"-THREE…
-STOP." The little girl came out motioning for him to stop. He smiled with a malicious grin, he moved away from the bleeding woman approaching carefully the scared child who watched her mom wrestling to stand up while she held the window frame.
"-hello little girl…are you ready to fly." She kept moving back. The mother dragged her legs to stop him but he slapped her till she fell on the ground.
The little girl ran to the rescue of her mom but he stopped her, grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to throw her from the window.
Gabi tried to resist his strong hold on her tiny hand but in vain.
She was near the window, at the edge crying and screaming but he didn't care less.
She felt her feet off the ground and started to panic.
She suddenly felt on the ground and blood stained her clothes. It wasn't a human blood it was black. Her mom pulled out the incubus blade and cut his hand.
"-you BITCH!" he jumped on her but he end up falling from the window.
Gabi smiled for a while at the tired face of her mom. It didn't last long before he drugged her with him grubbing her hair.
They fell down on the ground and a loud bang was heard.
She couldn't utter a single world neither move.
A moment later, the man got in glancing at the speechless young girl who was staring at the open window frame with fresh blood stains.
Her mom's blood.
Her father walked in seconds later and hurried to his girl.
"-Gabi! Gabi! Where is your mom? Answer me." But she didn't even blink at his furious and brutal behavior.
Elio took the girl and looked at her gently before hugging her tightly.
"-everything will be okay?"
At that instant, she cried, cried harder than ever.
"-you are lying, lying like she did to me. You are all liars like her. She left me… he took her." She said between sobs. Elio wiped her teeth and asked in a calm voice:
"-I can help you find her…just tell me where did he took your mom sweetheart. Crying now won't serve us anything." Gabi nodded and then pointed at the bloody window.
"-there."
Elio and the others spent the whole night searching for Gabrielle's wife, following blood drops.
The weather wasn't helping yet he didn't let the struggles put him down.
His wife stayed with Gabi.
The sun raised and they all got back home…with nothing. As expected.
At night, the usual time of their meeting in Elio's house,
"-I am leaving with my family tomorrow, I can't risk it more here!
-Mr. Besim I need you to calm down please.
-don't tell me to calm down. Our lives are in danger and you didn't bother to think about a plan to save us Mr. Candan…
***
"-hold on Mr. Besin is that annoying lady husband then who is Mr. Candan?
-yes and he is Ellie's father…you don't know your lover's family name.
-she isn't can you stop!
-can you let me finish my story?"
***
"-…my beautiful wife is at home and I can't imagine losing her.
-trust me no one would take her even for free" Elio's wife whispered but her husband heard her and shook in head in disappointment.
"-I already have a plan but you won't like it.
-spill it Candan I will do anything to bring back my wife." Gabrielle said firmly.
"-are you willing to help that much Gabrielle?
-just say what you want and every man here will follow your orders." Elio nodded while others didn't like it.
"-listen everyone…tomorrow will be a long night and I want you to be well prepared.
-why?" someone asked
"-we have some friends to visit."
The next night, all the men were prepared with armories and shields. They said goodbye to their families and head straight to the dark forest.
"-Miss Candan, do you think my father and uncle Elio will find my mom?
-yes dear…we need to have faith in them." The red-haired woman said looking at their shadows disappearing with hidden prayers for their safety.
Gabrielle showed them the way knowing the way like the back of his hand.
They walked for miles and miles, and nothing.
"-I am tired of that shit Elio.
-we are on the right direction! Keep moving and stop whining like a grandma Besim!" Gabrielle said and the sound of protesting shut down.
Elio mouthed thank you for Gabrielle but he shot:
"-we better succeed or I will kill you myself." He pushed his shoulder and walked past him.
They all stopped to rest and Besim made a circle around them with a white small grains.
"-what are you doing?" a man from the group asked
"-it's a better clearer now so I thought I should patrol the area. You know for any unpredictable danger…you should thank me.
-bullshit, we are still a bit far from their area.
-ungrateful douchebag." Besim murmured under his breath:"-let's see who will made it to the end."
One of the man was drinking water, he smelt something suffocating and he drop his bottle down.
The smell increased and white-greyish fume started to appear hurting his eyes and suffocating him even more.
He tried to push away the odd gas that got mixed with fog with his hand. He pulled back shrieking.
Every men turned his attention to the half invisible guy jumping and watering his hand to scream louder this time.
Elio walked to check on him, he thought it was a poisoned plan but he stopped when he was able to identify the bones of the man's hand between the fog.
"-EVERYONE! Don't step outside the circle!" Elio warned and he teared some tissue from his shirt and wrapped tightly around the man's hand; hoping it would help.
"-I want you to keep calm, stay closer to each other and most important do not get near this wall of gas." He explained:"-till we find a way out."
They stopped what they were doing, no one dared to utter a word.
The more they stayed the more suffocating it gets the more the tension raised between men.
"-Are we going to stay the whole night here Elio! Our families are in danger while we are here dying at our ease by an unknown gas!
-I know just give me some time I will make a plan.
-Yeah of course! We will give you time to find a better ASSASINATION ATTEMPT!
-Listen Marcos I need you to trust me. I promise…
-you and never ending vows, I am done with you! And those bunch of idiots following you like DOG…" and a strong punch was thrown across his face till he fell down unconscious. Gabrielle looked at his unmoving body then glanced at the others then asked calmly:
"-Does anyone have something else to say? ...No, perfect.
-Thanks but…
-Don't thank me…use your brain properly and fast or I will use your body to pass through." He left Elio and went to stay on his spot. The red-haired man stopped for a while processing everything.
Out of the blue he grabbed their last water bottle and soaked a piece of cloth with it.
They all yelled at him but he didn't care.
He throw it in the wall line and it was set on fire till it was ash. He thrown later a dry branch but nothing happened. He smirked while others was dumbfounded.
"-Either you give us a useful plan or we will drink your blood as a life support.
-you can when we will pass through but I highly doubt my blood is more nourishing than water outside.
-but we will all melt if we get near it.
-or end up suffocated to death burning your lungs.
-what's the plan…
They found an old trunk that was only fitting for one person and some dry brunches.
They all fought for whom to go out first till Besim proposed:
"-I am the oldest here I should go first at least if I died. It won't be a big difference." Elio hesitated:
"-I think Chares is a better fit for the job.
-You would sacrifice a young youthful soul for that dangerous experience.
-he is younger and have a better immunity than you.
-just say you don't trust me Candan!
-Quit it old man, he said what he said and now help him with the suit you are the best at attaching patterns between all of us." Gabrielle announced and the old Besim went to help the called Chares who said to Elio:
"-thanks for choosing me.
-it was Gabrielle's and I trust him so you…good luck friend…