Chapter Thirty-seven - Dead woman walking.

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Jack sped through the corridors at an unnatural pace but he couldn't escape the doubts that pursued him. With each step, self-admonishments battered him like the boxer's fists.

Maxwell's apartment door was wide open. Jack tore through the entrance. It was empty. Damn.  What had he done? And what had he allowed Ellen to do? He ran both hands through his hair, digging his fingernails deep into the back of his head.

~~~

Ellen thought this must be what it was like for a death-row inmate walking to the execution chamber. Time slowed. The end was near, and there was nothing she could do about it. Did those inmates feel like she did—strangely, frighteningly calm? She had already figured out that Scott wouldn't let her live once she saw what he had done to the members of Tabula Rasa. She knew they were no longer human. The photos had made that obvious. She didn't want to see them in person.

She wasn't sure Scott realized he'd have to kill her. But she knew it was her inevitable end. He wouldn't allow his terrible secret to get into the open. Somewhere inside themselves, even monsters like Dr. Maxwell knew the world would condemn them even though they secretly coveted approval. Ellen thought it was a strange, twisted desire. Perhaps, their equivalent of a self-preservation instinct.

Closing her eyes, she conjured the image of her father. She'd somehow become the person she wanted to be, someone like him. As she walked through the dimly lit corridors leading to the TR center, she glanced down at the gold and snakeskin cuff on her wrist, the very same bracelet she'd likened to a shield several hours ago. It hadn't protected her like she had imagined it might, but that didn't matter. Its bold delineations of black and gold still empowered her with their stark statement of presence and purity.

Ellen may not have lived all of her life as a person she could admire, but she could at least greet her death with grace and dignity and her own sense of power. One tiny thread of hope did remain. As Scott had taken her here, she had found a way to leave a trail for Jack. Perhaps it was the angel of her father helping her along the way. She hoped her lover would be able to follow the path and free her from Scott and his madness.

~~~

The apartment's hollow space was a testimony to Jack's bad decision-making and to his selfishness. If Maxwell killed Ellen, he would be as much to blame as the mad doctor. He scanned the scene for clues, registering a crimson color that contrasted with the white of the marble floor. Closer investigation revealed it was blood. Probably Ellen's.

Jack gasped for air. He hadn't been this terrified since—he pulled in a strangled breath—since he'd known that Jeremy was going to die. He didn't want to relive that experience, that helplessness. God, had Scott killed her already?

Reason interjected, telling him there wasn't enough blood on the floor to account for a fatal wound. Maybe she'd bled enough to leave a trail. With that plan in mind, he went back into the hallway to search for more bloodstains. It was a gruesome task and one that held little satisfaction.

Crouching down outside the apartment's doorway, Jack peered at the floor for the evidence he sought. A glimmering object pierced his scrutiny. As he reached to pick it up, he saw it was an amber hairpin. Amber, just like Ellen's hair. He raised his eyebrows, alarmed but excited. It might be a meaningless coincidence. The hairpin could have fallen out accidentally. Jack continued down the hallway with wary confidence, praying for another shining pin to guide him.

He had just accepted that the pin had fallen out inadvertently when he saw one right in front of a nearby door as if pointing the way to go. He exhaled a pent-up breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in and punched 1011 into the keypad. The door popped open. Hold on, Ellen, he whispered into the empty hallway.

~~~

Ellen grasped the hairpin so firmly it hurt her palm. If she were lucky, this would also be the last door she needed to point out for Jack. She had been lucky so far. Scott had been so enthralled by the thought of showing her his personal horror chamber that he hadn't noticed the way she stalled at each door. The times he did glance back at her to make sure she was following, he failed to notice her hair gradually tumbling out of her tight bun. Ellen was glad for his single-mindedness because it left him oblivious to all else. She was also frightened for the same reason. What did he want so desperately to show her?

Unconsciously, Ellen slowed down. She had always known Scott was a cruel and petty person. Tonight she saw that he was a true psychopath.

Scott turned and shouted, "Ellen, come on! Speed up! Just one more door to go through. Don't you dare slow down now. This is your field trip, Ellen. Remember, you asked for this." Glee bubbled through his anger.

Ellen gulped. One more door. How was she going to deal with that? She had run out of pins. Desperately, she unclasped the cuff on her wrist and held it behind her back as they neared the entrance. Ellen could see the isolated chambers beyond it. They looked like something out of a science fiction movie. 

The sterile, dimly lit rooms were depressing. Although they looked mostly empty, they contained strange electronic equipment, devices she had never seen before. She caught the silhouettes of ghostly figures moving within some of the chambers. She clutched an arm around her ribcage to suppress the shiver that played over her skin.

Scott entered the code into the keypad nearest them. At the same time, Ellen dropped the bracelet. She tried to shove it forward with her foot.

He heard the bracelet hit the floor and looked over to see her trying to push it behind her with her shoe. He kicked it aside, and Ellen blanched as it rolled away. Then Scott slammed the door shut behind them. The sound reverberated down the dim hallway.

"You won't be able to escape me, Ellen. You shouldn't even try. Now let's start the tour." He flashed his Joker's smile. "Do you want to see the babies first?" he asked. Then he pushed her hard. "Come on, you don't want to miss all the fun!"

~~~

Jack accelerated with the discovery of each pin. There were a few times he had to retrace his steps to go back for one he'd missed, but his progress was swift. All the while, he wished he'd asked Ellen to make a map of the center while they were scheming so he could try to figure out where Scott might be taking her. It had been idiotic not to ask. He clearly didn't think right when he was around her. A little forethought instead of foreplay would have been advisable. 

Sweat poured down his back as he sprinted onward. He had to get to Ellen before Maxwell did anything worse to her than he already had. Jack knew for a fact that Maxwell owned a gun.

Where was that next pin? As Jack searched for it, he saw the door to the security center that Ellen had described to him. Even though he was desperate to get to her, it might help them both if he shut down the surveillance and security first. She'd mentioned it would only take five minutes. He punched in the code and ran inside. Jack could hardly believe what he saw on the screens. What a sick, sick man. Forcing himself to focus, Jack got to the appropriate terminal and followed the instructions Ellen had given him. In a few minutes, all the screens were blank.

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