Is he doubting her? Really, she's doubting herself, but she can feel her lover's heartbeat as if it's pumping the blood through her own body. "Yes, I can tell. He's after McManus." That's the only reason she can think of for the adrenaline surging through her veins, tantalizing the malice.
The serial murderer groans. "Man oh man...the revenge of the lover is always the worst," he complains, and she wonders what he would know about it. From what she seen of him it's much less likely that he was the one seeking revenge than the other way around and she feels sorry for whoever it was. Killer is far too casual in his murder--this thought startles her. She's seen so much bloodshed since her 'miracle', a disturbing amount by her own hands, that murder no longer upsets her.
Her mind is stuttering, refusing to process this knowledge, and Killer's complaints to Lady barely register. It's only when the red-eyed woman walks towards her that Edna snaps out of it.
The way she is staring, Edna thinks she must want to say something, but knows well enough from experience that she either can't or won't. Whether she is a mute or an angel or a devil, there is no telling. So instead, the brunette speaks to her. "You brought me back to life, didn't you?" The silent woman tilts her head to the side. It looks as though they are both confused, and this mutual bewilderment is somehow reassuring enough that Edna steps towards her and continues. "Yet somehow, it feels like I got something horrible from you too..."
Something horrible that has strengthened her and altered her. If Ricardo saw the changes it had made--if he knew what she had done--would he be disgusted? Afraid? Who wouldn't be? Her pulse quickens as she thinks of Ricardo rejecting her, matching the tempo of his heart. The drumming is so loud it's as though she's holding his heart to her ear.
Lady jerks her chin, indicating a neighboring building with the word "Casino" lit on its roof. "All right, I'll meet you there," Edna lies. Once she finds Ricardo she will have nothing more to do with these two. Even if they did give her life, they are frightening. They are not normal, they are strange, they are people Ricardo would despise.
They are the only others like her.
As she turns to enter the hotel the grey-haired woman seizes her arm. The motion makes Edna start, as Lady's acts of violence always end lives. But as the angel of death indicates the same building again, the brunette realizes she is not being hostile, merely trying to persuade her of something.
"You want me to go with you?" Edna asks. Lady nods, and in that moment a cloud of Malice descends upon Edna, roaring over Ricardo's heartbeat with its rush.
It clears and she hears Killer cursing. He'd taken a step back and nearly fallen off the roof, which at this height would certainly mean death. "Warn a guy, will ya?" he calls.
"I didn't say yes!" Edna cries out. "Why did you bring me here? I have to find Ricardo!" Since Killer's 'helpful' encouragement at Alcatraz, she's tried copying more of Lady's actions, but found herself only able to harm others and defend herself. There seems to be a constraint; after all, Killer has received the same treatment from Lady, but he does not use Malice at all when he kills. His knives are the only tools he uses.
Lady points to the hotel and her accomplice sighs. "Don't tell me we're just gonna watch and wait. That's boring shit."
But the idea appeals to Edna. If she barges in there, searching for Ricardo, McManus' men will try to kill her. She'll have to use the Malice, perhaps too much, and...just like in Alcatraz, she may start killing innocents. She will not have Ricardo die the same way her brother did, not to a monster of her own making.
"Will you send me to Ricardo when he needs me?" she asks, and Lady nods. Soothed by the response, Edna turns and observes the hotel. She can feel a lift in Ricardo's heart as well, a brief absence from the pressure of stress. He feels glad, and Edna knows that if she can see his smile she will be happy as well. If he smiles at her...and doesn't turn her away, or think her a monster...then she can go back to being normal.
The minutes pass by. Ricardo's pulse quickens. He is facing danger, but nothing he can't handle, and the frequent lulls are reassuring. It is when she feels a sharp pang of anguish that her eyes narrow as she pinpoints which room he is in. He is cornered and she sweeps her arm to send a large blast of malice, hoping it will provide a distraction. "Lady, now!"
Awash in red, and it only takes a second to emerge. It has been so little time that debris from the explosion is still fluttering in the air. Already her head seems fuzzy, the fragments floating up more mesmerizing than they should be. Is she entering another nightmare?
"Edna..."
The astonished whisper pulls at her and she turns to see her lover. He is looking at her with surprise, but there is none of the uncertainty her brother's visage held. There is no fear and disgust in his vivid green eyes; instead, both their hearts are quickening. "Ricardo," she says, satisfied.
"Edna," he breathes. This time he struggles to his feet.
"It can't be true. You're dead," a quivering voice says. McManus is trembling as he orders, "Kill her!"
The black-garbed mobsters open fire, but their bullets are easily blocked by the barrier she raises. Ricardo, however, is vulnerable, standing in the center of the room. When there is a small pause in the gunfire she unleashes a wave of malice, killing the gangsters. The same force makes the mariachi fall back to his knees, but his attention is on the corpses collapsing behind him. Oh, Lord, she's done it. Ricardo will think she's a beast. In that moment she feels overcome with nausea and kneels. Her head is pounding--it's her own heart that's thundering; she can't hear Ricardo's. He can't take his heart away from her, she wants it, she needs it. "I'll kill you," she murmurs. Such a simple solution: he can't hate her if he's dead.
Her eyes close tightly as she tries to push the thought away. Ricardo won't hate her, if she only explains, he'll just know she's a murderer and never look at her the same way...no, God, no...
"Edna! What's wrong?" Two hands grip her shoulders, shaking her. "Edna!"
She opens her eyes and sees that his own are filled with concern. Even knowing what she can do, he is afraid for her, not because of her. "Ricardo?"
"Yes," and he smiles and nods and he must think everything is all right. But it's not, because she knows just one look from him could make her lose her sanity completely.
Trembling, she stands, pressing her hands against his chest. "Ricardo, kill me," she begs.
His grip tightens hard enough to bruise. "What?" His eyes are wide, pleading for an explanation. She can't meet his gaze anymore and instead shakes her head.
"I don't want to become a monster." How could she have been so blind? She already is a monster, one that killed her own brother. The throbbing in her head escalates, pressing against her skull.
"Edna--" As his voice softens, so does his grip, and immediately she backs away. The malice is rising, washing over her mind with twisted thoughts. She wants to rip his heart out of his chest and her self-restraint is quickly ebbing.
"Do it... please..." she tells him. The pain and malice crash over her like a tidal wave and she screams as the Window opens behind her. In that moment her resistance crumples entirely. The monster will come. Ricardo will die. If she's lucky the monster will kill her too. And if Lady summons her back, as she did with Al...then Edna will do her utmost to murder the bitch.
She feels as though she is trapped in a current pulling her farther and farther out to sea. Ricardo is holding her arms, but she has already been swept away. His touch vanishes, her arms rise of their own accord, and the malice from the gate drowns her in its power. Consciousness is erased.
"Edna!"
The voice makes Edna stir as she becomes aware of herself, and the two strong arms cradling her. They are blissfully warm, soothing despite the pain wracking her body. It must be Ricardo, and she opens her eyes only to see his shining with tears.
"Edna! Speak to me!"
There is blood on his shirt from where her body has pressed against his. In that moment she understands: the Window she opened did not summon a monster, but channeled the malice to turn her into one. Yet despite it all, Ricardo is alive and well, and she can no longer hurt him or anyone else. This knowledge makes Edna smile. "Thank you, Ricardo..." He must have been the one to stop her, to set her free from the nightmare. She raises her arm to stroke his cheek, wanting to calm him. "To see you...one more time..." She wishes she could explain to him that he doesn't need to be upset. Despite how much the malice corrupted her, God has granted her one miracle: her love is alive, and for this she is grateful. But there's no time to tell him as the room dims and her arm unwillingly falls back. She is exhausted, and drifts away from consciousness as easily as she came into it. There is no fear this time; Ricardo is warm and comforting, unlike the searing malice. "Goodbye..." she murmurs as she leaves this life to go to God.
Author's Note: Okay, a few things about this chapter. I have Edna swearing once again, and she's also a bit religious. Both of these aren't things shown in the game, they're just what I thought of her character.
Some might wonder why she doesn't realize Al's also in the room. It may sound strange, but I think she just didn't see him; you'd think she would have said something after worrying about him and unleashing a monster on him if she had. With him being dead in her mind, her attention is solely on Ricardo and any threats to him. Tunnel vision to the extreme.
I don't think there's anything else to comment on except the "I'll kill you" line. The most obvious target for that line would be McManus, but after watching the cutscene a few times it seems to me like she's looking at Ricardo when she says it. Unless McManus is behind Ricardo, but I thought he was in one of the corners of the room (Ricardo's in the middle).