Descent

Chapter 29

Every bone in Mai's body groaned with the intensity of a rusted gate as she stumbled to her feet. Everyone was watching with bated breath as Dove somehow maneuvered her way out of exploding into a fiery inferno. Mai could swear she felt the tension in her body emitting off her body like a gas leak as she watched with a sliver of hope as La Grosse Patate began to make it's escape. The tension finally cracked - and not in Mai's favor. The windshield of La Grosse Patate exploded, the shards noticeable even from down in the arena. Mai's hands were instinctively raised to protect her face from the sharp edges showering down into the arena as La Grosse Patate began to spin wildly.

"Marvelous!" Raven clapped, her eyes glued to the sight.

The helicopter appeared to still be fighting the chaos that threatened to take it down, a testament to either Dove's tenacity to refuse to go down or Mai imagining any other scenario that did not involve her friend and brother dying a horrible, agonizing death. As La Grosse Patate disappeared behind the arena walls, she expected to see a plume of smoke, that fiery signal that hope had been lost.

But there was none.

Mai wasn't the only one confused by the lack of explosion. Raven's brows scrunched in thought, before cursing aloud.

"That sly little cunt."

Raven went to pull the radio back to her mouth, and that's when Mai took her shot. It was like trying to push against a cement wall. Mai's shoulder clashed into Raven's side. They moved hardly a few feet, but it was enough to get Raven off Nayeli, who took a welcomed gasp of air, her hands tracing the impact marks around her throat. Everything was happening quickly now. The ground shook and dirt flew up in the air as a rocket sped past them, nearly hitting all three of them. Nayeli scrambled to her feet, looking in the direction which La Grosse Patate had gone down.

"Mom!"

Mai's voice distracted her from her panic. Mai knew her mother would have taken off running without a second thought. She would not allow herself to hang in limbo waiting to see if she had to plan another funeral just months after burying her husband. But Mai needed her to sacrifice that motherly instinct, just this once. Mai would not allow any more blood to fall on her mother's hands. Mai would be the one to confirm or deny if they had truly lost a friend in the form of Dove. If they had truly just lost the boy with Jacob's eyes.

Nayeli looked at her daughter with pain edging on the verge of rage at the current situation, but was drawn away by painful cries coming from Vittoria. She was still hunched over, clutching her stomach as Thomas tried to coax her into moving.

"She's going into labor." He shouted.

Both Mai and Nayeli glanced back at one another, a silent agreement being formed between them, only explainable by the unbreakable bond they had formed by enduring the worst of the worst this world had tried to throw at them in an attempt to dissipate their family. Nayeli would get Vittoria to safety, and Mai would seek out Malik and Dove. She just had to deal with one big issue first.

Raven wrapped her arms under Mai, swinging her up in the air like a doll. As she was in midair, she watched as her mother dashed to the others, scooping Vittoria up before desperately heading to a side door leading into the arena. With the relief knowing they were out of harm's way for the time being, Mai prepared for the pain of being slammed down on the ground. She bent her head out of the way as much as she could, but she could feel the crushing pressure of her ear and shoulder taking most of the brute force. It was...dreadful to endure.

With Mai temporarily incapacitated, Raven grasped for her radio as another rocket shot by, looking to shake stop the other's from escaping.

"Stop firing you idiots and chase after them-"