Angelus Ultionis

Chapter 3

Michael's POV:

As my phone buzzed, I saw Jane’s name flash across the screen. I smiled, excited to hear from her. Maybe she was calling to update me about the divorce or just to talk about Tommy’s field trip. Without hesitation, I answered the call. But instead of her usual cheerful greeting, I was met with a sound that sent a chill down my spine.

“Please… no... please, don’t hurt my son... I’ll give you anything, just don’t hurt him... Tommy!”

Her voice—raw, broken, and full of fear—echoed in my ear. My heart began to race, confusion and panic crashing over me as I tried to make sense of what I was hearing. Her pleading, desperate tone was so foreign, so terrifying. “Jane?” I called out, but she didn’t hear me. I could hear every horrifying word, her cries for help, the unmistakable panic in her voice. Something was terribly wrong.

I tried to speak again, but my voice caught in my throat. I froze for a second, listening to the chaos on the other end of the line. And then, through the muffled sounds of a struggle, I heard it—the gunshot. The sound cut through me like a knife, and my heart dropped. “Jane? Jane!” I screamed into the phone, but there was no answer, only the horrifying silence that followed.

My hands were shaking as I quickly hung up and dialed the police. “Please, send help to my sister’s house,” I stammered, giving them her address with a voice full of urgency. “There’s been a break-in… and I think… I think someone’s been shot.” My chest tightened as I said the words, but I couldn’t let myself fall apart, not now. I immediately called for paramedics too, praying they could get there in time.

The moment I hung up with the paramedics and police, my heart was still pounding, and I knew I couldn’t just sit here waiting for news. I needed to be with Jane and Tommy. I needed to be there for them.

Without wasting another second, I grabbed my phone and dialed a close friend of mine, someone who I knew could help. Greg owned a private plane, and we had been friends for years. He was the only person who could get me to my sister quickly enough. The phone barely rang before he picked up.

“Greg, I need a huge favor,” I said, my voice trembling with the weight of what had just happened. “It’s an emergency—my sister and nephew—they’ve been hurt, and I need to get to them. Please, can you fly me to the hospital?”

His response was immediate. “Of course, Michael. I’ll have the plane ready in less than an hour. Meet me at the airstrip.”

Relief washed over me, but the urgency of the situation kept me from feeling anything close to calm. I quickly packed a bag, my hands shaking the entire time. My mind raced with the worst possibilities, but I forced myself to stay focused. I had to get to Jane and Tommy. That was all that mattered right now.

Minutes felt like hours as I raced to the airstrip. Greg was waiting for me, and as I boarded the plane, the weight of the situation settled deeper in my chest. I couldn’t shake the sound of Jane’s voice from my head—the fear, the pleading. I had to get there. I had to be with them.

As the plane lifted off, I sat in silence, staring out the window, praying that I wasn’t too late.

I sat in the dimly lit cabin of the plane, the hum of the engines and the empty seats around me felt suffocating. My mind was racing, replaying Jane’s frantic voice on the phone and the gunshot that sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t get the image of my little nephew, Tommy, out of my head—his innocent face, the way he would laugh at the smallest things. The thought of him being hurt made my stomach churn.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Sally. She picked up almost immediately, the tension in her voice clear even before I spoke.

“Sally, something terrible happened,” I began, my voice low, trying to hold back the rising panic. “There was a break-in at Jane’s house… Tommy… he’s been shot.”