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The air rushed by my face as I jumped after him. I willed myself getting closer, but that fraction of time that it caused me to think about this, made him have a head start. The only think I knew how to do was to make myself lighter. But I couldn't fly, not anymore. Not since I've slept. Making my body like an arrow, I tried to dive towards him. Just a little further, just enough to grab him.

As I reached for him, I looked at my reflection in the glass of the windows zooming by. There was an odd truth in this. A light shadow catching another, darker shadow. He'd been, for lack of a better word, evil. Not evil because he set out to hurt people, but evil through greed. Time, air and offices were whizzing by, counting down the moments I still had to try and do something.

And then what?

It had been the forty-second floor. A stupid detail that popped into my head and was considered almost immediately useless. Now I had him. Still over half the distance to go and nothing to do. He was completely unconscious. I tried to turn him around but thought the better of it. With all my might I tried to fly and succeeded in no more than slowing my fall only just a little. My father was too heavy, I too weak.

The building itself was no use either. This side was almost all glass. Nothing to hold on to. Ledges too small, useless. Everything running out. Options, time, distance. Gravity could be such a cruel mistress. The few times I was able to flirt with her freely felt so far away.

There was nothing I could do.

Another effort to pull him up. It didn't work. I felt it, but it was not enough. Not nearly enough. There was one thing I could do. Make it fast for him, make his body dead for certain. But...

It was a choice I had to make.

Either I could fail miserably in saving him, causing him lots of pain until he died, or I could point his head straight downwards and make sure it would hit the pavement that way.

Moving in a way I didn't know I could, I turned him around so he would hit the ground head on. And while that kind of solved my father's problem, a quick death rather than a painful one, it didn't solve my own.

Glass had been falling as well. The ground was littered with it. It looked very shattered, safety glass perhaps. But I was still falling. Could I take the hit of such a fall?

With all the strength I still had, I tried to turn around, having my legs and arms stretched out to float as best as I could. With all the energy in my body I concentrated to be light as a feather. So light that I could fly.

I didn't.

But I fell a lot slower.

All of this had my father only a tiny bit in front of me. So close to the ground already. I had just enough time to see him hit the ground at almost terminal velocity. His head exploded. The pressure of his brain and blood inside his skull forced by the ground, increased so much that spurts of blood and brain literally flew outwards and upwards from the impact. His shoulders were diving into the concrete as well, cracked but easily resisting.

It felt like some of it landed on me.

The power cut out just before I hit the ground. All the lights of the parking place gone. Maybe Seriph's doing, maybe something weird with power-lines just below where Jason, my father, hit the ground. It was a small miracle that caused confusion in the guards and relief in me. I could land unseen.

The most painful landing I could remember.

The amount of impact on my feet, legs and hips were bad enough. They were bearable but only just. It was my hands who got the worst of it. Landing on all fours seemed like a good idea, to spread out the force of the impact. And while that was all nice and well, what wasn't so nice was the tiny pieces of glass spread around like confetti over the concrete, celebrating Seriph's victory.

My hands pressed into them, the pieces pressed into my skin. I bit my tongue not to scream out. No time.

The guards were screaming among themselves, some turning around to go back to the building to see about the power outage, others finding the flashlight they were supposed to bring. The glass where I landed bloodies, but my hands weren't bleeding too badly. Pieces of glass in my skin kept it from pouring out.

I wasted no time looking at that too much though. As soon as the red blur of pain faded, I ran. There were camera's here, but they should be all disabled if I had to believe Seriph. I just took the shortest route possible, front gate, big jump, street crossed, buildings to climb. Too painful. Running further I looked to the lowest roofs I could possibly jump on. It took me too long.

But succeeded.

Finally arrived on the roof, possibly two blocks away already from the office building. My mind was too full to try and see if the power had been restored or if anyone had been following me. Though the way I had ran it was unlikely anyone could. I sat down and tried to realize what just happened.

I murdered someone. My father.

No, not murdered, helped murder.

Or failed to stop being murdered.

I didn't know which thought was worse.

A little out of character, but; Amy may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Except when she's thirsty, or protecting innocent girls.