It’s a fucking warzone out here. The second I grabbed Helena, more contractors started filing in. The traps I set dropped them like flies but more kept coming in, dozens of them by the truck fucking killing themselves just to get close enough to shoot at us.

I duck behind the south face of the church as another truck load of contractors opens fire. I tuck my rifle into my chest and wait as they come closer.

“Come on, I don’t have time for this.”

They inch closer driving between the trees. Suddenly, a boom sounds from the treeline as the car skids out of control, driving full force into a tree. The men scream as they catch on fire, scrambling for the door and their guns but those explode too and the men fall dead on the ground along with the other contractors littering the clearing.

Pain jars my side as I slip inside the church. It’s empty, except for Alastor and Castor, each ducked behind one of the pews with a gun in their hand.

Castor’s eyes drift over to mine before ducking behind the pew again.

“On your six!” He shouts.

I duck as a shot rings out from behind me. One of the contractors runs inside screaming and firing rapidly as his body slowly engulfs in flames. I dodge another shot just as the gun backfires and explodes. He screams when it lodges back, sending shrapnel into his face.

I duck behind a pew next to Castor, reloading my gun.

“Where is she?” Castor says, checking behind us both.

“She’s safe. She’s in the school.” My head jerks when Alastor shoots, chipping the wood of the pew. I raise my gun, but he’s already running, delving deeper into the hall.

“Dammit!” I growl. “Let’s go.”

We sprint down the narrow hallway. Alastor is a barely visible shadow in the dim light, the red carpet bleeding up the walls like blood. I raise my gun to shoot but Alastor weaves too quickly throughout the halls, staying just out of sight and barreling through another door.

Castor stops just outside the doors, pressing his ear against the door. It grows silent with only the painful sounds of my breathing breaking the quiet. He holds up a hand, motioning for the left side of the room and I nod. If we’re right, this room is dead center of the church. He’s trapped himself.

I pull my baron from its sheath.

One down, one to go.

I kick the doors open and both of us take either side of the room. It’s a library. Dozens of dark wooden bookshelves line the walls in rows, resting between the grayed pillars and arches stretching high to the ceiling with the large bay window casting a bright light that makes Alastor’s shadow dance as he weaves between the book cases.

Castor and I take position on either of the columns, slowing moving in on the tile. Alastor’s footsteps are sloppy. They echo on the tile, taunting us with his location. He’s hiding, like a deer from a hunter, but he’s trapped and he won’t make it out of here without us finding him first.

“How does it feel playing leader?” My voice echoes in the hall, reverberating off the cases in a menacing call. “Do you feel powerful, yet? An eye for an eye, right, Alastor?

I whip around when footsteps patter quickly behind me. I duck behind the bookshelf when he fires, returning another shot but it’s wide.

“We couldn’t even recognize the bastard when we were done with him,” I laugh. “His face was all over the fucking walls.” My eyes follow his shadow, moving to the next shelf over. I sidestep, moving silently until I’m right on the edge.

“Sorry there’s nothing left to bury,” I call out. “Bye bye little brother.”

Alastor steps out, his face twisted up in anger.

“Listen here you little shit–”

Castor cuts him off with a swift shot to his chest, knocking Alastor back with a grunt.

He falls to the ground, clutching his chest as blood bubbles out from the top. His armor is thick enough to make it a slow death.

I lift my rifle and give him a bright grin before digging the muzzle into the wound. He throws his head back and screams as it burns and I step on his chest, pressing down harder. “As satisfying as this is to watch, I’m in a bit of a hurry. I hope you don’t mind if I speed things along.”

“Fuck you, this is all your fault!” Alastor spits. “Ever since you two started your stupid vendetta, Anthony couldn’t fucking think straight. All he cared about was killing you two. He obsessed over it!”

“Then it’s a good thing we won’t be able to annoy the old man anymore.” I rip the gun from his wound, smiling wider when he screams again. “Let me tell you something, Alastor.” I slam my blade down and it pierces the tile, wedging just next to his head. “We were willing to let it go until you and brother dearest decided to pull that stunt in DC, and I draw the line when you involve family.”

I rip the blade out, sliding it just below his eye. He doesn’t even flinch. He doesn’t even fucking care. He just stares at the both of us, calm even when he’s bleeding to death.

“Family?” Alastor scoffs. “You know nothing of family.”

His eyes flick up, just a subtle movement, but a glint comes in the reflection and I jump back.

“Castor!” I shout, but it’s too late. A gun goes off, hitting Castor square in the shoulder. Alastor jumps up and slams his head into mine before throwing me back onto the tile. I groan, holding my head as black dots my vision but the second I lean up, I’m thrown back again with Alastor pinning me with my own knife.

His face is turned up in a snarl as he presses the blade against my throat. “You know nothing !” He steps back and the contractor takes aim at me. I can’t move. The pain in my side is excruciating and through the blur of vision, I can vaguely see Alastor standing over Castor, blood running down his face from the cut on his eye.

I hear the hammer pull back on the gun, but he doesn’t shoot.

“Leave them,” Alastor says. “I want the girl.” He pays me another glance before striding through the doors, his voice echoing throughout the library as he steps into the hall.

I groan, rolling onto my other side. I can take a lot of pain, but fucking hell, that hurt. By the time I manage to swallow down the pain, Alastor is already gone and Castor isn’t moving.

I crawl over to him, shaking his shoulder.

“Castor,” I say, my voice hoarse.

He doesn’t move. Blood is pouring from his shoulder, the bullet moving clean through the tissue. I shake him again, harder this time. “Silas. Come on, buddy, wake up.”

He stirs, groaning as he clutches his shoulder. He tries to sit up, hissing in pain when he sees the state of his shoulder. “What happened?” He touches his shoulder, hissing in pain. “It’s bad. We need to get out of here.”

I nod, helping him to his feet. I clear the way as we move out. My gun is poised straight at my eye level. I stop around every corner, every door, but the contractors have vanished, and I know I didn’t kill them all. It takes all of my energy not to fucking shoot someone. I’d shove my knife into every one of these bodies in the clearing just so I can feel something tear apart under my hands, but I won’t give Alastor that satisfaction of distracting me.

I stomp through the clearing, occasionally stepping on hands or heads of the bodies strewn about, but they don’t break. How fucking unfortunate.

“Come on,” I huff, looking back at Castor. “Let’s go.”

Castor groans in pain, hugging his shoulder. He trips over one of the bodies, crashing into me.

“Take it easy, Si.” I brace him against my shoulder, and he grabs hold of my jacket, using it as a crutch. “Come on. Let’s grab Helena and—”

A scream pierces the air, scattering the birds nearby. It’s shrill. Terrified.

We both look up, our heads darting to the cries. There’s another scream, but this time it’s clearer. It’s my name.

That’s when I see the smoke. Right as the scream dies off, smoke billows up past the canopy into the gray sky. The voice clicks in my brain and my heart drops into my gut.

“No…”

We both take off in a sprint towards the school. The trees fly by us in a blur and despite the bruise in my ribcage, the pain is suddenly gone and my feet are flying faster than either of us can run. My heart is pounding with dread sinking into my gut the stronger the smoke becomes.

I’ve been called Death for years. I’ve never been afraid of anything or anyone. Even when a bear had my head in its maw, I wasn’t scared, but this? This is terror. I left her there, but it wasn’t to kill her. It was to keep her out of trouble. To keep her safe.

Stupid.

I left her there, tied up, to die, and that terrifies me. The thought of her burning, and she cried out for me. Me. That’s not something anyone has ever done, and I’ve never felt fear until I heard her cries. I don’t care if that makes me weak. There’s a thousand names she could’ve called out for help and she said mine.

I bound through the buildings but there’s not a contractor in sight. It’s deserted and the flames only make me run faster. I don’t care if they do magically appear to shoot me. I don’t care if Alastor did this to lure us both. She’s in there and she needs help.

I round the corner, skidding painfully to a stop.

“Shit.”

The entire school is engulfed in fire. The remains of the windows are broken and flames lick the inside of each entrance, even the double doors where the fire dances through the small frames on each side.

“Go!” Castor shouts.

I sprint to the doors, slamming my shoulder into it, but it doesn’t budge.

“Helena!” I pound on the door, slamming and punching at the heated wood. “Helena, get out of there!”

Castor takes a tentative step closer, jamming his fist into it and screaming in pain. He groans, clutching his shoulder. “Helena, talk to us! Where are you?!” He tries again, but the wood doesn’t budge.

He won’t be able to get through. Not in his state.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He leans in, looking through the window and points at the far right door. “Go!”

I jam my foot right under the lock and it shakes. I hit it again and again and again, and each time it doesn’t open, the gripping feeling in my throat worsens. The building is covered in flames. If we don’t get in there in time…

“Dammit!” I drive my fist into the latch, hitting over and over again. “Come on! Piece of shit door!” Wood splinters my fist and blood drips from my knuckles but I don’t stop. I won’t stop. She’s still in there. She cried out for me. She asked for me .

Castor growls, growing just as frustrated.

“Move!” He pushes me out of the way and drives his foot into the mechanism. The door flies off its hinges and flames explode out, taking the place of where the door used to be.

I look at him and then we both charge inside. The fire stings at my clothes but somehow, I’m still able to run through the carnage until we are deep inside the building.

I sprint into the back room only to find the door wide open. The desks are all but ash and the pillar is crumbling from the flames and at its base is a thin white rope on the floor.

Helena is gone.

“No!” I dart back out into the main area but she’s nowhere to be seen. I cover my mouth, coughing from the smoke. It burns, creating shadows in my eyes. They form a body but every time I blink, the body is gone. Empty. She’s gone.

“Helena! Where are you?!” I move around frantically, looking in every possible space, the classrooms, the kitchen, but she’s gone. She can’t be gone.

Castor finds me, coughing and hacking from smoke.

“Tell us where you are, baby,” he rasps. He flinches when the flames surge in the kitchen and he yanks me out into the main room. “This way!”

“Where is she? She has to be here!” I fall to my knees, turning everything over—books, desks, chunks of the wall that are starting to dismantle, but she’s not here. She’s not here! I can’t tell if the tightness in my chest is the panic, or from the smoke but I don’t care. I want her.

A crash answers my thoughts, coming from the back door. I don’t wait. I sprint to the back, not caring of the flames that tear at my skin. Then I see her, sprawled against the back door, unconscious.

“No!” I sink to her side, cradling her in my arms. Her wrists badly burnt and she’s laying outstretched towards the door. Her face is covered in ash and her blonde hair is frayed from the fire. I place my head to her chest, only just managing to hear the labored inhale and exhale.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” I take her face into my hands, shaking her gently but she doesn’t wake up. “Come on, sweetheart. I’ve got you now. Don’t sleep. It’s not time yet.” I can feel my face heating with unshed tears.

She has to wake up. Why isn’t she waking up?!

“Wake up, baby. Come on.” I shake her harder, gripping her shoulders. My voice turns wet and hoarse. “Please, Helena, wake up. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

“She’s inhaling too much smoke,” Castor coughs out. “We need to get her out of here.”

Yes. The smoke. She needs fresh air, then she’ll be okay.

I pick her up, hooking an arm around her knees and another around her neck.

“It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” I raise my foot and jam it into the door.

“Arik, wait!”

The second the word leaves his mouth, the door opens and an explosion rips through the interior of the room. I’m thrown against the wall, the concrete cresting a splitting pain in my skull. Blood dots at my vision, and I groan when I pull myself to my feet.

Helena is tossed to the back wall, crumpled to the ground and contorted at an odd angle.

The building groans, and I hear the first snap, then another as the support beams start to give way. Castor’s wide eyes meet mine, and I leap over to Helena, throwing myself on top of her and Castor as the building collapses down on us.

I cough, my chest bulging and heaving as I expel the dust and debris from my lungs. The fire is gone and so is the school leaving only a pile of ash and a single wall that barely conceals us. Castor is out cold next to me, pieces of drywall and ash covering his blond hair.

“Silas?” I rasp, reaching out to him.

He comes to seconds later, his chest bouncing as he coughs back to life. “Arik. Are you okay?”

I nod.

“I’m alright.” I slide off of Helena, dropping to the floor next to her. She’s untouched, her eyes closed peacefully and a small smile on her face.

I smile. I know she can’t see it, but she’s here, and that’s all that matters to me.

“You’re safe now,” I whisper.

She doesn’t answer, and a cold feeling settles in my chest. She doesn’t wake up…and her chest. It isn’t moving.

I lay my head on her body, waiting for that small thump of her heart, but it’s silent. Dead silent.

“N-no…” I listen again and place my finger up under her jawline. It’s not there.

A soft gasp sounds from behind me, and Castor does the same, checking the other side. “Helena?” His eyes are wide and he doesn’t move. No. No, he’s not going to say it. She’s fine. She’s just sleeping.

“Helena,” I say, louder this time. “Helena, come on, wake up.” I lift her up but her head falls back. “Helena, this isn’t funny!” I shake her again and again but she doesn’t wake up. I call her name out over and over again, the way she did for me, but she doesn’t come to me like I did. She won’t wake up.

“No, no, no.” I drag her away from the wall, flattening her against the floor. I listen again in her chest, but it’s not there. Why isn’t it there?! “No, no, no! Wake up!”

Castor clambers over to her, rips her shirt in two and starts giving her CPR.

I cradle her face in my hands, watching him as he tries to breathe life back into her before doing more compressions. “Breathe, Helena.” Tears well up in my eyes as I talk to her, willing her to hear me and come back. I’d apologize for everything I did if it meant she’d come back. I’ll beg for it, cry for it.

This is what you wanted, right? You wanted me to be on my knees for you?

I raise up to my knees and take her hand in my, kissing it softly.

“Stay with me,” I beg her. “Live for me. Please.”

There’s movement and both of us freeze. I stare hard at her chest, praying that I didn’t hallucinate.

Come on baby, please. Come back.

Then it happens again—a small gasp from her lips. She opens her mouth and takes in another breath, blowing it out in a soft sigh.

I laugh, wrapping my arms around her and squeezing her tight. I sit there with her, feeling her chest rise and fall against mine and the beautiful rapid beats of her heart. She’s okay. She’s alive.

Another tear slides down my cheek but I don’t care. I don’t give a fuck. I’ll cry millions of tears for her to hear that beautiful sound again. Her heart. Her breaths. Her life.

“Fuck, you’re okay,” I say, choking up. I caress the back of her head, pulling her into my lap as I settle against the wall. “I’ve got you now. You’re safe…”