Categories > TV > Law & Order: SVU > In My Life
Chapter 3: Escape
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In My Life
Chapter 3: Escape
A/N: Some parts of this chapter may cross the boarder into M territory so be warned.
He ran a hand up the front of her shirt, grinning to himself as he felt her muscles tense instantly beneath his touch. His hand reached the flesh of her breast; he felt the tender flesh roughly with his fingers eliciting a moan of discomfort as she winced and tried to pull away. He had restrained her well however and she failed. Violently his lips came crashing to hers as the hand that had been exploring under her shirt went to the back of her neck, forcing the kiss to grow deeper against her wishes.
She whimpered in pain; she didn't mean to but she did anyway. She had always told herself that if this ever happened, if anyone ever managed to get the best of her, that she would not scream, would not beg, would not give her attacker the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurting her. So she kept her eyes shut, trying but failing to pretend she was somewhere else as he separated from her mouth and moved to the hem of her pants, pushing them and her panties to her ankles in one fluid motion.
"You are so beautiful," he told her just before he entered her.
His intrusion was fast and painful as every muscle in the lower half of her body contracted in an effort to keep it out. He moved in painful strokes that continually made her wince. Her eyes were clenched shut as she tried to hold back the tears; even in this moment when everything she was, was being obliterated she tried to maintain control over something. He grunted as his arousal grew and his movements became deeper, faster, the pain brought with them more violent and unbearable.
She had lost control over the tears and over her voice as it became too much "Stop!" she screamed "Please?!" she begged him as the tears streamed down her face.
"Shut up!" he shouted, back handing her and continued seemingly unfazed, with his trespass.
She really wished she could shut up. She didn't want to beg; she was stronger than this, wasn't she? If she had ended up in a situation like this, she deserved anything that happened to her. She wanted to be able to rein in the screams and stop the begging that only shamed her more but she couldn't "No!" she screamed again "Please stop?!"
He finished and got off of her still panting. He sat beside her restrained form on the cot for a few minutes "That was amazing," he told her bending down to kiss her. She turned her head away from him and he yanked her back "Look at me when I talk to you," he told her in a low, menacing tone. He kissed her and stood up "I'll be back later," he told her "Rest." With that he was gone, turning off the basement lights as he climbed the stairs.
She lay in the dark, stripped of more than just her clothes. The pain that she still felt between her thighs made her sick. She was completely humiliated, broken, she wished she was dead. There was nothing except the depressing reality. She had just been raped. She had let it happen. She could have fought back harder couldn't she have?
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Casey stalked into the squad room. She flopped into Elliot's desk chair and immediately slumped over the desk itself. She rubbed her temples with a groan of agitation.
"How's that hangover?" Munch teased, coming up beside her.
"It sucks," Casey mumbled into her folded arms. She still hadn't forgiven herself for getting drunk tonight; she didn't think she would ever forgive herself.
"Drink this," he instructed as he set a coffee cup down by her hand.
She looked up and groaned "Do you know how much coffee I've had tonight?" she asked incredulously "I think it's stopped working completely." She stared into the cup of questionable brown liquid "Besides," she looked back up at Munch "Did you make this John?"
"I resent that," John said, holding his hands to his chest and feigning an expression of hurt. It was well known that John Munch made perhaps the worst coffee on the whole island of Manhattan but that didn't stop him from making it every chance he got.
"Be careful who you do that gesture in front of man," Fin warned, referring to the hands that John still held over his supposedly wounded heart "People will think you're having a heart attack old man."
Casey groaned "Guys please."
Munch returned to his desk and grabbed his coat "Did you tell Elliot?" he asked Casey.
"I gave him the fax." She responded "He didn't seem too much in the mood for talking and I didn't want to push him."
"Do you th-?" Fin started to ask when Elliot burst into the bullpen waving the fax in his hand wildly.
He ran to his own desk and ignoring the fact that Casey was sitting in his chair, grabbed his own jacket and threw it on hastily "What are we waiting for?" he asked.
"Captain's goin' with us," Fin told him.
"We're still waiting for him to get back from the DA's office," Casey grumbled.
"The DA's office," Elliot scratched his head, puzzled "What's he doing there?"
"Kissing some major ass," Cragen responded from the door of the squad room. He turned to Munch, Fin and Elliot who stood ready to go "Let's move."
The four men emptied out of the squad room in a hurry, leaving Casey alone in the silence. She picked up the coffee cup and took a tentative sip of the coffee. She swallowed hard. The coffee wasn't appealing in the least bit "Good luck guys," she whispered into the now empty room. She prayed that they would find Olivia and that they would all make it back safe.
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5:00am and the sun was slowly rising as the four men sat silently in the car on the way to Virginia. The fax that Casey had initially handed to Elliot on the rooftop contained information about a cabin leased to Andy Eckerson in the Virginia woods. Munch sat in the back seat looking over a map of the area, trying to determine the exact location of the cabin, Fin looked on over his shoulder. Normally the two men would be arguing about some such thing or another but not today. Today was different; a somber feeling of doom and dread hung around them like a shroud.
Elliot sat in the passenger seat of the sedan, staring straight ahead of him as Cragen drove. A million what ifs buzzed in his brain, every single one of them inflicting its own brand of anguish on his soul; they just had to find her, they had to. He knew there was no way that he would be able to live with himself if they didn't; in fact he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to live at all. For so long she had been his safety net, his balance. She was the calming force that kept him from crossing that line. She had always pulled him back just at the brink and soothed his rage. It was something that he was sure that not even she was aware of because he had only just realized it himself. He couldn't begin to contemplate his life without her. He would fall off the edge and become nothing without her there to salvage his soul.
They were still at least six hours from even crossing the state line; traffic was not on their side, not even at such an early hour. The brick buildings of the New York City burrows had given way sometime ago to tree lined highways. The trees past before Elliot's eyes but he didn't really acknowledge that they were there. All he could think about was Olivia. Was she even still...? Roads his mind didn't want to travel seemed to be well trodden by this point. The endless horrific possibilities making him want to wretch every two seconds as yet another one crept its way into the forefront of his mind.
Cragen pulled the car onto an exit ramp as they prepared to transition to the next highway. The sharp turn forced Elliot's head to bump into the passenger side window "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. The two small syllables echoed like a gong in the silent car.
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She lay staring up at the ceiling, watching the early morning light slowly fill her prison. The tears had stopped coming; she didn't think there was a drop left in her to cry. She had been alone for a while now and for that she was at least partly grateful. It was better to lie alone than to lie beneath a man who's only interest was having you to himself.
From time to time she heard footsteps up above her. Heavy footsteps that made her stomach knot up. She knew it was Andy and she was afraid of what he would do next. The footsteps hadn't come down the stairs again yet though and she found herself breathing a little easier each time they stopped.
Suddenly she heard a new noise; this noise was coming from outside. The distinct sound of twigs snapping as someone made their way towards the structure reached her ears. Silently Olivia hoped against all odds that someone had found her and that this nightmare would be over soon.
A rather loud knock sounded from somewhere upstairs and Olivia reasoned that it must be that same person she had heard approaching. Andy's footsteps started up again as Olivia's breath caught in her throat. The sound of a door being pulled open was the next thing she heard, followed by the sound of Andy talking to someone. Olivia couldn't hear every word that was spoken clearly; all she knew was that Andy was talking to a woman. The woman's voice did seem vaguely familiar however and Olivia racked her brain trying to place it.
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"You went and lead them right to me didn't you?" Andy accused the woman who stood in front of him.
"I did no such thing," she protested as she faced him "If anything I saved your ass by getting that thing back for you."
Andy looked down at the object in his hand then back up at the woman with whom he was now thrust into a strange partnership "I guess you did," he admitted softly, kicking himself for his own stupidity.
The woman took a step towards him "I want out of this," she said in a low voice.
Andy nodded, she had fulfilled her part of the deal in this plan several times over and now it was time to relieve her of her obligation "How much did we agree on?" he asked as he rummaged through the dresser that was positioned oddly beside the front door of the cabin.
"Twenty thousand," she reminded him, hoping that he was smart enough not to write her a check and leave the paper trail to connect them.
"Of course," Andy responded, his gaze directed into the drawer as his hand closed around what he was looking for.
"Hurry up," she told him, her tone bordering on one of irritation "My flight leaves in less than an hour."
"Don't worry," Andy told her as he smirked to himself.
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She still couldn't place the voice and it bothered her. She knew she had heard this voice before, several times in fact. She wondered why anyone she knew would have anything to do with Andy. Could it be possible that Andy and this woman were working together? Olivia closed her eyes and tried to will the unseen woman's face to appear in her mind's eye. If someone at the 1-6 had aided Andy in kidnapping...
Her whole body tensed at the sound of not one but three gunshots 'Thank God, the cavalry is here,' she thought to herself. Her heart fell when she heard no new voices and she realized that the voices that had been there were now silent.
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Andy kicked the now lifeless body that lay in front of him as the blood pooled around it. He had to marvel at the fact that she had been able to react at all before he shot her. She had managed to pull her own gun but her aim was incredibly poor as the one shot that she got off ended up lodging in the wall beside him. He had shot her twice just for good measure.
He waited until the wounds seemed to have bled all they were going to and then carefully dragged the body out behind the cabin. He lay her on the ground and grabbed the shovel that he kept by the back door. The grave he dug was shallow at best but it served its purpose. He dumped her in and covered her up. When he had finished he spit on the grave "Good riddance bitch," he muttered before turning and heading back inside.
She had been such a little pain in the ass to work with. Andy had gotten truly frustrated with her several times. He had wanted to get rid of her for such a long time but he needed her, he hated to admit it but he did.
He pulled on fresh clothes and threw his blood stained ones into the wood burning stove. He was about to light a match but it was already so damn hot in the cabin that he didn't want to add to it. Besides they too would serve a purpose in his plan.
The murder could not have worked out better for him. He hadn't expected her to come to the cabin but now that she had he had someone's blood to show when those detectives came poking around and he knew they would. It would only be a matter of time before they realized where to look.
In truth, Andy had been hoping for a little more of a head start than he had gotten; that phone call from Elliot had been an unforeseeable glitch. But he knew that it wasn't all lost. When it came down to it, he still had Olivia and he was still a good five steps ahead of anyone who might be on his trail. Or so he thought.
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"Damn it," Elliot slammed his hand down on the dashboard. They had gotten stuck behind an accident on the highway while the Pennsylvania police went over the scene. Normally Elliot was sympathetic to other officers who had to process scenes in less than ideal conditions but right now he had nothing but anger towards them boiling up inside him. They were just an obstacle and he wished they were gone.
"This should clear up soon," Cragen said optimistically as he noticed officers heading back to their squad cars.
"Hmm," John began speculatively as he observed the scene in front of them. He was just about to shoot off one of his conspiracy theories when Elliot turned and shot him a look that told him very clearly that if that theory came out of his mouth, Elliot would make him eat it again.
Traffic began to move again slowly and Elliot sighed exhaustedly. In the time that they had spent in that traffic jam, Eckerson could have gotten a whole lot farther than his cabin in Virginia. Although any fears of him leaving the country were put to rest with a few calls to the Port Authority there were still other possibilities that weighed heavy on Elliot's heart.
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She heard the door open at the top of the stairs and she knew he was coming. Every muscle in her body tensed as her already sore wrists continued to rub themselves raw against her restraints. Her legs too kicked frantically to free themselves but she found herself getting no where as had been happening since he had first held her down.
He came into her line of vision carrying a glass of water. He sat down beside her on the cot and offered it to her. She tried to turn her head away but he didn't let her. Supporting her head, he slowly poured the water into her mouth. She spat it angrily back out at him.
"Wrong move," he told her as he smacked her across the face.
She winced from the pain but even after all she had been through she refused to give in "Go to hell you asshole," she countered.
"Oh," he said amused "I've been, it wasn't for me," he forced his lips to hers yet again "You on the other hand," he whispered as he pulled away "You'd fit in just fine," he laughed and rubbed his already hard erection into her.
"No," she whispered. Once had been painful enough, humiliating enough; she couldn't take it the first time she didn't want it to happen again.
Andy smiled vindictively down at her. She had always been such a terrible liar. All that posturing that she did in the interrogation room or on the streets, it had always been an act to cover up her true inner weakness. He was so pleased with himself that he had this beautiful creature all to himself "Oh yes," he pushed inside of her, hard.
"Andy don't," she managed around sobs of pure anguish. She thought that perhaps by using his name she might be able to make him stop somehow.
He leaned in close to her ear and whispered "Never," his icy tone froze her to the core "You're mine and I'll never stop," he continued to rape her, completely ignoring her screams.
When he was done he leaned in close again "Besides," he whispered "It's not like you don't think you deserve this," he kissed her and left her to think about what he had just said.
She had thought that she had no tears left to cry but she was wrong. She knew that the way she was brought into the world would inevitably be the way she left it. She didn't want to believe it; she had tried to tell herself that it wouldn't end that way but deep down she knew that it would. She really didn't want to die alone but she knew she couldn't stand it if he forced himself on her again. At that moment she wished she could just let go and drift away. She closed her eyes and resolved to stop fighting, it wasn't like it was doing her any good in the first place.
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Ruben walked up the stairs to Millie's apartment building; she hadn't shown up for work and he was worried. He rang the buzzer but there was no answer, he rang it again and again but the result was the same "C'mon Millie," he pounded the buzzer with his fist and held it down "You can't avoid me forever," he whispered to himself.
Suddenly the door opened and a young woman with a baby in her arms and a diaper bag slung over one shoulder ran right into Ruben, knocking him to the ground. He looked up, dazed into the face of the woman. For a moment he could have sworn that he was in heaven and that the woman was an angel.
"Oh my gosh," she said as she shifted the infant to her hip and reached her free hand down to Ruben to help him up. However when she did so, her hold on the diaper bag was lost and it toppled to the ground "Oh darn it," she muttered.
Ruben, who was now firmly back on his feet, bent down to retrieve the bag for her. He noticed that it was much fuller than one would expect for just one day's worth of supplies. He pushed the thought out of his mind and handed the bag to the woman "Here you go miss..." he trailed off not knowing the woman's name.
"My name's Maggie Read," she shook Ruben's hand "Sorry about earlier," she looked nervously behind her at the building "I'm in a hurry."
"No problem," Ruben smiled at her. He found himself staring at her. She was gorgeous; long chestnut hair framed an angelic heart shaped face and her green eyes had a haunting, mysterious beauty.
Maggie kept looking back nervously at the building "I... I have to go," she excused herself. She began walking hurriedly down the sidewalk and was almost around the corner of the block when the door to the building opened once more and Ruben was knocked over yet again.
"Maggie!" the man who had just emerged from the building screamed as he ran down the sidewalk after her.
Ruben picked himself up from the ground and followed; he had a bad feeling about this man. He turned the corner just in time to see the man slam Maggie into a brick wall. The diaper bag and the baby both went flying. Ruben was quick to catch the child.
The man pressed one arm against Maggie's throat as he punched her with his other fist "Bitch," he said over and over again as he did so.
"Hey, hey, hey," Ruben attempted to interfere while holding the child. He awkwardly managed to shield the child with one side of his body as he took out his badge and flashed it at the man "Police," he informed him. The man stopped immediately and stared at Ruben. After a minute he turned and ran back to the building.
"Are you alright?" Ruben asked as he handed the now crying baby back to Maggie.
"Yeah," she said weakly, taking the child into her arms and rocking her gently until she settled down.
Ruben picked up the diaper bag for the second time that morning and handed it to her; this time he managed to take a peak inside and noticed that it contained items that belonged to mother as well as things for baby "Who was that guy?" he asked as he walked with Maggie to a nearby bench and sat down beside her.
"It's a long story," she sighed heavily, holding her child close to her "Thank you," she said softly glancing quickly in Ruben's direction then just as quickly turning her attention to the ground.
"I have time," he reassured her as he reached over and ran a hand over the baby's soft brown hair "Who's this little one?"
"This is my daughter," Maggie smiled, thinking about the baby in her arms cheering her mood briefly "Her name is Daisy."
"Nice to meet you Daisy," Ruben said to the baby who smiled at him brightly, showing two teeth.
Maggie looked down at her watch "I really have to be going," she said quickly as she got off the bench and began to walk away.
"Wait!" Ruben called after her. He managed to catch up with her just as she hailed a cab "Can I help you? I mean that guy has he hurt you before? I work with people who can help you."
She smiled sadly at him "I don't think anyone can help me," she was about to get into the cab when Ruben pulled out one of his business cards and held it out to her.
"If you need anything," he told her.
She took the card and nodded. "Thanks," she called as she closed the cab door and it sped away.
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"What?" He stood frozen, disbelief the only emotion showing on his face "How can it be gone?" Ruben had finally figured out from a neighbor of Millie's that she hadn't been home all night. He had reported to work and finally set his mind to the tasks of the day only to have Captain Siper inform him that the evidence from Olivia Benson's apartment had been tampered with and that the US Marshal's badge was missing. Ruben knew that this was damaging to SVU's case.
Another tech entered and handed a video cassette to Siper who accepted it gratefully "We'll find out now how it happened," she said firmly. She walked to the nearby VCR and popped the tape in. She flipped on the screen and all those present found themselves staring at the evidence room.
A figure entered the room and approached a table where the Benson crime scene evidence had been laid out. The figure picked something up off of the table and turned to leave. Siper paused the tape and rewound it a few frames. She zoomed in on the face of the figure. The gasps were audible as Siper, Ruben and the others stared at an all too familiar face.
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It was noon when they finally reached the edge of the woods where Eckerson's cabin was; traffic had only gotten worse the closer they'd gotten. John held the map as the other's crowded around him. They stood beside the car, ready to get a move on.
"It looks like," Munch began, checking and double checking the map "There are two possible paths to the cabin through these trees.
"Okay," Cragen said, taking command of the situation as he took the map from Munch and looked at it "John, you and Fin take this trail here and Elliot," he turned to his other detective who stood clenching his fists to the point where his knuckles had turned bone white "You and I will take this one," he showed Elliot the trail on the map.
"Who gets the map?" Fin asked.
Munch smiled pulling out a rather large folded piece of paper from his pocket "We both do," he silently patted himself on the back for bringing the extra map.
"Let's head out," Cragen said as he and Elliot headed off in one direction. Munch and Fin silently nodded and headed for their own path.
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"This road is going no where," Munch complained after a half an hour of walking through the dense forest.
"Tell me about it," Fin ducked another low hanging tree branch "I think I've seen that same rock about ten times now."
"Look at this," Munch gestured to the woods around him.
Fin nodded "It looks like no one's used this path in years."
"It seems," Munch turned his gaze to the leaves high above his head "That we quite literally took the road less traveled." Even though in the poem it said that taking the road less traveled had made all the difference, Munch knew that this time, taking the road less traveled only left the team divided. "Let's head back," he suggested.
Fin agreed and they walked back the way they came. They would get back to the car and then start up the other trail. Rather than wander aimlessly in the forest they planned to meet up with Elliot and the Captain.
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"You've got to be kidding me," Elliot was exasperated. He and Cragen stood before a rope bridge that led over a deep ravine. The bridge seemed to be the only way across and Elliot was wondering just how much effort Eckerson had put into this.
"We're gonna have to get over that thing," Cragen told the younger man.
Elliot nodded and took a careful step onto the shaky bridge. It dipped beneath his weight but held. He began to walk across. Luckily his physical balance was impeccable; the police academy had trained him well. Soon he was across and it was Cragen's turn.
The older man took his first step onto the bridge with far more apprehension than Elliot had. Cragen was in his late fifties and had never expected to be doing this kind of thing ever. As he cautiously planted one foot firmly in front of the other he seriously contemplated retirement; he was too old to be doing this kind of thing. Granted his position as Captain had afforded him the luxury of a desk job. It seemed odd to him that at that moment he considered a desk job a luxury. He was almost to the other side when he felt the bridge dip a little further. 'Retirement,' he decided at that moment. The bridge continued to sag until the ropes finally broke away and Cragen fell to the bottom of the ravine.
Elliot stared at the spot where the Captain had been standing only moments before. The only thing that occupied the space now was empty air. He rushed to the side and looked over; it was a good twenty foot drop. He could see where Cragen had landed and lay motionless "Cap!" he called out, hoping for a response.
The figure on the ground sat up and rubbed its head. He tried to stand but found himself collapsing to the dirt once more "I think I sprained my ankle!" he called up to Elliot.
Elliot looked down into the ravine and then over his shoulder where through the trees he could clearly see the cabin. The right thing to do in this situation was to climb down to where Cragen was, help him back to the car and call the paramedics and then and only then, return with Munch and Fin to the cabin. Elliot through his head back in frustration; why was the right thing always so hard? "Stay there!" Elliot called down as he searched the rocks for hand holds "I'm coming to get you."
"No," Cragen told him firmly as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket "I can call for help just fine from here. You need to go find Olivia." Elliot nodded and headed towards the cabin.
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He took a slow sip of the beer in his hand as he relaxed in the armchair. You would never know by his laid back attitude that he had just killed and buried one woman and held another prisoner in his basement. He leaned forward and set the bottle on the coffee table. He glanced at the clock; by his estimation he didn't have to get moving for another two hours. He smiled to himself. He was shaken from his revelry when the cabin door suddenly swung off its hinges with a loud bang. Andy stood up from his chair and stared at the figure who now stood in the doorway.
Elliot stared angrily at Andy. He held his gun steady as he entered the cabin. It was at this point that he saw the large puddle of blood that Andy hadn't even bothered to clean up. "You bastard," he said in a low voice as he rushed Andy. He pinned him to the wall and held the gun pointed directly at his chest.
Andy's plan was disintegrating in front of him but he wasn't going to let that stop him; Elliot had seen the blood, Andy knew that his mind had already jumped to the conclusion that it was Olivia's. The plan might be shattered but he could at least make it so Elliot never found her. Andy found himself struggling for breath as he spoke "Are you gonna kill me?" he taunted "Do you want to get revenge for her?"
Elliot's hands were shaking "You're gonna pay," he spat venomously even as he found himself sinking into that miserable abyss. She couldn't be dead. If only they hadn't been caught in traffic so many times, if only... He stared at Andy coldly. He would make this man pay for what he had done.
"She begged," Andy continued, knowing that with every word he spoke Elliot was less and less able to hold his gun steady "I stabbed her again and again," he was making up a story now solely for the purpose of torturing Elliot "Each time I plunged the knife in, she screamed but oh that was nothing compared to the screams when I took it out again."
Elliot couldn't take it anymore. He cocked the hammer of his gun "Die!" he screamed at Andy.
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She heard voices upstairs but wasn't sure that they were there. In the heat she was sure she had become delirious. The voices grew louder and slowly she became convinced that she was indeed not losing her mind. One voice was Andy's and the other... was it... yes there was no mistaking that voice. She had to let him know where she was but she didn't think she had any strength left even for whispering. She took a deep breath; she had to try "Elliot!"
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He was about to pull the trigger when the sound reached his ears. There was no mistaking that voice; his heart skipped a beat every time he heard that voice call his name. He knew in a split second that Andy had been lying. He slammed Andy against the wall knocking him unconscious. Elliot let Andy's body fall hard to the floor; he had more important things to think about now. He put his gun back in his holster and went in search of the source of the voice.
"Olivia!" he called as he walked around the small cabin. He waited for a response. The seconds ticked by so slowly before he heard it. It sounded significantly weaker than it had the first time. "Keep talking!" he called to her as he searched for her.
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She wasn't sure she had the energy to keep talking to him; she was feeling weaker by the second now. She took another deep breath "Basement!" she called out.
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At that precise moment Elliot found the door at the top of the basement stairs and opened it. He walked down the stairs with his heart in his throat. Then he saw her, in the limited light that came through the small windows of the basement he saw her. He was caught between relief and sorrow at the sight "Oh God," he whispered as he rushed to her side, throwing his coat over her to preserve her dignity "I'm so sorry," he told her as he started untying the ropes that held her wrists.
She felt tears running down her cheeks. She was so glad that he was there with her; in many ways he was the only person she felt like she could trust anymore. Fear shined in her eyes as a thought suddenly struck her "Andy," she whispered.
Elliot fought his own tears as he worked to free her "He's not going anywhere," he reassured her.
"He..." Olivia began "He killed someone."
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Andy opened his eyes and looked at the clock; he had only been unconscious a few minutes. He stood up and looked around. Soft voices coming from the basement let him know that that's where Elliot was and that he had found her. For a moment Andy considered grabbing his gun and just finishing the both of them off right then and there but he knew that the cabin would almost certainly be swarming with more cops in just a matter of minutes. He decided to make a break for it. There would always be time later to return an claim what was rightfully his. He ran off into the woods, taking nothing with him except his gun.
TBC
Chapter 3: Escape
A/N: Some parts of this chapter may cross the boarder into M territory so be warned.
He ran a hand up the front of her shirt, grinning to himself as he felt her muscles tense instantly beneath his touch. His hand reached the flesh of her breast; he felt the tender flesh roughly with his fingers eliciting a moan of discomfort as she winced and tried to pull away. He had restrained her well however and she failed. Violently his lips came crashing to hers as the hand that had been exploring under her shirt went to the back of her neck, forcing the kiss to grow deeper against her wishes.
She whimpered in pain; she didn't mean to but she did anyway. She had always told herself that if this ever happened, if anyone ever managed to get the best of her, that she would not scream, would not beg, would not give her attacker the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurting her. So she kept her eyes shut, trying but failing to pretend she was somewhere else as he separated from her mouth and moved to the hem of her pants, pushing them and her panties to her ankles in one fluid motion.
"You are so beautiful," he told her just before he entered her.
His intrusion was fast and painful as every muscle in the lower half of her body contracted in an effort to keep it out. He moved in painful strokes that continually made her wince. Her eyes were clenched shut as she tried to hold back the tears; even in this moment when everything she was, was being obliterated she tried to maintain control over something. He grunted as his arousal grew and his movements became deeper, faster, the pain brought with them more violent and unbearable.
She had lost control over the tears and over her voice as it became too much "Stop!" she screamed "Please?!" she begged him as the tears streamed down her face.
"Shut up!" he shouted, back handing her and continued seemingly unfazed, with his trespass.
She really wished she could shut up. She didn't want to beg; she was stronger than this, wasn't she? If she had ended up in a situation like this, she deserved anything that happened to her. She wanted to be able to rein in the screams and stop the begging that only shamed her more but she couldn't "No!" she screamed again "Please stop?!"
He finished and got off of her still panting. He sat beside her restrained form on the cot for a few minutes "That was amazing," he told her bending down to kiss her. She turned her head away from him and he yanked her back "Look at me when I talk to you," he told her in a low, menacing tone. He kissed her and stood up "I'll be back later," he told her "Rest." With that he was gone, turning off the basement lights as he climbed the stairs.
She lay in the dark, stripped of more than just her clothes. The pain that she still felt between her thighs made her sick. She was completely humiliated, broken, she wished she was dead. There was nothing except the depressing reality. She had just been raped. She had let it happen. She could have fought back harder couldn't she have?
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Casey stalked into the squad room. She flopped into Elliot's desk chair and immediately slumped over the desk itself. She rubbed her temples with a groan of agitation.
"How's that hangover?" Munch teased, coming up beside her.
"It sucks," Casey mumbled into her folded arms. She still hadn't forgiven herself for getting drunk tonight; she didn't think she would ever forgive herself.
"Drink this," he instructed as he set a coffee cup down by her hand.
She looked up and groaned "Do you know how much coffee I've had tonight?" she asked incredulously "I think it's stopped working completely." She stared into the cup of questionable brown liquid "Besides," she looked back up at Munch "Did you make this John?"
"I resent that," John said, holding his hands to his chest and feigning an expression of hurt. It was well known that John Munch made perhaps the worst coffee on the whole island of Manhattan but that didn't stop him from making it every chance he got.
"Be careful who you do that gesture in front of man," Fin warned, referring to the hands that John still held over his supposedly wounded heart "People will think you're having a heart attack old man."
Casey groaned "Guys please."
Munch returned to his desk and grabbed his coat "Did you tell Elliot?" he asked Casey.
"I gave him the fax." She responded "He didn't seem too much in the mood for talking and I didn't want to push him."
"Do you th-?" Fin started to ask when Elliot burst into the bullpen waving the fax in his hand wildly.
He ran to his own desk and ignoring the fact that Casey was sitting in his chair, grabbed his own jacket and threw it on hastily "What are we waiting for?" he asked.
"Captain's goin' with us," Fin told him.
"We're still waiting for him to get back from the DA's office," Casey grumbled.
"The DA's office," Elliot scratched his head, puzzled "What's he doing there?"
"Kissing some major ass," Cragen responded from the door of the squad room. He turned to Munch, Fin and Elliot who stood ready to go "Let's move."
The four men emptied out of the squad room in a hurry, leaving Casey alone in the silence. She picked up the coffee cup and took a tentative sip of the coffee. She swallowed hard. The coffee wasn't appealing in the least bit "Good luck guys," she whispered into the now empty room. She prayed that they would find Olivia and that they would all make it back safe.
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5:00am and the sun was slowly rising as the four men sat silently in the car on the way to Virginia. The fax that Casey had initially handed to Elliot on the rooftop contained information about a cabin leased to Andy Eckerson in the Virginia woods. Munch sat in the back seat looking over a map of the area, trying to determine the exact location of the cabin, Fin looked on over his shoulder. Normally the two men would be arguing about some such thing or another but not today. Today was different; a somber feeling of doom and dread hung around them like a shroud.
Elliot sat in the passenger seat of the sedan, staring straight ahead of him as Cragen drove. A million what ifs buzzed in his brain, every single one of them inflicting its own brand of anguish on his soul; they just had to find her, they had to. He knew there was no way that he would be able to live with himself if they didn't; in fact he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to live at all. For so long she had been his safety net, his balance. She was the calming force that kept him from crossing that line. She had always pulled him back just at the brink and soothed his rage. It was something that he was sure that not even she was aware of because he had only just realized it himself. He couldn't begin to contemplate his life without her. He would fall off the edge and become nothing without her there to salvage his soul.
They were still at least six hours from even crossing the state line; traffic was not on their side, not even at such an early hour. The brick buildings of the New York City burrows had given way sometime ago to tree lined highways. The trees past before Elliot's eyes but he didn't really acknowledge that they were there. All he could think about was Olivia. Was she even still...? Roads his mind didn't want to travel seemed to be well trodden by this point. The endless horrific possibilities making him want to wretch every two seconds as yet another one crept its way into the forefront of his mind.
Cragen pulled the car onto an exit ramp as they prepared to transition to the next highway. The sharp turn forced Elliot's head to bump into the passenger side window "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. The two small syllables echoed like a gong in the silent car.
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She lay staring up at the ceiling, watching the early morning light slowly fill her prison. The tears had stopped coming; she didn't think there was a drop left in her to cry. She had been alone for a while now and for that she was at least partly grateful. It was better to lie alone than to lie beneath a man who's only interest was having you to himself.
From time to time she heard footsteps up above her. Heavy footsteps that made her stomach knot up. She knew it was Andy and she was afraid of what he would do next. The footsteps hadn't come down the stairs again yet though and she found herself breathing a little easier each time they stopped.
Suddenly she heard a new noise; this noise was coming from outside. The distinct sound of twigs snapping as someone made their way towards the structure reached her ears. Silently Olivia hoped against all odds that someone had found her and that this nightmare would be over soon.
A rather loud knock sounded from somewhere upstairs and Olivia reasoned that it must be that same person she had heard approaching. Andy's footsteps started up again as Olivia's breath caught in her throat. The sound of a door being pulled open was the next thing she heard, followed by the sound of Andy talking to someone. Olivia couldn't hear every word that was spoken clearly; all she knew was that Andy was talking to a woman. The woman's voice did seem vaguely familiar however and Olivia racked her brain trying to place it.
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"You went and lead them right to me didn't you?" Andy accused the woman who stood in front of him.
"I did no such thing," she protested as she faced him "If anything I saved your ass by getting that thing back for you."
Andy looked down at the object in his hand then back up at the woman with whom he was now thrust into a strange partnership "I guess you did," he admitted softly, kicking himself for his own stupidity.
The woman took a step towards him "I want out of this," she said in a low voice.
Andy nodded, she had fulfilled her part of the deal in this plan several times over and now it was time to relieve her of her obligation "How much did we agree on?" he asked as he rummaged through the dresser that was positioned oddly beside the front door of the cabin.
"Twenty thousand," she reminded him, hoping that he was smart enough not to write her a check and leave the paper trail to connect them.
"Of course," Andy responded, his gaze directed into the drawer as his hand closed around what he was looking for.
"Hurry up," she told him, her tone bordering on one of irritation "My flight leaves in less than an hour."
"Don't worry," Andy told her as he smirked to himself.
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She still couldn't place the voice and it bothered her. She knew she had heard this voice before, several times in fact. She wondered why anyone she knew would have anything to do with Andy. Could it be possible that Andy and this woman were working together? Olivia closed her eyes and tried to will the unseen woman's face to appear in her mind's eye. If someone at the 1-6 had aided Andy in kidnapping...
Her whole body tensed at the sound of not one but three gunshots 'Thank God, the cavalry is here,' she thought to herself. Her heart fell when she heard no new voices and she realized that the voices that had been there were now silent.
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Andy kicked the now lifeless body that lay in front of him as the blood pooled around it. He had to marvel at the fact that she had been able to react at all before he shot her. She had managed to pull her own gun but her aim was incredibly poor as the one shot that she got off ended up lodging in the wall beside him. He had shot her twice just for good measure.
He waited until the wounds seemed to have bled all they were going to and then carefully dragged the body out behind the cabin. He lay her on the ground and grabbed the shovel that he kept by the back door. The grave he dug was shallow at best but it served its purpose. He dumped her in and covered her up. When he had finished he spit on the grave "Good riddance bitch," he muttered before turning and heading back inside.
She had been such a little pain in the ass to work with. Andy had gotten truly frustrated with her several times. He had wanted to get rid of her for such a long time but he needed her, he hated to admit it but he did.
He pulled on fresh clothes and threw his blood stained ones into the wood burning stove. He was about to light a match but it was already so damn hot in the cabin that he didn't want to add to it. Besides they too would serve a purpose in his plan.
The murder could not have worked out better for him. He hadn't expected her to come to the cabin but now that she had he had someone's blood to show when those detectives came poking around and he knew they would. It would only be a matter of time before they realized where to look.
In truth, Andy had been hoping for a little more of a head start than he had gotten; that phone call from Elliot had been an unforeseeable glitch. But he knew that it wasn't all lost. When it came down to it, he still had Olivia and he was still a good five steps ahead of anyone who might be on his trail. Or so he thought.
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"Damn it," Elliot slammed his hand down on the dashboard. They had gotten stuck behind an accident on the highway while the Pennsylvania police went over the scene. Normally Elliot was sympathetic to other officers who had to process scenes in less than ideal conditions but right now he had nothing but anger towards them boiling up inside him. They were just an obstacle and he wished they were gone.
"This should clear up soon," Cragen said optimistically as he noticed officers heading back to their squad cars.
"Hmm," John began speculatively as he observed the scene in front of them. He was just about to shoot off one of his conspiracy theories when Elliot turned and shot him a look that told him very clearly that if that theory came out of his mouth, Elliot would make him eat it again.
Traffic began to move again slowly and Elliot sighed exhaustedly. In the time that they had spent in that traffic jam, Eckerson could have gotten a whole lot farther than his cabin in Virginia. Although any fears of him leaving the country were put to rest with a few calls to the Port Authority there were still other possibilities that weighed heavy on Elliot's heart.
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She heard the door open at the top of the stairs and she knew he was coming. Every muscle in her body tensed as her already sore wrists continued to rub themselves raw against her restraints. Her legs too kicked frantically to free themselves but she found herself getting no where as had been happening since he had first held her down.
He came into her line of vision carrying a glass of water. He sat down beside her on the cot and offered it to her. She tried to turn her head away but he didn't let her. Supporting her head, he slowly poured the water into her mouth. She spat it angrily back out at him.
"Wrong move," he told her as he smacked her across the face.
She winced from the pain but even after all she had been through she refused to give in "Go to hell you asshole," she countered.
"Oh," he said amused "I've been, it wasn't for me," he forced his lips to hers yet again "You on the other hand," he whispered as he pulled away "You'd fit in just fine," he laughed and rubbed his already hard erection into her.
"No," she whispered. Once had been painful enough, humiliating enough; she couldn't take it the first time she didn't want it to happen again.
Andy smiled vindictively down at her. She had always been such a terrible liar. All that posturing that she did in the interrogation room or on the streets, it had always been an act to cover up her true inner weakness. He was so pleased with himself that he had this beautiful creature all to himself "Oh yes," he pushed inside of her, hard.
"Andy don't," she managed around sobs of pure anguish. She thought that perhaps by using his name she might be able to make him stop somehow.
He leaned in close to her ear and whispered "Never," his icy tone froze her to the core "You're mine and I'll never stop," he continued to rape her, completely ignoring her screams.
When he was done he leaned in close again "Besides," he whispered "It's not like you don't think you deserve this," he kissed her and left her to think about what he had just said.
She had thought that she had no tears left to cry but she was wrong. She knew that the way she was brought into the world would inevitably be the way she left it. She didn't want to believe it; she had tried to tell herself that it wouldn't end that way but deep down she knew that it would. She really didn't want to die alone but she knew she couldn't stand it if he forced himself on her again. At that moment she wished she could just let go and drift away. She closed her eyes and resolved to stop fighting, it wasn't like it was doing her any good in the first place.
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Ruben walked up the stairs to Millie's apartment building; she hadn't shown up for work and he was worried. He rang the buzzer but there was no answer, he rang it again and again but the result was the same "C'mon Millie," he pounded the buzzer with his fist and held it down "You can't avoid me forever," he whispered to himself.
Suddenly the door opened and a young woman with a baby in her arms and a diaper bag slung over one shoulder ran right into Ruben, knocking him to the ground. He looked up, dazed into the face of the woman. For a moment he could have sworn that he was in heaven and that the woman was an angel.
"Oh my gosh," she said as she shifted the infant to her hip and reached her free hand down to Ruben to help him up. However when she did so, her hold on the diaper bag was lost and it toppled to the ground "Oh darn it," she muttered.
Ruben, who was now firmly back on his feet, bent down to retrieve the bag for her. He noticed that it was much fuller than one would expect for just one day's worth of supplies. He pushed the thought out of his mind and handed the bag to the woman "Here you go miss..." he trailed off not knowing the woman's name.
"My name's Maggie Read," she shook Ruben's hand "Sorry about earlier," she looked nervously behind her at the building "I'm in a hurry."
"No problem," Ruben smiled at her. He found himself staring at her. She was gorgeous; long chestnut hair framed an angelic heart shaped face and her green eyes had a haunting, mysterious beauty.
Maggie kept looking back nervously at the building "I... I have to go," she excused herself. She began walking hurriedly down the sidewalk and was almost around the corner of the block when the door to the building opened once more and Ruben was knocked over yet again.
"Maggie!" the man who had just emerged from the building screamed as he ran down the sidewalk after her.
Ruben picked himself up from the ground and followed; he had a bad feeling about this man. He turned the corner just in time to see the man slam Maggie into a brick wall. The diaper bag and the baby both went flying. Ruben was quick to catch the child.
The man pressed one arm against Maggie's throat as he punched her with his other fist "Bitch," he said over and over again as he did so.
"Hey, hey, hey," Ruben attempted to interfere while holding the child. He awkwardly managed to shield the child with one side of his body as he took out his badge and flashed it at the man "Police," he informed him. The man stopped immediately and stared at Ruben. After a minute he turned and ran back to the building.
"Are you alright?" Ruben asked as he handed the now crying baby back to Maggie.
"Yeah," she said weakly, taking the child into her arms and rocking her gently until she settled down.
Ruben picked up the diaper bag for the second time that morning and handed it to her; this time he managed to take a peak inside and noticed that it contained items that belonged to mother as well as things for baby "Who was that guy?" he asked as he walked with Maggie to a nearby bench and sat down beside her.
"It's a long story," she sighed heavily, holding her child close to her "Thank you," she said softly glancing quickly in Ruben's direction then just as quickly turning her attention to the ground.
"I have time," he reassured her as he reached over and ran a hand over the baby's soft brown hair "Who's this little one?"
"This is my daughter," Maggie smiled, thinking about the baby in her arms cheering her mood briefly "Her name is Daisy."
"Nice to meet you Daisy," Ruben said to the baby who smiled at him brightly, showing two teeth.
Maggie looked down at her watch "I really have to be going," she said quickly as she got off the bench and began to walk away.
"Wait!" Ruben called after her. He managed to catch up with her just as she hailed a cab "Can I help you? I mean that guy has he hurt you before? I work with people who can help you."
She smiled sadly at him "I don't think anyone can help me," she was about to get into the cab when Ruben pulled out one of his business cards and held it out to her.
"If you need anything," he told her.
She took the card and nodded. "Thanks," she called as she closed the cab door and it sped away.
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"What?" He stood frozen, disbelief the only emotion showing on his face "How can it be gone?" Ruben had finally figured out from a neighbor of Millie's that she hadn't been home all night. He had reported to work and finally set his mind to the tasks of the day only to have Captain Siper inform him that the evidence from Olivia Benson's apartment had been tampered with and that the US Marshal's badge was missing. Ruben knew that this was damaging to SVU's case.
Another tech entered and handed a video cassette to Siper who accepted it gratefully "We'll find out now how it happened," she said firmly. She walked to the nearby VCR and popped the tape in. She flipped on the screen and all those present found themselves staring at the evidence room.
A figure entered the room and approached a table where the Benson crime scene evidence had been laid out. The figure picked something up off of the table and turned to leave. Siper paused the tape and rewound it a few frames. She zoomed in on the face of the figure. The gasps were audible as Siper, Ruben and the others stared at an all too familiar face.
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It was noon when they finally reached the edge of the woods where Eckerson's cabin was; traffic had only gotten worse the closer they'd gotten. John held the map as the other's crowded around him. They stood beside the car, ready to get a move on.
"It looks like," Munch began, checking and double checking the map "There are two possible paths to the cabin through these trees.
"Okay," Cragen said, taking command of the situation as he took the map from Munch and looked at it "John, you and Fin take this trail here and Elliot," he turned to his other detective who stood clenching his fists to the point where his knuckles had turned bone white "You and I will take this one," he showed Elliot the trail on the map.
"Who gets the map?" Fin asked.
Munch smiled pulling out a rather large folded piece of paper from his pocket "We both do," he silently patted himself on the back for bringing the extra map.
"Let's head out," Cragen said as he and Elliot headed off in one direction. Munch and Fin silently nodded and headed for their own path.
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"This road is going no where," Munch complained after a half an hour of walking through the dense forest.
"Tell me about it," Fin ducked another low hanging tree branch "I think I've seen that same rock about ten times now."
"Look at this," Munch gestured to the woods around him.
Fin nodded "It looks like no one's used this path in years."
"It seems," Munch turned his gaze to the leaves high above his head "That we quite literally took the road less traveled." Even though in the poem it said that taking the road less traveled had made all the difference, Munch knew that this time, taking the road less traveled only left the team divided. "Let's head back," he suggested.
Fin agreed and they walked back the way they came. They would get back to the car and then start up the other trail. Rather than wander aimlessly in the forest they planned to meet up with Elliot and the Captain.
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"You've got to be kidding me," Elliot was exasperated. He and Cragen stood before a rope bridge that led over a deep ravine. The bridge seemed to be the only way across and Elliot was wondering just how much effort Eckerson had put into this.
"We're gonna have to get over that thing," Cragen told the younger man.
Elliot nodded and took a careful step onto the shaky bridge. It dipped beneath his weight but held. He began to walk across. Luckily his physical balance was impeccable; the police academy had trained him well. Soon he was across and it was Cragen's turn.
The older man took his first step onto the bridge with far more apprehension than Elliot had. Cragen was in his late fifties and had never expected to be doing this kind of thing ever. As he cautiously planted one foot firmly in front of the other he seriously contemplated retirement; he was too old to be doing this kind of thing. Granted his position as Captain had afforded him the luxury of a desk job. It seemed odd to him that at that moment he considered a desk job a luxury. He was almost to the other side when he felt the bridge dip a little further. 'Retirement,' he decided at that moment. The bridge continued to sag until the ropes finally broke away and Cragen fell to the bottom of the ravine.
Elliot stared at the spot where the Captain had been standing only moments before. The only thing that occupied the space now was empty air. He rushed to the side and looked over; it was a good twenty foot drop. He could see where Cragen had landed and lay motionless "Cap!" he called out, hoping for a response.
The figure on the ground sat up and rubbed its head. He tried to stand but found himself collapsing to the dirt once more "I think I sprained my ankle!" he called up to Elliot.
Elliot looked down into the ravine and then over his shoulder where through the trees he could clearly see the cabin. The right thing to do in this situation was to climb down to where Cragen was, help him back to the car and call the paramedics and then and only then, return with Munch and Fin to the cabin. Elliot through his head back in frustration; why was the right thing always so hard? "Stay there!" Elliot called down as he searched the rocks for hand holds "I'm coming to get you."
"No," Cragen told him firmly as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket "I can call for help just fine from here. You need to go find Olivia." Elliot nodded and headed towards the cabin.
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He took a slow sip of the beer in his hand as he relaxed in the armchair. You would never know by his laid back attitude that he had just killed and buried one woman and held another prisoner in his basement. He leaned forward and set the bottle on the coffee table. He glanced at the clock; by his estimation he didn't have to get moving for another two hours. He smiled to himself. He was shaken from his revelry when the cabin door suddenly swung off its hinges with a loud bang. Andy stood up from his chair and stared at the figure who now stood in the doorway.
Elliot stared angrily at Andy. He held his gun steady as he entered the cabin. It was at this point that he saw the large puddle of blood that Andy hadn't even bothered to clean up. "You bastard," he said in a low voice as he rushed Andy. He pinned him to the wall and held the gun pointed directly at his chest.
Andy's plan was disintegrating in front of him but he wasn't going to let that stop him; Elliot had seen the blood, Andy knew that his mind had already jumped to the conclusion that it was Olivia's. The plan might be shattered but he could at least make it so Elliot never found her. Andy found himself struggling for breath as he spoke "Are you gonna kill me?" he taunted "Do you want to get revenge for her?"
Elliot's hands were shaking "You're gonna pay," he spat venomously even as he found himself sinking into that miserable abyss. She couldn't be dead. If only they hadn't been caught in traffic so many times, if only... He stared at Andy coldly. He would make this man pay for what he had done.
"She begged," Andy continued, knowing that with every word he spoke Elliot was less and less able to hold his gun steady "I stabbed her again and again," he was making up a story now solely for the purpose of torturing Elliot "Each time I plunged the knife in, she screamed but oh that was nothing compared to the screams when I took it out again."
Elliot couldn't take it anymore. He cocked the hammer of his gun "Die!" he screamed at Andy.
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She heard voices upstairs but wasn't sure that they were there. In the heat she was sure she had become delirious. The voices grew louder and slowly she became convinced that she was indeed not losing her mind. One voice was Andy's and the other... was it... yes there was no mistaking that voice. She had to let him know where she was but she didn't think she had any strength left even for whispering. She took a deep breath; she had to try "Elliot!"
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He was about to pull the trigger when the sound reached his ears. There was no mistaking that voice; his heart skipped a beat every time he heard that voice call his name. He knew in a split second that Andy had been lying. He slammed Andy against the wall knocking him unconscious. Elliot let Andy's body fall hard to the floor; he had more important things to think about now. He put his gun back in his holster and went in search of the source of the voice.
"Olivia!" he called as he walked around the small cabin. He waited for a response. The seconds ticked by so slowly before he heard it. It sounded significantly weaker than it had the first time. "Keep talking!" he called to her as he searched for her.
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She wasn't sure she had the energy to keep talking to him; she was feeling weaker by the second now. She took another deep breath "Basement!" she called out.
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At that precise moment Elliot found the door at the top of the basement stairs and opened it. He walked down the stairs with his heart in his throat. Then he saw her, in the limited light that came through the small windows of the basement he saw her. He was caught between relief and sorrow at the sight "Oh God," he whispered as he rushed to her side, throwing his coat over her to preserve her dignity "I'm so sorry," he told her as he started untying the ropes that held her wrists.
She felt tears running down her cheeks. She was so glad that he was there with her; in many ways he was the only person she felt like she could trust anymore. Fear shined in her eyes as a thought suddenly struck her "Andy," she whispered.
Elliot fought his own tears as he worked to free her "He's not going anywhere," he reassured her.
"He..." Olivia began "He killed someone."
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Andy opened his eyes and looked at the clock; he had only been unconscious a few minutes. He stood up and looked around. Soft voices coming from the basement let him know that that's where Elliot was and that he had found her. For a moment Andy considered grabbing his gun and just finishing the both of them off right then and there but he knew that the cabin would almost certainly be swarming with more cops in just a matter of minutes. He decided to make a break for it. There would always be time later to return an claim what was rightfully his. He ran off into the woods, taking nothing with him except his gun.
TBC
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