(A/N: Wow, this is the quickest I've ever managed to get a chapter up!
Thanks for the reviews like always! And on we go to chapter 6...)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned here, except for the ones I made up myself. So please don't sue, I've got nothin'!
Give Me Darkness, Give Me Light
Chapter 6: War Within a Breath
A terrible pain shot up Clarice's leg as the hammer connected with foot. She couldn't hold back the scream that it evoked from her throat. She could feel the warm sticky blood oozing into a slimy puddle in her shoe. She knew that her toe was now shattered.
Behind her, Clarice's fingers lost their grip on the rope holding her. Despite this however, the hold it had on her hands was considerably looser than before. Clarice barely paid any mind to this.
In front of her, Chimera looked quite pleased with himself. The feeling of pleasure was only momentarily however. His face quickly dropped as he became aware of a noise from outside. Clarice barely even heard it; the only sound in her ears at the moment was the rapid beating of her pulse.
She must have been making a sound as well. The next thing she knew Chimera had yelled at her "Shut up!" and bashed her on the side of the head where it had contacted the van's exterior earlier that night, in an attempt to knock her out.
Clarice was only knocked partially unconscious, but it was enough to blur her vision and stop any movements she tried to attempt. She couldn't tell if she was speaking or not for the time being. Her body was now wracked with intense pain.
In front of her, Chimera was nothing more than a dark blur as he ran and picked up something from the table while chucking away the hammer onto the wooden floor.
**********************
As Jadis and Dr. Lecter navigated through the dark old barn, Jadis couldn't help but think about how insane this must look. 'Look at this,' she thought. 'A novice FBI agent and her cannibalistic serial killer father in the dead of night sneaking through a barn looking for a madman to rescue a famous FBI special agent. What a team we make.' Shaking those thoughts from her mind, she continued to follow her father deeper into the darkness.
Following some pained sounds that were easily identified as coming from Clarice, they finally found the door that their target was behind. Beyond it some movement was visible through a crack.
'Here we go,' Jadis thought, gripping her gun. 'With nothing much of a plan and no idea of what to expect, but here we go.'
Looking up, Jadis saw Dr. Lecter step a few steps back from the door. She nodded to him, signaling that she was ready. They had made quick plans as they navigated through the barn, though how well they would work Jadis wasn't sure, but it was better than nothing.
Positioning her gun forward, she summoned up the FBI agent part of her. She got her foot ready to bust down the door. Inwardly she began a countdown while clicking the safety off on her gun.
'One... Two... Three!'
***********************
"FBI! FREEZE!" Jadis busted through the door, gun instantly aimed at the figure in front of her.
He had his back to her and didn't even flinch when Jadis made her presence known. From the corner of her eye she could see another figure shift slightly and make a pained noise.
'Holy shit Clarice!' Jadis thought at the back of her mind. 'What the hell did that bastard do to you?!'
Turning her attention back to the male, Jadis' voice rang out strong into the room. "Alright Silversted, put your hands up and face me. Don't try anything funny or I'll shoot."
Richard Silversted took his time in complying with Jadis' orders. His face had an eerie calm demeanor as he stood there at gunpoint, partially hidden by the shadows. The light from the nearby lamp did little to illuminate the room, but it was good enough for Jadis.
She took a few steps towards him before stopping. Silversted did nothing to regain the distance. Jadis repressed a growl of frustration. The plan that she and Dr. Lecter had devised required Silversted to be in front of the entrance. If he wasn't going to move then Jadis didn't have the first idea of what to do.
Silversted still stood there, leering at her with his cold eyes. "It's good to see you again Agent Monroe," his deep voice rumbled calmly, taunting her. "Sorry that I didn't stick around to introduce myself earlier tonight, I was in a little bit of a rush. Well, allow me to introduce myself now then. I'm Richard Silversted, or more well known as Chimera. Special Agent Jadis Monroe, I assume? It's a pleasure to meet you."
Jadis had to bite her tongue to keep herself from blurting out, 'It's Lecter you asshole, not Monroe.' His whole speech was meant to tease her, irritate her, and drive her over the edge. It would have worked if Jadis hadn't been anticipating it or something like it. Despite this, however, she could still feel her blood boil from his words.
She took a few steps to the side, towards Clarice. To Silversted Jadis instructed, "Stay where I can see you and don't move your hands." As she inched closer to Clarice, he in turn began to inch near the door. Jadis allowed herself an inward grin at this.
'Come on, get a lil' closer...' Jadis silently begged in her head. 'Just a few more inches, just a few more... There, perfect!'
Jadis stopped when she was standing right beside where Clarice was bound. Likewise, Silversted stopped just a little past the door. Jadis allowed that inward grin to finally show through.
Silversted raised an eyebrow. "What are you smiling about?" he asked before something cold and sharp suddenly began to press against his throat.
"That," Jadis answered him while savoring the sight of her father's harpy drawing a few drops of blood from a shocked Silversted. She took the time to check on Clarice while Dr. Lecter did his work.
"So good to see you again Richard," the doctor's voice rang through the room.
Silversted's responded in a weak voice, "Likewise to you, Hannibal."
Jadis focused her attention on Clarice for a moment. She could tell that the older woman was just hanging on to consciousness by a mere thread, her unfocused eyes confirmed this.
"Starling?" Jadis spoke in a soft voice, leaning near her friend. "Starling can you hear me?"
Clarice tried to focus on the blurred figure, but she didn't recognize her until she had heard her voice. "Monroe?" she forced out in a barely audible whisper.
Jadis hoped that Clarice couldn't see her eyes at the moment. It was bad enough that she was here with Dr. Lecter, but had Clarice seen the true color of her eyes right then Jadis was afraid that she would lose all trust in her, or worse.
"Okay, Clarice," Jadis moved out of her line of sight for the moment. "Save your energy for now. We need to get you out of here first." She muttered as she finished the job that Clarice had begun on the rope that bound her hands.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lecter kept his harpy pressed against Silversted's skin as the Good Doctor more or less interrogated him.
"Now then, let's get down to business. I would like to know why you have decided to go on a killing spree with some of my former associates."
Silversted's eyes went hard once again, as did his voice. "I was calling you out Hannibal. I would have thought you have figured that out by now."
"I'll admit, I did suspect that was the reason. Well, now I'm here, what do you want with me?"
"Revenge," Silversted growled. "Revenge for what you did to my life."
Dr. Lecter tilted his head in thought. "I don't recall doing anything to you to make your life that intolerable."
"Bullshit! You took everything from me! I was second to you in everything; I got pushed around for your benefit in med school. All the dignity that I had was lost because of you. I was only considered second best to you and was overlooked in everything, all because of you!"
"I assure you, I didn't do it deliberately Richard. And furthermore, you're in denial. You're blaming your own faults on someone else, namely me. You can't stand to admit that it was your fault alone that you weren't the best so you blame it on others. You are..."
"Shut up! Shut up damn you! It's all your damn fault! You took everything from me! My grades, my job, my life, even my girl!"
That perked Jadis' ears up. 'His girl?!' she thought.
Dr. Lecter was equally interested. "Your girl? And who would that have been Richard?"
Silversted's voice was dripping with anger. "You know damn well who that is Hannibal. Don't tell me you have forgotten all about her. Even though she's long dead, I still remember Rebecca like it was yesterday."
Jadis' heart stopped. She felt the color drain from her face as she listened on.
"Last time I saw her," Silversted continued, "she was in bed, her beautiful face so radiant. Since she wouldn't cooperate that night, I had to be a little forceful with her, especially with that little brat bawling on the floor."
Jadis' head snapped around. Silversted's face held a look of pure pleasure as if from a pleasant memory. Dr. Lecter was looking at Jadis, he knew it too.
"You bastard," Jadis growled, memories now crashing through her mind. Her mother's screams, the pain she suffered, all the blood, his eyes. Those cold, heartless, soulless eyes, the very eyes that stared back at her right now.
Jadis made her way towards Silversted, her maroon eyes flashing a brilliant red. In a split second her right fist made contact with his face. Dr. Lecter stepped back and went to Clarice, knowing that it was his daughter's turn to do some damage.
Silversted stumbled back from the blow as Jadis spoke again. "You motherfucking bastard!" she spat. "You killed my mother."
Silversted regained his posture, realization dawning on his face. "So," he mocked. "You're Rebecca's little brat. I should have recognized you, that scar is hard to miss, as are those eyes."
Jadis made another lunge at him, her rage out of her control. She didn't care about getting out of this alive anymore, now she was out for blood, his blood. She went straight for his throat and knocked him down. Unfortunately, she didn't catch him reaching into his pocket just before she connected with him.
In a flash, Silversted slashed at her face. The scar where he had marked her all those years ago suddenly stung in the worse way. Jadis' hand instinctively went to it and drew back bloody. He had reopened the scar, but now she could take the pain.
Jadis' brief pause was long enough for Silversted to shove her off of him and stand up. As Jadis made a mad scramble for her gun which was lying about two meters away she saw at the corner of her eye Dr. Lecter with Clarice in his arms, silently making his way to the door.
"Hold it!" Silversted roared to everyone. He almost didn't take notice of Dr. Lecter and Clarice, but he caught them just before they exited the door. "Don't any of you dare move, I'm not finished yet."
Jadis stood up as her father moved away from the door. Clarice stirred slightly in his arms, slowly regaining consciousness.
Silversted went on. "I'm glad that I'm prepared for a situation like this. As much as I would enjoy killing all three of you slowly, savoring your pain and watch you beg for mercy, sometimes you have to trade in pleasure for getting the job finished." He pulled something from his pocket, almost like a remote control for a toy car. He turned to Jadis and held up the device to her. "I do believe that you'll recognize this little tool, Agent Monroe. Or should I say, Agent Lecter?"
Jadis clenched her teeth as he drew out her true name. 'So, you know too do ya?" she growled in her mind.
Turning her attention to the device he now held, Jadis blinked. "It's a remote control for a homemade time bomb." About a month ago she led an investigation to shut down various sites on the internet that had instructions on how to make various deadly homemade bombs. It was no secret to the public about who was involved with the investigation, and the story made big news in the media. Jadis repressed a shudder at the thought of some of the reporters that interviewed her.
Silversted nodded. "When I press this button here," he indicated a blue button. "You'll have about five minutes before this whole barn gets blown to pieces."
He shot a piercing glare to Dr. Lecter. "And I'll finally have that sweet revenge that I've been waiting for all these years. I guess it's an added plus that I would have that little bitch of a daughter of yours and your little girlfriend here too Hannibal. The more the merrier as the old saying goes."
Dr. Lecter bore his own eyes straight into Silversted's. "I'm disappointed in you Richard. You're taking the fool's way out of this situation, much akin to taking a chessboard and throwing it to the ground when you know you're going to lose. You're still refusing to admit that your problems were your fault alone. You're still in denial..."
"Shut the fuck up!" Dr. Lecter's words had stung him hard, because in the back of his head, Silversted knew that they were true.
Frustrated, the madman turned his attention back to a pissed off Jadis. "Any last words you little wench?"
Jadis' blood was running ice cold. Her rage was on the verge of taking over yet again. "Go to hell," she growled at her mother's murderer.
Silversted gave her a sadistic grin. "I'll see you when I get there then," he replied before pushing the button.
He addressed the whole trio. "Well then," he said, revoltingly cheerful. "I guess I'll be off now. If any of you even try to escape I'll- Arg!"
Jadis finally snapped. She tackled him back to the ground, determined to do some more damage. "Get Clarice outta here!" she yelled at Dr. Lecter.
The doctor knew that there was no way he was going to be able to get both his daughter and Clarice out of here before time was out. Jadis wasn't going to allow Silversted go away unscathed and Clarice couldn't walk period. Seeing no other choice, he made his way back outside quickly, with a slowly recuperating Clarice in his arms.
An infuriated Jadis was now presently pounding the shit out of Silversted. He had managed to slip away from the crazed female long enough to stand up and find his pocketknife again, but she was on him in a flash yet again. The two started to make their way through the barn, punching and kicking at each other the whole way through, but yet still determined to make it out before the bomb went off.
*Ten...*
Jadis swiftly kicked him in the stomach and made a run for the exit to the outside.
*Nine...*
Silversted grabbed her around the waist and threw her to the ground.
*Eight...*
Jadis got a hold of his leg and sent him crashing down to the ground with her.
*Seven...*
The two rapidly got back on their feet and faced each other.
*Six...*
Jadis punched him in the face.
*Five...*
Silversted flinched and took a few more steps back to the door to freedom.
*Four...*
Jadis got him by the throat and held on tight.
*Three...*
She brought him to the ground and kicked him hard in the stomach.
*Two...*
The woman made a mad dash for the exit.
*One...*
Silversted caught her foot and brought her back down while reaching for his pocketknife.
*Zero.*
From his vantage point outside, Dr. Lecter just briefly caught a glimpse of the two struggling figures at the doorway leading outside before the barn turned into a blazing inferno.
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(A/N: Hmm, didn't turn out the way I hoped it would, but ah well. Phew, that was a hard chapter to write! Anyways, hope you've enjoyed it!)
-SP
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned here, except for the ones I made up myself. So please don't sue, I've got nothin'!
Give Me Darkness, Give Me Light
Chapter 6: War Within a Breath
A terrible pain shot up Clarice's leg as the hammer connected with foot. She couldn't hold back the scream that it evoked from her throat. She could feel the warm sticky blood oozing into a slimy puddle in her shoe. She knew that her toe was now shattered.
Behind her, Clarice's fingers lost their grip on the rope holding her. Despite this however, the hold it had on her hands was considerably looser than before. Clarice barely paid any mind to this.
In front of her, Chimera looked quite pleased with himself. The feeling of pleasure was only momentarily however. His face quickly dropped as he became aware of a noise from outside. Clarice barely even heard it; the only sound in her ears at the moment was the rapid beating of her pulse.
She must have been making a sound as well. The next thing she knew Chimera had yelled at her "Shut up!" and bashed her on the side of the head where it had contacted the van's exterior earlier that night, in an attempt to knock her out.
Clarice was only knocked partially unconscious, but it was enough to blur her vision and stop any movements she tried to attempt. She couldn't tell if she was speaking or not for the time being. Her body was now wracked with intense pain.
In front of her, Chimera was nothing more than a dark blur as he ran and picked up something from the table while chucking away the hammer onto the wooden floor.
**********************
As Jadis and Dr. Lecter navigated through the dark old barn, Jadis couldn't help but think about how insane this must look. 'Look at this,' she thought. 'A novice FBI agent and her cannibalistic serial killer father in the dead of night sneaking through a barn looking for a madman to rescue a famous FBI special agent. What a team we make.' Shaking those thoughts from her mind, she continued to follow her father deeper into the darkness.
Following some pained sounds that were easily identified as coming from Clarice, they finally found the door that their target was behind. Beyond it some movement was visible through a crack.
'Here we go,' Jadis thought, gripping her gun. 'With nothing much of a plan and no idea of what to expect, but here we go.'
Looking up, Jadis saw Dr. Lecter step a few steps back from the door. She nodded to him, signaling that she was ready. They had made quick plans as they navigated through the barn, though how well they would work Jadis wasn't sure, but it was better than nothing.
Positioning her gun forward, she summoned up the FBI agent part of her. She got her foot ready to bust down the door. Inwardly she began a countdown while clicking the safety off on her gun.
'One... Two... Three!'
***********************
"FBI! FREEZE!" Jadis busted through the door, gun instantly aimed at the figure in front of her.
He had his back to her and didn't even flinch when Jadis made her presence known. From the corner of her eye she could see another figure shift slightly and make a pained noise.
'Holy shit Clarice!' Jadis thought at the back of her mind. 'What the hell did that bastard do to you?!'
Turning her attention back to the male, Jadis' voice rang out strong into the room. "Alright Silversted, put your hands up and face me. Don't try anything funny or I'll shoot."
Richard Silversted took his time in complying with Jadis' orders. His face had an eerie calm demeanor as he stood there at gunpoint, partially hidden by the shadows. The light from the nearby lamp did little to illuminate the room, but it was good enough for Jadis.
She took a few steps towards him before stopping. Silversted did nothing to regain the distance. Jadis repressed a growl of frustration. The plan that she and Dr. Lecter had devised required Silversted to be in front of the entrance. If he wasn't going to move then Jadis didn't have the first idea of what to do.
Silversted still stood there, leering at her with his cold eyes. "It's good to see you again Agent Monroe," his deep voice rumbled calmly, taunting her. "Sorry that I didn't stick around to introduce myself earlier tonight, I was in a little bit of a rush. Well, allow me to introduce myself now then. I'm Richard Silversted, or more well known as Chimera. Special Agent Jadis Monroe, I assume? It's a pleasure to meet you."
Jadis had to bite her tongue to keep herself from blurting out, 'It's Lecter you asshole, not Monroe.' His whole speech was meant to tease her, irritate her, and drive her over the edge. It would have worked if Jadis hadn't been anticipating it or something like it. Despite this, however, she could still feel her blood boil from his words.
She took a few steps to the side, towards Clarice. To Silversted Jadis instructed, "Stay where I can see you and don't move your hands." As she inched closer to Clarice, he in turn began to inch near the door. Jadis allowed herself an inward grin at this.
'Come on, get a lil' closer...' Jadis silently begged in her head. 'Just a few more inches, just a few more... There, perfect!'
Jadis stopped when she was standing right beside where Clarice was bound. Likewise, Silversted stopped just a little past the door. Jadis allowed that inward grin to finally show through.
Silversted raised an eyebrow. "What are you smiling about?" he asked before something cold and sharp suddenly began to press against his throat.
"That," Jadis answered him while savoring the sight of her father's harpy drawing a few drops of blood from a shocked Silversted. She took the time to check on Clarice while Dr. Lecter did his work.
"So good to see you again Richard," the doctor's voice rang through the room.
Silversted's responded in a weak voice, "Likewise to you, Hannibal."
Jadis focused her attention on Clarice for a moment. She could tell that the older woman was just hanging on to consciousness by a mere thread, her unfocused eyes confirmed this.
"Starling?" Jadis spoke in a soft voice, leaning near her friend. "Starling can you hear me?"
Clarice tried to focus on the blurred figure, but she didn't recognize her until she had heard her voice. "Monroe?" she forced out in a barely audible whisper.
Jadis hoped that Clarice couldn't see her eyes at the moment. It was bad enough that she was here with Dr. Lecter, but had Clarice seen the true color of her eyes right then Jadis was afraid that she would lose all trust in her, or worse.
"Okay, Clarice," Jadis moved out of her line of sight for the moment. "Save your energy for now. We need to get you out of here first." She muttered as she finished the job that Clarice had begun on the rope that bound her hands.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lecter kept his harpy pressed against Silversted's skin as the Good Doctor more or less interrogated him.
"Now then, let's get down to business. I would like to know why you have decided to go on a killing spree with some of my former associates."
Silversted's eyes went hard once again, as did his voice. "I was calling you out Hannibal. I would have thought you have figured that out by now."
"I'll admit, I did suspect that was the reason. Well, now I'm here, what do you want with me?"
"Revenge," Silversted growled. "Revenge for what you did to my life."
Dr. Lecter tilted his head in thought. "I don't recall doing anything to you to make your life that intolerable."
"Bullshit! You took everything from me! I was second to you in everything; I got pushed around for your benefit in med school. All the dignity that I had was lost because of you. I was only considered second best to you and was overlooked in everything, all because of you!"
"I assure you, I didn't do it deliberately Richard. And furthermore, you're in denial. You're blaming your own faults on someone else, namely me. You can't stand to admit that it was your fault alone that you weren't the best so you blame it on others. You are..."
"Shut up! Shut up damn you! It's all your damn fault! You took everything from me! My grades, my job, my life, even my girl!"
That perked Jadis' ears up. 'His girl?!' she thought.
Dr. Lecter was equally interested. "Your girl? And who would that have been Richard?"
Silversted's voice was dripping with anger. "You know damn well who that is Hannibal. Don't tell me you have forgotten all about her. Even though she's long dead, I still remember Rebecca like it was yesterday."
Jadis' heart stopped. She felt the color drain from her face as she listened on.
"Last time I saw her," Silversted continued, "she was in bed, her beautiful face so radiant. Since she wouldn't cooperate that night, I had to be a little forceful with her, especially with that little brat bawling on the floor."
Jadis' head snapped around. Silversted's face held a look of pure pleasure as if from a pleasant memory. Dr. Lecter was looking at Jadis, he knew it too.
"You bastard," Jadis growled, memories now crashing through her mind. Her mother's screams, the pain she suffered, all the blood, his eyes. Those cold, heartless, soulless eyes, the very eyes that stared back at her right now.
Jadis made her way towards Silversted, her maroon eyes flashing a brilliant red. In a split second her right fist made contact with his face. Dr. Lecter stepped back and went to Clarice, knowing that it was his daughter's turn to do some damage.
Silversted stumbled back from the blow as Jadis spoke again. "You motherfucking bastard!" she spat. "You killed my mother."
Silversted regained his posture, realization dawning on his face. "So," he mocked. "You're Rebecca's little brat. I should have recognized you, that scar is hard to miss, as are those eyes."
Jadis made another lunge at him, her rage out of her control. She didn't care about getting out of this alive anymore, now she was out for blood, his blood. She went straight for his throat and knocked him down. Unfortunately, she didn't catch him reaching into his pocket just before she connected with him.
In a flash, Silversted slashed at her face. The scar where he had marked her all those years ago suddenly stung in the worse way. Jadis' hand instinctively went to it and drew back bloody. He had reopened the scar, but now she could take the pain.
Jadis' brief pause was long enough for Silversted to shove her off of him and stand up. As Jadis made a mad scramble for her gun which was lying about two meters away she saw at the corner of her eye Dr. Lecter with Clarice in his arms, silently making his way to the door.
"Hold it!" Silversted roared to everyone. He almost didn't take notice of Dr. Lecter and Clarice, but he caught them just before they exited the door. "Don't any of you dare move, I'm not finished yet."
Jadis stood up as her father moved away from the door. Clarice stirred slightly in his arms, slowly regaining consciousness.
Silversted went on. "I'm glad that I'm prepared for a situation like this. As much as I would enjoy killing all three of you slowly, savoring your pain and watch you beg for mercy, sometimes you have to trade in pleasure for getting the job finished." He pulled something from his pocket, almost like a remote control for a toy car. He turned to Jadis and held up the device to her. "I do believe that you'll recognize this little tool, Agent Monroe. Or should I say, Agent Lecter?"
Jadis clenched her teeth as he drew out her true name. 'So, you know too do ya?" she growled in her mind.
Turning her attention to the device he now held, Jadis blinked. "It's a remote control for a homemade time bomb." About a month ago she led an investigation to shut down various sites on the internet that had instructions on how to make various deadly homemade bombs. It was no secret to the public about who was involved with the investigation, and the story made big news in the media. Jadis repressed a shudder at the thought of some of the reporters that interviewed her.
Silversted nodded. "When I press this button here," he indicated a blue button. "You'll have about five minutes before this whole barn gets blown to pieces."
He shot a piercing glare to Dr. Lecter. "And I'll finally have that sweet revenge that I've been waiting for all these years. I guess it's an added plus that I would have that little bitch of a daughter of yours and your little girlfriend here too Hannibal. The more the merrier as the old saying goes."
Dr. Lecter bore his own eyes straight into Silversted's. "I'm disappointed in you Richard. You're taking the fool's way out of this situation, much akin to taking a chessboard and throwing it to the ground when you know you're going to lose. You're still refusing to admit that your problems were your fault alone. You're still in denial..."
"Shut the fuck up!" Dr. Lecter's words had stung him hard, because in the back of his head, Silversted knew that they were true.
Frustrated, the madman turned his attention back to a pissed off Jadis. "Any last words you little wench?"
Jadis' blood was running ice cold. Her rage was on the verge of taking over yet again. "Go to hell," she growled at her mother's murderer.
Silversted gave her a sadistic grin. "I'll see you when I get there then," he replied before pushing the button.
He addressed the whole trio. "Well then," he said, revoltingly cheerful. "I guess I'll be off now. If any of you even try to escape I'll- Arg!"
Jadis finally snapped. She tackled him back to the ground, determined to do some more damage. "Get Clarice outta here!" she yelled at Dr. Lecter.
The doctor knew that there was no way he was going to be able to get both his daughter and Clarice out of here before time was out. Jadis wasn't going to allow Silversted go away unscathed and Clarice couldn't walk period. Seeing no other choice, he made his way back outside quickly, with a slowly recuperating Clarice in his arms.
An infuriated Jadis was now presently pounding the shit out of Silversted. He had managed to slip away from the crazed female long enough to stand up and find his pocketknife again, but she was on him in a flash yet again. The two started to make their way through the barn, punching and kicking at each other the whole way through, but yet still determined to make it out before the bomb went off.
*Ten...*
Jadis swiftly kicked him in the stomach and made a run for the exit to the outside.
*Nine...*
Silversted grabbed her around the waist and threw her to the ground.
*Eight...*
Jadis got a hold of his leg and sent him crashing down to the ground with her.
*Seven...*
The two rapidly got back on their feet and faced each other.
*Six...*
Jadis punched him in the face.
*Five...*
Silversted flinched and took a few more steps back to the door to freedom.
*Four...*
Jadis got him by the throat and held on tight.
*Three...*
She brought him to the ground and kicked him hard in the stomach.
*Two...*
The woman made a mad dash for the exit.
*One...*
Silversted caught her foot and brought her back down while reaching for his pocketknife.
*Zero.*
From his vantage point outside, Dr. Lecter just briefly caught a glimpse of the two struggling figures at the doorway leading outside before the barn turned into a blazing inferno.
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(A/N: Hmm, didn't turn out the way I hoped it would, but ah well. Phew, that was a hard chapter to write! Anyways, hope you've enjoyed it!)
-SP