The metallic screech of the jet's frame tearing against the dense mountain air was a sound straight from the depths of hell. The cabin was a washing machine of flying glass, loose documents, and broken crystal. The red emergency lights cast a bloody glow over the chaos, flickering like a dying pulse. We weren't flying anymore; we were falling, a multi-million-dollar piece of metal dropping through the cold night sky toward the jagged shadows of the Atlantic coastline below.
"Hold on to me, Toby! Hold on!" I screamed, my voice entirely stripped of its human timber.
I had thrown my body over him on the floor, locking my arms around his small, shaking frame. He had his face buried in my neck, his hot tears soaking into my skin. I could feel his tiny heart drumming against my ribs, frantic a
