"What the hell is going on?" screamed Paul as the fourth shot rang out in the silence. The officer who was nearest to him was on his radio, trying to figure out the same thing.

"That's been four-what can you see?" he demanded. "Shit. Give the order, we can't help her anymore."

"What the hell is going on?" Paul demanded, as a line of cops suddenly ran into the building. Paul knew that something was horribly wrong. He stood in front of the officer and made him look him in the eye.

"What is going on?" he demanded once more.

"The bastard shot her. The men on the roof saw it. They're going in. We'll get him, don't worry about that." Paul felt the knot in his stomach suddenly rip out of it's location.

"What about her?" he asked desperately.

"We don't know yet," was the frank, hopeless reply.

* * * *

Noise. That was the only thing that she was certain of. There was a lot of noise all around her; gunfire; shouting; sirens; glass breaking.

And she was in the middle of it. It was so loud, it was debilitating. She couldn't sense anything else, just noise. It was resonating all around her, echoing, filling every available crevice.

Her eyes fluttered open and she saw shards of glass in front of her hands, which were in front of her face. Her hands seemed lifeless, until she realised that she couldn't move them. She saw blood on them, dried there earlier from her head. She closed her eyes, the sharpness of the sound was making it hard for her to keep them open.

The noise persisted and all she wanted was for it to end, for the roaring to stop. And suddenly it did. Darkness was all around her and it was a peaceful darkness. It was the kind that brought sleep, the everlasting kind. She knew it was in the room, in the corner, just waiting for it's moment to take her.

She fought. She didn't want it, she fought against the burning need to succumb to it. The noise was gone, the horrible roaring had ended but with the silence came a terrifying consequence.

I never got to tell him, she pleaded with the cloud of darkness, but it wouldn't relent. It continued it's pursuit, wearing down her resolve.

Promising peace and an end to the pain, it lulled around her despite her protests that she felt no pain. There was no pain, only fear and determination. She wanted to live, she didn't want to give in.

The pain within, the one that just would not heal. I can end it, the darkness promised. It slowly settled around her, knowing that victory was in it's grasp, now wanting to take it's time. She relaxed, beginning to feel warmth radiate throughout her, comforting her, easing around her.

The deep sea of silence was beginning to fade away, and yet quiet still resided. True quiet, not the false façade the darkness brought with it. With this silence brought panic.

She began to fight again, but her foe was cunning. Why stay and face the pain? Peace, forever peace will be yours. Join me, it sang to her.

Why stay? What reason do you have? it questioned relentlessly. She was reeling, her strength slowly ebbing away from her.

And then she heard it. The faint traces of a melody, calling to her, singing to her. Unlike that of the darkness, it made no promise, it didn't fight against her, but it didn't fight with her either.

It just sang to her. It carried with it the voice she had known so well. She remembered him and her desire to tell him all that she needed to. I have to tell him, he's calling to me.

She was floating away, the darkness was all around her now, blocking everything in an attempt to block out the melody that was giving her resolve, giving her will. She felt it tighten around her viscously, trying to crush the resonating strains.

She heard the voice, pure and clear and felt the darkness shudder and withdraw it's grip a slight bit. That was all she needed. She fought against it, beating it back, trying desperately to hand on to the melody, to win, to answer the call of the voice.

She felt something within her tighten and then withdraw suddenly and it was gone. She felt it's emptiness and knew it for what it was. Strength or no, she fought against the darkness will all she had, fuelled by rage and sorrow. The melody was behind her, encouraging her in her war.

And suddenly the darkness disappeared. She felt it's grasp around her slip away, taking part of her with it, but no all of it. As the blanket of numbness subsided, voices, sirens, all blaring, returned to her.

And pain. She was thrust back into the reality of the pain that the darkness had disguised, hidden from her. As she felt her body on fire from it, she listened for the song.

Her eyes burst open, she could see faces and lights, but she couldn't find his. He wasn't there. It had been an illusion.

Gasping in pain, she struggled to find his face. But she couldn't, no matter where she looked. And suddenly the noises around her seemed to dull and she could hear the sound in the background and recognised it as the same song that she had been hearing all day, the one that Anna had left on repeat.