Jon has survived the ordeal largely by remaining rooted to the spot in abject terror. He is not a skilled physical fighter by any stretch of the imagination, and if the now-unconscious boy had been in any shape to cause actual damage, Jon would have made an easy target. He doesn’t entirely understand what he just witnessed, but that’s less important now. This newcomer clearly needs help; it’s not hard to guess he’s likely lost a lot of blood and in desperate need of medical attention.

But Jon is no doctor. After giving Murmur an incredulous stare that he imagines the angel either won’t notice or won’t care about, he rushes forward in a panic and kneels on the ground next to boy. Surely he can at least check for a pulse, right? Even someone with no medical skill can do that. Hesitantly, Jon reaches out to loosen the black and white striped tie around the boy’s neck and gently presses two fingers to his neck, searching for a sign of life.

His skin is pale and clammy, and his pulse is irregular when Jon is able to find it, but it’s there. It might not be too late.

Jon shakes his head and violently shoves away the memory of an open door and the beckoning darkness within while another boy walks toward it, helpless to resist.

“We have to help him.”

Not exactly asking, but the expectation for Murmur to pitch in is the same.