Participants:
| Scene Title | With a Scream |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | There Is Another. |
| Date | January 10, 2019 |
Flickering fluorescent lights sputter and spark.
A loose power cable swings from its remaining mooring on the concrete ceiling. Showering sparks of electricity rain down from the cable’s broken end, blooming bright in the billowing cloud of dust floating in the air.
Rue Lancaster lays on her back, powdered white by pulverized concrete. Blood runs dark and red at her brow, rolls down her temple and disappears into her hair. She can hear approaching footsteps, booted feet grinding broken glass into concrete. Her body aches, breath knocked out of her, vision blurred.
She turns her head, looking in the direction of the dark silhouette moving toward her, and sucks in a sharp breath. Looks to the red fire axe they're carrying in one hand.
“No.” Rue splutters the word out, eyes wide with recognition and fear, pushing up onto one elbow to get up as fast as she—
The axe comes down with a scream.
Sunstone Manor
Research Facility, Subterranean Lab
January 10, 2019
Rue can feel her breath coming in slow, shallow exhalations. She is trembling, fingers shaking, eyes clenched shut. She doesn't feel the axe splitting her skull open, doesn't feel her brain cleaved open and blood running down her brow. She is still alive, and the spike of adrenaline causing her to hyperventilate is a clear reminder of that. In the darkness, she can see her attacker standing over her as she opens one eye, watches his face lit partly by the flicker-flash of electric sparks. The axe is a mere inch away from her head, stayed by a steady hand. Rue's short, frightful breaths nearly gasp out the word what, but only sound like panicked huffs. The axe blade comes up against her jaw, moves her head aside, and runs along her jawline and neck.
"Maybe not today, actually." Adam Monroe whispers into the dark, hooking the axe head under her chin and lifting it up slowly. "As it turns out, you might actually be useful. Does that surprise you?" Stammering, Rue nods once and can feel the cold steel pressed against her throat and under her jaw. Adam closes his eyes, two fingers going to his ear as someone far away calls down through the signal jamming. He nods, once, and then lowers the axe away from Rue's neck.
Confusion sinks in to Rue's wide-eyed stare, and Adam lets the axe fall down to hang at his side. "Affirmative, once the dropship is out of visual range come and pick me up topside. I have some loose change we're scraping up out of the gutters," and his blue eyes swivel down to indicate Rue is a part of that loose change. "Tell Erica that we're moving ahead as planned, I just need to settle something before it falls to the wolves. Keep Val ready to move on my beacon."
Adam flashes a smile, looking down to Rue. "I have an offer for you, Princess." There is no light in his eyes as his lips pull back to reveal his teeth; the smile is predatory.
"Have you ever wanted to be special?"