The oak cracked behind her as she felt herself being thrown across the walls and against it, her nose streaming down her face in a crimson river. She reached behind her, her nails scratching against the wood as they searched blindly for the brass knob, her eyes staying on the man brandishing the kitchen knife, marching towards her with a cold, cruel, merciless stare. Closing the distance between them, Peter lurched forward just as Axelia's hand found the knob and she dove to the side, feeling the stinging pain of the blade brushing against her arm as she opened the door. The room seemed to shake all around her as she shut her eyes and listened to the man tumble down the stairs, her body moulded to the wall out of fear and anticipation.

Silence crept up the walls and into her ear, the only sound penetrating it was the blood tentatively tapping against the floor.

Her eyes traced the grain of the floor and went down the stairs, turning her body in that direction but her feet remained concrete and parallel against the wall. All that the youthful eyes could make out were the slight shadows in the light from the darkened windows. Axelia looked at the door that hung ajar and felt the electric feeling of hope beneath her cheeks and leaned towards it, viewing it as an almost too-perfect flame of oppurtunity would go out at any moment if she were to turn away. Peeling her feet from the floor, she took a hesitant step on the creaking floor, waiting for the cruel monster to arrive from the basement below, but heard nothing. Now was her chance, she wasn't going to wait a second longer and her feet grew a mind of their own and took off towards it. only they had also grown eyes too.

Air leapt out of her as her heel slid back on the crimson puddle, time slowed down and she could hear the rubber screaming against the driveway. Reaching for the disappearing light as the darkness consumed her, she felt her head clap against the basement floor and the rough, callused, all-too familiar hand begin its ravenous feasting of her paper-like skin.

No time was wasted in the mere seconds it took Kurt Wallander to run through the door once the sound of her screams reached his pitying ears, but the predator had already finished his work and then some.

.

"Martinsson, please," Ann-Britt called, reaching for the DI as he tried to swing his legs over the stretcher and on the pavement. "Just let her look at your nose, it looks broken."

The latter rolled his eyes in reply and tried to move again until Ann-Britt placed a firm hand on his shoulder and forced him back down. He gave her a child-like frustration groan. "Look, I'm fine, and it is not broken, my nose isn't broken. See? Ow! Shit!" He cupped his nose as the two women surrounding him gave a knowing look and he laid back down on the stretcher in surrender. "Okay fine, fine. It might be fractured." Magnus felt a kind hand snap at the side of his head in mock-punishment. "Just set it and I'll be fine. Ann-Britt, we're running out of time."

"Kurt went to the house, Magnus. Now just let the medic take care of you and I'll take you over. Okay?"

"Fine."

"You've been saying that word a lot, just shut up, Magnus, and we'll be on our way," Martinsson went to protest but Ann-Britt put a finger out to stop him. "Not another word, Detective Inspector," and walked off to the three cadets wounded from the shooting and Erik, giving a solemn nod to Nyberg as he transported the third body bag from the steps.

Once she was well out of earshot, Martinsson mumbled into his chest as the medic repositioned herself in front of him. "Make sure she gets her shoulder checked out...I saw her wince when she shoved me."

The medic raised her eyebrows as she brought her gloved hands to his face with alcohol-soaked gauze. "I like her," she grinned.

The patient shot her a look and she smirked as she dabbed the blood off his nose and he winced in response. "So, what did you do to deserve that attitude from her, Mr. Martinsson? Not pay for dinner?"

He glared at her. "She's married."

"So?"

"I am too."

"Oh."

"Do mind not trying to learn about my personal life?"

Biting her lip, the medic set the gauze down and tore a piece of tape and readied it on the stretcher . "You might want to prepare yourself," she positioned her hands on the sides of his nose. "This is might hurt a bit."

"What do you-"

.

"Well," Ann-Britt called as Martinsson slid into the passenger seat of the car, tape placed across his nose and kept his eyes down. "How was it?"

"Not so bad," he shrugged, locking his seat belt and fastening his pistol. "Oh good, you got your arm looked at."

"I heard you cry out."

"Only a bit."

"Nyberg thought there was a little girl on the scene."

"Ann-Britt, could you please just drive?"

The sly women smiled and put the keys in the ignition and made the car purr with a flick of the wrist. "Yes, my lord."

Setting the car in motion, Ann-Britt caught the anxious fluttering of Magnus' fingers on the door panel.

"It'll be fine, Magnus. Just breath now, she's alright. Kurt made it to the house, and everything is under control."

Lights flashed in the mirror, and Ann-Britt veered to the side of the road as the ambulances passed her in great haste. The two looked at each other in uncertainty before Magnus spoke the one word that set them off towards them.

"Drive."

.

The two arrived in a matter of minutes and what waited for them was enough to make Magnus run out of the car and to Kurt as he carried the hardly recognizable girl to the medics rushing towards him. He could hardly recognize her in the scuffle, the blood, her blood, covered Kurt's hands as he worked to stop the bleeding in her mangled neck and resuscitate her. Trailing beside the gurney, parallel to an eerie, distinct blood trail, Martinsson tried to crawl through the sea of people but could only watch as Kurt was dragged away from the gurney as Axelia was loaded into the ambulance, medics surrounding her in no time and took off down the street. Martinsson stared blankly down the street, barely catching the medic coming out of the house with justice beside him.

Kurt met his side just as he felt himself collapse onto his knees and Magnus lurched forward, emptying himself on the lawn in a fit of anger, tears, and anxiety.

.

Rusted fingers padded themselves impatiently against the counter as the nurse inspected his and Magnus' credentials. Smiling to herself, she returned them and escorted them to the room where Axelia was.

"Looks can be very deceiving. Broken nose, knife to the collar bone and abdomen, scratches along her jawbone, but nothing mortal and fatal. No arteries were hit. Most of the blood was his," the door clicked behind her and she bit her lip, "She's a fighter, I'll give her that, but it'll take some time for her to recover. She's under right now, but you can still go in. Did you want me to call her family?"

"Yes, that'd be great, thank you. May I please see her report? Thank you," Magnus cringed slightly as he took it from the hesitant nurse and opened it. Offering a weak smile, she opened the door fully and entered, checking the IV and vitals as the two men walked in slowly, both pairs of eyes still on the report.

"Broken nose, dislocated jaw and right shoulder, fractured wrist and ribs, knife wounds to the neck, abdomen, and shoulder, as well as scratches along the face, neck, arms, and chest." Magnus took a shuttering breath before continuing, "No major arteries were contacted. Scarring on the wrists, waist, thighs, and-" the young man stopped himself and choked on newly-formed lump in his throat,"and extremely severe vaginal and uterine scarring. Severity of scarring has resulted in infertility."

"Magnus," Kurt spoke in a more-or-less stable tone,"did you want to step back outside and come back for a bit?"

The blonde simply shook his head, still staring at the folder while Kurt got some gauze from the table and held it out to the young man.

"Stress takes its toll on people, Martinsson, and sometimes they don't even realize it. Cover your nose before you get blood on the file. Come on. I'll take you out for a coffee."

"But-"

"She's in safe hands now, you see that for yourself, Martinsson. Her parents will be here soon to take over and we can be back here once you really feel up to it. I'm sure Axelia's family would really like to meet the man who returned their daughter back to them."

"Alright," Magnus took one last glance at the bandaged young girl on the gurney, "Alright, let's go."