Tied As One Eternally

Chapter 16: It Is A Long Way Down

**TRIGGER WARNING FOR VIOLENCE AND MURDER**

Terzo awoke to the sound of yelling and commotion in the halls. He rolled over, still half asleep, realizing he was there by himself. He looked at the clock over on the fireplace mantle and saw it was after 2 a.m. He pulled himself up noticing that Alé was still not back from the meeting with the siblings. Then there was a pounding at his door.

"Papa! Wake up! Open the door! It's Alessandra!" Dew yelled. Terzo shot up and out of bed, practically flying to the door. When he opened it, he found Dew's weary eyes staring back at him.

"What's going on?" Terzo asked, his heart pounding within his chest.

"She's hurt, someone assaulted her downstairs." Dew said, unable to catch his breath. Within an instant, Terzo and the ghoul ran downstairs. When they arrived, Terzo found Alé passed out in Rain's arms. He fell to the ground beside them, taking Alé from Rain's hands. He could tell she was alive thankfully but very badly injured.

Who would do something like this? I will fucking kill them, Terzo thought to himself, feeling the rage burning in his chest. He was ready for blood. He felt helpless, only sitting there while praying to Satan himself that Alé would be ok, as help was on its way. Not long after, Alessandra was rushed to the hospital. Terzo, riding with her and the ghouls–along with Cardinal Copia following closely behind them.

When they arrived, Alé was brought back for treatment while Terzo, Cardinal Copia, and the ghouls were made to stay outside as they worked to stabilize her. Terzo was slouched down in a chair, his head between his knees and hands holding the sides of his head. The tears of both pain and rage brimming his eyes.

"This can't be happening. It can't..." Terzo muttered to himself. The group could see just how distraught he was. None of them had ever seen their Papa in such a state. The Cardinal sat down next to him, his biretta in one hand and the other on Terzo's shoulder.

"Who could do something like this?" Mountain asked, shaking his head in disbelief. The ghouls sat huddled up, all together in the waiting area, trying not to garner too much attention.

"A fucking piece of shit that's who...I'm gonna–" Dewdrop began, a snarl leaving him as he bared his teeth.

"Dew calm down," Rain said, "there's nothing we can do...we don't know who's responsible."

"Papa, we will find who is responsible for this." the Cardinal assured him. Terzo sat in silence, the ghouls arguing around him and the Cardinal, doing his best to console him, at his side. Terzo's mind focused on his one and only concern. After about an hour, the group was greeted by a doctor from behind the operating room doors. The look on his face vexed, which immediately filled the group with anxiety.

"She has a concussion, there's a wound from the blunt force trauma on the back of her head that thankfully wasn't worse, and she also has a fractured rib and there was some abdominal trauma. Thankfully despite her injuries I believe she will pull through..."

"Oh thank Satanas!" The Cardinal cheered. The enormity of the words still finding their way through Terzo's mind, he was processing them in what felt like slow motion. When he finally did, the realization of "abdominal trauma" hit him.

"She's...she's pregnant." was all Terzo could get out.

"I will be honest with you. I don't know if...with the amount of injury she sustained...if there's much hope of saving the pregnancy."

"Oh fuck..." Mountain blurted out, he couldn't help but slip with shock. All the air felt as though it had been sucked out of the room. Terzo felt like he was dying inside. The words, a serrated blade that had managed to twist its way inside him, eviscerating him completely.