Control

"Let her go or I'll shoot!" Hakim yelled.

"She's killing Grace shoot her!" Joana yelled.

"Stop it, Uncle Kim," Cassandra said with her hand still pressing down Grace's neck. "We both know you won't shoot."

"Please, I don't want to hurt you," Hakim said in tears. "Veronica, please."

Suddenly, it seemed like Cassandra's mood changed, but Veronica was now awake.

"Kill me, please, I'm begging you."

"You heard her, shoot."

"No, d-don't," Grace said even as she choked. "We can help her... Put the gun down."

Hakim slowly lowered his arm as he with Margret and Joana watched in anticipation of what Grace meant.

"V-Veron-ica... li-sten to me..." Grace said. "She's got nothing on you, it's your b-body... You can take back control."

"I-I can't," Veronica replied in tears. Her hands were still strangling Grace, she couldn't stop herself. "She's stronger than me."

"That's a lie and you know it... You're one of the strongest people I know... It was you who made me strong throughout all of this. Even when I knew you were lying to us, I trusted the fact that you believed in me helped my strength... Now I'm returning the favor, I believe in you, Veronica, and I trust that you won't kill me... Show your strength!"

"I can't-"

"You can!"

Veronica bowed her head and closed her eyes as she tried to take back control of her body. She realized she had made herself small in both her eyes and Cassandra's and that is why Cassandra had an edge and was able to manipulate her.

'No more!' She thought to herself.

'You think you can beat me?' Cassandra yelled inside her.

'Yes I do, and I'm not alone in that thought, Grace does too." Veronica replied fighting back. "You can't win.'

'No, it's impossible!'

"You have lost! Get out." Veronica screamed and as soon as she did, she released her grip off Grace's neck and got up from her. "Grace--" She said as Grace began to roll and cough. She rushed to help her up and hug tightly, rubbing her back. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Grace replied gulping. "I'm okay."

Everyone else stared in disbelief, Veronica was back and Cassandra was gone.

"Veronica," Hakim said and dropped to his knees.

"Uncle Kim!" Veronica yelled leaving Grace and rushing towards him. She touched his arm and felt blood trickling down. One of the shots Cassandra fired while she was going down had hit him before. "Y-You're hurt... I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

"It's nothing, I am just glad you're alright." He replied forcing a smile but then winced at the pain.

Meanwhile, Grace got up to release Joana and Margret.

"Bitch, you're crazy," Margret said hugging her. "I would have killed you if you died."

"I knew your killing technique would be much worse than Cassandra so I had to do my best to stay alive."

They both laughed.

"Thank you so much," Margret said finally.

"You're welcome, Maggie."

"You don't have to tell me that, it was Joana that believed in you all the way."

Grace looked over to Joana who nodded in agreement.

"I was counting on your strong head." (1) She said. "And it paid off."

Grace moves on to hug her tightly.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

For that moment, it felt like everything was back to normal and it was all going to be alright but suddenly, they started hearing police sirens wailing outside the building.

"The police?" Grace wondered. "How did they get to know about here? I never called them."

"I did," Hakim said as he got back to his feet with Veronica supporting him up. "It was when I first heard a gunshot from outside... I decided it was best to get the police involved if it was this serious."

"Oh my God!" Grace yelled. "But what are we going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Margret asked. "Isn't everything settled now?"

"No, the police will want to take Veronica away."

"Well isn't that what is supposed to happen?" Joana asked. "I mean Cassandra is a part of her, isn't she? And she killed Raymond and Sylvester... Why is that a problem."

"Veronica doesn't deserve to be locked up and treated badly for something she wasn't aware of until now," Grace said. "Besides, Veronica kept her under control, you all saw that else I would be dead by now--"

"But what if Cassandra takes back control again? We can't risk that." Joana countered.

"She won't," Veronica said. "I don't know how but I felt her fade away like she was no longer a part of me anymore."

Her words kept Joana quiet immediately.

"Guys, we can't let them take her away." Grace pleaded once more.

"Okay okay, fine... But what do we do? They are fast approaching already. And I'm sure all exits in this building are surrounded."

They all fell silent as they all thought of what to do.

"Guys they are here already, we have to think of something now!" Margret yelled.

Immediately, Hakim grabbed Veronica by the neck with his bleeding arm and pointed the one with him at the three girls.

"Get back, all of you!" He shouted.

"Mr. Bello, what's going on?" Grace asked as they all stepped backward.

"I'm taking the fall for everything... I'd rather go to prison or die before I allow the daughter of Mike Badmus go to prison under my care."

"No, Uncle Kim, let me go," Veronica said struggling to break free but Hakim wouldn't let her.

"Shut up, little girl! Now do exactly as I say, don't forget to tell your father what I did and how he owes my family because of it. Okay?"

"No!" Veronica said crying.

"Don't cry, Veronica. It's what I have to do... I'm your guardian remember?"

At that point, even death didn't scare him for he knew his death was worth something, more than his life was ever worth to his family.

Suddenly, Officer James and Officer Ade barged into the room with guns in their hands.

"It's the police, put your gun down!" Ade yelled at Hakim.

"Mr. Bello, step away from the girl and put the gun down," James said I'm a calm manner. "No one needs to get hurt today."

"I'm going to kill you!" He said pointing the gun in all directions towards them. "I'm going to kill you all--" Was all Hakim could say next as Officer James fired his pistol with the bullet hitting its supposed target, Hakim's forehead.

The sound of the gunshot tore through the room just as the bullet tore through to the back of Hakim's skull as he fell face flat to the ground, dead.