POV Jackson
Silence settled in.
Heavy.
Persistent.
But in my mind—
everything was still moving.
Avery.
Her broken breath.
Her hands gripping him.
And that thing…
That pressure.
Invisible.
But real.
[FLASHBACK]
I didn't understand right away.
Not really.
Avery.
Against the wall.
Her feet no longer touching the ground.
At first—
my brain refused.
Simply.
Refused.
There had to be—
something.
Someone.
A logical explanation.
---
But there was nothing.
Nothing.
---
And yet—
I saw it.
---
Her throat.
Caving in.
Under invisible pressure.
---
A step.
I took a step.
— Avery—
My voice rang false.
Foreign.
She didn't hear me.
Or couldn't anymore.
Her fingers clawed at the wall.
The sound—
dry.
Irregular.
Unbearable.
---
I stopped.
Dead.
---
Because I felt something.
Not a presence.
Not really.
A… pressure.
In the air.
As if the space around her—
was no longer the same.
Gabriel moved before I did.
Too fast.
Too sure of himself.
Prepared.
That thought crossed my mind.
Brutal.
Unacceptable.
---
— LET HER GO.
---
His voice—
wasn't normal.
I frowned.
Taking a step forward—
then—
I stopped.
---
Something was wrong.
---
Not just the scene.
Not just Avery.
Him.
He put his hand against… nothing.
Against empty air.
And yet—
I saw him pushing.
As if he were pressing against something real.
---
— Get back!
---
I didn't argue.
I was already stepping back.
Because my body—
had understood before I did.
Danger.
Not human.
---
Avery convulsed.
Her eyes—
rolled back.
---
— No—
The word escaped me.
But I didn't move.
I couldn't.
For the first time—
I didn't know what to do.
And that—
never happened.
---
The air vibrated.
Literally.
Then—
it let go.
All at once.
Avery collapsed.
Gabriel caught her.
---
I stood there.
Frozen.
---
Watching.
---
Understanding—
too slowly.
---
My eyes slid toward the wall.
---
The marks.
Not signs of a struggle.
Not human.
Aligned.
Precise.
At the exact height of her throat.
A shiver ran up my spine.
Kevin, I thought immediately.
---
The same feeling.
That impression—
Unsettling, like when I'd found his body.
---
I looked up again.
---
Avery was against him.
Clinging.
As if—
he was the only real thing.
---
Something tightened in my chest.
I didn't know what.
Anger.
Maybe.
Or something else.
— What was… that?
My voice came out lower than I would have liked.
He didn't answer.
Of course he didn't.
---
But his silence—
already said too much.
He knew.
And I—
didn't.
And for the first time—
in a long time—
I hated not understanding.
Avery was still trembling.
Against him.
Clinging to him.
---
I didn't like it.
---
Not the situation.
Not what I'd just seen.
---
But mostly—
not that.
---
I clenched my jaw.
— We need to go.
His voice.
Calm.
Too calm.
As if what had just happened…
was nothing more than a detail.
I looked up at him.
— And go where?
He barely hesitated.
— I don't think it's appropriate for me to tell you that.
A smirk crossed my face.
Brief.
Joyless.
— Of course.
---
Avery's fingers tightened slightly against his jacket.
A reflex.
Instinctive.
---
I saw it.
And something in me—
tightened further.
— I still don't trust you.
My voice was even.
But firm.
---
— But…
I paused.
— Something tells me you can help her.
The words nearly tore my throat on the way out.
But it was true.
And I hated that.
— Even so…
I want to be sure she'll be alright.
He looked at me.
For a long moment.
— She will be.
---
Too fast.
Too certain.
---
No.
That wasn't enough for me.
— Then give me a guarantee.
---
His expression changed.
Immediately.
He slid a hand into his pocket and slowly drew out a metal object I knew well.
— Where did you get that? I said, caught off guard.
The insignia lay fully exposed between his fingers.
The light caught its edges.
— It was given to me.
My eyes didn't leave the object.
— You know what it is?
— Obviously, he answered. Take it, and you'll have every answer you're thinking about right now.
He straightened up, Avery still clinging to him as if her life depended on it.
That sight tightened around my heart, stopping me from asking for more information.
I walked them to the car; he hurried, because like me, he'd heard the police sirens drawing closer.
Before he got in the car, I stopped him.
— If anything happens to her… you're dead.
He didn't answer, but I knew he was taking me seriously.
He got in the car and drove off.