It Takes Time / Reaper x fem!OC

16. Ripped Apart

As she turned the handle and pulled the door open towards her, the gust of wind that hit her straight in the face was not what had been expected.
Stumbling backwards, curls of brown hair flew in front of her eyes and masked her view temporarily.
Ah shit.

The tall glass doors that ran from floor to ceiling on the other side of the room were thrown open, leaving the thin curtains billowing eerily in the darkness, illuminated in the dusky light.
Shit shit shit.

Wisps of brown locks curled around her cheeks, cupping them as they reddened in the cold air. Everything else was untouched. The bed laid still,  made up perfectly on the right as it had been left that morning, and the dressing table on the left stood unmoved by the interference. Seconds had passed now, and Sienna could hear the pulsing of her blood in her skull, pushing against the bone and creating a suffocating, clouded feeling around her eyes. Steeling her nerves and shutting away her intrusive thoughts, she took one slow step forward. But one step was all it took as something shifted underneath her sole, and her wide eyes darted down.
Perfectly laid out on the floor was her training jacket, and as she removed her trembling foot the light from the hallway outside streamed in: three wide slash marks marred the the soft fabric, running from shoulder to lower back in what was obviously a quick yet deliberate motion.
Suddenly unable to take it all in, Sienna backed out of the door and slammed it behind her, feeling her legs collapse under her just as she pushed her back against the wood, feeling the reverberations pulse through her skull. Letting her head fall back, her long hair hung limp against her quickly paling skin.

'He's here. He followed me.'

Her voice was barely above a whisper as the next words came out, crushed with shame, echoing off the thick marbled walls.
'I led him here.'
Squeezing her eyes shut at the overwhelming guilt that was rising in her chest, she felt herself pushing back at the cold that threatened to pull her under, squeezing her fingers in the effort. The base was discovered. Overwatch had been discovered. And it was all her fault.
And now he's coming back for me... For Jack.
But just as her brain drowned her in self pity and guilt, images of a mauled soldier passing through her soul, her heart decided enough was enough.

Get up, Sienna. The longer you put yourself down, the weaker you become. Drown yourself in fear, and you drown your will to keep fighting.

Zenyatta's words came flooding back to her all of a sudden. Fear... Is but a reflex to keep you alive.
In the seconds that followed, Sienna's ragged hands pushed down on their own, pressing against the cold floor in a subconscious action. The suffocating feeling didn't subside, but something else began burning within her, setting her veins alight and torching her cold nerves.

'I.. I sure as hell am going to stay alive. Reaper can bring it on.'
Her trembling words contained more power than all her fury and everything began to speed up, blasting through the cold, dead air.

With fire blazing in her eyes, dragging her heavy limbs off the floor, the shaken girl forced herself to walk.
The corridors seemed to darken as she strode through them, step by step, but even though Sienna's heart swelled with anger and motivation, one look at her shaking hands reminded her there was only so much her heart could convince her mind.

It began to feel like Sienna had been walking forever, the dark corners twisting and turning endlessly, but up ahead a warm glow lit up the dark hallway and automatically Sienna's feet changed their path - drawn to it like a bull to a rag.
But when she arrived, what greeted her wasn't the aggravating red matador's cloth, laden with swords to impale her, but instead... a peace treaty.

The yellow light that lit up the wide, marble kitchen filled her sight, and Sienna's vision clouded in the glare. A familiar clicking sound resonated in her ears, and a shadow was cast over her feet suddenly.
Squinting in the bright light, Sienna called out.
'McCree?' Her voice was too harsh to sound natural, but she moved on towards it.
The clicking got closer, but she couldn't hear any footsteps - but it became clear immediately as another voice responded.
'Actually, it is Zenyatta. My apologies - If you were looking for McCree, he is playing poker in the corridor room.'