EDIT : I'm currently trying to upload pictures to this story, but won't accept any links I'm trying to provide. Would you have any recommendation ? ;w;

Author's note :

I haven't been excited to write like that in such a long time, but I fell head over heels for Detroit : Become Human, and even more for the beautiful android we've all come to love.
This is my first time writing fanfiction in English and, since I'm not a native speaker, I apologise in advance for any mistakes that you might spot in there. Don't hesitate to suggest anything, so I can improve. Comments and critiques are more than welcome ~
I would like to thank my dear and very talented beta-reader, Erin, whose insights have helped me tremendously. Thank you, thank you, thank you ~
This is also my first time trying my hand at action and thriller, and I feel very clumsy.
Well... Here we go.

Chapter's summary :

Elnöra Whittaker, a girl of 26, moves into her new flat with her cat, Jasper. One afternoon, as she's tidying the place, she witnesses a murder from across the streets, and is noticed by one of the killer's henchmen. She flees for her life, leaving everything behind, and barely escapes the android who clearly threatens her. After running around for hours, exhausted, she ends up at Central DPD where she collapses into the arms of a well-known android.

"Come on, Jasper, baby. Out of the way ! "

The cat rubbed against her legs, swirling his tail around her ankle, and meowed loudly to make sure she understood how hungry he was. She was so busy unpacking piles of books after piles of books that she had forgotten to fill his bowl up, and Jasper wouldn't have it this way, no, he certainly wouldn't.

"It's the last box, I promise," she added, dropping it on the floor with a "hoof !" and kneeling in front of it to inspect its content. It was one of her favourite moments ; unpacking books, and comics, storing them into freshly-built shelves, arranging them in alphabetical or preferential order. The girl fondly gazed at the titles, gently rubbing her palm on the covers, and revelling into the sight of the stories which made her travel in far-away worlds, living the adventures of several characters who had grown dear to her heart. She couldn't wait to rest the last one of them in its rightful place ; only then, would it really feel like home. Her new home.

Elnöra could not believe how lucky she had been. That flat should have been way out of what she could afford, but the previous owner, who had experienced a long and difficult divorce process, was in a hurry to get rid of it. Not only did they drop the price below the actual value of the goods, but they also took a liking to the red-haired girl, always respectful and caring. She seemed to genuinely care for them, reminding them to take as much time as they needed to move out, and offering a helping hand, here and there. It probably had to do with her job ; psychologists usually had greater levels of patience and empathy, and even though they could sense she was really excited about the place, they never felt pressured to hurry. It was what made the difference with the other applicants ; her honesty, her kindness and her simplicity. The owner truly had been charmed by the girl's solar personality and knew they had made the right choice when she broke down in happy tears when they announced they had picked her.

Here she was. In her newly-bought flat. It would take some time to get used to so much space (and it was only for her !), but she was confident she would make it work. Only the prospect of being able to walk around naked without anyone (besides Jasper) around seemed like heaven. The girl grinned at that thought, and dove back into her tidying up, soon interrupted by the ravenous pet, who reminded her of his presence with a well-placed head-butt below her chin.

"Hey !" She exclaimed with a soft laugh. "Easy there, tiger." The cat purred loudly in response, slipping his head forcefully under her palm and knitting her thighs. He meowed again, plunging his large green eyes into hers with an insistent look, until she got the message.

"Alright, alright. I'll feed you, you dingus."

As soon as she started rising from her crouch, Jasper leapt, vocalizing vehemently, and trotted in front of her, as if to lead the way to his bowl (interesting, how he already remembered the spot she had chosen for it, while he seemed to have trouble locating his litter, considering the magnificent poop he had laid on the bathroom floor, the other day). Elnöra rolled her eyes, following her pet, and scooped a generous amount of cat food out of the container. She held his gaze as he patiently sat down, purring more loudly than ever, and offered him the long-awaited kibbles. She petted him, then, scratching his lower back as he raised his tail high. Jasper gulped the food as if he hadn't eaten in days and she uttered a stern "Easy, Jasp'", before returning to her box.

The girl stretched and yawned, pulling her arms up, before pressing her hands in the small of her back. It felt sore, after a whole week of moving furniture around, and she wouldn't have minded a massage to fix it, but she felt content. All that hard work seemed to bear fruit, and she started to be really happy with her home interior. The colours she had chosen and the omnipresence of wood matched what she had in mind and she was impatient to enjoy her first cup of tea, sitting in her old couch, wrapped in her favourite comforter. The thought of it sent warmth into her chest and she sighed deeply, as she rolled up her sleeves.

"As soon as I'm done with this one, I'm ordering sushi. Whaddya think, baby ?" she asked, turning to her grey cat. Jasper offered munching sounds as an answer, and she nodded in agreement, focusing back on the task ahead.

A ray of light tickled her eye. She creased her eyelids, raising her head to find the source of the disturbance and soon identified it as a window being closed on the wall of the building in front of hers. Even though her flat was ideally situated (facing west to enjoy the sunset, not in a too busy area, and close to a park and a grocery shop), some of her windows were directly facing other buildings on the other side of the street, but it was a small price to pay for all the other advantages it had to offer. She'd have to hang a few curtains here and there to insure her privacy, that was all. She shrugged, ready to get done with her work, when her brain slowly registered what her eyes had spotted. Was it-

It could not have been.

For a split second, she thought she had seen a gun.

Elnöra rose to her feet, suddenly aware of her heart beating strongly against her chest. It took her a couple of seconds to find the window she had caught sight of, and when her eyes landed on it, her jaws clenched tight.

Men. Six or seven of them.

And based on their body language, they seemed tense.

One of them quickly shut the curtains of what seemed to be the living room, hiding from view anything that may happen inside, but another one was quick to run in front of a new translucent pane. "He probably lives there", she thought, noticing his bare feet. She couldn't hear him, since two thick layers of glass and a busy, noisy street separated them, but she could clearly see he was in an agitated state, his mouth moving rapidly, and his hands flailing around, as if he was trying to justify himself. Elnöra licked her lips, growing nervous. What the heck was going on, there ?

The other men soon followed the first one, slowly circling him, while his gestures became even more frantic. One of them stepped close to the window, evidently trying to conceal the inside, after glaring at the lack of drape in the room. He took a look at his surroundings, and, for a reason she ignored, Elnöra felt the need to hide behind her bookshelf. She was breathing rapidly and her mind was screaming danger at her.

Something was happening in that flat. Something bad. And she had no idea what to do.

She peeked at the window again, keeping her body out of view.

Her eyes grew wider. The guy who had tried to run away was now restrained by four others ; they were holding his arms and one of them kicked him in the stomach. A shocked gasp escaped her, as her hands flew to her mouth and she unconsciously moved closer to the scene, revealing most of her bust. She didn't notice the man at the window, slowly raising his gaze towards her.

The victim fell to his knees, apparently coughing, but he was stood back up by the others' firm grasp. Another man entered the room, taller than the rest of the group, calmer, stiller. More dangerous.

The thought of him being the boss crossed her mind, even though she could not exactly pinpoint why. Was it his appearance, with his hair neatly sleeked back ? His impeccably-cut suit ? The scar on his right hand, so prominent she could notice it from across the street ? No. It was not something which came from his physical appearance alone ; it was… emanating from him. It screamed authority and power. It reeked of death and malice.

It terrified her.

The girl could not take her eyes away from the scene. She was paralyzed by apprehension, her teeth buried into her lower lip. She didn't even feel Jasper rubbing his sides against her calves.

The "boss" raised his hands, a smile (too serene, too lifeless) drawn on his features, and started talking, almost conversationally. But Elnöra knew it was far from what it seemed when the poor man received a new punch in the gut, wincing with pain. The henchman who had thrown it stepped back in rank with the others, grabbing the victim's hair, forcing him to raise his head to face the other, standing in front of him. She could clearly decipher several "Please", running from his mouth, as tears stained his face. Her nails buried into the window frame, frozen with fear and disbelief.

This could not be happening. Not like this. This could not be true.

The "boss" was still smiling, seemingly delighted by the suffering he was inflicting. The owner of the flat bent under another hit and she saw blood dripping from his mouth.

She could not stay still, she- She had to move. She had to do something.

The police. She had to call the police. Or something horrible would happen. She just needed her phone, she-

Groping her pants, she searched for her phone, hoping to find it in her pockets. "No, no, no, no, no." she uttered under her breath. She turned her face, right and left, trying to remember where she could have left it. The counter. The bedroom. The-

Her hazel eyes landed on the man standing near the window, to discover his own were staring straight at her. A jolt of icy fear ran down her spine and she froze on the spot, unable to move. She suddenly noticed the LED blinking yellow on the guy's right temple.

Then, everything went impossibly fast.

The guy turned to the boss, ready to denounce her, but the other man aggressively raised his scarred hand at him, not giving him a chance to talk. She saw a gun appear into his other hand. She saw it levelling with the restrained, pleading man's head. She saw the bullet rip his skull open.

Elnöra wanted to scream.

Her voice remained stuck in her throat.

For a few seconds, she could not move.

Her eyes kept staring at the man's head, bathing in a pool of blood, slowly expanding with each passing moment.

As quick as the previous action had been, time was now stretching. She could perceive every movement from the scene, every sensation in her twisted chest. Except for sounds ; no noise was surrounding her. She dully noted she most certainly was in a state of shock. Her brain did not seem to register what had just happened, whilst her body responded to the violent stimulation.

Run.

Her eyes met the other man's anew, and the look between them was heavy with consequences.

Run.

He had seen her. He had seen her witness the murder the gang had committed.

He had seen her, and he was going to warn his boss about it.

Run !

She only had a few seconds to act.

Run !

Her body moved on its own, suddenly lunging towards the front door. Jasper jumped out of the way, hissing at the sudden movement. Elnöra mindlessly grabbed her coat, and slammed the door, leaving everything behind.

Her survival instinct had taken over ; guiding her through the building's hallway, making her fly down the stairs and rush through the back door, without realising it.

She sprinted as fast as she could and swore under her breath ; she still hadn't mapped out the neighbourhood and had no idea where was the safest place to go. The girl only knew she had to get away, as far as possible from those men.

So, she ran. Harder, faster than she had ever run before, her feet slamming against the curb.

She did not dare turn around to check if she was being chased ; she only cared about speeding up.

Adrenalin was pulsing in her blood, pumping her heart strongly with each quick inhale, increasing her stride and sharpening her senses. Her environment looked more acute as much as it seemed blurred. She could perceive things she would not have in another situation, as if they were stuck into slow motion, while her mind was rolling at light speed, selecting components of interest and blinding the others. This way, she somehow avoided a collision which could have sent her tumbling (and make her lose precious seconds), but also noticed the strange shirt pattern on a woman passing by. Elnöra shook her head.

She did not have time. She had to make a move. She could not go on running around forever. The fact that it was still day time worked in her favour, but this would change when night would eventually fall down.

That was if the criminals had any qualms about murdering a person in the middle of the street.

Which was not a given at all.

The girl swore again, clutching her hand around her coat, and almost slipped when she took a sharp turn around a corner.

People were looking at her ; if she had been calmer, she could have thought about trying to fit in, hiding in the middle of the crowd, but she was not in her right mind. She had only one certainty : she did not want to die. And, for now, running appeared to be the better way to stay alive.

She felt like throwing up. Bile flooded her mouth and she swallowed it down in disgust. She could not stop to retch. She could not stop for anything. She had to- She had to find a way.

She thought she heard voices rising behind her, which twisted her gut in fear. Was the android catching up with her ? How had he managed to spot her in the traffic ? How-

Focus.

She had to hide. She had to make sure he would never get to her.

It was then she saw the subway station.

Without any hesitation, she crossed the street, triggering several honks from incredulous drivers, and dove into the stairs leading underground.

People were gathering in front of the turnstiles, beeping their subway card, before crossing the gate. Elnöra now remembered she didn't have any tickets nor money with her. A flash of her wallet laying on the table next to her front door popped in for a second and she ground her teeth in distress.

She had no choice.

She pushed towards one gate which bore an "out of order" hologram, and-

"Hey, you !"

She looked over her shoulder. She knew it was a big mistake, but she could not help it. A security guard was pointing at her and shouted again, as he strode towards her.

"You ! Stop !"

She did not. The guard started to run.

"Hey !"

A glimpse of a lean blonde man appeared at the corner of her vision.

The android.

He had found her.

She did the only sensible thing.

She jumped over the broken gate.

In another situation, she definitely would have marvelled at her sudden burst of physical abilities, but Elnöra clearly lacked time.

Maybe much more than she could offer.

Sweat swathed her back, and dripped into her eyes. She was so hot she thought her head would explode. Several people jumped out of her way, some of them dropping a few insults or swear words.

A new commotion burst behind her and she did not need to turn around this time to know it was the android who had passed the gate, most likely with a formidable jump. A whimper slipped through her lips, but she pushed even faster.

Too much light. Too many people. Too many stairs.

Where to go ? Where to go ? Where to go ?

People were gasping in her back, allowing her a rough idea about how far the man was.

About how quickly he was gaining on her.

She heard the ring, warning of subway doors closing, down a flight of stairs on her right, and she barely hesitated. She took a sharp turn, taking that lost second to assess the distance between her chaser and her. Roughly a hundred feet.

She took great risks, jumping three steps at a time, but she did not stop. Not now. She could not.

She tripped when she landed on the platform, but managed to stay up, her wobbling legs carrying her to the railcar, which was closing.

Again, time slowed.

Screams and yelps broke out behind her ; the android had surely made impossible leaps between the several flights of stairs. She could hear his fast steps now, but she kept her eyes focused on her goal.

Her heart was pounding, begging her to slow down, to stop.

She did not.

Elnöra jumped.

Her shoulder grazed one of the doors, tearing a hitched exclamation from her mouth, dry as a desert.

She landed on it, as she slid across the train floor.

The slam of a body against the cabin frame exploder behind her, triggering another burst of gasps and shrieks in and outside the wagon.

She threw her head up.

The doors were closed.

The android was pressed against them, his eyes darting into hers.

He did not even look slightly tired by his rapid race, while she struggled to inhale air into her lungs.

He looked at her for what seemed to be an impossibly long moment.

A smile slowly stretched his features, without reaching his eyes.

The train shook slightly and started driving away. He stepped alongside it, not breaking eye contact.

Elnöra was terrified he would smash the window open, but he simply kept jogging.

The last thing she saw was his hand, fingers bent to mimic the shape of a gun, jerking in her direction, as his lips mouthed a silent bullet firing at her.

He vanished as soon as the train entered the underground tunnel.

People were whispering around her. A few of them even approached her, asking if she was okay, who that guy was, if she needed help. Her irises remained focused on the window where the face of her chaser had last appeared. Her chest was heaving heavily and she found herself unable to move.

"Miss ?"

She was still gasping for oxygen, trying to find a steadier rhythm for her aching lungs. Her legs were shaking and she was aware of the pain growing in her shoulder, but her brain pushed it all back. She stood up, then, holding onto the subway pole, not registering that a couple of passengers were helping her up, making sure she would not lose her balance.

"Miss, are you okay ?"

Her gaze was unfocused, even though it crossed several others. The girl was spacing out, her mind trying to take in everything that had happened in the last five minutes (Had it really been that short ? It seemed to last a lifetime).

"Do we have to call the police ?

- No."

The answer had slipped from her mouth before she could fathom it. A spark lit in her eyes as she finally realized the commotion happening all around her. She pressed the hands supporting her arms, on her back, gently placed on her shoulders, to remove them ; she could not stand any physical contact right now.

"No, I- I need to-

- Miss, what did that guy want from you? Do you need help ?"

It was tempting. Collapsing here, with all those people to take care of her, to reassure her, to tell her that it was over, that she was safe, that she did not have to run anymore. But, she knew better. She could not stop. She could not stay here. She had to find a safe place. She could not go back to her flat, she-

"She's in shock.

- What the hell happened to her ?

- Did you see that guy ? He was an android, right ?

- But what did he want from her ?

- I think we should call the police.

- I said no."

The group turned towards her, bewilderment on their features.

"But, Miss, you have to-

- No. Thank you, really. I have to go. Now."

She spun on her heels, escaping from the worried crowd and their advice. She could hear someone calling the police and giving the name of the station where the turmoil had occurred. Each step sent a new flow of energy through her body, as her eyes focused on the path in front of her. Striding along the subway car, Elnöra avoided other passengers, who had witnessed the scene but dared not get any closer. She walked to the end of it, and stood close to the door until the train came to a halt at the next station, a couple of minutes later. She disembarked, already speeding up to a rapid jog, and dashed through another flight of stairs. She took the first track on her left, than the second on her right. She jumped into a new subway and got off at the fifth station. There, she took a new train, in another direction, without any clue about her eventual destination, and ran out of the wagon again at the third stop.

The girl did not know exactly what she was trying to do ; probably something along the line of covering her tracks. She wanted to earn some time and advance on her chasers and she had the feeling that the best way to do it was to work with an irregular pattern.

How could she know, anyway ? Her mind was in a blur and she had no idea where to go, so there was no wrong chances taken.

After a half hour of aimlessly running around, she finally exited the current station she was in, her stress reaching a dangerous peak. She was wary when she reached the surface, as she felt more exposed and vulnerable.

But still, she did not stop running.

She could feel a stitch growing between her ribs, but she went on hurrying, going faster with each minute. Her fear was fuelling her on, providing the energy she little by little started to lack.

A few onlookers watched her pass by, some of them whispering in her wake, but none tried to stop her. The girl looked too distressed, almost delirious, for anyone to address her.

She tripped. Landed on her hands. Got back up. Sprinted.

She could not go on ignoring exhaustion slowly sipping into her muscles. Her vision was becoming hazy. Her lungs were burning her so, she wanted to rip them off her chest.

Pain was growing in her body, the aftermath of adrenalin slipping away after her unbearable race.

She had to rest. She had to find somewhere to stop. She-

Her eyes caught a sign. Glowing white on navy blue.

It was a risky chance to take, but she did not know what else to do.

She had refused that option earlier, because she did not want to stay so close to her neighbourhood, but-

She needed help. And , right now, this was the best place where to seek it.

She entered the Central Station precinct, climbing two steps at a time.

The doors burst open when she pushed them and the woman at the welcome desk jumped in her seat.

"Miss ?"

Elnöra did not stop to talk to her. She had to get inside quickly. She had to talk to someone. Someone who could protect her. Someone who-

"Miss ! You can't go this way !"

She did go this way.

Another set of glass doors opened automatically when she got close to them. She scraped her shoulder against one of them and lost her footing. She almost crashed to the ground as she looked behind her to discover two security guards running after her, but an impossible effort kept her up.

She wobbled for a few seconds and turned back to-

Her body slammed against something.

Someone.

Her hands unconsciously dug onto the arms of the man who had caught her. Her knees finally gave out, but he effortlessly kept her straight.

He was strong. She could feel it in his stance, in his feet solidly rooted to the ground.

Her wheezing breath was ruffling his neatly-knotted tie. Her forehead pressed against his bust was slowly leaving a sweat stain on the smooth white fabric.

She was trembling.

She was desperate to stay alive.

Tears were rolling down her cheeks and she gasped violently, struggling for air.

"Miss, are you alright ?"

She wanted to stop fighting. She wanted to lie down and sleep for a hundred years. She wanted to go back to her wonderful new flat and read a book with a cup of tea in her hand.

She slowly raised her face to look at her newly-found anchor.

A set of beautiful brown eyes. Delicate freckles. A twirl of hair loose on his forehead.

A LED blinking yellow on his right temple.

Her breath hitched and, little by little, slowed down to come to a halt.

Vertigo engulfed her. Her fingers released the jacket of the man holding her. It took her one final burst of energy to utter a weak :

"No."

Her eyelids closed. Her head tilted back. Her body crumpled.

Darkness swallowed her.

Author's note :

Way to make new friends :

- Slam into them.
- Sweat on their shirt.
- Collapse in their arms.
- Done.

Next time on Witness : Them.