For a moment, no one moved. The world seemed to stop around them. Only the soft rustle of the grass and the distant cry of an early morning bird filled the silence.
Gabriel felt his legs weaken. His throat tightened as if someone had locked his breath inside him. He tried to walk forward, but his feet felt pinned to the earth.
Andreas held her carefully, almost fearfully, as though she was something fragile that could break apart in his arms. He looked back at Gabriel with wide, confused eyes, waiting for direction, waiting for his boss to breathe again.
“Sir,” Andreas whispered. “What do we do?”
Gabriel still could not speak. His chest rose and fell too fast. Sweat formed on his forehead though the morning breeze was cold. He forced himself to move, each step heavy and slow. When he
