AN: Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter.

For brendawilliamsc: I appreciate your feedback! I realize that Maldonado was insensitive, but I felt she would after Emily's exemplary past as an officer and that Emily had never done something quite that drastic before! As for Emily, Peyton, and Dorian, you'll have to stay tuned to find out! (wink)

For guest: First off, I'd like to thank you for your support. Also, I understand being shy can make it hard to publish your thoughts in a review, but I am always supportive of my readers, no matter what they say. Your opinions, thoughts, and suggestions are taken to heart, and most of the time, they greatly improve my writing. Don't be afraid to review, but don't feel pressured either. As for my comment, I realize that it was harsh and I suppose I wrote it a bit hastily. I want you, and everyone, to know that I didn't mean it the way you understood it. For me, reviews allow me to hear my reader's thoughts, but now I understand that favorites and follows are valid voices just the same. I guess I've always seen fanfics with hundreds of reviews and I have since strived to reach that level of popularity. I understand now that a tight-knit community is better than fair-weather readers who come and go. I'd like to thank you for opening my eyes to that.

Now, enjoy.

Emily woke up with a painful throbbing headache, one of the worst ones she's ever had. She went to rub her temples but realized her arms were restrained. So were her legs. There were belts around her chest and hips, making her nearly immobile. Her jacket was off and she was just in her tank top and jeans. She shimmied around but found free space.

She looked around. She seemed to be in a windowless basement. It was a bit big, probably made of wood. Maybe a cabin? She looked to her left. There was medical equipment, rudimentary to say the least. She looked up to see a stolen surgical laser. Emily tested her restraints. They were solid.

Emily looked to the right and saw someone else laying on another table a few feet away. A woman. Emily was about to call out to her, but realized she wasn't restrained. The woman wasn't conscious.

Actually, the woman wasn't alive either. And her skin was uneven throughout her body. At her neck, upper arms, stomach, and upper legs, there were rows of stitching. All those women, all their missing body parts.

Emily tried the restraints again.

"Oh!" A voice sounded. A man. There was the sound of creaking stairs. "You're awake!"

Emily craned her neck to see who it was. The man was somewhat tall, dressed in dark clothes, had brown hair and a ragged beard.

"I saw you earlier tonight and just knew it had to be you." The man praised.

"Me? For what?" Emily asked. She stretched her hand downwards.

"Well, for the final piece!" The man exclaimed.

"Piece of what?" Emily flexed her hand backwards.

"Why, my wife of course!" He moved towards the woman on the other table and stroked her cheek. "Her head is from a girlfriend I used to have. She thought I was crazy and left. So I decided to create the perfect wife for me. Your arm will be the final piece. And then I'll animate her and we'll live happily together." He was moving back towards Emily and then pulled out a marker and traced a line across Emily's upper arm.

"Why? I don't understand why." Emily got a thumb under the buckle of her restraint.

"The pursuit of perfection is a weary road." The man answered as he picked up a control panel. "Now, the laser will hurt, but only for a moment. It's designed to make a single slice, all at once. It's just like a giant knife." The man explained.

"That woman whose legs you took…" Emily started. "Why did you do it in public instead of here?" Emily asked.

"Impulse, I suppose." The man answered. "She seemed like a perfect fit."

"And that other woman's arm…" Emily started.

"I see what I want and take it." The man paused. "But I guess I wanted you to see this. You've been on my trail and it only seems fair for you to see the finished product."

"You're crazy." Emily commented.

The man ignored her. "Now hold still."

The laser warmed up and Emily finally pulled the belt out of the buckle. The man hit the red button and the laser came down.

Emily's right arm was off.

Emily wrenched her left hand free and grabbed a scalpel from the man's tray of medical equipment. She stabbed it into the man's side and he staggered back with a shocked and confused look on his face. He slumped down, groaning in pain. He slipped in and out of consciousness.

Emily undid the buckles on her chest and hips. She sat up. She looked down to see her right arm spasming from its electronics being ruined. Such a shame.

Emily quickly undid her leg restraints and got off the table. She grabbed another scalpel and went up the basement stairs. She glanced one last time at the woman the man had pieced together.

Emily shuddered and continued up the stairs. She emerged into the dimly light cabin. She was in the kitchen and eating area. It was beyond small. She spotted a closed door which she assumed led to the bedroom. She spied her jacket and gun on the kitchen table. She had forgone her jacket and only took her gun. She slid the scalpel into her right side pocket. She put her gun between her legs and pulled the barrel back to load the chamber.

Emily held her gun close to her side and left the cabin. She felt uneven, off-balance. She felt a piece of herself missing, not just physically, but mentally. Emily shook her head and concentrated on what she was doing.

She found herself in the middle of a forest. Cell reception and calling for help was impossible. Emily didn't know where to go. She was at a disadvantage because this was the man's territory. She didn't stab him badly enough to kill him. He'd wake up soon and come after her.

Emily started walking towards the trees. She could make out the sun rising on her right side. That meant she was walking north. That was good enough for her now.

Then there was a gunshot. Emily fell down on her knees. A bullet had nicked her in the side, at her ribcage. She stood and turned and returned fire twice. The man ducked and then fired again, missing. He had a shotgun but was a poor shot. Emily saw something on the front porch. She stepped back and then fired.

The bullet hit a tank of gasoline and the whole cabin exploded. Emily turned her back to it and was thrown forward. Shrapnel rained down and Emily covered her head.

She pushed herself to her knees, her ears ringing. She stood and looked back to see the man groaning and getting to his feet. The remains of house were on fire, but not too large for it to spread to the surrounding trees.

Emily staggered into the trees, avoiding roots and tangles of vines. She knew the man was close behind her and pushed on faster.

She headed north. At this point, she was just hoping to find someone else, a river, a structure, or a road.

Lo and behold, Emily found another cabin. It was abandoned, possible just for the season. She kicked down the door and entered. She clicked the safety on her gun and put it through the waistband of her jeans.

She immediately saw an unopened bottle of tequila in a display cabinet. Emily took and a used her teeth to pop the cork out. She poured some over her bullet wound, wincing. The pain eventually subsided. Emily took a long sip of the tequila and left the bottle on the kitchen counter.

She dug around the kitchen and found an old first aid kit. There wasn't much left in it. Emily took a wad of gauze and held it under her arm, against her bleeding ribcage. There wasn't any medical tape to secure it. Emily held her arm tight to her side while she awkwardly looked through the kitchen cupboards and drawers. She eventually found a roll of silver heavy-duty tape. She picked at the end of the roll until she got a sizeable piece free. She stuck the end down on the kitchen counter and unrolled a long strip of tape. She used her teeth to rip the piece away.

Emily put one end of the tape under her right armpit and wrapped the strip around her chest, making sure the gauze was secured. She pressed down the other end of tape back under her arm where she started.

Satisfied, Emily moved past the kitchen. There was a living area with a couch and a fireplace. She saw a few pieces of timber and put them into the fireplace. Emily threw open a window and pulled leaves from a tree right outside. She listened for a moment, but only heard wildlife. Quickly, Emily put the leaves on the fire and looked for a lighter and lighter fluid. She found some in a cabinet in the kitchen and walked back to the fireplace. She tossed the fluid over the logs and leaves and flicked the wheel on the lighter. She tossed that in and the fire burst to life.

Emily blew heavily and the fire started to smoke. The smoke traveled up the chimney. Emily let out a long breath. Someone will hopefully notice and come get her or get help.

Emily spied a locked cabinet in the corner of the cabin. It had and old lock-and-key latched around the small door. Emily took a poker from the stand by the fireplace. She positioned one end of it by the loop of the lock. Then she pushed downward, hard. The lock popped loose and Emily opened the cabinet. There was a shotgun inside, but only six shells were left.

She held the shotgun between her legs as she loaded the shells in. Then she grabbed two logs of firewood and went into the room next door. She put the logs on a table by the window, making a makeshift gun prop. She retrieved the shotgun. Emily sat in a chair in front of the table, shotgun in place, resting against her shoulder. She stared out the window, waiting for that man to show his face.

Emily remained nearly motionless for half an hour. Someone emerged from the trees, staggering around. The man.

Emily fired. She hit a tree to the man's left and he ducked right. Emily discharged the empty shell. She fired again, hitting his arm. She pumped the shotgun again. Emily fired twice, and then again. She missed all three, the shots flying too high.

Emily readjusted as the man got to his feet. She readied herself. She only had one shell left. The man lifted his shotgun and quickly fired. His aim wasn't perfect, but the shot went through Emily's open window and just barely missed her head. Emily jerked, accidently fired, and missed. She was out of shells. Emily pulled the scalpel out of her pocket and threw it. The man lifted a hand to block it, but the scalpel lodged into the palm of his hand. But, he pulled it out and continued to pursue.

Emily stood, taking her handgun with her, putting it through her waistband again. She walked to the back of the room to another window. She grabbed a chair and threw it through the glass window. She kneeled on the window frame with one knee and carefully hauled herself through.

Emily broke for the trees again. One of her legs spasmed. The glass shards must have pierced an operator in her knee. Emily continued forward, jerkily walked with one leg completely locked in the straight position. All of this would be easier if she had another arm.

Emily felt the presence of the man behind her. She sneaked a look over her shoulder. The man was too close to her for comfort. He had madness written all over his face, craziness and anger in his eyes. Emily looked forward and ran as fast as her legs allowed, hoping to get to a road to flag someone down. But she didn't even know where she was. She was going north, but north of where? Emily pushed feelings of panic down and put determination in its place.

Another shot rang past her head. Emily ducked left and weaved through the trees. She saw something in the distance that made her want to cry. Within minutes, she emerged from the trees on the side of a dirt road.

Her body ached, her breathing labored, and her mind beaten. Emily stopped running, stopped moving. She swayed, calming herself. Her breathing was ragged, her eyes shut. She exhaled for a long time. She breathed in deeply, and breathed out again. She gripped her gun tight in her hand. The world slowly spun around her.

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Also, send in questions for Emily, John, or both! I'm getting really excited to write the answers to them!