Memento Mori
A Selection of shorts and unrelated one-shots. Mostly stuff that comes to my head while watching the show or things I think should have happened. Things I would like to see. Jane Centric, but there will be shorts about the other characters as well.
Sorry for the long delay guys, I have been really busy with work and my YouTube Channel. To make up for it, I wrote an extra long chapter...JUST FOR YOU!
Thanks for all the lovely reviews from everyone, they really put a smile on my face!
What happens to Jane after she escapes the CIA?
Hope you enjoy. More to come soon.
She drove until she ran out of petrol. Her blood still pumping with adrenaline, her heart beating so fast she thought it might break through her chest. Her hands held on to the steering wheel with a knuckle-whitening grip.
Now what?
She had been so focused on getting as far away from that hell as possible, she hadn't planned on what she was going to do next. She couldn't exactly go back to the FBI. They were the ones that sent her to that godforsaken hole in the first place.
For a moment she just sat there, staring at the quickly darkening sky through the dirty windshield of the truck. As the adrenaline left her body, she quickly became aware of the pain she had become so accustomed to over the last three months. They would be looking for her, she thought as she surveyed the quiet town she had happened upon, but she didn't want to move. She was afraid as soon as she stepped out of the vehicle she would suddenly awaken, back in that dark room, hands bound tightly behind her back as she waited for the day's torture to begin.
She licked her dry, damaged lips and counted backwards from ten.
Slowly, she reached towards the door handle with shaking hands, every movement making her very bones ache. Looking in the back of the truck she sighed in relief when she spotted an old pair of work boots and a hooded jacket laying on the seats. Grabbing them, she moved towards the cover of some buildings, resting against the cold brick as she pulled the boots over her bare bruised feet.
She shivered as she carefully slipped into the grey jacket, groaning as her broken ribs protested against each and every movement. She pulled the jacket tightly around her shaking body, shrinking into the scratchy fabric. It smelled like sawdust and cigarettes. Lifting the hood of her Jacket over her head, she started towards the busy high-street, blending into the throng of people that went about their daily business.
It took her only moments to find her mark, hiding her face as she bumped into the man with a mumbled apology. She turned into an ally, her back towards the street as she emptied the wallet she had just stolen. Fifty dollars.
Enough for a room at a cheap motel and something to eat.
At least for the night.
The first thing she did was go to the local convenience store, walking to the back and grabbing bread from the bottom shelf. She reasoned it was the only thing she would be able to keep down. She can't even remember the last time she had eaten. It took all of her will power not to rip open the bag to eat the bread right there in the shop aisle. She passed the fridges as she made her way towards the cashier, grabbing three bottles of water on her way.
The cashier was a young blond woman who wore too much makeup. Jane hid her face as the young girl scanned her items, ignoring the cautions looks she was getting from other patrons in the store. She paid and left without a word.
The room she had managed to get for the night was exactly how she expected it to be. Dark, dank and with a few mysteries smells she was trying hard not to identify. But compared to where she had been for the last three months. It was heaven.
She locked the door, closed the curtains and fell onto the bed, ripping open the packet of cheap stale bread and finishing a slice in three bites. She ate three more slices before she washed the bread down with a bottle of water. She finished two bottles in a matter of minutes.
Jane knew the moment she had finished that she had just made a huge mistake. She ran to the bathroom, falling painfully to her knees as she suddenly retched into the toilet, the harsh movements making her body scream in agony. She threw up the contents of her stomach in seconds, her arms wrapping protectively around her frail withered frame as she heaved nothing but blood and stomach acid into the dirty toilet. When her body had finally stopped convulsing, she just sat there, her cheek against the cold porcelain as she tried in vain to stop her body from shaking.
Why would they do this to her? She had just tried to protect them. Sure it had gotten out of hand, but Kurt wouldn't even let her talk when she had tried to tell him the truth.
Had she really been nothing to them?
Nothing but a cog in their machine. Maybe Oscar had been right...as soon as she had outweighed her use, they had thrown her to the wolves.
But then again, Mayfair was dead. Because of her.
Maybe she had deserved everything she had gotten.
Moving her now throbbing head towards the shower, she stripped the tattered clothes from her body and pulled herself towards the tub. The moment the water had hit her dry, bruised skin she relaxed, watching as the water slowly turned from a clear liquid to a dirty brown and red. It took only minutes for the water to become almost black with dirt.
She closed her eyes tightly as she finally let her legs buckle beneath her, her broken body sliding down the wall before falling limp against the cold tiles of the shower. She let the water wash away every last bit of dirt and blood as sobs racked her aching body.
She sat there until the water ran cold.
The room was shrouded in darkness when she finally emerged from the bathroom, turning on the dim bedside light. She stared at her reflection for what seemed like hours. Once again unable to recognise the woman that stared back at her. Once the dirt was washed away, she could finally see the extent of her injuries. The burns that crawled up her arm, the long thick lacerations that sat each side of her protruding ribs, the harsh slashes that decorated her back or the blotchy redraw burns that coiled around her thighs. Her face was thin and gaunt, her eyes almost as black as the bruises that decorated her neck, cheeks and forehead.
She reluctantly covered herself with the beige rags that had been her only clothes for the last three months, pulling the hooded jacket around her once more. She closed her eyes as she hid amidst the hard pillows and scratchy blankets, half expecting to be woken by a kick to the stomach, a slap to the face or a shower of freezing water.
The morning had come much too quickly for Jane's liking. It seemed strange, waking up to the sounds of birds and car-horns. Even though her body was aching with immense pain, she was still half expecting to wake up from this dream. Wake up back in her four by four, windowless cell. She reluctantly pulled herself out of bed, moving towards the window and peeking through the curtains. A thick blanket of snow had fallen during the night, covering the streets and modest buildings with an attractive glow. The sunlight still hurt her eyes as she squinted through the brightness, spying the throng of people that ambled through the small town.
The town was small, a rural, out of the way village that consisted of a large motel, a couple of diners, a rundown bar and a few small stores. A small laundromat stood at the centre, a flashing sign half covered by snow flickering ever so slightly. Jane shivered against the sudden draft in her room. She needed to get some new clothes.
She managed to 'borrow' some jeans, a sweater, socks and underwear from an unoccupied dryer. A woman about her size, too distracted by her phone to realise someone rummaging through her clothes. She dressed in the bathroom, pulling the grey hooded jacket over the new, clean clothes that hung from her body. For a moment she just sat there, savouring the almost, indescribable feeling of fresh, warm clothes on her skin. It felt…surreal.
Her stomach grumbled painfully, screaming at her for food. She forced her body to move once more, stuffing her hands in her pockets and pulling her hood up to cover her face as she walked out into the cold snow covered streets. Within moments, she found herself staring through the window of a small diner. The air outside of the diner smelled like bacon and waffles, causing her stomach to growl even more.
She slipped through the door, skulking over to the bar and taking a seat, resting her elbows on the table, she hunched over, her hair covering her face as her stomach growled painfully at the smell of cooking sausages.
"Coffee?" A sweet voice called to her, Jane jumped at the sudden interruption, a sharp intake of breath making her ribs protest at the movement. She didn't even notice the plump platinum haired woman approach her. A flask of freshly brewed coffee held in her right hand. She wore a sweet smile as she waited patiently for Jane to answer.
"No…I…I have no way of paying. I just came in here to keep warm...I'll leave…" Jane moved to stand but stopped when the woman spoke again.
"You stay right where you are." She demanded. Her voice suddenly stern. "This one on the house."
To her surprise, the older woman pulled a large mug from under the counter and filled it with steaming hot coffee. She pushed it towards Jane with a sweet smile, then reached into the cake display, placing a piece of pie on a plate and setting it down in front of her.
The elderly woman frowned as she spied the bruises on Jane's face. Her wrinkles deepening around her eyes. "You look like you need it."
Jane hesitated, looking between the food, the coffee and the woman. Her stomach grumbled again.
"Well go on." The woman said. "It's not gonna eat itself"
Jane didn't need any more convincing as she grabbed a fork, and cut a small bit of pie off at the end. She brought it to her mouth, chewing slowly. She was not going to make the mistake of wolfing it down, only to throw it up again. Jane could sense the other woman watching her carefully, her lips a thin line as she busied herself with wiping down the table.
"I sure hope he's worth it honey."
Jane swallowed, her throat still raw from the night before.
"Excuse me?"
"The fella that did that to your face."
Jane looked to the floor, hiding her face once again behind a curtain of tangled hair. She took another bite of pie.
"But, by the looks of them knuckles, you sure as hell gave as good as you got?"
Jane put down the fork, moving her hands into her lap and covering her hands in the long sleeves. The woman leaned in closely. A genuine look of concern in her eyes.
"Look, darling, if you need help. That man over there is a Police Officer" The woman pointed towards a man that had his back to them, he sat in a corner booth reading the sports section of the paper. "He can help you."
"No!" Jane yelled suddenly, reaching towards the woman. A few heads turned towards them, confused at the sudden commotion.
"Please. No cops, no authorities…please." Jane pleaded
"You in some kind of trouble?"
Jane opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the sudden addition of a gruff male voice.
"Everything alright over here Carla?" Jane tensed as she felt the man stop behind her. She prepared herself for a slap to the back of the head. Her body started to shake. Large green eyes looked up towards the woman with a pleading expression. For a moment, the elderly woman was silent. Moments passed.
"Everything is fine Dale. Go back to your paper."
The plainclothes officer frowned, looking between Carla and the mysterious woman that sat at the bar. Finally, he nodded.
"Okay…yell if you need anything."
Carla and Dale exchanged looks before the man turned and headed back towards the booth. When Carla looked back towards Jane, her seat was empty.
The elderly woman felt a draft as the door open and closed. The pie was left half eaten, the coffee untouched.
By sundown, Jane found herself on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. The snow had started to fall once the sun completely disappeared. Sinking behind the large tree-filled mountains. She clutched the now freezing bottle of water in her hand as she walked down the endless road towards god knows where. A few cars pass her, their lights were bright as they zoomed past her outstretched arm. She sighs as all signs of life disappear in the fading of tail-lights.
She shivered violently, her breath like ice as her boots crunched the snow beneath her feet. She can feel herself getting weaker by the minute. Her eyes heavy and her body, in so much agony, it was almost begging her to stop moving. To just lay down on the snow-covered roadside and wait for death to take her. For a moment, she considered it. It would be so much easier than continuing to fight this pointless battle.
It's not like anyone would miss her.
She stopped walking, dropping the bottle of water to the floor and closing her eyes for just a second. She swayed, her knees ready to buckle when the distant sound of music met her ears. Turning her head back towards where she had come from, she could make out the faint headlights of a truck.
She held out her arm once more, pointing her thumb towards the sky in hope that whoever was driving the truck would stop. She didn't care where it was going. To her surprise, the truck stopped a few meters away from where she stood, the hiss of the engine cooling down and the faint sound of guitars and drums breaking through the silence of the otherwise silent night. She approached slowly.
Opening the passenger door, she felt the heat of the car immediately hit her face.
"You must be some sorta crazy to be out this far on a night like this." The driver said. He was a thin, gangly man, with a fat face and small lips, but there was a certain kindness in his eyes as he turned to look at her.
"Well get in." He said. "You're letting all the heat out."
Jane climbed into the passages seat, pulling the door closed with a grunt of effort. Her hand moved to her side as her ribs once again screamed in agony.
"So, where are you heading?" He asked as he started the engine and began to drive. Jane shrugged.
"Well, my stop is in Jersey. It's about a day's drive, so you got a while to think about where you wanna get off."
Jane simply nodded, still trying to control her shaking body. The man inclined his head towards a tall red flask that sat on the dashboard.
"Pour yourself a cup. You look like you could use it." He chuckled. Jane reached numb, shaking fingers towards the flask, pouring out a thick brown liquid. She took a sip, spluttering as an intense taste of whiskey and hot chocolate burnt her taste buds. She gulped it down and poured herself another.
As the minutes passed, she could feel the life returning to her broken body. She was not meant to die. Not yet anyway.
She still had unfinished business. Still had a job to do, and as god was her witness.
She was sure as hell going to finish it.
What did you think? My spell check and grammar program is messing up, so if you spot any major mistakes, let me know and I will fix them. A lot of people are asking to read something about the team seeing Remi make an appearance. That might be in upcoming chapters, but I won't tell you which one!
Hope you liked this chapter!
Love to you all!
A.W
