No Running Away This Time

Bree looked up at the man pressing the barrel of the gun against her forehead, with no trace of humanity in those familiar eyes. Her heart sank and her heartbeat thundered as she recognized him. Her very own Spencer. There was no way on earth she wouldn't recognize him. Those familiar eyes and scent had tortured her day and night for the past five years. No way she could forget them.

Their gaze locked for a long while. Did he recognize her? Was he happy to see her?

Those questions raced through Bree’s mind as their gaze intensified. She couldn't tell what he was thinking as the man in front of her was Spencer but not her Spencer. He was not the Spencer that she used to know. The man standing in front of her was like a god of death with cold and empty eyes, ready to wipe any obstacle in his way. The cold metal on her head proved her right.

He was no longer the Spencer that she loved. The man who would never hold a gun talked more of placing it on her forehead. He was familiar yet distant.

“Spen….Spencer?” She managed to speak out as he pressed the metal further on her forehead. Her silence broke the trance between them. She saw as his eyes darkened further and he looked at her in a way he had never done before. He looked at her like she was some baggage of dirt he couldn't wait to burn.

Those eyes that used to stare at her with love and affection now stared at her with so much hatred and resentment.

“Now, look who we have here?”

Bree stopped her tears from spilling at his voice. She has been dying to hear that voice talk to her for years. She has been craving to hear his voice again with every fibre in her. She could deny everything but not the fact that she missed him.

She missed him but the thought of all that happened years ago, the thought of his betrayal still haunted her. She struggled to push him away from her space.

“What are you doing? Back off.”

“Should I?”

“What are you doing here?”

With his tongue pressed against his cheek, he dragged the barrel of his gun down her cheek until he got to her chin. He tilted her head upward forcing her to meet his gaze. His eyes burned like twin flames, searing her skin.

Slowly, his eyes fell on her ID card that was in her shirt pocket at her left breast, and with his other hand, he took it out, bringing it to his eyes, his gun still on her chin.

She heard him chuckle loudly as his eyes traced every single detail on the card. After reading it, he flung it to the side and returned his gaze to her, a smirk playing on his lips.

“I can't see your wedding ring. Where is it?”

“I….I.”

“Oh let me guess,” he said with a sneer. “You still haven't found the extremely wealthy guy that you want, hmm?” He looked her over from head to toe as if not expecting to see her in such a manner. In a casual pant and tucked-in black shirt, her hair wrapped in a bun. She looked messy compared to the state he had expected her to be in when they met.

“I don't want…”

“Oh, you do. You wanted a lot of cars, didn't you? Servants, expensive jewelry, huge mansions, and expensive clothing. I guess sleeping around couldn't fetch you a wealthy man who's ready to settle with someone like you.”

“Spencer,” she warned.

His gun returned to her forehead, the abruptness causing her to flinch and stare at him in disbelief.

“You lost the right to call me that. What? Aren't I right? You look worse than the last time I saw you. Probably sicker after fucking around.”

“You will not question my character.”

“Little Bree finally got the balls to speak so confidently, hmm? No longer quivering like a scared kitten.”

He was right, she realized. The old Bree would have peed her panties seeing him look this way at her. She would have bawled her eyes out if anyone looked at her this way, especially with the gun on her forehead. Thinking about those times, she took a deep breath, steeling herself against the onslaught of memories that threatened to overwhelm her.

She heard him chuckle again and continued.

“FBI? An FBI agent? That's all you could become?” He jeered. “I expected better of you. Not a little FBI agent with a bit of new balls. New found sense of courage. No wealthy man, no mansion, no servant. As expected of losers,” he spat, his words making their way slowly into her heart, hitting her right where he wanted. The sting of his words like a physical blow.

Having enough of his ridicule, with trembling hands, she raised her gun pointing it back at him while his was pointed directly at her forehead.

“Why are you here, Spencer? What did you do?”

“Just what you're thinking. I did it.”

Her eyes widened.

“Di…did you start the fire? Was it all your plan?”

“What do you think?”

His smile never left his lips. His lips remained curved up and his eyes stared directly at hers without any fear in the world.

“Why did you do it?”

“What will you do? Hit me with your little fist, handcuff me, and hand me over?” He cracked up in laughter. “If that Is on your mind then I should remind you that I am Spencer Bennett.”

On one hand, she was scared of the strange man who had overtaken Spencer's body, on the other hand, she was devoted to the country. She wanted to fulfill her duty to the country.

The man before her was a stranger. He was not the Spencer that she had fallen madly in love with. He was not the Spencer who made her feel heaven on earth. Her Spencer would rather die than look her this way or point a gun to her head. Her Spencer would never kill a spider, talk more of holding a gun to her and burning an entire building. Her Spencer loved her to death. The man in front of her looked at her with nothing other than anger and hatred.

Amid all similarities, the old, vibrant, and ever-smiley man was gone, replaced with the devil himself. He has transformed into a twisted version of himself. He was unrecognizable. What exactly has her Spencer turned into in five years?

“Why did you do it?” Her voice raised. “There were innocent people in this building, Spencer?”

She wanted to believe that there was some justification for what he had done. She wants to believe that he did it unintentionally but the amused glint in his eyes and the curl of his lips told her otherwise. She no longer knew the man before her. The man she used to know like the back of her palm. He had turned into a complete stranger and worst, a monster.

Engrossed in her thoughts, all of a sudden like a wave of wind that passed by in a blur, she was suddenly disarmed. Before she could say anything, he whirled her, locked her arms behind her back, and pushed her against the wall, his hot breath on her ear, his chest to her back. He was so close that she could feel the rise and fall of each breath he took.

“Let go of me.”

“Why should I, hmm? You never heed warnings. That is your problem.”

“Spencer!”

“Innocent people?” He scoffed, his chest vibrating. “Who cares if there were innocent people or not? Nobody cares, pumpkin. I was innocent too, wasn't I? I was innocent when they did that to me. I was innocent when you played your damn part in my fucking life. Nobody cares about innocent people.”

“What have you turned into?” She couldn't hold it any further. She let her tears streamed down her cheek freely.

“Why did I burn down this building? Well, it was simply to settle a score. I'll leave no stone unturned, including you. I'm settling scores.”

“And that is why you decided to add innocent people to your schemes? This isn't right. It's unfair,” she screamed, struggling to get out of his right hold.

“The world is unfair. Didn't you know that?”

“Only monsters harm innocent people. You are a monster.”

She thought that he would deny it. She thought that he would shake his head and try to convince her that he was nothing like a monster but who was she kidding? His next words made her want to run far away from him. Far away from the monster he became.

“What did I tell you last time? You never seem to listen.” He started. His voice low and menacing. His other hand crept up her shoulders leaving a trail of goosebumps on her skin. When it reached her neck, he grasped it firmly, pulling her head back so that their faces were barely inches away.

“I warned you, Bree. I’ll have to show you what being a monster means. I'll break you, I'll make you pay for your sins, and trust me, there is no running away this time.