Saccharine

Chapter 10: But now, she was a murderer.

It had been a long day and her body pleaded for rest. Between work and assisting Tony Eryn found herself exhausted. Work that day had been the usual running around, which was far from fun and absolutely not as stimulating as running suit tests with Tony; Eryn found work with Tony was over stimulating to say the least. Eryn had been daydreaming of the day to be over the moment one of Tony's suits almost obliterated the lab. It was days like the one she finished that made her slightly grateful Bruce was off somewhere. The stress, she knew, couldn't be good for him. Tony was a nightmare at times; a nightmare in which it wasn't ideal for him to have to handle. She wondered a lot how he had, before his disappearance.

 They were friends, Eryn though as she made her way to her front door, He must have had some damn good patience

Her thoughts were cut short once she reached the door. It was slightly ajar she could see light seeping through the small crack. Eryn moved the door open enough for her to squeeze through and slowed into the apartment. Her eyes shot everywhere, as if waiting for any sort of movement. When they landed on the stalker, her heart took off on a marathon. His back was turned and he seemed to be holding something. Eryn quickly looked around for anything she could use as a weapon.

She came upon a letter opener on an accent table and crept over to it. She kept her footsteps as light as she could, until a miscalculation of her placement sent a loud creak from the floorboards. The stalker's attention darted to her. Eryn froze as he moved forward. "Welcome home." He addressed her with the same sly smirk. "This hasn't been home for me since you murdered Mel." Eryn hissed. "You're still hung up on that?" "You need to leave." Her voice was raised, amusing him. "I don't think I will."

 "You talk about love, people who love each other dont break into their houses or kill people for them." She lashed, "No you can't say you love someone and then do things that hurt them." His face twisted with hostility. His hands bunched up as he moved forward again, a foot from her now. "I did everything for you! I'm doing everything for you! You can't question our love Eryn, it's real, and it's been real since the moment I saw you." "You don't even know me." "Of course I do. I know you prefer ice coffee, you get it often when it's gross outside and even when it's cold. I know that the baristas always spell your name wrong but you never correct them cuz ya feel bad. I know you hate your job. I know you linger in places too long to stall you from having to work. I know you love me because we're the same." He pleaded, "Please just stop beating around the bush, stop ignoring me, let me have you and I swear I'll be good to you."

"I guess you've been following me for a while."

"14 months and 23 days." He admitted with glossy eyes, as if it were the most romantic phrase in the world.

"I've loved you for so long." He reached out for her, Eryn stepped back before he could touch her. Her reluctance fueled the flame more. He lunged for her, forcing her into the wall. Her hands were pinned at her sides and his mouth was forced against hers. With a surprised yelp, Eryn felt a surge of energy flow through her. The stalker was slung off of her and across the room to the couch.

 A deathly grin appeared on him as he stood, "I knew you were special. You're special just like me." "Oh no, I'm nothing like you." she bit back. "That's not true, you are like me." "Bullshit." She raised her voice again, offense steaming off of her. He stared at her, eyes roaming her body and her features. Eryn stood her ground, chest heaving with fear and anger. How dare he come into her place, demand that he loved her, and kiss her? She was beyond done. Done with this mans crazed intentions. "I love you." He confessed.

"I'm already in love with someone else." She declared. She thought of Bruce. His warm smile and gentle eyes. She thought of how she had to see him. How she had to get away. How she truly felt for him. Love huh? I guess maybe I do. Her words enraged him. "No..NO, You're MINE."

 "Oh really? I'm yours? Right, cuz people are property. You can just lay claim to anyone regardless of their feelings and boom. Yours. Thats pathetic. Pathetic and extremely toxic. This isn't love, oh no this will never be love." 

Her arm chair was knocked over. Eryn flinched at the loud noise it made. The stalker was having enough.

He slid a gun out from his pants. Eryn froze again. Staring at the gun as he pointed it to her was unreal. Her body shook with terror. Was she going to die? Was he really going to shoot her? His hand shook slightly as he bore at her. Her hands raised slightly. "You don't have to do this." She spoke slowly. "I don't want to," he spoke back through gritted teeth, "I want you." Eryn scrambled for words, words she could use in defense to save herself.

 "You're Angry...and hurt...you're not...thinking straight. You don't want to shoot, you don't have to. But you have to accept that I don't love you and don't want to be with you." He coaked the gun, causing her to tremble. She could feel the sting in her eyes as tears blurred her vision.

 Please no...

"But listen."

I don't want to die...

"Just because I said no, doesn't mean another girl will too,"

He's going to shoot...

"There are plenty of other girls in this world, More than a million."

I'm going to die...

"There are a million fish in the sea as they say."

I'll never become a hero...

"And you gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find the princess y'know."

I'm going to die a nobody...

"I'm not the princess."

I'm never going to see Bruce again...

"But thats okay."

Bruce...

"Because you can still find her."

And then he pulled the trigger.

 She braced herself for the pain, for her life to be over. For it all to end.

 But nothing came.

Her body once again surged. Her fingertips felt electrified, She had no time to witness the fleeting movement of the bullets travel to her hand. She had caught it, her powers had caught it

And shot it right back.

 The bullet made contact into the stalker's chest. A perfect bullseye. The force flung him to the ground. His cold eyes wandered to her in disbelief before the light left them.

He was dead.

She had killed him.

Her powers were back.

Eryn dropped to her knees, weakened by the realizations. Her body shook even harder as the tears streamed down her face. 

It was over.

Finally

But now, she was a murderer.