Shepard blinked slowly and grimaced at the ache in the back of her head. There was blood on the side of her neck, the dried substance uncomfortably sticky. She glanced to the side and realized she was in the backseat of a car, handcuffs around her wrists and duct tape around her ankles binding her legs together.
Shepard didn't move or raise her head, she didn't want to let the driver know she was awake. There was no protective grate or plexiglass between the backseat and the driver, namely Brooks. Apparently she'd thought she'd make it to the destination (whatever it was, Shepard speculated they were headed to the nearest precinct where they'd keep her locked up until she would be transported back to Omega to wait for sentencing for the additional charges she'd have to face) before Shepard would come to. That was an advantage she could use.
Shepard hitched the cuff up her forearm as far as it would go, moving slowly and quietly. She then reached for the seat belt buckle clip and inserted it in between the double strand on the side of the cuff. She twisted hard to pry apart the cuff and break the rivet, the clip and the cuff digging into her flesh as she did. It took a while, especially since she had to be as quiet as possible and it hurt, but that didn't matter right now, what mattered was getting her hands free.
She didn't really have a plan for what came after getting herself free, but she knew she wouldn't have many seconds after getting the cuff off, the metallic click of it breaking would certainly get Brooks's attention and that would steal away the element of surprise. For a moment, Shepard contemplated on just sitting put until Brooks would pull over once they'd reach their destination, but then heard the approaching siren. Brooks hadn't wanted to wait for the police to come pick Shepard up, but she'd requested a police escort and they were catching up. That made Shepard's plan of a blitz attack followed by a mad dash problematic. She would need to take action before the rest of the escort would get here, so far there was only one car.
Don't think. Do something.
The words echoed in her mind softly dissipating into the hum of the car and the rivet of the handcuff finally broke under the pressure and Shepard's arm was freed with a loud click, the sharp edge of the broken metal leaving behind another wound on Shepard's forearm.
The moment Brooks heard the click, she began to turn back to look, but Shepard was faster, operating on instinct and muscle memory, not thinking, doing. She wrapped her left hand around the front seat's top, the handcuff still intact and stuck on her wrist clattering loudly against the window. She grabbed a hold of the opposite side of Brooks's head and forced her to tilt her head to the left, leaving her neck exposed as Shepard reached her other arm around the other side, closed her fingers around the broken handcuff and frantically stabbed the jagged edge into Brooks's throat, needing to do it repeatedly because there wasn't much room to gain momentum, but details like that had never stopped Shepard before.
Warm blood spilled in a generous stream when the artery was cut, the smell of blood filling the small space. Shepard grinned. She'd always associated that smell with good things, starting from the time she'd smelled it the first time in a situation not completely unlike this one; back when she'd accidentally killed her mother.
Brooks lost consciousness shortly after, losing the control of the vehicle. Shepard was just about to climb to the front seat but she forgot about the duct tape around her ankles and essentially tripped forward just when the car swerved off the road and hit a tree after crashing through the guard rail.
"Shiiit!" Shepard exclaimed when she flew through the windshield and was slammed sideways against the tree, her entire body cracking loudly under the force of the impact. She lost consciousness for a few seconds but something dragged her back to reality.
The fucking cop is coming, she thought when she remembered the cop car that had been following Brooks. She cursed mentally as she hurried to use the broken handcuff to cut through the duct tape around her ankles.
There's no time, move. Hide.
Shepard grunted and exhaled deeply as she turned to lay on the ground and crawled under the wrecked car and waited.
"Jesus, what the hell..." a male voice wondered out loud. Shepard watched his uniformed legs approach the car followed by his partner.
"Shut up and stay sharp, Verner. Shepard can't be far. Augh, oh God. Well, I guess we can rule out a random accident. How the hell did Shepard even manage to do this?" a female voice spoke, pausing to stand by the driver's side, and Shepard could imagine her checking for Brooks's pulse in vain.
"So, what's next, Parasini?" the male, identified only as Verner, inquired while his partner radioed in what had happened here. Shepard couldn't make out Parasini's answer, but she didn't need to. She saw her legs move back toward the police car while Verner stood by the wreck. Shepard inched herself closer Verner and firmly wrapped her fingers around the sharp broken cuff, preparing to use it as a weapon once more.
Verner screamed like a banshee on fire when Shepard stabbed his Achilles tendon so hard it snapped and he lost his balance, falling to the ground. He was still yelling and trying to clutch at the injury when Shepard backed out from underneath the wreck, and he didn't even seem to notice her. Shepard waited for his partner to run to him and circled around the wreck, ducking to hide behind it until Parasini was over by Verner's side, asking him what the hell was wrong with him. When her attention was on Verner, Shepard dashed to the police car, got in and spun it around, driving off while officer Parasini uselessly chased after until she couldn't run anymore.
"Thanks for the assist, officers," Shepard laughed happily as she drove, simultaneously undoing the cuff around her left wrist with the handcuff key she'd discovered in the ashtray.
"Come on, Elliot, we have to go now, sweetie," Samantha gently rushed the sleepy boy.
"What about Grunt and Wrex?" he whined, his mouth twisting into a pre-cry pout as he pointed at the two large dogs that stood in attention by the the entrance to the living room, staring at their protectees, confused.
"We will pick them up in the morning, but right now we have to get to grandma's, okay, honey?" Samantha reasoned with him and picked him up into her arms when she saw the flashes of blue.
"Oh, God, finally," she exhaled and hurried outside to get into the police car Maya had promised to have pick Samantha and Elliot up. She was half along the driveway when the door opened and the officer stepped out from the car, only it wasn't an officer, it was a demoness.
Samantha skidded to a stop when Shepard stood up. She was covered in blood, generous amounts of it caked into her hair and face, and even more of it covering her arms and the front of her shirt. In addition to the blood, her clothes were torn and dirty, something had happened between here and where Shepard had turned back at. Shepard took a step toward her, the shades of red and blue radiating from the police car's rooftop lights washing over Shepard offering mere glimpses of the inhuman look on Shepard's face. She was smiling, and it was a genuine smile, but not a warm one.
Maya's dead, Samantha realized.
She wanted to turn and run back into the house but she couldn't move, she was mesmerized, paralyzed, stuck staring at Shepard. It wasn't until Elliot started screaming and crying because he was terrified that Samantha managed to yank herself free from whatever had possessed her to stand still. She slammed the door shut behind her and ran toward the back door, but stopped when she realized that the furious thudding sounds of Shepard ramming herself against the door ceased.
"Mommy...!"
"Shh... shh-shh, Elliot, listen... we gotta be very quiet, okay, lil' guy? Come on..." Samantha hushed softly, doing her best to hide the fact that she too was terrified. If Shepard was no longer at the front door, she could be waiting for them at the backdoor and they'd end up running straight into her arms if they exited that way.
"I'm scared!"
"I know, but look, there's nothing to worry about, Wrex and Grunt are here, they'll protect you," Samantha said, barely managing to conceal the quiver in her voice. She dug out her phone and scrolled through the contacts until she found Maya's partner's name. She would get here faster than anyone the emergency dispatch could send.
"Ashley, I need your help," Samantha mumbled into the phone.
"Traynor, what's wrong? Where's Brooks, she was supposed to be here by now."
Samantha didn't want to think about it. As much as she would've wanted to hold onto to the hope that Maya was still alive, she found it highly unlikely. If she were, Shepard wouldn't be stalking around the house right now. She explained the situation to Ashley who promised she'd hurry over as fast as she could.
"Just do your best to hide in the meanwhile, okay?" Ashley said and ended the call. Samantha inhaled sharply when she heard glass break somewhere in the back of the house and the dogs hurried over to investigate, low growls emanating from both of them.
I regret wanting a big house, Samantha thought sheepishly when she tried to listen to figure out where Shepard was moving at. She doubted Shepard knew every detail of the house's floorplan despite her obviously extensive research of the house, but she was relatively certain Shepard would know enough to figure out a way to intercept any attempt Samantha could make to get out of the house via the obvious exits.
Samantha reached to quietly push the living room door open and snuck out, carrying Elliot with her. She continued along the hallway toward the kitchen, if she could make it there, she could exit through the side door which led into the garage.
"There you are," Shepard said as she emerged from the stairwell which led into the basement. Samantha screamed, startled, and swiveled around on her heel and ran back. She heard the dogs bark and the loud, rapid thuds of Wrex's paws could be heard from behind as Grunt approached from the opposite direction, the dogs attempting a pincer attack.
Samantha glanced back over her shoulder, wishing Shepard wouldn't get a chance to injure them but if push came to shove, she'd accept that it was a sacrifice worth making if it meant that Samantha could escape with Elliot. Grunt leapt at Shepard and the moment he did, Shepard turned slightly, using the dog's momentum against him as she hooked her arm around his midsection and slammed him to the floor, right ontop of Wrex who had been approaching from the opposite side.
"Nice doggies," Shepard said, sounding genuinely gentle as she hurried to push the dazed dogs into the stairwell she'd emerged from and closed the door, locking them in.
No! God damn it! Samantha cursed internally when she heard soft thuds as the dogs stumbled down the steps.
Where do I go? Where do I go?
"I can smell youuu," Shepard called out, her heavy footsteps following Samantha. She turned a corner and entered through the double doors leading into the dining room, trying to be quiet but it was proving almost impossible. She could swear she was breathing so loudly it could be heard in the next town over. Elliot, on the other hand, was quiet, too quiet. He was blankly staring, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open. He was terrified, too shocked to even blink. Samantha hated to think it, but right now, that was probably a good thing.
"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Shepard yelled and Samantha heard her kick a door open, but the sound came from further away, she was moving in the wrong direction which was good. Samantha snuck through the dining room and into the kitchen, ducking behind the counters as she went.
"You thought you could just slip out with what's mine?" Shepard said, her voice getting too close too quickly. "You know I'm going to find you! And when I do..."
Oh, God, Samantha inhaled sharply and held her breath, flattening herself against the island in the kitchen. No, no, no, don't come in here, she mentally ranted when Shepard's footsteps approached. She was standing right behind Samantha, if she'd lean forward just a bit, she would notice her.
Please. Please. Please. Don't breathe. Don't make a sound, she prayed, hoping Elliot wouldn't make a sound either. He was sitting on the floor and looking like he was completely unaware of what was happening.
Samantha waited as still and silent as she could until she heard Shepard's boot impact on another door to kick it open. Samantha swallowed hard, took a moment to listen once more, and when it was quiet, she slowly dared to peek over the counter.
"Heeere's daddy!" Shepard announced in a sing-songy voice as she popped up from behind the opposite side of the counter where she'd been hiding, waiting for Samantha to move. She screamed and tried to scamper back to keep away from Shepard, but she reached over the counter and grabbed Samantha by the hair, yanking her toward herself and pulling her over the counter.
She just threw her shoe, she was waiting here the entire time, Samantha realized when she noticed Shepard was missing one boot. She slammed Samantha onto the floor and straddled her midsection, pressing her shins against Samantha's thighs hard to pin her legs down for the most part.
"This will hurt me more than it hurts you," Shepard growled as she wrapped her hands around Samantha's throat and leaned forward, squeezing hard and pressing with her body weight for added force.
"Shepard... don't..." Samantha coughed.
"I told you what I'd do. I told you I'm going to crush your windpipe and you will suffocate..." Shepard said. Samantha gripped Shepard's wrists, trying to pry her hands from around her throat, but it wasn't making a difference. She noticed the cut in Shepard's forearm and desperately reached for it, pressing the tips of her fingers in as deep as she could and then yanked downward, stretching the wound. Shepard sucked in a hissing breath through her teeth but didn't loosen her grip.
"I suppose I did leave out the part about what a painful and terrifying way it is to die," she said, exhaling slowly, her breath shuddering as she strained.
"Please..." Samantha gasped, tears slipping from her eyes as she blinked repeatedly, struggling to stay conscious, to live, when the black spots began vignetting her vision, slowly drowning everything in darkness.
"Oh... no tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering," Shepard said, her voice low and calm, loving even as she pushed her thumb harder into Samantha's trachea, the cartilage bending and fracturing little by little under the pressure.
I don't want to die like this.
"Sweet dreams, my love," Shepard whispered and leaned to kiss her forehead when Samantha stopped struggling, her last breath taken and consumed. Gone.
Shepard circled around the island in the kitchen and realized Elliot wasn't there anymore. She called out his name repeatedly as she looked around the house, and when she finally caught a glimpse of him running out through the backdoor, she followed.
"Federal agent, stop right there!" a female voice yelled the moment when Shepard emerged from the house.
"I want what's mine!" Shepard yelled furiously. Ashley put her arm around Elliot's shoulders protectively as the boy clung to her legs.
"Move a muscle and I'll blow your fucking head off!" Ashley threatened, aiming her pistol at her.
"Good luck trying," Shepard growled and lunged at her. The first bullet hit her shoulder, and she staggered but didn't stop.
"He's... mine!" Shepard growled and continued forward, and Ashley pulled the trigger again. This time she aimed for Shepard's leg, but it wasn't enough, it was as if she couldn't even feel the bullets. She aimed higher, and pulled the trigger one more time, the projectile piercing Shepard's chest and ripping through her heart.
"My..." she strained to say, falling to her knees, trying one more time to reach him. She just wanted to hold him, at least once, let him know who she was, why she was here, apologize for scaring him.
"...son..."
The torn muscle finally gave in, unable to keep pumping blood and keep Shepard alive any longer, life slowly draining from her, a moment of calmness she'd never experienced prior to this moment washing over her before her final breath passed her lips, turning into a pale cloud in the cold night air and disappeared into the dark.