Chapter 4

The wind outside was growing stronger by the second. Thick black clouds hung so low they looked ready to swallow everything beneath them.

Mabel and Jason could barely keep their footing.

I watched Mabel's terrified expression through the window and spoke calmly.

"Your brother has PTSD, doesn't he? We wouldn't want him having some kind of episode in the middle of the flight. I'll open the door once he agrees to leave all that junk behind."

Mabel was still hesitating when Jason tugged on her sleeve and leaned over to whisper something in her ear.

When she looked up again, she immediately shouted, "Felix! Jason said okay! Now hurry up and open the door!"

Another powerful gust swept across the rooftop, knocking Mabel to the ground.

We had been together for three years, and despite everything, I still couldn't bring myself to leave her behind. I immediately told the pilot to open the cabin door and let them in.

Mabel had scraped her arm in the fall, but she still used all her strength to help Jason into the helicopter first.

But when it was her turn, she gathered up the action figures I had thrown out, stuffed them into a small box, and turned to me pleadingly.

"Felix, I know things have been hard on you lately with Jason's condition and everything.

"But I'm his sister, and he's only like this because he got hurt saving you. What else am I supposed to do?

"I'll leave everything else behind, but these are his favorite action figures. Please, just let me bring this one box. I promise I'll keep it by my feet. It won't take up your seat!"

In the end, I gave in.

But with her injured arm, Mabel couldn't lift the box into the helicopter, no matter how hard she tried.

She was having enough trouble just getting herself on board.

The wind was getting strong enough to uproot trees, so I didn't waste another second. I climbed back down and helped Mabel into the helicopter.

"Honey, the box!" Mabel pointed to the box still sitting on the rooftop. I limped over, picked it up, and struggled to push it into the cabin.

But just as I was climbing into the cabin, Jason rushed forward and shoved me back onto the rooftop.

I hit the ground hard, and a length of exposed rebar pierced my already broken leg. The pain was so excruciating that I couldn't even get back up.

I instinctively looked to Mabel for help, but she simply shut the cabin door without showing the slightest concern.

"Don't tell me this is the only rescue helicopter! If you're so determined to fight with Jason over everything, then stay out there and enjoy the breeze a little longer!"

The helicopter began to lift off. Through the window, I watched Mabel carefully buckle Jason into his seat before taking out his action figures and arranging them one by one on the empty passenger seat.

Jason pressed his face against the window and made a mocking face at me. I couldn't hear him over the engines, but I could read his lips perfectly.

"Idiot. I hope you die!"

Just then, my phone screen lit up. It was a psychiatric evaluation report from a prestigious mental health institution overseas.

The report confirmed that Jason didn't have PTSD at all.

Suddenly, everything fell into place.

I immediately called the emergency command center.

"Command, this is Felix Moore! The rescue helicopter assigned to me has been hijacked. Intercept it immediately!"