SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS

Rusty ran out of the alley and saw that his car was gone. He saw Buford sitting against the SWAT vehicle. He was staring straight ahead.

"Buford, where did she go?" Rusty asked.

"She's crazy…Don't go after her."

"I have to. I'm ending this today."

"Down that way," Buford said, pointing.

"Come on, get out of the road."

Rusty helped him up and sat him down on a bench. He got in the SWAT vehicle and drove down the road, pursuing Maddie. He drove for a few a while with Maddie stuck in his mind. Then, he saw his car up ahead. It was parked on the side of the road and there was a police barricade ahead. He parked the vehicle behind his car. Det. Elliot ran up to him.

"Briggs, what the hell are you doing?" Det. Elliot said.

"What I have to do," Rusty replied, "Now where is she?"

"She ran into the building. We have to wait for a SWAT team."

"That didn't work last time. I'm going after her."

Det. Elliot grabbed his arm.

"Are you crazy? She's a psycho killer. She'll slice off your head so damn fast," Det. Elliot said.

"No she won't. I'm going in and I don't want anyone coming after me.

"Briggs, please. After today you can enjoy a comfortable life. Your retired. Listen, I care about you. This isn't worth it."

"I stopped living in comfort years ago. And this, to me, is worth it."

Rusty walked into the building as Det. Elliot looked on in concern. Rusty had his gun ready as he slowly ascended the steps of the old apartment building. It was a few minutes past 6 o'clock. Detective Rusty Briggs took a deep breath as he starred at the bloody hand print on the door. He held his gun tight as he was about to open the door to the roof. On the other side was someone extremely dangerous, someone who could kill him in an instant. Like many things in his life, he had to see it through to the end. He slowly opened the door, not knowing how it would all end.

Rusty held the gun tight as he walked on the roof. The storm clouds were hovering over and thunder could be heard. His heart pounded and he had no idea what to do. Would he shoot her? Would he sympathize with her? He turned around, looking for Maddie. He expected her to jump out of nowhere. The sound of thunder was startling. He walked around the housing. Maddie was there, sitting on the roof. She looked up at him. Her face paint was wearing away. Rusty had wondered why she remained instead of running.

"It's time to go," Rusty said, "Come on."

"I've been waiting for you," she said.

Rusty slowly approached her. Maddie looked at him and smiled. She had a knife in her hand and pointed it at him.

"Put it down!" He yelled at her, "Don't make me do it."

Maddie held her arms out to her side and walked closer to him. She put her forehead on the barrel of the gun.

"Do it," she demanded, "Pull the trigger."

Rusty had his hand on the trigger, ready to squeeze.

"The exact moment the hammer goes back, the exact moment I hear it, I'll slice your throat," she told him. "Go ahead, try it. I want you to do it."

Maddie let out an evil laugh. Rusty kept his composure, refusing to fear her.

"You don't fear me," Maddie continued, "But soon you will."

"No, I don't fear you."

"You are afraid. If you're not, pull the trigger. I want your blood on me."

She had an evil smile on her face. Rusty was unsure if she could sense the pull of the trigger. But there was a different reason he had not pulled it. For some reason, he understood why she did what she did. Maddie backed away and threw the knife down. She began laughing, thinking she had won.

"You're coming with me," he said over her laughter.

The sound of thunder was heard.

"Now!" He yelled.

Maddie stopped laughing and had a blank stare on her face.

"Please Maddie," he continued, "Don't do this okay. Please come with me. I know why you did this. The torment you endured. They drove you to do it."

Maddie was surprised. The rain began to wash away Maddie's face paint.

"I want you to understand," Rusty said. "I want to help you."

"I'm not going to jail or an asylum," Maddie told him.

"It's better than the alternative. You with a bullet…"

Rusty could not finish the sentence. Deep inside he did not want to pull the trigger. But there was a high chance that Maddie could end his life in an instant. He struggled with the decision.

"I know all about you," Rusty continued, "I know all the people you killed. Listen to me, Maddie."

She stared at him.

"I've known for a long time that it was you," he said, "It was you that exploded the car, killed Morty and Caleb, Sheila, Brock. I know that Tim helped you cover it all up. We found Belle and Anna, we found Morty's dad. I know it was you. I saw it in your eyes. The little girl who could not hide her guilt."

He lowered the gun. Maddie stepped forward, smiling. She took out another knife, but Rusty saw it and put the gun at her head. Maddie laughed as the barrel pressed into her forehead.

"You're not going to do it," she said, "But I'll kill you. I can't let you live knowing about the people I killed."

Rusty still refused to give in to her attempts to make him fear her. Maddie rushed forward, grabbed his arm, and placed the knife at his throat and held him by the hair. She laughed at him as he dropped the gun.

"I'm gonna have the joy of feeling the knife cut through your skin," she said.

Rusty stared into her eyes.

"Why are you not afraid?" She said.

"I can't be afraid of you, Maddie."

"That's impossible!"

She moved close to his ear.

"I'll cut your neck, drink your blood," she whispered, "I would love that."

The rain completely washed away her face paint. Rusty turned his head at her.

"Then kill me," he boldly stated, "If I mean nothing to you, if you don't care for me, then I want to die. You're all I have in this world. If you want me dead, then I have no reason to live."

"I am not…," Maddie said, "What do you mean?"

He closed his eyes and waited for the end. Maddie pulled the knife away from his throat. Rusty opened his eyes.

"You can't kill me," he said, "I'm not a bad person."

Maddie realized he was right. Rusty grabbed Maddie's arm with the knife and held it out to the side. She dropped the knife.

"Maddie, I'm here for you."

Maddie had no idea why he wanted to care for her.

"There's bad people out there," Rusty said, "Me and you can take them down."

Maddie realized that he was somewhat making sense. She had nearly killed him and he nearly killed her.

"No one wants to play with me," she said.

"I do."

He walked closer to her and held her hand.

"I understand why you did these things," Rusty calmly stated, "I understand the way you feel and the pain you have been through. Me and you can mend what other people, the bad people, had broken apart."

Maddie smiled at him and he smiled back. Then, Maddie pulled her hands away from him and turned to the side.

"You have to understand, I'll kill and I'll keep killing," Maddie said, "It's an addiction. I'm crazy. I don't ever want to be normal."

Maddie began to laugh. Rusty chuckled and then laughed along with her. Then, just as the SWAT team broke through, a flash of lighting occurred, cutting out the power to the lights. Det. Elliot saw a glimpse of Rusty and Maddie. When the lights powered back on, Rusty and Maddie had disappeared.

"Briggs!" Det. Elliot yelled, "Briggs!"

A week later, protests against the police continued. Darian continued his hate filled rage while others applauded his efforts. He decided to take a break and head into a tunnel area located behind them. The tunnel was blocked from both sides so no one else could get in. He was accompanied by two large men. A man and a woman holding hands walked by them and he shoved them aside.

"Get out of my way!" He yelled.

He continued into the tunnel and lit up a cigarette. The protest was still going on behind them. He went into the bathroom, leaving the two men outside. Then, a sound was heard in one of the stalls. He slowly approached the last stall and saw a skinny man with glasses inside.

"Get the fuck out!" He yelled.

He pulled him out and shoved him to the ground. The man ran out of the bathroom. After using the bathroom, he washed his hands and exited into the tunnel. The sight he saw outside, on the ground, made his entire body stiff with shock and fear. The two men outside had been decapitated and blood was everywhere. Someone had placed their bodies against the wall with their own head being held by their dead hands. He backed away, but slipped on the blood. He became more terrified when he realized he was lying in it. He stood up leaning against the wall. As he stared at the blood on his hands and the bodies on the ground, a large machete swung at his throat. The machete slowly decapitated him. Then, Darian's head was being balanced on the machete as the blood poured down. As the machete turned around, Maddie was there with a smile on her face and a bloody machete in her hand. The head fell off the bloody machete. Brandon appeared beside her.

"Are you ready to go home now?" She said to the person, smiling, "I have the perfect dinner planned for us."

Maddie wiped the blood off the machete and onto the person's face. The person wiped the blood off the machete with two fingers and then wiped it on Maddie, forming a smile on her lips. Brandon licked off some blood from Maddie's lips as they stared ahead.

"Yes sweetie," the person replied.