A/N: On a completely unrelated note to anything, I have just finished watching a playthrough of the Walking Dead game, episode 5, and holy sunshine I'm not afraid to admit I haven't been that close to tears for a long, long time.

Right, thanks to Princezzshell101 and Bookreader2010 for reviewing. This may just be the longest chapter so far in the story. Which is awesome.

Next chapter guys, next chapter is Act Four! Fittingly called 'Act Four – Final Destination'. For now, read on for one of my personal favourites. (The last view have just been like that, huh?)

'Till next time!

Chapter 73

Fall

I met Isaac way back in high school. I was an eighteen year old who looked good and knew it. But unlike most of the others, I wanted to wait. While they were off having sex behind the building, I was stuck on believing that it had to be special. You can't just go and fuck someone and be done with it. That's not what it's all about. I wasn't religious, far from it, but it should be special. And Isaac was special.

A typical school-girl crush. He had long hair back then, something I still teased him about before the bridge. Pretty eyes, smaller lips that most boys, made him almost feminine in an almost manly sort of way, not that it makes any sense. It started off usual enough. I blushed my way through conversation, him playing the part of dumb kid flawlessly. He thought I constantly had some kind of bug or cold, the way my cheeks were red. He didn't realise… even when I invited him to the dance. He thought it was an act of mercy, since no-one else invited him. Isaac just didn't realise that I… I wanted him. Badly. At the end of the night, he almost walked away. And I almost let him.

I don't know what drove me. I won't say anything as cheesy as 'love', by the time, I don't think love was the proper word. I like to think it was simply attraction. I grabbed his arm, turned him around and pulled him in close. Kissed him. I always thought my first kiss would be a boy kissing me, instead it was me going in. Where I got the courage I had no idea.

Then he disappeared. Just up and went away from school for a couple of days. I had no idea what happened. Was he in an accident? Was something wrong was his family? Did he transfer? Did he simply… simply dislike me so much? Nothing nearly as complicated. It turned out he has just caught a cold. When he came back to school and he saw me the first time since that kiss, he flashed me a smile that you would never believe. I guess it was normal to others, but to me, boy, was that special. Then and there, I knew, I knew that Isaac was for me. I simply knew it.

Ever since then he had always protected me in some sense of another. When the neighbours got angry because I had accidently killed their dog with the car, Isaac was up in their faces and managed to turn the argument right around. I was once followed by an old classmate for a couple of days. I told Isaac about it and next thing I know I see the very same classmate turn up with a broken nose and a hand-written apology.

I think a small part of me… wanted Isaac to protect me again. Impossible I know, ten years too late, but I imagined him kicking that door down, smile lighting up the sky, and taking down Jason without any bloodshed. Just knocking him out. He offers a hand to me, embraces me, kisses me. Says, 'I want another… I want another child, Lisa. Maybe a daughter this time. We'd name her Rose, or Helena, or screw it, name it Lisa Jr.'

I guess nothing can really be that simple. Sometimes the Knights in Shining armour don't come break down that door. The moment I saw Jason pull that trigger, I realised it. I didn't want to die, no way, no how, I didn't want to go! I couldn't! I stood up but… it was far too late. I am not nearly as fast as a bullet. I see it in the mirror, the bullet flying at me… and going right past my cheek, hitting the wall.

It is then that I realise the arm that had pushed Joshua's aim to the side, and the other arm wrapped around Jason's chest. I take in that knee-length overcoat, brown and looking like it had taken a beating in its life. That white shirt, ruffled and untidy. It wasn't tucked in with the top two buttons undone. A black tie was barely even tied around his neck, hanging loosely. Similarly untidy brown pants, the hems scuffed, and black shoes, dull and faded. I take all this in by I still can't make that all important connection.

Then the face. Solid cheekbones, narrowed eyes, a cigarette hanging out of thin lips. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a week or so, with messy but short hair. I look closer at the eyes, those brown eyes. It was the eyes that did it. That connected my thoughts and I realised, I realised and I just truly couldn't believe who it was.

XXX

"Get off me! Get off of me!" Jason growled, trying to fight out of the strong arm that held him tight. The other was keeping his gun-arm pointing the other way, away from Lisa.

"You are a liability." Richard Johnson, former private-eye, said gruffly. "Letting you go would be an all-around bad decision." Ignoring Jason's protest, Richard kept a tight grip on him and looked over to Lisa, who was still staring into the mirror, mouth slightly open. "Now isn't the time to blank out, Lisa."

Lisa blinked and seemed to find her thoughts. She stood up and spun around, her eyes wide. "How…?"

"If you think about it, you'll get it." Richard grunted before regarding Jason. "Okay, you need to-" Richard pushed Jason down onto the floor, pulling both arms behind his back and driving his knee onto his arms, locking them to his back. "-Stay nice and still for me, okay?"

"G-Gregory…" Lisa muttered. "Gregory made the trade…"

"Correct." Richard nodded. "Who knew that guy had a heart."

"But…" Lisa shook her head. "How could he? Gerald died before him. The moment Gerald died, we all lost our 'Chosen' status. We haven't got our guaranteed lives anymore, so why would he accept the trade?"

"If nothing else, Death is true to his word." Richard said simply. "That offer still stands for you and for Joshua." Richard caught the steely look that Lisa gave and his mouth twitched. "Lisa, you are really not still hating on Joshua, are you?"

Lisa just sniffed, crossing her arms.

"Fuck me, Lisa." Richard shook his head. "I do not believe you."

"He killed Miles." Lisa said firmly.

"You need to realise, now more than ever, that Joshua was not at fault. He made one hell of a hard choice."

"The wrong choi-"

"So you would rather die!?" Richard nostrils flared in anger and he got up from Jason, approaching Lisa. She looked slightly surprised, taking a step back. "Do you know that I was still in my mind… at least for a moment… when I stopped breathing? I heard you say 'live a good life, Richard', and then I realised… I realised truly that I couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle dying. My last remembered thoughts are filled with being scared out of my damn mind." Richard tapped his head. "Now, I'll bet anything that you had the same thoughts when you saw Jason shooting at you. No-one truly wants to die, no matter the situation. Joshua saved you. You should feel goddamned honoured. Joshua hates it to this day that Miles is gone, but the fact of the matter was, that was the intelligent choice no matter how hard it is to admit it. At that point, Joshua needed help to get Myers. He chose you because you were more capable. And what did you do? You threw it back in his face. Because of that decision, both you and Joshua disappeared. You left it to Fisk and the other survivors. I would also be willing to bet that Fisk would almost certainly be alive if you and Joshua had worked together."

"But then you wouldn't be alive!" Lisa protested.

Richard just chuckled grimly, taking a drag of his cigarette. "That isn't the point. I ain't anything special. The fact of the matter would be that you and Joshua would have prevented Detrikov from shooting his friend. But because you couldn't just accept it, no matter if you agreed with it, you screwed Fisk over."

Richard frowned slightly at Lisa's expression. "It's the cold hard truth. The less it takes you to realise that, the less it will take for you to make amends. I don't like placing the blame, but in this case, the blame is rightly placed."

"…but I… I just wasn't strong enough…" Lisa murmured, looking to the floor.

"You should have been." Richard ran a hand through his hair. "I realise that you had lost Isaac, but I'm certain if you thought about it and didn't act on your emotions, you would have actually got things done right." Richard shook his head. "I hate this negativity though. I apologize, but I don't regret what I said." Richard smiled. "Now let's get to Detrikov. We have… a lot to talk about."

Lisa looked up and went to grab his hand when her eyes widened. "Richard!" She shrieked, but it was too late as Jason slammed the butt of the pistol on the top of Richard's head. He crumpled quickly, hitting the floor with a thud.

"He talks far too much." Jason looked at Lisa, his expression cold. He raised the pistol again. "Now, let's try again, shall-" Jason was unprepared for the elbow to the stomach. He bent over, gasping for air.

"You ought to learn the place to hit somebody with a pistol." Richard grunted, reaching for Jason. "'Cause that ain't gonna cut it."

As Richard grabbed Jason's arm, Jason struck out with a fist into Richard's stomach. Richard let go, the cigarette spitting from his lips. Jason snarled, twisting his hand and pointing the pistol down into the back of Richard's head.

"Stop!" Lisa swung her arm, slapping the pistol from Jason's grasp. It flew through the air, clattering against the wall.

Jason made a sound of irritation but found Richard locking his arms around his back. Richard ran forward, ramming Jason back-first into the wall. Jason allowed a small gasp of pain but nevertheless drove his knee into Richard's stomach, pushing the Ex-Private Eye back. Jason threw a sloppy fist which Richard avoided with ease. Stepping backwards, Richard kept his arms at the ready. "I don't particularly want to fight if I don't have to." Richard said, his breath already quick. "I'm ashamed to admit I ain't as fit as I used to be."

Jason just reached to the nearby counter, grabbing the table-light and threw it at Richard. Richard raised his arm, letting the light bounce off. When he lowered his arm, he saw Jason charging. Richard waited a second before stepping to the side, wrapping his arm around Jason's neck and getting behind him.

His face twisting in anger, Richard wrenched hard, strangling Jason. Jason scrabbled at Richard's tough arm but couldn't get out. His eyes bulged as his legs kicked out.

"Stop!" Lisa yelled.

Regarding Lisa, Richard sighed and let go. Jason fell to all fours, coughing badly. "You're lucky. I would have killed you and been done with you."

"Kill him?" Lisa looked slightly shocked. "Why would you-"

"Look at him. His mind's far too gone." Richard crossed his arms. "He is going to stop at nothing to kill you, and you can thank Myers for that."

"It's just hypnotism." Lisa assured. "We can fix that, we-"

"Nope." Richard shook his head. "Not until he's done his job. And I'm sorry Lisa, but there is no way in hell I am letting you die. So, we got to put him down."

"But we can just lock-"

"He will not stop!" Richard yelled. "It's not going to stop over time. He'll find a way, he'll find you, and he will kill you. And I'll be damned if I let that happen."

"He's a survivor though-"

"Not any more, Lisa, I'm sorry, but he died the moment Jennifer died."

"What…?" Lisa blinked. "Jennifer is actually dead? He mentioned it but I thought he was just imagining it…"

"He didn't get like this by his own choice. Myers killed Jennifer to make Jason's mind ripe for invasion. It's over. I'm sorry, but it is." Richard walked over to the pistol, picking it up off the floor. "That's the truth, plain and simple." Richard straightened his arm, pointing the pistol at Jason's head. "He's gone Lisa. He's gone." Richard's went to pull the trigger but stopped quickly as Lisa stepped between him and Jason. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You don't just… you don't just shoot a mentally ill person in the head, do you? And that's just what he is. A mentally ill person. And I refuse to believe this is for life. We can fix this." Lisa said sternly. "I helped these survivors to keep them alive. I will not let blood be spilled for no reason."

"There is every reason-" Richard started.

"No." Lisa said firmly. "We can fix this. Detrikov will find a way, we can – "

"Get out of the way!" Richard took a step forward.

"No, I will not-"

"Just get out of the way!" Richard dove forward, tackling Lisa to the floor just as another shot rang out. Richard immediately got up and pointed his pistol into Jason's face, only to find a pistol pointed at his own face. "Touché. Guess we're at a stand-still then." Richard panted. "See, Lisa. He will stop at nothing."

Lisa just took a breath, all of it being taken away when she was tackled by Richard.

"But you know what… I'm going to hate myself for it, but I know a way to stop him."

"You shoot me, I'll shoot you." Jason said with anger.

"Exactly." Richard swung the pistol down, causing Jason to press hard on the trigger.

Click.

Richard fired, his bullet slamming into Jason's knee. Jason howled in anger, falling to his rear. Richard leaned down and picked up the second pistol. "Safety, Jason. You are meant to turn the safety off."

"Fuck you!" Jason growled, both hands clenched around his knee. "Fuck you to hell!"

"Already been there, already done that." Richard managed a small smirk. "I could have just killed you. But we don't shoot mental patients in the head, do we Lisa?"

Lisa looked at Richard with relief. "Yeah…"

Richard looked to the window and walked over to it, opening up wide. He dropped both pistols over the edge.

"What was that for?" Lisa asked, confused.

"Pistols are a threat. Who knows if he somehow gets them from me?" Richard shook his head. "I told you. He will not stop."

"Fuck you!"

Richard turned to see Jason up on his feet, charging at Lisa despite the leg. "Goddamn it!" Richard went to intercept Jason but was surprised to see Jason turning towards him. Unable to stop, Richard took the fist hard to the jaw, sending him to his back. Jason immediately turned, grabbing a surprised Lisa and throwing her hard towards the mirror.

Lisa put her arms up but slammed hard into the mirror, shattering it. Managing to get up on her knees, she sniffled in pain as she looked at a long shard of mirror having sliced her arm open. Hands suddenly grasped her hair, pulling her back. Using her hair, Jason pulled her towards the open window.

Lisa stared down at the distant street, the night-time wind causing her hair to go everywhere. A white van was at the very bottom, almost like a doorway into heaven itself.

"You think you can survive that drop…?" Jason panted. "No… No, I don't think so… Goodbye." Jason went to push Lisa through the window just as Richard smashed the chair into Jason's back. Jason gasped in pain and arched his back before Richard slammed the chair into his back again.

"Get to the other side." Richard panted to Lisa. Lisa obeyed, getting to the other side of the room. Richard didn't have much more time as Jason got up and drove a thumb into Richard's eye. Richard grunted in pain which was cut off as Jason pushed down on his head, sending it hard into the window frame. Richard slipped to the floor, his head bleeding.

Jason turned around and connected eyes with Lisa. "I will kill you. You killed Jennifer, I will kill you!" Jason approached Lisa, a manic gleam in his eyes.

Lisa regarded him with wide eyes, her hands shaking.

What in the name of hell are you doing, Lisa? Scared? Did you not go in that school in Willingboro and dealt with those guys much bigger than Jason? Get your head in the game and fight it out. Knock him out if needs to be.

Listening to her thoughts, Lisa stepped forward, surprising Jason. Lisa tried to elbow him in the stomach but Jason stepped back, and as quick as swinging a baseball bat slapped her hard in the side of the face. Lisa stumbled to the side, shocked and taken off guard. Jason reached forward, his hand enveloping her face, and slammed the back of her head into the wall. Lisa gasped and slumped down on the wall, groggy.

Jason panted, looking down at Lisa, before he cast a glance towards a faintly moving Richard… He smiled. "You know… you know what? You can watch… watch him die first." Jason moved over to Richard and grabbed his collar, pushing him against the window.

"Thank you." Richard suddenly grinned, his own hands grabbing Jason's shoulders. "You got nice and close to me. And you know what? You're coming with me." Richard pushed with his legs, pushing himself through the window. He tightened his grip and both he and Jason tilted over the window sill into the open air.

Lisa watched both tumble out of the window and couldn't even move. No way. No way could Richard come back only to… to… She sprinted to the window.

"Richard!"

XXX

There was no Jason. No floor. No building. Nothing. Richard was only aware that if he didn't do something quick, things were going to go bad. Very bad. He could feel both he and Jason falling from the fifteenth floor, wind buffeting against them.

Soon. We're going to hit soon. Do something. You didn't come back to go away again. This was a stupid move, Richard, a stupid damn move. Once again you try to bravado and end up regretting it… well this time, this time I am not going. No chance.

Richard managed to spin around in the air until his back was facing Jason. Opening his eyes, he spotted Lisa's head out the window, tiny from the distance. She's far away, that means-"

Both men slammed hard against the white van in the street, bouncing off together. Richard ended up on his stomach, arms spread wide. He did a mental check, twitching his fingers and feet, legs and arms. Not dead. That's a good start. Don't think I've broken anything, which would be a goddamn miracle. Richard groaned as he pushed himself up on all four and looked to the side to find Jason flat on his back, staring up at the sky. He was breathing, but blood was leaking out of his mouth, creating a tiny little pool on the street.

"…I was… I was hypnotised…" His voice was so quiet that Richard almost completely missed it. He got to his knees to rest his arms and looked at the prone Jason. "Gerald… got into my mind… I completely lost it… I hardly… I hardly remember it, like I was watching… a bad quality TV program…"

Richard didn't say a word, a ball in the pit of his stomach preventing him from speaking anyway.

"Heh…" Jason managed to move an arm, brushing over the blood coming from his lips. He put the fingers in front of his eyes. "D-Didn't realise… until too late… that I was coughing up blood as a side effect…" Jason sighed. "I was… being hypnotised from… the very beginning… even before Myers' hand-made list…" Jason allowed his hand to drop on his chest. "…I thought you died… R-Richard…"

"I did." Richard said quietly.

"Ah…" Jason blinked. "The trade… makes sense. I don't think Gerald was expecting that. Then I don't… d-don't think he expecting to get killed by-by Nick of all people…" Jason managed a smile as tears started sliding down his cheeks. "He… he killed Jennifer… and… I guess that was… the main thing… what opened me up… He… He crucified her, Richard… some kind of… of fucked up message that…" Jason shut his eyes. "Tell me… Richard… does it… is it peaceful? I-I mean, you died… you died right?"

Richard closed his own eyes.

"My last remembered thoughts are filled with being scared out of my damn mind"

Opening his eyes again, Richard shook his head. "Yeah. Yeah, it's peaceful."

"Ah… good…" Jason took a deep, rattling breath like an old man nearing the end. "…D'ya… have a girl… you love…? I know… it's silly, you… being old and all but…"

"Yeah." Richard reached into his pockets for a lighter and lit a cigarette. "Yeah, I do." Richard put the cigarette in his lips and took a drag, before blowing smoke out. "You just tried to kill her."

"Her, huh…? Th-that's nice…" Jason smiled. "I loved… no, I still do… I love Jennifer… The most goddamn beautiful woman I've ever seen… We've never properly… admitted that to each other… but we did…" Jason eyed the cigarette. "Hey… can I…?"

Richard raised an eyebrow. "You smoke?"

"Nah…" Jason shook his head. "But I mean… one addiction can't be too far from another… drinking… smoking… it's all the same in the e-end, right?"

"I guess." Richard took the cigarette out from his mouth and placed it into Jason's own.

He took a drag and coughed violently, the cigarette falling out of his mouth. "That's bad…"

Richard just shrugged.

"…just give me whiskey any time… Even though… Jennifer hates that… yeah… Jennifer… I guess I finally… finally dropped that habit now… huh… y-you are right… it is peaceful… she's there… waiting for me… she's there…" Jason was practically inaudible now. "…Jennifer…" One last breath, and Jason went still.

Richard pushed himself up to his feet and looked down at Jason. "It is far too easy, isn't it? To just let go? At least someone you loved was waiting for you. I was leaving mine behind." Richard turned around to see Lisa standing near the doors, her face solemn. My second chance. This time, I will. I will live a good life.