"I think you know what I want," she replied.
Alison glanced behind to see Moore still standing in the same spot, but she had lowered the gun.That was good.That removed the immediate danger and bought them more time.Perhaps there would be a moment when she could distract Sarah or long enough that Dr.Connor could escape, but would he be savvy enough to do so?Would he take that chance?
"Honestly, I don't know what you want," Alison said."I know what you’ve done, and I think I know why you did it, but I don't know what you expect the outcome of this to be.Let me ask you one question."
Sarah was silent, but she licked her lips and then swallowed.
"Do you want to die?"Alison asked.
"What?"
"Is that your end goal?"Alison asked."Do you want to die at the end of this, because I don't think that you do.You have more people to punish, don't you?Dr.Connor is an important one, but he’s not the last one, is he?"
"I’m running out of time," Sarah told her.
"Why?"Alison asked."Why are you running out of time?"
"It’s too much, isn’t it?"Sarah asked."I can't do this forever, I know that.I can't keep doing this, but I have to.That’s the truth about it?"
"So, what is it you want?"Alison asked.
"What do I want?"Sarah repeated.
It came across at first listen as someone echoing what had been said to make sense of the question, but Alison heard the subtle questioning tone in there, and some of the past few days knitted together even tighter.She wasn’t merely echoing the question, but also asking it.Her mind was fractured.
"You want to punish people for the mistakes they made," Alison said."That’s what you want, isn’t it?"
"Yes!"Sarah stated forcefully as if she were reaching out and grabbing the word, taking the answer, obtaining some understanding."They deserve to be punished."
"What happened was wrong," Alison said."You testified against your brother at his trial, but it was out of love, not hate, wasn’t it?"
"He wanted to hurt people," Sarah said."How could they not see that?It was so clear.He had it written all over his face.He had it burning in his eyes.I knew that if he didn't go to prison, he would hurt more people.Prison is where he would be safe and then people would be safe."Sarah brought her mouth close to Dr.Connor’s ear and hissed into it."He’s a coward just like you."
"Why was he a coward?"Alison asked quickly, wanting to take the focus away from the hostage.
"My brother never liked a fair fight," Sarah said with a smile."He chose those weaker than him to hurt.He liked to surprise them.In prison, they would have hurt him, and he wouldn’t have hurt them."
"Did he hurt you?"Alison asked, keeping her voice soft.
"Sometimes," Sarah said."He…he…"
"Did he…was he the one who made you this way?"Alison asked.
"What way?"Sarah snapped.
"No, I didn't mean it like that," Alison said."Do you think your brother had a psychic episode or was he faking it, Sarah?"
There was silence as the seconds dragged by.
"I don't know," she finally said.
"But it’s real with you, isn’t it?"Alison asked."It happened after he was committed, and it happened after he was released.It’s happened against multiple times.Did it happen before he killed the father and child?"
"It’s…I don't know," Sarah whispered.
"Do you remember what you did?"Alison asked."Do you remember the people you killed?"
"I…I don't know," Sarah said."I think I did something, didn't I?I went somewhere.I was here, wasn’t I?With him, and now I’m here with him again, and it has to be here, doesn’t it?This is where it all started.No, stupid.It didn't start here.It didn't end here, either.It won't end here, but it will.It’s—"