Double tap? [open]

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

There was little light on the side of the abandoned building. The small amount that was, came from shafts of light that had made their way from the nearby streets and from the light of the moon. Most people would avoid such a place, and that was what Penny had tried to do, but the hands that pulled her to that location were too strong for her.

The sounds of her struggle were mostly suppressed by the rivaling sounds of the city. Then a loud bang sounded off and bounced between the walls of the nearby buildings.

She couldn't breath, it felt as if someone had their fingers pinioned around her neck, choking her. Her eyes were wide, staring down into the twisted face of the lifeless body that laid in a pool of blood. All she could see was his face, literally. Everything else just seemed to cease to exist, including the the sound of the cars speeding down the nearby street. Even her gum sat frozen on her tongue.

Thump, thump, thump - her heart was racing as the adrenalin rushed through her veins. Her hands shook, even as they clutched tightly to the still smoking gun. The smell of gunpowder permeated the air. All Penny wanted to do was curl up into a ball and wait for someone to save her. But no one would, no one was there, but her and the corpse.

Why her, was what her mind screamed over and over again.

"Dear Gods, I killed someone." Her voice cracked as she spoke out.

No, it was in self defense! Her mind yelled back. Already defense mechanisms were being utilised by her brain, in the attempt to help safeguard her from further harm.

It was true though, the man had pulled a gun on her and with what seemed to be every intention to do harm to Penny.

[Doc]

Doc was outside taking a smoke break. Yes, he owned Genesis Labs, and as the owner one might think he would have the luxury of smoking in his office. However, he had strict guidelines, no.. absolutely no smoking inside the lab. The lab was a designated NO smoking area, period. End of Discussion. Full stop. He could be somewhat tyranical about his guidelines, policies and procedures, but he held himself to them as well. Smoke contained particulates that could contaminate a sample or lab test. Even though the lab had state of the art air scrubbers, he wasn’t taking any chances. No smoking.

It was as he was taking a final drag off the cigarette, he heard the gunfire. It wasn’t a multi-shot gun battle, it was a single shot. One and done. Curiosity drew him toward the sound. It was late enough in the evening that the only people out and about were more his kind than any other. It wasn’t unusual to hear gunfire really. Domestic disturbances happened. But this was a business district, not a housing district. So who was out robbing and thieving.. And who were they shaking down?

Doc had to guess at the direction to go, because he didn’t hear the usual tell tale scrambling or running footsteps leading off into the distance. No. He had heard the shot and then nothing. But the sound had been close. In one of the alleys by the vacant buildings. It was as he skirting around a corner, he heard the voice. It was a female voice. There was too much ambient noise to make out the words, but a quick sprint to the opposite corner and down the block, had him at the opening of the alley. His gaze locked on the prone body on the pavement and person standing over it.. Holding a gun.

Being a doctor, he had a duty to render aid, but he wasn’t about to get shot for his trouble. So he moved out of the alley opening, to the corner, and called out. “Drop the weapon.. And step away.. “ He wasn’t hiding, per say, he was aligning himself to a position would offer cover should the person decide to shoot him, because.. He was now a witness.

Dark amusement lit his eyes, as he debated how this would play out. And unknown to the person with a gun, he too was armed. Should they decide to shoot at him, by god he would unleash a magazine of bullets into their ***.

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

Standing there, shaking from the tight embrace of fear and shock, Penny's chest felt as if it were in a vise. A cerebral battle played out as she tried to put into context exactly what had happened and what she should do next. A part of her wanted to just run and get as far away from there as possible. The other part thought that she needed to call the police. Before either of those could be achieved, a man's voice interposed and ended the debate with the demanding of her weapon being dropped and her stepping away.

Her throat constricted, stopping her breathing and she stood on the threshold of passing out. Who said that? Her eyes were wild and wide as she looked around to see who it was that was talking. It could be someone like the man that laid dead at her feet, or it could be the police.

"I...he tried to hurt me." There was a jitter in her voice that gave away the panic that she felt. "I had no choice..." Her fingers slipped from around the gun and it fell to her feet. She took two steps back.

[Doc]

Hearing the gun fall to the ground, Doc pulled a pair of latex gloves from a pocket. He was doctor. No self respecting doctor went anywhere without at least one pair of gloves tucked somewhere. He was already pulling the gloves on as he moved to crouch over the body on the ground. Pushing two gloved fingers into the body’s neck, just under the jaw, he felt for a pulse. It was dead.

Glancing up at the female, “Nothing I can do here..” he said dispassionately. She seemed young and visibly upset. His pressed his lips together grimly. ****. She was barely more than a child. He had been hoping for a gang banger, thief or some other ne’er-do-well that he could play with. He sighed inwardly. There was no sport here. He stood back up, stepped over to the gun and kicked back toward the alley entrance way, away from the girl.

Doc had not seen what happened, but another look at the dead male and then a look at the woman.. Or girl really, told him something wasn’t adding up here. The dead male had a good fifty to seventy pounds on the female, and yet, she was alive.. Not the male? At first blush it just wasn’t logical, however, things in Harper Rock were seldom what they seemed.

“Looks like your aim was pretty damn perfect…” He decided he might as well have ‘some’ fun, “Why did you do it? He dump you? Or..was he ******* your best friend?” Yes he made the automatic assumption she was guilty. He did it on purpose. It amused him. He wanted to see what she would do.

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

Nothing he could do here? Was he some sort of Doctor? Her head at this point was spinning and she just wanted to be anywhere but there.

How did this happen to her? She had been making her way home from her first night at work and the now dead man, no- correction, dead asshole attacked her and pulled her into the shadows of the abandoned building.

She could still feel his hot smelly breath on the skin of her neck, along with where he had squeezed her arms. There was sure to be bruising on them. Unknown to the dead asshole, Penny's father was a Muay Thai master and had trained her since she was able to walk. The dead asshole never stood a chance.

Penny's self questioning stopped when his began.Her eyes shot upward when his questions started to cross the line. What kind of doctor was he? She shook her head, as if it would clear up the confusion that she was feeling. Two steps back... She kept her eyes drawn on the man in front of her.

"Who are you?" Her voice shook.

[Doc]

Doc smirked and bit back a chuckle. The murderer was demanding to know who he was. He snorted in amused derision, “I.. am Dr. Charles Nilson.” He turned his head to eye the gun she used to kill the male on the ground. It was several meters away from her. He could pull his own firearm and kill her, before she got halfway to her gun. He looked at her again, in a holier than thou manner, “I work two blocks over.. On a smoke break..” Yes let her come hunt him down later. “I heard the shot. I came to offer aid..” No he didn’t. He was satisfying his curiosity; but she didn’t know that. “So many people take life for granted. They waste it..” Yes he was talking about her. He was purposely trying to push her buttons.

What did he hope to gain from this exercise? Maybe a tiny insight into the victim mindset. The first the words out of her mouth to him were defensive. ‘He tried to hurt me.. I had no choice…’ Of course she had a choice. But she chose to be a victim. She could have chosen to be a fighter. ‘He tried to hurt me .. I refused to be hurt’. That was much more sympathetic stance to Doc’s mind. He hated victim mentality.

‘Waaaa. Waaaa.. He hurt my feelings…’ Doc hated people who used being a ‘victim’ as a way to beat other people up. Grow the **** up. Victims hold on the event and refuse to let go of it. They wear it like a badge. They shove it down other people’s throats. But were they actually a better person for it? No. The people that were better for bad situations..? They were the ones that refused to be a Victim. They adamantly told themselves, they were better than being a whiney *** victim. They were survivors. So Doc looked at the female, who looked ready to collapse from shock. Was she a victim or a survivor?

[Penny Parker (DELETED 8460)]

His cold smile cut to her soul, causing a shudder to run up her spine. As if she wasn't already creeped the **** out enough, the doctor guy had to add to it with his short worded answers. It was almost robotic; the way he spoke. Robotic and cold. Penny didn't like it.

She also caught the double sidedness of what he was saying, understanding that he was aiming his words at her. She knew that the word 'they', meant her.

A deep breath and then an exhale. Her dark eyes moved from the doctor to any possible exits and then back to him. The terrified female took another deep breath and exhaled; her breathing was a way to keep grounded. She needed to think. The man already had a good look at her, so if she was able to escape, he could easily identify her.

"Look, Dr. Nilson. I know it looks, well it looks as bad as it is. " She kept her eyes locked on his as she spoke. Her voice was still shaky. Every word that came from her lips, she knew was important. "This man, I swear he attacked me. I acted in self defense."

Another deep breath. She bit back the tears that she so badly wanted to cry. "I don't expect you to believe me, but you can call the police. Yes, please call the police."

[Doc]

Even as she said the words, ‘You can call the police,..’ His hand was reaching for his cell phone. Withdrawing it from his inside jacket pocket, Doc swiped his thumb over the screen and keyed up the camera. He took several photos. Photographs of the victim and the perpetrator mere feet away. Doc moved from his crouching position to a standing one. The angle of the photos would tell its own tale. The largeness of the victim, compared to the slight frame of the female that killed him. What did he plan to do with the photos? He had no current plan, but one could never tell when they might come in handy later. Rather have them and not need them, than need them and not have them.

Dialling the emergency services number, Doc spoke clearly and slowly. “There has been a murder.” A pause, as he glanced over at the corner to read the street sign, and informed dispatch where to send the police. Another pause, “No I came on the scene after.” Pause. “Dr. Charles Nilson.” Pause. “Victim is male, death by gunshot to the torso.” Pause. “Yes I touched the body, to check for a pulse. There was none.” Pause. “Yes the suspect is still on the scene.” Doc looked at the female as he answered the questions. “No I do not know either of them.” Pause. “Yes I will remain here until the Officers arrive.” Disconnecting the call, he looked at her, “They are on their way.”

Tucking the phone back in his jacket, he shoved his hands into his pockets. He watched the female dispassionately. What would she do? Would she stay silent and wait for counsel? Or would she blurt out her side of the story hoping for understanding? He really didn’t envy her. The murder rate in this city was through the roof. The cops would take this as a ‘gimme’. They had the victim, the gun, the perpetrator and a witness. They would charge her; book her and convict her as an example to prove to the city they were actually working and trying to catch the bad guys.. Or girl.. As the case may be.

How old was she? She didn’t look that old. And why was she out this late at night? Didn’t parents teach their children that nothing good happens after midnight? He could hear the wail of the sirens in the distance, getting closer. He offered her one solid piece of advice before the cops pulled up. “Do not say a word. You have the right to remain silent. Do not speak until you are with your attorney.”