"Aaron...?"
"..."
"... Wake up, Aaron."
The crumbling and unsure voice sounds like an underwater echo that wakes Aaron up to a hazy blur.
"Are you back, Aaron?"
"Sam... Samantha?"
"It's me..."
Aaron raises his head and realizes he is in the bed he had designated to be Samantha's. He sits up on the bed, rubbing his eyes as they readjust to the lighting.
"Am I... dreaming?"
"No..."
"What... happened?"
Samantha points toward the middle of the room, where the dead bodies of Kennedy Stack and Veronica Russo lay.
"Sam... did you..."
"Yes..."
Samantha's nervous voice is shaking and she can't help but cry when she speaks. She sounds very regretful and in a state of panic.
"Aaron... The detective guy I saw you fight with in your living room that time... However it was that you got rid of him... Can you do with these two? Please... I don't want to see this any more..."
"Yes, Sam... I can... But... Does this mean you... finally accept my love...?"
"What the hell does that have to do with anything, Aaron?"
"It's okay, Sam... You don't worry about thing, Sam. I'll take care of-- iagh!"
He holds his injured arm in pain and Samantha quickly leans in with concern to hold him.
"Your arm...!"
"It's... okay..."
As close as Samantha is, her head is by Aaron's torso and shoulder. Aaron instinctively sniffs her hair. Samantha looks up at Aaron and he stares into her eyes.
"Sam... I've always dreamed of..."
"Don't... Ever... Smell my hair."
"I'm sorry."
"Lay down, Aaron..."
Aaron does as she says and lays back down on his back. Samantha unbuttons the blood stained shirt he is wearing, exposing his chest. She spreads his shirt open wider and sees a purple bruise on the lower front part of his shoulder.
"I have no idea what I'm doing, Aaron... So brace yourself."
"What do you mean, Sam?"
"Turn over. Lie down on your stomach..."
With a slightly confused look on his face, Aaron slowly turns over as she asked. His shifty eyes wonder what she is planning to do as she removes his shirt completely.
"Bite the pillow, Aaron."
"What?"
"Bite it!"
She grabs his injured arm and forecfully twists it upward. The crackling sound of wet bone permeating flesh resonates through Aaron and he buries his face into the pillow with a muffled scream. Samantha keeps his arm held straight as he raises his head out of the pillow to forcefully breathe and pant.
"Deep breaths Aaron, there's one more coming..."
"Why are you doing th--"
"Bite the pillow."
Aaron bites the pillow this time and Samantha snaps his elbow into place with a loud crack sound of the bone. Aaron' scream is once again muffled by the pillow he is biting. Samantha puts his arm down and he is hyperventilating.
"You can turn around again now. Face up, come on."
Aaron turns over and his face is expressing the most excrutiating pain. His watery eyes and grinding teeth insist that he does not want to move his body but he does so anyhow. Samantha's monotone voice shows no concern, even though her words are of inquiry...
"Now... Can you move your fingers?"
"What is all this, Sam? You're--"
"Don't be stupid, Aaron. Just wiggle your damn fingers. See if both hands work."
Aaron does what she says yet again, and moves his fingers on both hands.
"Good... That means nothing's broken. I wasn't sure that would work, but you're okay. Now go. You have some cleaning to do."
Aaron gets up from the bed and slowly walks toward the spiral staircase while holding his arm in pain. He begins to walk upstairs and Samantha looks at him with a furrow of her brow.
"The mess is down here, Aaron. Why are you going upstairs?"
"I'll be right down. I need some pain killers... And... The keys to your belt."
"You're letting me go?"
"Yes... You're finally showing me how much you really love me, so... I'm keeping my word."
Samantha sits in bed looking carelessly at the two dead bodies across the room from her. Her eyesight scans the room as her eyebrows come closer together with a hint of concern. She notices that the steps that lead to the outside are wet and rain is falling in, which means the storm doors are still open.
She gets up from the bed and walks over the access door. She can hardly reach the door itself since her chain only goes so far, but she manages to pull on the two ropes that hang from each metal door, slamming the storm door shut. She engages the lock from the inside and secures the metal clamp, then ties the two ropes together.
Samantha returns toward the bed while dragging her feet and chain as she walks. Aaron has come downstairs and is now just a bit more awake than he was when he left. He has two large leather bags with him and is wearing a new clean shirt.
"You didn't need to close that door. It'll be more difficult to get these out of here through the main entrance."
Aaron proceeds to slide one of the leather bags around the body of Officer Russo.
"Can you give me a hand, Sam? I need you to lift her feet to--"
"I am not going anywhere near that. Don't confuse this for anything other than what it is. I am not your sidekick."
"Other than what it is? What is it?"
Samantha sits in the middle of the bed with an expressionless face that lets her eyelids lower half way. She crosses her legs in close and begins massaging her own feet while staring at Aaron without any hint of emotion. Aaron makes silence and does his best to get Russo's body in to the bag. He zips the bag up and begins to repeat the process on Officer Stack.
"... Why did you do what you did to Russo? You kept saying you wanted me dead and that even you would kill me if you had a gun in your hands but yet... When you got your hands on one, you used it to help me..."
"Aaron, you over-analyze everything. Just shut up... Unchain me... And take these bodies out of here..."
Aaron runs his hand down his face while exhaling and stares at Samantha with a raised eyebrow and recoiled lips.
"Samantha Lawrence... You have always intrigued me but right now you are just confusing me... You want me to let you go just because you saved my life... Okay, yes I am grateful, but why wont you just admit that the reason you saved my life is because you love me?"
"Stop it, Aaron."
Aaron approaches Samantha with a lowered head, and a very angry look on his face. Aaron finds himself, for the first time, actually angry at Samantha.
"No, Sam... I need to know what... The HELL... Is going through your damn head right now. You just did something I've never imagined you would do. I'm not just gonna leave it as is and let you go. No. By the time I come back home, you'll be gone from my life and the cops will be all over this place... I want to make sure it is worth it... Sam... DO... YOU... LOVE ME?!"
"Aaron, I said stop... Now is not the time to get into any of that. Just unchain me and get--"
"NO! No, Sam I won't unchain you! I thought the time was right but it obviously isn't! You're not leaving me today, you're--"
"STOP YELLING AT ME!!"
Aaron swallows his words after Samantha's sudden outburst. Samantha's voice still resonates in the air but she is shaking and crying now. Aaron's eyes are open wide with shock. Samantha lowers her head trying to recollect herself.
"You have no idea what all this is doing to me, Aaron. I don't even know what's happening myself, but I swear that raising your voice and talking down to me is NOT something you want to do right now..."
"I.... I don't know what's... I'm sorry, Sam... I just can't let you go yet... You haven't shown me what I need you to, and just the thought of you leaving me this way... Without any explana--"
"I am not asking you to unchain me so I can leave you, Aaron! I'm asking you to unchain me... So I can come with you!"
Aaron looks at the ground with shifty eyes. His confusion seems to have multiplied itself rather than simplified. He licks his lips and lets out a frustrated breath while shaking his head.
"Aaron... Please... I just want to see what you've been doing..."
Several moments later, Aaron's car is driving through the late night sleet. Samantha is sitting in the passenger's seat with her head resting and staring out the car's window with no expression.
"Why don't I miss this...?"
"Miss what, Sam?"
"I haven't been outside in months, yet... It doesn't feel like I've been missing out on much..."
"Well, I made sure you had everything you nee-- Oh no..."
Police siren is heard and lights are seen through the rearview mirror of Aaron's car, just as they enter the bridge. Samantha looks back and sees the police cruiser behind them. Aaron begins to speed up.
"Aaron what are you doing?! Pull over."
"Sam, you're supposed to be dead, and there are two cops in the trunk, that's three dead people I have with me... Pulling over is not a good idea."
"Aaron, just pull over. He'll probably just tell you to get your tail light fixed and let you go... Look at all the cars in front of us! Even if you did try to outrun them, bridge traffic wont let you! Just pull over. Act casual. Worst case scenario, you go to jail and I get my life back."
"Sam, I--"
"Don't be an idiot! Pull over."
Aaron slows down and pulls up into the right lane. They pull over and the cop approaches then with a flashlight. Aaron tries to act casual.
"Is there a problem, Officer?"
"Yeah, you're zig zaggin'... Have you been drinking tonight?"
"Zig zaggi-- wha? No, I haven't been drinking, I--"
"Evening, ma'am."
The cop shines the flashlight at Samantha's face, causing her to close her eyes with discomfort. Aaron doesn't like this.
"Hey, watch where you point that thing."
"Sir... Can you please step out of the vehicle?"
"For what?"
"You seem intoxicated. Step out of the car, sir."
Samantha scoffs.
"Aaron, just step out the car."
Aaron looks at Samantha's watery eyes and runs his hand down his face while exhaling. He puts the car in park and cooperates by getting out.
The police officer gives Aaron a breathalaizer test, and finds no alcohol. He then proceeds to administer a field sobriety test. Samantha is growing impatient while sitting in the car.
Samantha opens the passenger side door, and the cop looks at her.
"Ma'am, get back in te vehicle."
"Can you hurry this up?"
"Back in the car, ma'am!"
Aaron looks at the cop with sharp anger.
"Don't you yell at her!"
"Shut your mouth, I wasn't talking to you. Now as for you ma'am I'm gonna ask you one last time to get back in the car."
"Don't talk to her like that!"
"Shut up!"
Samantha sees Aaron swing at the cop.
"Aaron!"
Aaron punches the police officer in the face. The cop quickly pulls his gun on Aaron and calls on his shoulder's intercom.
"We have an assault on a police officer, send back up. Girlfriend looks to be on drugs and is not cooperating. Both are becoming hostile. I repeat, send back up to Soriano Bridge, East!"
Samantha shouts from the other side of the car...
"Did you just say "girlfriend"?! I'm not his girlfriend!"
Aaron yells at the cop right after her as well...
"Yeah! She's not my girlfriend!"
Samantha jumps and gets her body over the car's cab to yell closer.
"And I'm not on drugs you jerk!"
Aaron looks at her and then at the cop again.
"Neither am I, officer."
The cop has had enough of their shouts and wants to end it.
"You both shut up! You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and w--"
"What?! You can't arrest both of us!"
The cop looks at Samantha after she says this.
"The hell I can."
"What if I just run away while you're cuffing him?!"
"I have a gun, ma'am."
Aaron looks at the cop's gun...
"Don't you dare even point it at her!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Samantha quickly gets in the car and hops to the driver's side. She puts the car on drive and accelerates. The car's tires peel out as it sprints away.
"Sam!"
Aaron's shout is ignored as Samantha speeds off. The police officer watches her leave and goes to call on his shoulder's radio, but Aaron stops him by ripping it off his shirt. The police officer looks at Aaron and calmly turns to him again. Aaron still has the radio in his hand and drops it to the ground as the cop begins to talk with a smirk.
"You realize what you just got yourself into, kid? Aggravated assault... Obstruction of justice... Interfering with police business... You're just piling them on, son!"
Aaron shakes his head with slight fear from what the cop may do, since he still hasn't fully recovered from the beating he received at the hands of Veronica Russo. Suddenly he shows a gasp of shock and dives to the side as he sees the speeding headlights coming behind the cop, who turns around with no time to do the same. Aaron's car, being driven by Samantha, rams the cop up against his own cruiser.
"Aaron! Get in!"
Aaron, rolling on the ground confused gets up and hurries into the passenger's side of the car. Samantha backs up and the cop is on their hood with blood all over.
"He's still on the hood! Aaron what do I do! What do I do?!"
"I don't know! Let me get out there and--"
"No! He called for backup we don't have time!"
Samantha puts the car in drive and rams the cop into the side of his police cruiser again, but this time accelerates and continues to push.
"Sam?! Whats gotten into you?!"
Samantha does not respond. Her eyes show no sign of emotion as they are lowered halfway while staring at the cop on the hood of the car. Aaron looks at her and back at the cop in front of them as the sound of overdriving engine and squealing tires blanket the sound of falling sleet.
"Sam! Sam! What are you doing, Sam?!"
The police cruiser ultimately ends up all the way to the edge and over the bridge. The cop's car falls down the side of the bridge and into the water below, while the cop's body slides off the hood of Aaron's car and slowly falls as well. Samantha puts the car in reverse and pulls out, then switches to drive and speeds away into traffic.
"Oh my God! Sam! What was that?!"
"Oh please... Don't pretend this is your first rodeo. What are you so shocked about?"
"About you, Sam, I..."
"...Don't like this side of me. I get it."
"No, I'm not so--"
"Drop it. Just tell me where to go."
"Sam, the front of the car is smashed... Covered in blood... We gottta--"
"Then you better give me directions on how to get there more quickly."
Aaron puts on his seatbelt and sits back in his seat.
Minutes later... They arrive at the manufacturing plant. Not long after that, inside the darkened facility, Aaron is dragging two body bags as Samantha shyly walks behind him. She is looking around in confusion.
"What did you say this place was...?"
"Walsh Industries. You've been here before."
"Just the one room... And... Is this where you've been br--"
"Recycling. Yes."
"It's so dark, though..."
Moments later, down in the fiery machine room, Aaron closes the large round door to the moisture withdrawal tunnel. Samantha is looking on with intense confusion as Aaron is giving her a rundown of the charcoal process.
"...And now we just hit the switch. The other side of the factory will get the results... What do you think?"
"I think you've had far too much time on your hands... It's scary to think you've actually had the stomach to do all this. Or the brain, even..."
"I never wanted to do any of this. Believe me, Sam. This is all Nathan's fault."
"No. This isn't all Nathan's fault. You killed Detective Sosa, and you killed Michael, long before you walked in on Nathan confronting me at my mom's house. Even if you wanna say you kidnapped me because Nathan was there that night, which still doesn't make sense, it's not as far a stretch as blaming everything else on him. This is your own fault. Sosa was your fault. Michael was your fault."
"Then, this is all Mike's fault."
"But... I brought Michael. So, are you saying this is all my fault?"
Aaron hesitates to respond. As he begins to stutter, he hears a loud banging sound coming from upstairs. They both become startled and Aaron slowly approaches the stairs.
"Stay down here."
Samantha steps back and fearfully watches Aaron draw out his gun as he walks upstairs. Aaron makes it to the main floor of the facility and notices that the dark and hollow hallways are being brightly lit by potent lights coming from the outside. He cowers a bit and covers his eyes with his arm from how bright everything is.
Outside of the facility, three policemen, a detective, and young man in a lab coat are inspecting the blood and dents on the hood of Aaron's car.
But it isn't just those cops there; the entire lot outside of the facility is surrounded by police cruisers and officers drawing their guns toward the entrance of the factory. Two police helicopters hover low around the building, with their searchlights aimed into adjacent sides of it.
A suited detective has a megaphone in his hand and the icy rain falls over his glasses as he angrily stares at the door. One of the cops that was analyzing the car approaches the detective.
"Commissioner Russo, sir."
"Yes, Porter."
"The vehicle is registered to one Aaron Walsh. The same Aaron Walsh who this property is registered to..."
"Thanks, Porter. What about the blood?"
"It does not match your daughter's blood type sir. So she may be alive."
"She better be. Her panic chip led us here, so she must be inside. Get your men ready, we're going in..."
The officer nods and walks away from him. Commissioner Russo remains with an angered look on his face as he speaks through his teeth to himself.
"I knew it was a bad idea to assign my own daughter to this damn case! Why'd I let Kennedy talk me into it?! This psychopath better not hurt my little girl... Daddy's gonna get you out, Veronica..."