Arianna body instantly went limp.
The force holding them vanished at once, and Jonah dropped hard onto the wet pavement. The impact drove what little air remained in his lungs from his chest, but he barely noticed. His Desert Eagle slipped from his hand and skidded across the asphalt as he reached desperately for Arianna.
She was already falling.
Jonah lunged forward and caught her against his chest before she could hit the ground.
"Arianna.."
His voice trembled as he pulled her closer, one hand supporting the back of her head while the other pressed against her chest. He waited for a familar ride and fall of her breathing.
Nothing.
He checked again, pressing his fingers against her neck.
Still nothing.
Her head rested against his shoulder at an unnatural angle, while her eyes remained slightly open beneath the pale glow of the streetlights. Jonah stared into them despererately seaching for the warmth and recognition that had always been there.
There was none.
"No.."
His fingers trembled as he touched her cheek.
It was already begining to feel cold.
"No, no, no..."
Jonah shook his head and pulled her closer.
"Arianna, come on.. please..."
There was no response.
The street around him seemed to disappear. The fog continued drifting between the buildings, but Jonah barely saw it anymore. The distant sound of the city had faded into nothing, leaving only the sound of his own uneven breathing and faint ringing in his ears.
Behind him, Adrian stared at what had happened.
For a moment, even he couldn't move.
Then something inside of him broke.
"NO!"
Adrian's voice tore through the street.
He grabbed his silver coated gun from the pavament and raised it toward the remaining members of the mens in hood. His hands were shaking, not from fear but from anger so intense that it threatened to consume him.
He fired.
The first shot struck one of the hooded figures in the chest, tearing through its robe and forcing the figure backward.
Adiran fired again before the first shell had event struck the pavement.
Then again.
And again.
One of the hooded men's disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.
Another staggered before its body began breaking apart into ash.
The remaining figures finally began to fade, their form dissolving into the fog until nothing remained.
Adrian lowered the weapon.
His breathing was heavy, and blood continued to soak through the torn fabric across his chest, but he ignored the pain as he turned toward Jonah.
"Jonah.."
There was no answer.
Jonah remained kneeling in the middle of the street, holding Arianna against his chest.
His arms had stopped trembling.
That was what frightened Adrian most.
Jonah was completely still.
He gently moved a strand of hair away from Arianna's face.
"You said you were tired," he whispered to her, his voice berely carrying above the wind.
His eyes drifted away toward the street as distant sirens suddenly began to grow louder. The wailing of police cars echoed between the buildings, followed closely by the deeper roar of approaching fire engines. Red and Blue lights began flickering through the fog at the far end of the street, slowly growing brighter as the emergency vehicles raced toward the apartment.
"You said we'd go somewhere after this."
Jonah swalled hard, his chest tightening as another siren wailed somewhere behind them. The sounds of engines and approaching footsteps were beginning to fill the once silent neighborhood, but none of it seem real to him.
"You said we'd get out of the city."
His hand slowly tightenend around the back of Arianna's shirt as the first emergency lights washed across the fog. Jonah lowered his head, refusing to look away from her face.
For several seconds, he simply held her there while the sound of police sirens and fire engines grew louder around them.
The city was finally beginning to wake up.
But Jonah's world had already gone quiet.
Adrian slowly approached, his expression hardening as he looked toward the approaching emergency vehicles.
"Jonah, we need to move."
Jonah didn't respond.
Adrian glanced toward the apartment. Broken windows, shattered glass, blood, and black residue covered the scene. Whatever had happened here would not look like an ordinary crime scene to anyone who knew what they were looking at.
And there were very few people left who could explain it.
Adrian reached into his coat and pulled out his phone.
"Look, dad called me few weeks ago, telling me to find you."
That finally caught Jonah's attention.
"I already tried calling Dad before i came in the house.
He slowly lifted his head.
"And?" Jonah asked.
"He didn't answer." Adrian replied.
"How many times?"
"Six."
Jonah stared at him for a moment.
"Call again." Jonah said.
Adrian hesitated before dialing the number,
The call rang once.
Once...Twice...Three times.. Nothing.
The call ended.
Adrian frowned and tried again, this time thee was no ringing, the screen simply went silent.
Jonah watched him.
"What?"
Adrian stared at the screen for several seconds before putting it away.
"I don't know."
Then a sound came from house.
Adrian's hand immediately tightened around his silver Desert Eagle as he stared toward the open doorway.
For several seconds, neither brother moved.
The apartment became completely silent.
Then a slow scraping noise came from somewhere inside.
Something was dragging itself across the floor.
Adrian's eyes narrowed as he shifted his stance.
"There's something inside."
Jonah didn't answer.
Then a voice whispered from somewhere inside the apartment.
"Jonah..."
He look up...
It was a voice he knew.