Unhinged (Alexander Blix) by Thomas Enger & Jørn Lier Horst

Author:Thomas Enger & Jørn Lier Horst [Enger, Thomas & Horst, Jørn Lier]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orenda Books
Published: 2021-12-16T16:00:00+00:00

41

The echo from the gunshots rang round Blix’s head. Polmar’s body had collapsed into a pile on the floor. Blix stood there, gasping for breath. His face was cold, his hands clammy. His chest constricted. He registered every heartbeat, couldn’t get his brain to think clearly. His vision flickered in and out. He concentrated, focussing on Iselin. On the concrete floor, lifeless.

He called out her name. Forced his legs to move. Rushed towards the spiral staircase, but hit his head on something protruding from the wall. He fell back and lost grip of the pistol. Warm blood streamed down his head and into his eyes. The gun tumbled down the metal steps before sliding across the concrete and coming to a stop on the ground floor below him.

Blix pushed himself to his feet again. Jumped down the steps, taking several at a time. The construction shook violently beneath him.

Emma was already hovering over Iselin. Kneeling beside her, she had ripped the strip of duct tape off her mouth and removed the noose from around her neck, but moved aside once Blix reached them.

‘Iselin,’ he whispered, taking hold of her shoulders. ‘Can you hear me? Dad’s here. Dad’s here.’

A deep gurgle forced its way up her throat.

Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth, seeped out of one of her ears.

He lifted an eyelid. Her eye was bloodshot, the pupil unresponsive to the light.

He clasped a hand around her limp hand, lifted her chin up with the other so that she could breathe more easily, but he was scared of moving her any more than was necessary.

‘Iselin,’ he howled desperately and turned to Emma. She was standing behind him now, phone to her ear, already explaining the situation to an emergency operator.

‘Is she breathing?’ Emma asked, moving the phone away from her ear slightly.

Blix rested his ear on Iselin’s chest. He could hear gurgling, but was unsure whether she was trying to breathe or if it was the sound coming from her damaged internal organs.

‘I don’t know.’ His voice broke on the last word.

He held two fingers to her neck and waited. Registered a faint pulse. Emma relayed instructions from the emergency operator. Blix pulled Iselin’s chin down and blew twice into her mouth while pinching her nose. Her ribcage expanded, rising and sinking.

He pushed himself onto his knees again, interlocked one hand on top of the other and placed them on her chest. With his arms held out straight, he pushed down. Tried to find a steady rhythm, but knew he was doing it too quickly. He tried to compose himself, while his eyes still frantically searched Iselin’s face for signs of life.

Nothing.

He counted out loud, stopping at thirty, bending down to blow twice more into her mouth before returning to the chest compressions.

‘Come on,’ he told her. ‘Breathe. Breathe.’

He registered the sound of sirens in the distance. He glanced at Emma, knew that the ambulance couldn’t be here already. Abelvik must have deployed all units to their location.

‘Go outside, show them where we are.

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