Ash & Flame: Season One by Wilson Geiger

them back and watched the blood run down her fingers.
    Stop it. Just a little blood . She sniffed and wiped her fingers on her shirt. You're not scared .
    Sudden motion beyond the landing caught her eye. Her father pushed himself to his feet and launched himself towards Emma and the landing. Kevin shouted something and swiped at him with a giant hand, but Dad ignored him, his boots kicking up sand as he sprinted towards her. He winced with every step, and Emma's heart broke knowing how much he must hurt.
    The angel, so tall and massive, could probably have stopped him easily if he wanted to, like Dad was a gnat, but he didn't. He stared at Emma with those cold eyes for a moment, her heart racing, wondering what he was going to do. But he stepped aside, and let her father pass.
    He reached the landing and Emma's vision went dark around the edges. She tried to focus, opening her lids wide, but she felt so tired now. The voices faded and then suddenly fell silent as her father's hand wrapped around hers. She felt his fingers brush against her cheek, and one thought swirled in her mind as she let her eyes close.
    I don't want to jump .
    ▪▪▪
    This wasn't fair. Not that the world had been fair to Ren over the past few years, anything but. But as he watched Anne hover over his daughter, he was reminded again of just how useless he had become, like the cracks had finally started to show and someone would have to put him on a shelf before he took a wrong step and broke.
    Anne sat on a corner of the bed and leaned over Emma, a damp cloth pressed against her forehead. She did what Ren felt he should be doing, only, he was too busy pacing beside his bed, wondering how he could make her better. Wondering what would happen if she got worse. If he got worse.
    "Look, I think she'll be fine," Anne said. She left the cloth on Emma's forehead and rose to her feet. "She's breathing normally, and I don't think she has much of a fever. The bleeding's stopped, and her pupils look good."
    She crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, it’s not like we can get an x-ray, or an MRI. But I just think she got freaked out when that bird hit. Is that enough for you to stop pacing now?"
    Ren shook his head and felt the rueful half-smile spread across his lips. "You didn't see it, Anne. You didn't hear that angel call my daughter a demon. You didn't see that bastard Kevin's eyes when he called her the same, or watch as he wrapped his big goddamn hand around that pendant of his."
    And she couldn't have known this wasn't the first time Emma had freaked out. Not the first time her eyes had gone vacant, blood pouring from her nose, or she'd heard whispering voices in her head. Certainly not the first time Ren had nearly lost it, waiting for the time to come, when Emma wouldn't come back from one of her episodes.
    Not that he would ever admit that. Not out loud, at least.
    He looked at the peaceful, sleeping face of his daughter. "So, no, Anne, I'm not convinced that that's enough."
    It wasn't Anne's fault, and he knew he should apologize. Of everyone here at this compound, she had been the most helpful, and she genuinely seemed to care about his daughter. It was wrong of him to lash out at her, when the people he should be lashing out at were outside.
    No, not wrong. Cowardly.
    Ren sat down heavily on his bed, the springs creaking under his sudden weight. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, the stubble on his cheeks rough against his fingers. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
    "No, I didn't." Anne shook her head. She moved towards the door and paused, her hand on the knob. "But I understand. She's your daughter, and it's your job to protect her, no matter what."
    A job that I've been failing at, thank you very much. Miserably .
    The door clicked as Anne twisted the knob. "But who's going to protect you, Ren?"
    She swung the door open, and Kevin stood there in the doorway. His form blocked the sunlight, a frown on his face.
    "That's a really good