This Can't Be Love

Chapter 26: Endgame, Part 1

While the exchange between Aaron and Officer Stack began to take place, a female officer in civilian clothes had been picking the lock to the storm doors on the side of the house. These doors give access to the basement, where Samantha had torn many things apart from anger. Samantha was on the top of the spiral staircase crying and knocking loudly when suddenly...

"Shhh!"

Samantha was caught off guard by the shushing sound coming from the base of the stairs. She looked down and saw the female officer showing her badge and whispering to her, so she stopped knocking.

"I'm Officer Veronica Russo, TCPD. We're getting you out of here..."

At about the moment that Aaron had pulled the gun on Officer Stack, Samantha was slowly walking down the spiral staircase toward Officer Russo.

"What's this chain connected to...?"

"I don't know... They go into the ground..."

"Well I'm getting you out of these."

Officer Russo begins to feel around the shackle on Samantha's waist for a lock to pick but isn't able to find one. The shackle's locking mechanism is concealed within the clamp itself.

"Thats it. I'm shooting the chain."

"You're what?!"

"Shhh..."

"That's dangerous! What if te bullet ricochets off and hits me?! I could die! What if Aaron hears the gunshot? He'll come down here! YOU could die!"

"Keep quiet, kid. I know what I'm doing."

Russo reaches for a silencer and begins to screw it onto her gun, that's when the door at the top of the stairs slams open. Officer Stack slowly comes walking down the stairs with his hands up. Russo looks up at him.

"What the hell...?"

Just behind Stack, comes Aaron with his gun pressed up against the back of Stack's neck. Russo immediately points her gun up at Aaron. Aaron wraps his arm around Stack's neck and presses the gun against his nose, while shouting down at Russo.

"Who are you?! How did you get down here?"

Samantha runs and hides behind Russo, crouching down and trembling.

"Just shoot him!"

Samantha tries to encourage Russo to take out Aaron. Russo stands firm and Samantha is cowering at her lower leg. Aaron walks down with Stack held and is now a couple of feet in front of Russo.

"I asked you a question! Who the hell are you and how did you get into my house?!"

"The name's Veronica Russo, and I walked in. Now drop the damn weapon."

"Did you do anything to Sam?! ...Sam, did she hurt you?!"

"No Aaron! She didn't do anything to me! Veronica, shoot him already!"

The look of anguish on Aaron's face tells that it hurt him to hear Samantha ordering him to get shot, but Russo disencourages her words.

"Shut up, kid. You're only making this worse."

Aaron looks at Samantha's frightened state with pain in his eyes. Russo notices his point of weakness and talks to Samantha without taking her eyes off him.

"Samantha, get up."

"What?!"

"Get up, kid! Stand! On your feet! Now!"

Aaron's look of sorrow turns into that of anger now and he yells at Russo.

"Watch how you talk to her!"