another knife. I look up and glance around the room, trying to see count how many civilians are here. My guess is 30, but who knows how many are under the tables or in far corners.
"What evidence do you have?" asks Calvin, as he looks slightly up at me for a second. This is when Ward seems to catch onto his behaviour because he looks his eyes from the leader and looks up at me for a second. Although his emotionless face doesn't give anything away, something in his eyes changes and even though it is hard to tell from my position, it looks like fear. I don't think it was fear for himself.
I think it was fear for me.
"You don't need to know Calvin, so leave it alone."
As soon as those words leave his mouth, I send my knife into one of the guard's neck that was left exposed, and he falls to the ground but not before I have shot the one beside him in the neck, sending him flying to the floor.
They react and fire back at me, forgetting about the four people in front of them; as they shoot at me, a bullet hits my leg going through my lovely dress, just glazing me.
So much for using this dress again.
I haven't been shot in a while, and in the span of ten minutes, I have been shot twice.
Years of torture means I can ignore that pain; however, the blood will be a problem for me getting out of here since escaping means a trail of literal blood falling from me.
I move back to my position to take a look behind the rail of the balcony just out of view. I find the four of them standing their ground with only the leader left with his hands up.
So, all the civilians managed to rush out during that mess.
"Are you okay?" Ward calls up to me, and I roll my eyes.
"Don't worry; I was the one-shot this time."
"Can you walk?" he yells, but his eyes don't move from the leader in front of him.
"Yes, but I'll stay here. Been a while since I have seen a show." I call back, causing Ward to roll his eyes now.
"And who are you that shot my men?" calls the leader.
"I do recall you are a prisoner and shouldn't be making demands. I think it is more of a question of who are you? Why do you want such revenge for Garrett?" I ask.
"I worked for him, and I owed him my life; So, when I found video evidence of Ward here being there for his death. So I knew I had to come."
Great, another cult member who thinks he owes his life to Garrett.
"Hate to break it to you, but the man wasn't god, and he used you. Move on while you can still walk."
"Go away, little girl, you aren't apart of this"
I started belly laughing, and I stand on my leg and go to the edge so he can watch me.
"Oh, sweetie. I am more a part of this than you will ever know." with that, I put my gun on the edge and take my contacts out and rip my red wig off and pulling my cap off, allowing my chocolate curls to be free.
Everyone but Ward and Kebo look at me in shock.
"You are in the video. You are Garrett's daughter."
"Geez, he wasn't my father. He might've called me daughter while he used and abused me, but he was my torturer. So, stop calling him my father." I say as I shake my curls again because I notice they have knotted again before asking, " So did this video have audio? Because it is clear it did not. How horrible for you? Maybe if you had listened, you'd know Ward didn't kill him."
"We know that we killed the man who pulled the final trigger, your brother."
Red flashes in my soul, and the next thing I know, I aim my gun and shoot him in the kneecap to make him completely immobile as I race to the stairs so he can die painfully.
I storm up to the man crumbled on the floor but not before Ward grabs my arm to stop me, but I jump back just like if he had burned me, but he lets go, and looks me in the eye and says, "Don't let him turn you dark."
"I am already dark," I answer and turn to the man on the floor and lift my gown, taking another knife out.
I press it to the man's throat and whisper for only him to hear, "Give me a reason not to slice your throat right now."
He whispers back with, "There are others out for your head too."
I freeze and look into his eyes, trying to see the lie but see nothing.
Crap.
I press the knife harder and ask, "How many?"
"Hundreds have seen the video."
At this moment, Ward finally speaks up and asks, "Where was the video taken?"
"Camera was on the table focused on Garrett as he ate his last meal, the signal was sent back to me after a day, and I had to watch him die."
"Poor you, you have blood on your hands. You deserve it," I snap back.
From under my blade, he says, "So do you, princess."
I lose it and whisper, "At least I don't worship a dead man," and with that, I slice his throat, and I hear someone gag, as blood sprays my dress and I take a step back, and Ward walks up beside me and puts his hand in front of him and shows me that he is going to put a hand on my shoulder.
I allow it as we look at the bodies of several men my torturer ruined.
Ward quickly escorts me out of the building away from the flashing lights of red and blue, and for the first time, I feel real panic.
I might be caught.
That is until Ward throws me into a car that is not my own and throws me the keys, and tells me to meet him at a motel.
I obey and drive to the address he had slipped into my hand with the keys. The note had a key and room number already included on it.
Yet again, I become a follower.
Sometimes after 4 am the door swings open, and I watch it happen, not daring to move from the bed. My purpose is over now.
I caught the killer.
I watch Ward enter with white take-out containers and walks towards me until he bends down to the bed and brushes my hair out of my face giving me the first sense of feeling I have had in awhile.
Comfort.
"Let's have that talk now," he says, and I smile for no reason.
I continue to have nightmares of the night in the ballroom combined with memories of the night in the warehouse, with Lincoln haunting me.
But after several years, they fade when I sleep next to Grant.
A year after the events, I went back to therapy, where I have finally begun getting back to my normal.
That is when Grant showed up, and I tossed him on his back and pressed a knife to his throat.
Okay, maybe not so normal.
He laughed and made a joke saying he always ends up like this with me.
I ignored him and allowed him up.
He confessed that he has just finished his job being undercover with Calvin, Kebo and Kara to take down a crime lord. It turns out Calvin being a crime lord was a well-done cover that took years to build. And with the trail, he couldn't tell me everything at the motel.
I share that after I left the motel the next morning, I had spent the last year tracking down several of Garrett's followers and take a few of them out, and Grant tells me he found some as well along the way.
The ones I don't kill get thrown into a cell.
Meanwhile, Grant throws them all in jail.
The numbers of followers just keep growing.
Every few weeks, I research a new target and go for it, then when I return, I do some self-care.
This continues even when I discover Grant is a cop and doesn't say anything when I am gone for weeks.
I was given immunity when I said I would testify; it was a deal Grant made for me to keep me from being thrown into a dark cell.
Another reason I have to remind him I am too damaged to be with him.
He disagrees as he holds me crying several times a week.
It took us a while to get to this point, where I could finally let my guard down and allow him to touch me without me jumping.
In our two years of being together, we don't have sex and instead work on building one another.
One day I might feel comfortable, but my nightmares still plunge me and sometimes I spend hours scrubbing my skin from fingers that used to touch me, abuse me, and make me hate myself.
Now 4 years after reconnecting at the ball, I am sleeping through the night more and feel myself finally healing and use the coping mechanism I had gathered almost 9 years ago.
I still miss my mom and Lincoln, but I am happy they didn't have to see me crumble into pieces. I just hope they watched me build myself back up and try and make something of myself.
I lay in bed now with a smile on my face as I look at Grant's features tracing his face with my finger lightly.
Maybe one day I will be me and finally be able to show this man I love him physically.
However, that is not today.
He is okay with that and respects me.
I am grateful for that.
Today I feel adventurous, and I roll on top of him and smile.
He opens his eyes, and he smiles and says, "What, no knife?"
I laugh and say, "Never again. Only steps forward."
To think our story begin almost 15 years ago, and now we are here. Two people designed to kill one another actually save one another. It makes me regret nothing, even when it caused me to lose myself. I wouldn't be who I am now without him.
Only steps forward.
The End
AN: There is so much I want to sayyyyyyy.
So Kebo did the shooting, and no one else with names ended up dead. That's a miracle. Poor Skye getting shot twice.
So it was Skyeward at the end, and they are both working on healing. Skye is an emotional mess still, and as you see, she doesn't magically heal. So it is up to you what happens next for them.
Them meeting at the motel was a scene I added, along with Skye being shot by Kebo. It was fun revisiting this story.
I hope everyone clued into the chapter titles being about Skye and her journey.
Thank you for your support, and please make sure to leave kudos and leave comments for the last time.
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If anything is unclear, feel free to message me on here or on Instagram, I will always check.
Disclaimer: I do not own AOS, nor do I have a beta. So ignore grammar and beta.
Stay Safe!