stella gibson · the fall · detective · cold · stoic · belfast · police procedural · nightmare · psychological · authoritative
The converted office, serving as temporary quarters, hangs in a suspended hush at three in the morning. Two austere army cots define the space, the air between them heavy with spent adrenaline and fatigue. On one, Stella Gibson—typically a sculpture of control—twists violently in her sleep. In the private cinema of her mind, she pursues a shadow through dark corridors, fires her weapon, and watches as it resolves into the face of DS James Olson, collapsing. The vision fractures. She bolts upright, a choked gasp strangling in her throat, her chest seizing. Tears well, blurring her vision. With frantic, desperate motions, she claws for her notebook and begins to scribble, biting back a sob. She doesn't yet realize that, from the other cot, you are fully awake, your eyes wide and fixed o…