The shrill buzz of a phone cut through the heavy silence. Gael’s eyelids fluttered, his hand trembling as he reached for it. His fingers brushed the screen, pressed it to his ear.
“…Hello,” his voice was hoarse, broken.
“Gael?” Jessica’s voice came sharp from the other end. “What happened to your voice? And—why’s the power in your house off?”
Gael’s throat worked, but no sound came. The phone slipped from his hand, clattering against the blood-slicked floor.
“Gael? Hello? Hello!” Jessica’s tone rose in panic, but there was no answer.
Moments later, she burst through the door. Her eyes widened at the sight—Gael sprawled in a pool of his own blood, his body motionless on the ground.
“Gael!” she screamed, dropping to her knees beside him. Her hands shook as she tapped his cheek, tried t
