[ once upon a time she might have - might have asked him not to, to please don't. what if they had families? what if there were people waiting for them? who knows what they could be doing, if there are reasons behind their motives. but the thing is- the karen now does not wonder. does not question. she's been in this motel for long enough to know that screams like they heard, screams from a woman and voices from multiple men, there's no misunderstanding here. and Karen, now, knows that even if she had been on the fence about that much, that convincing frank of it would be another herculean task. something she doesn't see the need to, right now.
( does she like it? absolutely not. does she accept it? yes. in that same way she knows that with each bullet and each grunt and the thuds of bodies falling will sit, heavy, in her gut for hours, days even. she doesn't like it, but she's also no stranger to it, and does not second guess the choice of it now. )
karen is a quick study. she'd asked that of frank once, and saw what happened. now? now she squeezes his elbow, a silent be careful, and lets him go.
and then it is over. karen comes around the corner, finally, to see the two bodies on the ground and the woman in the corner. karen's eyes go to frank, briefly, sees him look to the woman and back, and then karen is putting away her pistol and kneeling down in front of the sobbing woman - her hands, gentle, as they set on the woman's shoulders, as she gently tells her she's safe, it's okay, they're okay. there aren't many words exchanged, but Karen gets a name (janelle) and gets the woman to her feet. she was just trying to get home, she lives just a few doors down, she doesn't know why- and Karen listens, makes sure the woman isn't hurt, doesn't have any other injuries, and then wraps an arm around her shoulder and leads her down the hall.
she glances over her shoulder, once, to where frank is dealing with the bodies - swallowing that weight a little further down and, with a single look, letting him know she'll be right back. that she's going to help the woman back to her room and behind a locked door.
when frank's finished, he will find karen finishing up helping janelle get settled. reminding her to call Karen if she needs anything, anything, and that she lives in the same building, can be by whenever she needs. by the time frank gets there, Karen will be closing the door behind her, waiting for just a few moments to make sure she hears the deadbolt sliding into place before she lets out a long breath. ]
no subject
( does she like it? absolutely not. does she accept it? yes. in that same way she knows that with each bullet and each grunt and the thuds of bodies falling will sit, heavy, in her gut for hours, days even. she doesn't like it, but she's also no stranger to it, and does not second guess the choice of it now. )
karen is a quick study. she'd asked that of frank once, and saw what happened. now? now she squeezes his elbow, a silent be careful, and lets him go.
and then it is over. karen comes around the corner, finally, to see the two bodies on the ground and the woman in the corner. karen's eyes go to frank, briefly, sees him look to the woman and back, and then karen is putting away her pistol and kneeling down in front of the sobbing woman - her hands, gentle, as they set on the woman's shoulders, as she gently tells her she's safe, it's okay, they're okay. there aren't many words exchanged, but Karen gets a name (janelle) and gets the woman to her feet. she was just trying to get home, she lives just a few doors down, she doesn't know why- and Karen listens, makes sure the woman isn't hurt, doesn't have any other injuries, and then wraps an arm around her shoulder and leads her down the hall.
she glances over her shoulder, once, to where frank is dealing with the bodies - swallowing that weight a little further down and, with a single look, letting him know she'll be right back. that she's going to help the woman back to her room and behind a locked door.
when frank's finished, he will find karen finishing up helping janelle get settled. reminding her to call Karen if she needs anything, anything, and that she lives in the same building, can be by whenever she needs. by the time frank gets there, Karen will be closing the door behind her, waiting for just a few moments to make sure she hears the deadbolt sliding into place before she lets out a long breath. ]