Hello again! Here's Chapter 2 of "Through the Lens". Thank you to all who are reading, and special thanks VerityA for the review! I don't own Call of Duty. Enjoy!

Through the Lens

A Call of Duty and OC Story

By SamuraiWriter

Chapter 2: Eyes

Brenda Denise Campbell was born in the winter of 1987 in Bethesda, Maryland to Mary Lewis Jackson and Damian King Campbell. Brenda grew up in a quiet neighborhood that was ruled by the sound of lawn mowers, the droplets of neighbors' sprinklers, and the influence of the power of Christ.

Mary and Damian had three children; out of those 3, Brenda was the youngest child. The oldest was Brian Alexander Campbell, a boy with a fiesty attitude and a heart that belonged to his parents and sisters. He shared some history in his name, as his middle name was taken from his great grandfather, Alexander Campbell, who was a prominent figure in the world of science. Brian graduated from Coppin State University with a Bachelors degree in Business, married an English major he met at Coppin, had 2 boys, and moved down to Florida to live his American Dream. He made sure to make visits back to his parents during the holidays.

The middle child was named Brionna Elizabeth Campbell. During her childhood, Brionna was deemed the most sharp-mouthed and bold out of the 3. Despite Brian being the oldest, he would often be bossed around by Brionna. Brionna got into more scuffles than Brian, and as a result, was given more beatings than him. During those beatings, Brionna would not cry, as she knew that her worng decisions would come to that punishment. Her parents did not see the fear in her eyes when they rasied a hand or belt at her in discipline. It was only after the beatings when Brenda saw the real Brionna unfold, as she consoled her older sister as she cried silently in her grasp. Brenda would not tease Brionna for her tears, and she would not use them against her when Brionna felt like being the boss the very next day. As the years went by, Brionna grew up to be a more confident, yet collected individual. She graduated from Frostburg State University with a degree in Criminal Justic, and she lost contact with her family right afterwards. A year later, Brenda had recieved a call from Brionna saying that she had joined the CIA, and that she was getting married. Brionna had a small wedding in her hometown of Bethesda, concieved a girl, and named her Joanne Elizabeth James-Campbell.

Brenda was always the good girl of the family. She obeyed her parents, avoided confrontation at all costs, and maintained good grades throughout school. Her interest in photography sparked at age 8 when she stumbled upon her mother's collection of old family photos. She obtained her very first camera at age 12 and kept a collection of the many photos she had taken, similar to her mother. Brenda went to college out of state and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Photography. She was then recruited to be a photographer for the CCJP(Commitee of Conflict Journalists and Photographers) and she remained faithful to them for 5 years. She left the CCJP with a new prespective on the world, the loss of her faith in God, and Posttraumatic stress Disorder. Unlike her siblings, Brenda did not pursue many romantic endeavors. She entered a relationship with a kind photojournalist named Michael, but due to the amount of work and different schedules, the relationship only lasted for two weeks. Brenda moved back to Bethesda, Maryland and found work as a secretary. Her new job and life did not help her escape from her past completely. Brenda was still haunted by the memories of traumatized victims of war, how they looked at her with fear and insanity. When Brenda was a photograher, she felt a small pint of guilt for taking advantage of those poor people in a horrific time in their lives. After leaving the CCJP and photography completely, that guilt had doubled.

Overall, Brenda's life wasn't anything special. She experienced both the positives and negatives of life and had accepted them all. She was still young, but Brenda did not expect anything good or special for her life as of the moment. The "faces" still haunted her, pulling her deeper into depression as the days went on. There was nothing Brenda could do. She was alone, and she had accepted her lonliness. The world was slowly drifting away from her, or it was she that was drifting away from the world. Either way, there was no way out of it.

Atleast, that's what Brenda thought.

"Auntie Brenda!" Joanne called out.

Brenda opened her eyes and discovered Joanne staring at her with her shining brown eyes. Brenda looked confused a for a bit, and then let out a sigh in realization. Brenda has almost forgotten that Joanne was now staying with her.

"Yes, Jojo?" Brenda said with a faint smile.

Joanne smiled back a little. "I want some spaghetti."

Brenda remembered that she had some leftover pasta from two nights ago. "There's actually some leftover spaghetti in the refridgerator." she said.

"I know. I got me a bowl, but I can't reach the heat thingy."

'Heat thingy?' Brenda thought about her words for a second, then rolled her eyes at her delayed answer. 'Oh. She means the mircrowave.'

Brenda groaned and raised herself from her bed. She stared off into space while she pulled herself together. "What time is it?" she asked Joanne without looking at her.

Joanne looked her the alarm clock. "It's 1:25."

'Damn...I slept for THAT long?'. Brenda planted both feet on her bedroom floor and started walking towards her kitchen, with Joanne skipping right behind her. Joanne grabbed one of her aunt's hands and pointed to the dining room table. Brenda looked and saw her bowl sitting next the empty, dirty coffee mug that Brenda had this morning. Brenda walked over, grabbed the bowl, and placed it into the mircrowave. She set it for "Dinner", and Joanne pulled out a chair and watched the microwave turn on and spin her bowl slowly.

"Let me know when you start to see steam, or when you hear the spaghetti start to crackle and pop." Brenda said, picking up and coffee mug and placing it into the sink. She walked out of the kitchen and back to her bedroom, leaving the door cracked a bit. Brenda stopped in front of the mirror to take a look at herself and almost screamed at what she saw. She had hair from hell, bags that weighed heavy under her eyes, chapped lips that she got even drier with every lick over them. Brenda looked terrible, but she was used to it. Brenda never thought she was physically appealing.

The apartment phone started to ring. Brenda walked out of her room and into the living room. She looked over to Joanne and saw her still looking at the microwave. She smiled a bit and picked up the phone.

Brenda pressed "Talk" and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she said.

"Hey, sis. How's everything so far?" Brionna said with a cheerful tone. Brenda almost winced at her tone of voice.

"Everything's fine. Where are you?"

"Virginia. I'm at a small resturaunt."

"Ah. You went to the CIA headquarters?"

"Yeah. Mission starts tomorrow."

"Right..." Brenda rolled her eyes.

"It's popping!" Joanne called out.

Brenda walked over and opened the microwave. She reached for the bowl, but she jumped back when the hot bowl kissed her fingers. She picked the bowl up with one swift motion and set it on the table, slamming the microwave door shut afterwards.

"Popping?" Brionna asked.

"Spaghetti. Was making Joanne something to eat." Brenda answered.

"Oh, Joanne!" Brionna shouted. She had said it like she had forgotten she had a daughter. "Let me speak to her."

Brenda took the phone away from her ear and brought it down to Joanne. "Here. You talk to your mother while I go put this pasta in a much cooler bowl."

"Mommy!" Joanne shouted with a smile. She grabbed the phone and placed it to her ear. "Hi, Ma!"

"Baby!" Brionna said. Joanne's smile grew a bit wider. It was like she could feel her mother's smile on the other line.

Brenda hurried and placed the hot bowl on the counter. She opened the cabinet and grabbed another bowl, and she quickly, but steadily, dumped the hot spaghetti into the cooler bowl. She threw the hot bowl into the stove to be washed later, along with the coffee mug. She picked up the spaghetti bowl and walked out into the dining room. Brenda listened as Joanne laughed and watched as her face filled with happiness and delight. She could slightly hear Brionna's own laughter from the other line. Joanne proceeded to mention a cartoon character and a recent episode she had seen. She laughed again.

Brenda had a warm feeling in the bottom of her stomach. She assumed it was happiness, and she wondered if Brionna and Joanne had that warm feeling as well.

After talking with Joanne for about 10 minutes, Brionna disconnected with her. She reached for her bottle of water and took the last chug of the liquid. She crushed the bottle in her hands and dropped it on the table, watching as the bottle slowly stretched open from its crushed points. A half-eaten ham and cheese sandwich and salt and vinegar chips remained on her plate. She cursed, now realizing that she had nothing to wash down her leftover food with. Just after that thought, another bottle of water eased over to right hand. Brionna looked up to see Joseph smiling at her.

"Who was that?" Joseph asked, referring to her phone call.

Brionna snorted and grasped the new bottle of water. "My daughter and my sister. I was just checking up on them." she answered.

Joseph only nodded in understanding, and took a bite of his own sandwich. Brionna stared down at her food and placed her left hand to her cheek, as if she were in deep thought of the food laid out infront of her. Joseph watched this motion silently and immedietly knew her thoughts. In response, Joseph slyly reached his hand over and gently placed it over Brionna's. His hand covered hers almost completely, his fingers feeling the cold, wet surface of the water bottle.

Brionna looked up into Joseph's eyes, and she almost squirmed in her seat at the sight of them. There was pure concern soaked in Joseph's eyes, and Brionna almost could not take it. Joseph was young and slightly naiive; Brionna was older and in need of relief. Joseph liked Brionna for her looks and her attitude; Brionna accepted Joseph for his eagerness to work and his interest in her. It was a perfect match, whether Joseph knew it or not.

Brionna let out a chuckle and moved her hand from off the bottle, causing Joseph's hand to retreat back to the table. "I appreciate the pity, but I'm good." she said.

Joseph did not say anything and simply went back to his food. It was as if the past several hours didn't mean anything to Brionna.

3 and 1/2 Hours Earlier...

Brionna and Joseph had arrived at the CIA Headquarters at 9:55AM. The meeting was said to begin promptly at 10:00, and Brenda and Joseph hastily traveled down to the correct room before they intruded on the beginning of the meeting. Brionna opened the door to the meeting room and was met with the image of many CIA operatives seated in chairs, conversing with one another. There were a few men and women that were standing, all talking to eachother about different topics. Brionna muted out their conversations and scoped the room to find empty seats. Her eyes came across two seats that were placed in the upper rows. Brionna grasped one of Joseph's wrists and dragged him to the top of the stairs. Both of them excused and edged themselves passed people, but they finally made it to their seats right before everyone was silenced for the beginning of the meeting.

The room was killed with silence, now words were spoken as an aged man wearing an army uniform walked to the podium. No one clapped, but there was a high level of respect swimming in the air towards the man. Brionna squinted and leaned forward a bit.

The army man cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen of the CIA, I, General Shepherd, come here to deliver yet another threat not only to the United States of America, but to the entire world. I'm not gonna sugar-coat it; shit's hit the fan. That's why I've come here today to request your assisstance in this grave matter."

"The more things change, the more they stay the same. Boundaries shift, new players step in, but power always finds a place to rest its head. Years ago, we fought and bled alongside the Russians. We should've known they'd hate us for it. History is written by the victor. And here I am, thinking we'd won. But you bring down one enemy and they find someone even worse to replace him. That someone...is Vladimir Makarov."

Brionna had not noticed the screen behind General Shepherd until the picture of a Caucasian male appeared on the screen. Judging by the timing, Brionna assumed that the picture was of Vladimir Makarov. Brionna looked over the picture, studying the man's features and squinting at the bit of information that was given at the bottom right of the picture. Out of all of his features, Brionna studied Makaraov's eyes the most. His eyes showed a man with sick determination and insanity. His eyes were full of either thought or blood-thursty hatred; Brionna thought that it was more of the latter.

General Shepherd gave the crowd a few more seconds to look over Makarov before returning to his speech.

"Locations change, the rationale, the objective. Yesterday's enemies are today's recruits. Train them to fight alongside you, and pray they don't eventually decide to hate you for it too. Same shit, different day. I'm sure you all are familiar with that. The mission is simple; kill this motherfucker. Some of you will be working on special projects; all of you will be working as a unit. This is not the start of a war; it's the start of a struggle. A struggle that will reward the strong and embarrass the weak. A struggle that may very well exploit and challenge the upbringing of the American people. As I said before; same shit, different day."

General Shepherd turned and left the room without any further words, and everyone in the room stood and clapped as he left. Brionna rose to her feet and clapped, her eyes remaining on Shepherd until he was completely out of the room. Agents were dismissed, and Brionna made no hesitation making her way past them and out of the room. Joseph tried to catch up with her, but became engulfed into the crowd full of suits and different conversations.

Brionna's heels clipped to the hard marble flooring of the hallway as she trotted downwards, escaping the large mass of agents as quickly as possible. She had no idea as to where she was actually going, but she knew that she had desperatly wanted to leave that meeting room. The heat of the mass of agents was starting to affect her in an odd way, causing her to feel slightly light-headed. She continued down the hallway, hoping that a bathroom would come along and she could retreat in there, just in case Joseph turned a corner in pursuit of her.

In the midst of walking, Brionna's gained the taste for a candy bar. She hurried down the seemingly endless hallway in a fast pace, knowing that a vending machine was perched somewhere down the hall. Brionna's face lit up when her eyes spotted a large, rectangular shaped object laying perchd up against the wall. She reached into her pocket to pull out the money nessecary, but stopped when her eyes stared down a sign that was taped right on the glass covering.

'Out Of Order? Great.' Brionna sighed, stuffed her wallet back into her pocket, and proceeded up the nearby staircase in search of a new vending machine.

After venturing up two flights of stairs, Brionna stepped onto the 2nd floor. A similar rectangular shaped object caught itself in the corner of Brionna's eye, and she turned in slight eagerness. Brionna hurried over to the vending machine and grinned when she saw that it did not come with an "Out of Order" sign taped to it. Humming a tune to herself, Brionna reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. Before she could snap it open, a familiar voice brushed alongside Brionna's eardrums. Brionna turned to her right and realized that the voice had slipped through the cracked door that was just a few paces down from Brionna.

"I'm in Langley. What's with these constant phone calls? I told you we had a deal already." the voice said.

"General Shephred?" Brionna whispered.

Brionna wanted to move in to listen more, as Shepherd's voice was barely audible from where Brionna stood, but feared that her heels would give her presence away. Brionna lifted one foot up and slipped off a heel and caught it before it could hit the ground. She proceeded to do the same with the other heel and then eased her away over to the cracked door, making sure to keep close to the wall. Once Brionna was close enough, she stopped and listened to General Shepherd's words.

"Don't worry, Makarov. Everything is set. I have a potential agent who can help with our plan. I have ran over his record and I've seen him during a training course. He's perfect. Now, we have to just let everything play out." Shepherd said.

Brionna could feel her breath retreated back into her throat, and she placed a hand over her neck to avoid panicking. Her brown eyes stretched out in shock over the words she had just heard. 'Makarov...?' It could not be true. The same man that was telling just about the entire CIA of the dangerous Makarov was in turn working for the damn man. It was too much to take in. Brionna even started questioning her current state of mind, she had to be hallucinating. Regardless of whether or not she was hallucinating, Brionna swallowed her shock and continued listening to General Shepherd.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. Just hold up your part of the deal, and everything will be fine." General Shepherd said. "Gotta go."

After hearing that, Brionna hurried back over to the vending machine and slipped her shoes back on. General Shepherd walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He walked down the hall and spotted Brionna taking her wallet out and preparing to get something out of the vending machine. Brionna swallowed a lump in her throat and continued to fiddle with her wallet, staring straight at the different, assorted candies and snacks. She continued to stare straight ahead until she heard General Shepherd's footsteps stop in place, making her more alarmed than she already was. Her mouth grew dry and she licked over lips, as if that would help ease the burning in her throat.

"Excuse me, Miss?" General Shepherd said.

Brionna's shoulders straightened and she turned to Shepherd swiftly. Her turn resembled that to soldiers in the Army, and Shepherd let out a chuckle from the resemblence. "Could you tell me what time it is?" Shephred asked.

Brionna took out her phone and checked the time. "It's 10:35, sir." Brionna told him.

"Thanks, doll." Shepherd said and continued walking down the hallway.

Brionna bit down on her lip and she glared at Shepherd's back as he walked away. Brionna felt as if a heavy burden was placed upon her shoulders, and the burden grew heavier as she watched Shepherd walk away further and further. Questions popped into her head as she just stood there, watching the space that Shepherd had previously stood in when talking to her. What was she to do? Who was the agent that Shepherd had it mind? What if it was her? That could not have been possible. Shepherd would have talked to her about the mission right then and there if she was the chosen agent. The only other agent Brionna thought out of was Allen, but she quickly dismissed the idea in a mixture of fear and denial. However, the mysterious mission was not the most important portion of this situation. It was the connection between Shepherd and Makarov. Brionna did not have a single clue as to why Shepherd chose to work with Makarov, but there was a small bit of determination swelling in Brionna that he pursuaded her to find out.

Brionna had lost her taste for a snack and she stuffed her wallet back into her pocket once more. She heard footsteps coming up to the stairs, and Joseph stepped onto the second floor. He turned, but jumped back a bit when he met Brionna. A corner of Brionna's mouth curled up a bit, shaping her entire mouth into a smirk.

"Hey, Allen." Brionna said.

"Brionna, where did you go? Why did you just leave like that?" Joseph asked.

"That's not important." Brionna said, walking over to Joseph. She placed a soft kiss on his lips and smiled at him, and Joseph settled down for a bit.

"I was just worried." Joseph said, his voice softer than before and his eyes now glued to Brionna's.

"Well, now you've got nothing to worry about. I'm fine. Now, what do you say we get our assignments and go somewhere...more private. Like a motel, maybe?" Brionna suggested, fiddling with Joseph's collar. She winked, and Joseph looked away to hide his smile.

"This early?" Joseph asked, his face directed away from Brionna's.

"Yeah, guess you're right. Tell you what. Let's just get something to eat and do a little sight-seeing. I've never really checked out Virginia before. That sound good?" Brionna said.

Joseph nodded and smiled, and planted a kiss on Brionna's lips that was slightly deeper than Brionna's own kiss to him. Brionna chuckled, grabbed Joseph's wrist, and they proceeded to walk down the hallway in search of an elevator. They found one, and Brionna pressed the Up button, her fingers still wrapped around Joseph's wrist. The elevator doors opened and Brionna and Joseph stepped in. Brionna pressed the button to the 4th floor, and watched as the elevator door closed. Joseph looked over to Brionna, whom's grip had tightened around the Caucasian male's wrist. He did not object, but he grew concerned when he witness Brionna start to space off and lose herself while staring at the silver elevator doors.

"Brionna?" Joseph mumbled.

Brionna heard his mumble and turned her head to him. Brionna would have acknowledged him, but the elevator sounded and the doors began to open. Finally realizing that she was still holding onto Joseph, Brionna released him and a muttered a short apology, and made her way out of the elevator. Joseph followed behind her, never taking his eyes off of the back of her head. They walked together in silence, and they stopped in front of wooden door. Brionna gave the door three short knocks, a "Come in" was heard, and Brionna opened the door and they both walked in. Brionna and Joseph met eyes with an aging Caucasian man with a beard and silver, grey hair sitting at his desk. He nodded to the two, and they both took a seat in the only other chairs in his room.

"Names." the man commanded.

"Campbell, Brionna." Brionna said.

"Allen, Joseph." Joseph said.

The man grumbled and pulled out a drawer in the desk. Brionna and Joseph heard some shuffling for a few seconds, until the man came up with two tan folders and he slammed them on the desk. One folder had Brionna's name on it, while the other folder had Joseph's name. He picked up Brionna's folder and motioned it over to her, and she grabbed it.

Joseph leaned in to grab his folder as well, but the bearded man grabbed Joseph's folder and held it in his hand. He looked over it, opened it, closed it, and shot a glance at Joseph. Joseph stole a glance at Brionna, who looked at him with an equally curious look.

The man behind the desk looked at the folder and asked, "Joseph Allen, right?"

Joseph nodded. "Yes, sir."

The man looked at him and flashed a small smile at him. "Today's your lucky day. Seems like you have been chosen for a special mission regarding the Makarov case. A special mission set by General Shepherd."

Joseph gasped in a quiet mixture of shock and excitement. Brionna remained quiet, and she continued to stare off into space. Brionna had not hoped that it was Joseph who would be the agent that Shepherd had referred to earlier. It seemed as if Brionna's entire world became crashing around her, and she glued down to the seat to watch it crumble. 'No...not Joseph. Fuck you, Shepherd.'

"R-really?" Joseph asked, his voice cracking with disbelief.

"Yes, really." General Shepherd answered.

Brionna and Joseph turned around and saw Shepherd walking into the room, his gaze focused mostly on Joseph. Joseph quickly sprung to his feet and extended his hand eagerly. Shepherd shook it and gave him a small smile. "Joseph Allen. Please to meet you." Shepherd said.

"It's an honor to be in your presence again, Sir." Joseph said. Joseph sat down as Shepherd walked over to stand beside the man at the desk.

"I've looked over your file, Allen, and I have to say that I am quite impressed at what I saw. It says that you served a bit of time in the Army Rangers, is that correct?"

Brionna turned her head to Joseph. "You were in the Army Rangers?" she muttered.

"Excuse me, but could you please excuse us for a moment?" Shepherd asked, his eyes on Brionna.

Brionna turned towards him and looked over Shepherd for a bit. A bit of anger rushed through her body, but she succeeded in keeping her composure and nodded. Brionna rose to her feet and and she exited the room. After closing the door behind her, Brionna gently pressed her body up against the door in order to catch any audible information. The dryness in Brionna's throat had returned, but she had no time to find a vending machine to buy a beverage. Unfortantely, Brionna could not hear anything from behind the doors. She sighed and rolled over onto the wall, looking down at her feet in desperation. Brionna was scared for Joseph's life. Shepherd's involvement with Makarov could result in a fast death for Joseph. She had information of this plan right out of the mouth of Shepherd, but Brionna was overwhelmed with fear of going public with the information. What if the CIA did not believe her? What would Shepherd do if he found out that his secret had been discovered? Would he come after Brionna? Would he come after her family and kill them to seek revenge?

'Joanne...'

The door clicked and Brionna's head turned in instinct. The door fully opened and a beaming Joseph stepped out. His shaking fingers nearly crushed the edge of the folder with excitement and complete happiness. He turned to Brionna, his pearly whites nearly blinding Brionna.

Brionna chuckled. "Someone's happy..."

"Fuck yeah. Oh man, you wouldn't believe what Shepherd said. Aw, this is amazing. I'll tell you when we get to a diner, babe." Joseph said. His pressed his lips against Brionna's a little harder than intended, and Brionna pushed him off and turned away.

Joseph stared at Brionna in slight surprise. "Brionna? What's wrong?" he asked.

Brionna could not answer Joseph's question, as Brionna's current problems and worries were not something that Joseph would have liked to hear at that moment. Brionna could tell him Shepherd's true motives and intentions, but Brionna did not think that she could take to see the disappointment and astonishment on Joseph's face. Brionna turned so she would not have to see his face, no matter what expression it carried.

One of Joseph's hands grabbed Brionna's shoulders, and she turned around with sadness lodged in her eyes. Brionna figured that Joseph caught that sadness and was now concerned, which did not help Brionna's emotional state at all. Before Joseph could question Brionna's currrent mood, Brionna wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her soft, but shaking lips against Joseph's stern ones. Her tongue glided along his lips, as if she were asking for entrance. Joseph obliged and spread his lips apart, and Brionna slipped her tongue in for a brief moment before retracting. Joseph wrapped his arms around Brionna's waist, but he made sure to keep a grip onto his assignment folder.

Jospeh tried to deepen the lip lock, but Brionna pulled away before he could. Joseph looked saddened at the departure, but he was really more turned on than ever. Brionna's fast retreat from the kiss made Joseph want more of her, and he was eager to take the rest of her if she was offering. Brionna removed her arms from around his neck and stared at him as she backed up. Joseph looked at her up and down, biting down on his bottom lip as his eyes scanned Brionna's figure.

"You know...maybe we should get a hotel room." Joseph said, a smirk creeping on his face.

Brionna grinned and chuckled. "After we eat, okay? We have to celebrate you earning your special assignment.

"There's only one way I want to celebrate, babe."

Brionna winked. "After we eat. Okay, babe?"

Present

Brionna took another hard bite into her sandwich, still staring at the plate as she chewed. She figured that if these were, in fact, Joseph's last days alive before going on his mission, she should enjoy them while they lasted. She did not want Joseph to spend his last days worrying about her, she wanted him to enjoy them with the woman he took interest in. She would allow Joseph to make love to her for as long as he liked if it satisfied him. She would become his temporary lover, temporary mate, his temporary object of affection. Brionna would let Joseph smother her with spit and kisses and express his affection for her, all to make him happy. She could not believe that she was letting this happen; Brionna had all the information she needed to make a claim.

Then, it finally dawned on her. Brionna could make a claim, but she needed proof to back it up. 'Shit...'

Brionna needed relief, and she needed it fast. She finally looked up and stared at Joseph stuffing his face quietly. While he seemed focused on his meal, his eyes dripped with longing and concern. Brionna was starting to despise those eyes. They made her break down inside, and it felt almost impossible for Brionna to put herself back together again after looking into those eyes. Brionna swallowed the remains of her sandwich and pushed the plate away, as if she were disgusted with what was left. Joseph heard the bottom of the plate slide against the table and he looked up at Brionna.

"Don't want anymore?" Joseph asked.

Brionna shook her head no. "Lost my appetite all of sudden. Sorry."

Joseph nodded. "It's cool. What do you want to do now?"

Brionna smirked at him, and Joseph laughed. "Besides the obvious." he said.

"See the sights?"

"Ugh..."

"Oh, don't be like that. Come on." Brionna said with a huge smile.

The smile was killer. Joseph gave in. Sighing, he raised his hand when a waitress walked by and asked for the check.

It was 8:45PM. The cool, nighttime air of Virginia graced its presence into Brionna and Joseph's motel room through the open window, the window's thin curtains dancing as the wind pushed them upwards. The cool draft was a refreshing addition to the musky, sticky atmosphere that had formed in the midst of their love making. The cheap bed sheets had managed to stick themselves onto their bodies with the help of the sweat that rolled down their skin as they grinded against each other. Their hair was itchy from the amount of prespiration and the heat in the room Hoarse moans had escaped Brionna's lips and ran straight into the ears of Joseph, who occassionally answered back with his own husky groans. Joseph's hand had grasped Brionna's neck gently for more support as he proceeded to penetrate her, causing a slight shortage of breath that Brionna found surprisingly arousing. Her nails had clawed and scratched along his back, digging themselves into the pale skin when Joseph decided to speed up the pace of their love making.

The sex had been long, but worthwhile. They both figured that they owed it to themselves, as they both fell asleep after driving around McLean in a pathetic attempt at sight-seeing. They were both in terrible need for showers, but it was this filthe that aroused them more and pursuaded them to continue their sexual act. Brionna and Joseph both looked like vanilla and chocolate swirling togetherin the sheets, with sweat seeping through the cracks of where their bodies did not connect. During the sex, Brionna had climaxed a total of 4 times. Each time, Brionna had held onto Joseph as if for dear life, and she tried to lower the volume of her shouts of passion by biting down on Joseph's shoulder. She held onto him, knowing that this was the closest she was ever going to get to Joseph because of his near fate. She held onto him in fear and remorse, each climax fueled by the guilt that Brionna had because of her inability to help Joseph. Brionna refused to look into his eyes; she knew it would have been over if she even caught a glimpse of them. She hid her eyes from him out of sorrow and desperation. Brionna could not look at him, and instead, looked around the shanty motel room. With the rusted lamp the only source of light, the room was a sorry sight to look upon, and Brionna figured the only feeling of worth the room could serve would be the execution of their sexual intercourse.

Joseph grunted and increased the speed of his grinding, causing Brionna to dig her nails into his back and wrap her legs around his waist in preparation for another climax. Joseph would not make this climax like the others, and used the hand that had grasped Brionna's neck to grab Brionna's jaw and direct it forward. Brionna's widened her eyes when they settled on Joseph's. Brionna could feel a slight sense of panic, but it only increased her arousal. Joseph was forcing Brionna to look at him. Brionna cursed herself for finding this act of dominance attractive. Their breathing had increased and Brionna tried to move her jaw, but Joseph's grip was a strong one. The grinding quickened, and Brionna almost had a full on scream of panic until Joseph leaned down close to her face, their eyes connected by an unbreakable chain. They had both decreased the volume of their panting, and their arousal was fueled by the lustrious sound of their genitals smacking together in a rushed fashion. Joseph's face was stern and serious, the beads of sweat rolling down and dripping onto Brionna's cheeks. The only sounds in the room where pelvises crashing together, bodily fluids squishing and leaking, and the motel bed creaking.

In the midst of the few sounds, Joseph's voice forced out of his throat. "Look at me."

Brionna's eyes widened, her hands clenching his back and her legs tightened around him. A warm, rushing sensation overwhelmed her body and Brionna's eyes snapped shut in instinct, but Joseph shook her jaw and forced them back open. Brionna had to keep her eyes open throughout the entire climax, a task that was more difficult than it sounded. Nevertheless, Brionna obliged. If it satisfied Joseph, Brionna was willing to do it. She kept her eyes open and on Joseph throughout the entire orgasm. The pleasurable shouts that had been previously attempted to tone down by biting Joseph's shoulder surprisingly came out strained and restricted, even without the use of Joseph's shoulder. Joseph kept his eyes on Brionna as he released himself inside of her for the 5th time, his grasp on her jaw loosening.

They were finished. Joseph removed his hand from Brionna's face completely and he lowered his head a bit to plant a soft kiss on her quivering lips. Brionna saw Joseph's closed eyes, and figured that she could close hers as well. She did, and she wrapped her arms around his neck when a feeling of reassurment soar through her body and soothed her. Joseph planted all over his weight on Brionna gently and rested his head next to Brionna's. They had not said a word, as their voices were overpowered by the loss of energy. Joseph just stared at Brionna's eyes that were placed upon the ceiling, until Joseph felt his eyes slowly lowering. The image of Brionna's face grew smaller and smaller, and the last image Joseph saw before drifting off into sleep for good was Brionna turning her head to look at him.

Once Brionna saw that Jospeh was asleep, she turned her head back to the ceiling. She continued to stare at it as it spun around, until she felt her own begin to grow heavy. Joseph's sweaty, sticky body did not help her stay awake, as his body generated heat on her. The occassional Virginia air came swooping in, creating the perfect type of atmosphere for Brionna to fall asleep to. Brionna reached over and turned off the lamp before she allowed the slumber to overpower her. She did not object to it, and she welcomed her slumber with open arms as a whistle of a wind brushed against her cheeks.

Brionna awoke at 1:30AM, succesfully managed to crawl from under Joseph's body, and crept quietly into the bathroom for a shower. After about 20 minutes, Brionna emerged from the bathroom naked and partially dry, with a small cardboard box firmly in her hands. The cardboard box had a piece of paper taped to it, and Brionna had placed the box next to Joseph's bags for him to see when he awoke.

Brionna had changed into clean clothes, gathered her things and headed towards the door. Before she could reach for the doorknob, Brionna stopped. She allowed a few seconds to past and she slowly turned to look at the sleeping Joseph. Brionna walked over to him and admired his facial features. His lips moved slightly has breath slipped out of them in every exhale, his voice huskier than normal but too soft to be called a snore. Brionna gave him a weak smile and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Look who's eyes are closed now." Brionna joked, a giggle slipping from her lips.

Brionna turned and headed out the door, closing it with as little noise as possible. With her bag of clothes and other items in one hand, Brionna spun on her heels as the Virginia air smacked her face. She did not, however, make it far from the motel room. Just as she turned around, Brionna's eyes caught the image of a black, ugly gun staring her down. Brionna froze. The gun was aimed between her eyes, but she still got a clear picture of the weapon. Brionna saw fingers wrapped around the gun, the index finger playfully tapping against the trigger. Brionna stared into the eyes of the figure, and she simply smirked at them.

"I have a strong feeling that this isn't just some ordinary mugging." Brionna said.

The figure waited a few seconds before responding. "No...it's a punishment."

With that, the figure pulled the trigger and aimed one right in between Brionna's eyes. There was no sound of the gun going off, as it had been modified with a silencer. Blood splattered all on the motel room door and onto the concrete as Brionna fell hard onto it. Her bag had collapsed alongside her, and her murderer had just watched as her blood had spread and dripped. The killer turned around, waved their hand, and a car pulled up right afterwards. Two men had jumped out of the car; one with trash bags, and another with a cleaning kit. One man proceeded to stuff and cover Brionna's corpse into the black trash bags, while the other man cleaned up the blood from off the concrete and the door. Once they were finished with their respective duties, both men lifted the deceased Brionna up and they walked towards the car. Brionna's killer had already made it to the car, and had popped the trunk with ease. The killer's assistants dropped Brionna into the trunk and they slammed it shut. The killer threw Brionna's bag into the backseats.

"Boss, what about him?" one of the killer's assistants asked, pointing his thumb over to the still opened window.

The killer looked inside and saw Joseph's sleeping body. Joseph's snores rang in the killer's ears, and they had dismissed him.

"The motherfucker's asleep. He didn't see shit." the killer said.

With that, all three of them entered the car swiftly and drove off. They had not said a single word during the drive. In the trunk, Brionna's body was compacted into the trash bags, bumping against the walls of the trunk when the car hit bumpy parts of the road.

Brionna's lifeless eyes had remained open for the entire drive.

Yikes, what a scary ending. :/

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of "Through The Lens" and the next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it up. Reviews are appreciated.

Thank you!