The Files of Art. Inc.:
“At Deaths Door”
Chapter One:
Dies Irae
“At Deaths Door”
Chapter One:
Dies Irae
Location: Salzburg, Austria, Neustadt
In February: An Apartment Complex, early Evening
The Winter holds the City of Salzburg by the River Salzach in its iron Grip.
Esme is hurrying up the Stairwell.
Now and then, looking back over her Shoulder.
The young Teacher and Pianist is sure someone followed her the Way from the Mozarteum to the Apartment Complex where she lives when she is in Salzburg.
In the last 14 Months her Life has changed dramatically: Esme was a Teacher at Ettal Abbey. The Discovery of lost Autographs by none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself changed that: She helped Chris von der Marwitz recover them. In Hindsight, that Meeting was Karma.
Esme still teaches at Ettal but now pursues a Career as Pianist. Here in Salzburg, she offers Masterclasses for Students at the Mozarteum. On the third Floor Esme stops and looks back. Nothing.
It all began four Weeks ago: Anonymous Mails, Letters, Calls. Threatening her. And she could never shake the Feeling that someone is watching her every Move.
There have been Photographs as well. Esme under the Shower, Esme sleeping, Esme in her Underwear.
The young Teacher has considered asking Chris for help, but something has made her hesitate. The Pianist would help, no doubt about that. The tall Blonde sees Esme as Part of the Family she knows.
But Esme is resolved to solve the Problem herself. “I am a big Girl.” She keeps telling herself. “I cannot run to Chris anytime when something is amiss!” Esme will tell Anna tomorrow who is giving a Concert this Evening in Salzburg with the Berliner Philharmonic Orchestra.
With trembling Fingers, she types the Security Code in for her Penthouse on the topmost Floor. Mistypes the first Time. The Door clicks open at the third Attempt. Esme stumbles across the Threshold and kicks the Door shut. Her Pulse is hammering.
Carelessly, she throws her thick, dark-blue Coat onto the Floor, pulls her blue Suede Gianvito Rossi Boots off her Feet, and taps on socked Feet along the Floor into the living Room.
Her Heart is hammering in her Chest.
Esme has made a Decision.
She takes out her iPhone and dials Chris´s Number.
The Blonde is giving a Recital this Evening in Copenhagen.
The Call gets straight to Voicemail:
“Chris, this is Esme. Call me back as soon as possible. Someone is…”
She never finishes the Call.
Someone grabs her from behind, presses her Arms against her Body with a vice-like Grip.
Her Mobile tumbles on the Carpet, a second Arm presses a thick Cloth on her Face. “Chloroform!” it shoots through her Mind.
The young Teacher has already breathed in a healthy Dose of the potent Drug. She feels the familiar tingling in her Fingertips and Toes. She kicks after her Attacker. But her socked Feet lack Power. Her Field of Vision already narrows. Her Attacker is strong. So intense is the Pressure on her Face. Esme feels as if her Nose is flattened.
The brutal Pressure on her Diaphragm forces her finally to breathe.
The Battle is lost, and Esme does the sensible Thing:
She takes long, deep Breaths. Esme falls into the whirling Abyss.
Her Eyes roll back in her Head. Her Body grows limp.
The Attacker let her glide on the Floor and smiles. Quickly, she sets to Work and strips Esme down to her Underwear and nude Hose. It does not take long, and many padded Leather Straps compress the lithe Blonde in a tight Ball. From her Toes all the Way up.
Her Head vanishes beneath a massive Leather Helmet with a large, built-in Gag. A Pump Gag. The sensory-deprivation Helmet robs Esme of all Senses. A Strap on the Crown of her Head presses her Forehead down on her Knees.
Her Kidnapper opens a very large black Trolley. It is lined with Foam inside. With surprising Strength, the Woman lifts Esme in the Trolley. Additional leather Straps secure the Captive. The Attacker fastens two plastic Tubes to Esme´s Nostrils.
She cannot know it, but she breathes in a Compound of Oxygen and Drugs. Her Attacker closes the Trolley and rolls it down the Corridor and out of the Penthouse.
Only Esme´s discarded Clothes tell that Esme ever was here.
And her Phone on the Floor.
Copenhagen, DR Koncerthuset, Artist´s Room, around 11:00 PM:
Chris kicks the Room´s Door shut, with the left high-heeled Foot of her green “Nancy” Gianvito Rossi Platform Sandals. The Blonde sighs and kicks the Sandals of her nyloned Feet.
She wears wide-legged emerald-green Trousers and a matching Top, leaving her muscular, tanned Shoulders bare. Her long blonde Mane flows free like a River of Gold down her Shoulders.
She pads to the comfortable Lounge Chair and lets herself fall down. The Pianist gingerly rubs the right Sole and props her Feet on the Table. Chris smiles.
As ordered, a Bottle of Pol Rodger is waiting for her in a Champagne Cooler. Someone must have filled the Champagne Flute not too long ago. Chris takes a Sip and savours the Taste.
The Program today has been demanding:
All five Ballades of Chopin, and after the Intermission, the first Book of Debussy´s Preludes. Not included in the five Encores she gave afterwards.
She ended the Concert with the Aria of the Goldberg Variations.
Chris can´t hardly wait to get into her Suite at the Grand Joanne, where she usually resides, when she is in the Danish Capital. Accidentally, her Gaze rests on her heavily encrypted Mobile.
Anybody trying to touch it would have been in for a rude Surprise.
Only its Owner can touch it with impunity, let alone open it, thanks to a beneficial Modification by Q.
The Q.
The one and only Q.
The Blonde unlocks the Phone, checks for Calls in Absence, and frowns: One Call by Esme. She knows that the Teacher is currently in Salzburg. Chris smiles. Esme will meet with Anna and Merit tomorrow.
Esme left a Message, Chris listens, first relaxed, then concentrated, then concerned. Esme is interrupted by an Attacker.
The Blonde knows the Sounds only too well: A Woman is forcefully subdued and chloroformed. The Pianist listens a second Time.
Chris dials Esme´s Number. But the Call goes straight to Voicemail.
The Blonde calls Sybil. The IT-Geek takes the Call almost immediately. “Yes, Chris?” “Locate Esme´s Phone at once,” Chris orders curtly. “On it!” Sybil confirms. Chris hears her nimble Fingers flying across the Keyboard. “Esme´s Phone is in her Penthouse in Salzburg.” The Brunette says, after 30 Seconds.
Chris digests the Information. “Get me Ragna on the Phone, Sybil, would you?” Sybil does not ask a Question but puts Chris straight through. “Yes, Chris?” The Icelandress smiles through the Phone. “Her Tone is light, but she knows something is up.” The Pianist thinks.
“Esme is in Trouble, probably kidnapped.” Ragna listens concentrated to Chris, “I need you to prepare the Jet and gather all things necessary. You, Sybil, and Sophie shall be ready to depart for Salzburg when I return to Hamburg tomorrow. Pack the Gadgets, Anna brought from her last Visit to London.” Chris adds in an Afterthought.
“Shall I call Anna and Merit?” The Icelandress asks, “No.” Chris demurs after a short Pause. “Let them enjoy the After-Concert-Reception. I call her in the Morning.”
“Alright.” Ragna smiles, but I can call Natasha and Kata. Kata´s Mother is on Holiday anyway.” Chris thinks that through for a Spell. “Do that, if I am right? We can use any Help, and Natasha is a real Asset in a tight Spot.”
The Icelandress chuckles, “Who would have thought that you and Natasha would become something like Friends?”
“Certainly not me!” Chris chuckles, too, and gets serious again. “Then till Tomorrow, could you get me, Sybil, again? I have another Task for her.”
“Sleep well, Chris!” Ragna says seriously. “I will.” The other Blonde confirms.
“Yes, Chris?” Sybil is almost at the Phone instantly. “I need you to check any Mails, Messages, Texts Esme received in the last four Weeks.”
“Will do, Boss,” Sybil confirms. Chris knows that the IT-Genius will work her Magic. If there is anything to find? She will. The Pianist trusts Sybil with her Life.
Some People say that Chris is too trustworthy, considering that a Weakness. Not Chris. In her Book this Trust is a Strength.
She takes another Sip of her Champagne and gazes into the Distance for a Moment. She picks up her Mobile again and composes several Messages on a secure Channel.
To New York, to Mexico City, and to London.
Chris gets up and undresses. She checks her watch, the same one that Anna wears. With one Exception: Anna´s is a Family Heirloom, with some Scratches on the Glass.
The Watch reminds Chris of one of the darkest Moments of her Life, when she had to believe that her best Friend died in a Bomb Blast.
It also reminds her of the unbreakable Bond between them, since they met at the Vienna Conservatory so many Years ago.
30 Minutes later, Chris enters her Suite in the Grand Joanne and kicks her medium-heeled Louboutin sling-back Pumps off her Feet. Medium-heeled meant 56 Millimetres. She undressed, changed into a loose red leisure Suit and thick red Socks.
Chris had ordered Spaghetti Vongole and a dry Riesling in Advance. While she ate, she thought Things through. Before she went to Bed, ere she falls asleep instantly. Her inner Clock would wake her up at Seven.
Salzburg, Hotel Schloss Mönchstein, well after Midnight:
Outside the Maria-Theresia-Suite, three black-clad figures wait. They wear Gasmasks on their Faces. The Leader looks at his Watch. A few Minutes earlier, they had opened the Valve of a metal cylinder from which a Tube led into the Suite. The Target has no Idea what is happening …..
Anna is sleeping deeply and dreamlessly. A Smile curled her full Lips. Her right Hand rests on Merit's full right Breast. Her Lady-in-Waiting has insisted that her Mistress mummifies her in Nylon and gags her. The Russian has not been heartless though. In her right Hand, which Anna taped to Merit´s Thigh the Noblewoman holds a sharp Knife, so she can free herself any Time she wants.
The Violinist has no Idea that she and Merit breathe in a powerful Sleeping Gas ….
The Suite´s Door opens, three Shadows hurry inside, one pulling a very large Trolley, which is empty. They understand themselves blindly and act without Words. The Attackers work swiftly and efficiently. 30 Minutes later. Three Persons in the Hotel Livree leave the Suite, as silently as Ghosts.
The Trolley is no longer empty ….
The next Day: Early Morning, on Board LH 335, Destination Hamburg:
Chris is concerned. Very concerned. Her Mobile rang at Six in the Morning. She needed a few Seconds to get her Bearings. After Concerts she sleeps deeper and longer than usual.
The Blonde searched for her Mobile, grabbed it from her Nightstand, and looked at the Screen. The Caller is Anna. “Yes!” She takes the Call. It takes her a Moment to realize that it is not Anna who is speaking, but Merit.
Anna´s Lady-in-Waiting is in Tears. And the Blonde needs some Time to make Sense of what Merit is stammering, between Sobs.
When Merit speaks coherently, Chris listens, “Anna is gone, you say.” Merit tells her that she remembers waking up in the early Morning. Still mummified.
That she realized that Anna was gone.
That she panicked.
“I needed sometime to free myself, Anna left me a Knife ….”
Chris listens. “Merit that is you will do…”
The Present:
The Blonde looks at her Watch. ETA at Hamburg: 09:00 AM. Chris rescheduled her Flight immediately after Merit´s call. “What is going on here?” She racks her Brain. Esme has been kidnapped; she is sure of that. Anna too. But why? What is the Connection?
She has called Ragna before Take Off. Natasha and Ekaterina are on their way to Salzburg. Chris knows that everything will be ready when she is Home. Sybil has sifted through Esme´s email, her Social Media Contacts, and found Dozens of hate emails and disturbing photos.
They had a common Denominator:
“You will pay for what you did!”
“He is dead because of you!”
Chris stares out of the Window: “I am missing something, but what?”
Private Jet. Art. Inc.
Somewhere in the Air between Hamburg and Salzburg:
Six Hours later:
Sophie shoots Chris a Glance.
The Blonde is concerned. The Lawyer can tell as much.
Chris is taking Notes. Kanji. Sophie knows.
The Pianist writes and thinks as fluently in Japanese as in German.
Chris does that consistently when she is thinking things through.
Analyzing a Problem.
Getting to its Bottom.
They left the small, exclusive private Airport in Hamburg one Hour ago.
Ragna had already packed Chris´s Things: Her Katanas, her Gear.
Chris has not talked much since she arrived at Villa von der Marwitz.
Sophie has a particular Idea why:
The Idea that something happened to Anna terrifies Chris.
The last Time, when she had to believe that a Bomb Blast had killed the Russian?
It had almost destroyed Chris. Sophie knows that too well.
Only Sarah McKenzie had saved the Blonde back then.
Chris does not know that, but Sophie has called the Canadian, told her to be ready on Standby.
Sophie knows where the Masterthief is right now.
She will already be on her Way to Salzburg.
True, Grand Ma, as they all call Sarah McKenzie, is in Love with Natasha Bolkonskaya. But the Lawyer knows she has deep Feelings for the Blonde. Even if she has accepted that Chris is in firm Hands right now.
It is good to know that the Black Lady will be there soon. “No better Friend. No worse Enemy.” That Epitaph of the Roman Dictator Sulla is Sarah McKenzie´s Credo.
If the Lawyer is sure of one Thing? That whoever is behind all this has seriously miscalculated.
To get on the black-haired Woman´s bad Side is never a good Idea.
Ragna looks up from her Mobile and meets Chris´ Gaze and sees the Question in the emerald Eyes:
“Natasha and Ekaterina have picked up Merit and are on their Way to the Safe House. We will meet them there. Merit is shaken but keeps herself together.”
“I did not expect anything else.” The Pianist nods.
But Ragna knows that Chris´ Mind is elsewhere.
Salzburg, not far from Hellbrunn Palace, around the same Time:
Natasha Bolkonskaya manoeuvres the silver metallic Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupé with Skill on the partially frozen Roads. The Safe House lay on the Grounds of Hellbrunn Palace, an early Baroque Villa of palatial Proportions, located in Hellbrunn, a southern district of Salzburg. It was built in 1613–19. The Safe House was one of the many Buildings on the vast Estate. That Hellbrunn is closed to the public right now is an additional Bonus.
The Russian smiles. It surprises her every Time how Sybil manages to acquire the perfect Location, almost any Time. Ekaterina and Natasha picked up Merit at St Peter's Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery. The Father Abbot had been very forthcoming. He had not said it directly, but he had indicated that the Monastery was in Chris´s Debt.
The Russian looks in the Rear Mirror. Merit seems far away. In her lap, she clutches Anna´s Violin Case, and Natasha knows the Egyptian will defend the Lord Dun Raven with her Life, if necessary. The young Noblewoman does her best to keep herself together. But the dark-haired Russian is sure, Merit is beating herself up for failing her Mistress.
Natasha surely would have, if something had happened to Ekaterina on her Watch. And Ekaterina´s Chief of Security is sure that Merit will not rest till Anna is safe.
Hours earlier: Unknown Location, a Cell:
Esme is awake now for an Hour, she thinks. She dared not open her Eyes, for any movement sent Vertigo; even the Attempt to open her Eyes.
To piece together what has happened the Evening before is difficult. Only slowly she remembers: “I called Chris, left a Message on the Mailbox, then I was attacked.” Her Attacker had been swift and brutal.
Esme is sure that she has not only been sedated with Chloroform. The Side Effects she feels are different. Finally, she dares to open her Eyes. The Room is dimly lit. The young Teacher looks at a vaulted white Ceiling. Brick, she suspects. “I am covered with a rough Blanket.” Esme discovers.
She wants to pull the Covers away and realizes only now that heavy Manacles shackle her Wrists, heavily padded ones. Polished, gleaming Steel. She can move her Hands a bit. Esme looks down. She wears an orange, heavily downfilled Suit. Her Ankles are shackled, too. On her Feet matching woollen Socks.
The young Pianist sits on a Cot. On her left: A Wall made of huge, grey, rectangular Ashlars. Next to her Pillow on her right, a small Table, with a Book on it. There is a rectangular metal Table, bolted to the Stone Floor, and two simple Metal Chairs. And a simple Cupboard.
The Door looks massive. No Handle. On the right Side a small Door. “The Bathroom.” Esme suspects. Her Bladder reminds her that she has urgent Business to do. With a groan, she swings her socked Feet on the Floor and shudders. The stone Floor is icy cold. For a Spell she just sits there. Esme gets up and shuffles to the Door.
The Bathroom is as spartan as the Rest of the Cell: A simple Mirror, a Sink, a Toilet, a Cubicle with a Shower. The Toilet Paper is rough, as are the Towels. Esme washes her Hands and looks at her pale Mirror Image. Someone has tied her long blonde Hair in a Ponytail. Around her Neck, she discovers a padded Steel Collar.
The Teacher shuffles back into her Cell and stops in her Tracks. In the massive Door of her Cell, a rectangular Hatch opens, and someone shoves a Tray into her Cell. The Hatch closes with a soft Click. Esme bows down, takes the Tray and carries it to the Table:
“Breakfast,” she thinks: Three Slices of Bread, Cheese, a reddish Confiture, Butter. And a Pot of steaming-hot coffee, a Bottle of Water, and a metal Mug. “Of course, nothing I could use as Weapons.”
The Quality is decent. Esme discovers. She tucks in, only now she discovers how famished she is. After breakfast, she curls up on the Cot. The Book on her Nightstand is a Bible she discovers. There is a Bookmarker. She opens the Holy Scripture and reads. Romans 12:19:
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
Esme shudders and closes the Book. She pulls the Covers over her Body and falls into a deep, uneasy Sleep, haunted by Dreams. She cannot know it, but these vivid Dreams are one Side Effect of the Drug Cocktail still in her System.
Another Cell:
In another Cell, almost identically to Esme´s, Anna is trying to come to Terms with her Situation. She has no Idea how she got here. The Russian is not scared. “I have been through worse.” The Violinist thinks. It takes more to intimidate Anna, much more. Her Situation is serious. What gives her Pause? She has no Idea where she is, how she got here, and above all? The Identity of her Captors. They have to be absolute Professionals that much is sure.
What piqued her Curiosity is the Book on the Nightstand. A Russian Copy of Dostojewski´s “Crime and Punishment.” Wherever Anna goes, this Book goes with her; a Present from her Uncle Fjodor. The Edition on her Nightstand is not her own.
The Choice of this Title tells Anna two Things:
First? Her Captors know her very well.
Second? The Title itself. “Shall I be punished? If so? For what Crime?”
The Violinist worries not so much about herself. She can handle herself. But what happened to Merit? What happened to her Stradivarius?
Anna lies down and stares at the Ceiling after Breakfast. She is sure that she is being watched.
Her Captors are playing one of the oldest Games in the Book: The silent Treatment, to keep her of Balance. A slight Smile curl Anna´s Lips. Two can play this Game.
Right now, she can do nothing but wait.
Apartment Complex, Salzburg; Late Afternoon
After establishing HQ at Hellbrunn Estate, the Team split up:
Sybil builds up her Computers and beefs up Security.
Natasha and Ekaterina will visit Schlosshotel Mönchstein to search for Clues: how the kidnappers got in, and how they got out?
Chris, Sophie, Ragna, and Merit will search Esme´s Penthouse for any Traces of the Kidnapper, though the Pianist is not very optimistic.
Merit has insisted on coming along: “I cannot sit just on my Hands, when Anna and Esme are in Danger!”
They park on the Street across from the modern Apartment Complex, built in 2010. Chris cannot shake the Feeling of impending Doom.
So far, they fight an Enemy who hides in the Shadows. An Enemy without Face.
The Blonde hates being blind.
At least Sophie came up with a plausible Hypothesis: “We need to find the Connection between Esme´s and Anna´s Kidnapping.” She has deduced. “Why didn´t they take Merit as well? Why did they not take the Stradivarius? And is this the End or the Beginning?” The Lawyer paced the Floor, then stopped in her Tracks: “When did Anna and Esme meet for the first Time?” “During the Search for the Lost Mozart.” Chris shrugs.
“Exactly!” Sophie smiled. “The Abductions have to be connected somehow to the Events in Ettal.”
Now they cross the Street.
To get the Keys and Codes to Esme´s Penthouse had not been a major Problem.
Chris goes first, then Sophie follows, then Merit.
Ragna brings up the Rear.
Except for the Egyptian the Ladies have drawn their Guns.
“We take the Stairwell!” Chris decides. A short while later, they stand before Esme´s Door on the Topmost Floor. Ragna and Sophie cover Chris as she punches in the 10-Digit Code from Memory. The Pianist visited Esme twice since the Events. With a soft click, the Door swings open. Guns at the ready, they step over the Threshold.
On the polished wooden Floor, they find Esme´s Boots and her Coat, where she let them fall to the Floor. Carefully, they move forward, securing the Rooms to the left and to the right. They step into the large living Room-Kitchen-Area.
Sophie still smells the faintest Air of Chloroform. On the burgundy-red Carpet, they find Esme´s Clothes in an untidy heap on the Floor. It is Ragna who spots the Teacher´s iPhone.
They search the Room. Not that they expect to find something important.
Suddenly, Merit cries out and points to the large Dining Table in the Centre of the Room.
It is made of Steel and Glass. On it, an Envelope. Heavy handmade Paper Chris can see. “Give it to me, Merit, please!” The Pianist holsters her Gun and pulls her Tanto.
On the Envelope she reads in Black Ink in a clear, plain Script: “To Christine Auguste Victoria Wilhelmine von der Marwitz.” Ragna watches Chris intently. For a split second, it seems as if her Friend wants to throw the Envelope to the Floor.
With one swift Movement, she cuts the Envelope open.
“There is one Sheet in it,” Chris tells her Friends.
“Let´s see it!” The Icelandress presses on.
Carefully, the other Blonde pulls the Sheet out and unfolds it, reads it, and hands it over to Sophie. “Read it aloud, would you? Someone likes his Theatrics!” She scoffs.
Chris Features betray nothing, but all feel it: The Room got colder.
Sophie clears her Throat and reads:
“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
And I saw and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”
Sophie stops and looks up.
Chris´s Face betrays nothing.
Ragna looks like the Valkyrie she is, ready for Ragnarök at Odin´s Side.
Merit looks confused:
“Where is that Text from?” She whispers, “What does it mean?”
“It is from the Bible. The Holy Scripture.” Sophie explains calmly. “The last Book. About the World´s Ending. The four Riders of the Apocalypse bring Death and Destruction.”
Merit comprehends the Information and nods, “The World´s Ending.” She whispers. “Whose World?”
“A good Question.” Chris looks Merit straight in the Eye. Esme is alive. Anna is alive. You would know if she were dead.”
“She sounds convincing.” Sophie thinks. “I would believe her.” The Lawyer knows how much it costs Chris to open those Doors to the Basalt Chamber, where she keeps every painful Memory under Lock and Key.
Chris produces an evidence Bag, takes the letter and the Envelope, and puts them in the Bag.
“Let´s go and find Anna and Esme.”
Ragna feels that icy Coldness, the grim Determination.
The Warrior Princess of the North is on the War Path.
Sophie watches in Astonishment as Chris bows, folds Esme´s Clothes, and puts them on the Couch. “She will need them when she gets back.” The Pianist shrugs.
She turns on her Heels and walks out.
Chris looks over her Shoulder “You Guys are coming?”
They walk down the Stairwell in Silence.
Chris steps out in the bleak Winter Sun.
The Sunlight reflects on the pristine white Snow.
She steps down the two Stairs onto the Tarmac.
She breathes in and closes her Eyes, enjoys the Sun on her Face.
The Blonde looks up at the Apartment Building across the Street.
A Reflection catches her Eye.
Sun on Glass.
That means …. “Sniper, on the Roof!” She calls.
The same Second two Hammer Blows hit her in the Chest.
Strangely enough, she feels nothing.
She loses control over her Body.
Chris glides down to the Floor.
She sees the clouded Sky above her.
Does not fully comprehend what has happened.
She coughs.
Coughs up blood.
Chris wants to get up. “Why am I lying on the Stairs?”
Everything is happening as if in Slow Motion.
Her Heart is pumping Blood.
Pumping Blood on the Tarmac.
Her Blood ….
Someone is screaming her Name ….
