Jonathan was lying on the ground, curled up, coughing and panting, holding his aching arm.
"Jonathan, Jonathan!", Alexandra shouted, knelt down next to him, trying to help him up.
Jonathan straightened up slowly. His face was flushed and was wet from his tears. Despairingly, he gazed at Alexandra, but as he noticed the two men in the background, his eyes blazed with anger and Jonathan tried to push her away and attack the men again. The beefy man stepped forward.
"No, Jonathan, please, don't!", Alexandra yelled, holding him back with all her strength.
He fell back on to his knees, struggling as Alexandra gently touched his face.
"Jonathan, please, listen to me!", she shouted. "You have to calm down! You are not helping me like this!"
Jonathan stopped struggling.
"Alexandra!", he sobbed and she started to cry again. "We have to do something. We can't just let this happen…"
"My love, now will you just listen to me, very carefully, okay?", Alexandra said in a trembling voice, looking into Jonathan's eyes.
"Now you need to be brave, okay? You need to be strong for the both of us, do you hear me?"
"No, no I don't!", Jonathan cried, shaking his head, but Alexandra held him firmly.
"Yes, you will! You will fight and you will brave! Just as I will be brave and strong for the both of us. Just as I will fight. We'll do this together, do you hear me, Jonathan?"
Alexandra was expecting his answer, but he hesitated.
She
looked into his eyes, now hissing:
"Did you HEAR me?"
"Yes.. yes..", he whispered.
Alexandra's heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds when she looked at him, looking so broken. She didn't want to go, she didn't want to leave Jonathan, but she knew that her fate was now sealed.
Alexandra opened the clasp of the chain around her neck, holding an amulet. It had been a gift from her grandma. The necklace was very precious to Alexandra and she had worn it everyday, day and night, and last night too, as Jonathan and she had made love. Alexandra opened Jonathan's hand, placed the necklace into his palm and closed his hand again.
"Keep this for me...", she said softly.
"Alex ..", Jonathan whispered, then he pulled her towards him.
They embraced and kissed, one last time, clutching each other desperately.
"I love you..", Jonathan sobbed, kissing Alexandra's hand. "Don't forget this..."
The beefy man was approaching them again and now touched Alexandra at her shoulder.
"Having the good fortune of loving someone as much as you only have once in your life", she whispered and with these words she slipped out of Jonathan's arms, straightened up and followed Beefy without resistance to the last car, looking back at Jonathan all the time.
Alexandra's family was in the front car already; her mother and her brother crying, not in any condition to watch what was happening outside. Alexandra's father was sitting on his seat, crying and broken that he couldn't help his daughter. Beefy opened the door and Alexandra got into the car, without once taking away her eyes off Jonathan. Beefy now slammed the door and got into the front of the car. Jonathan was still on his knees and cried out, looking at the last car. The engines started and the cars started to move. Alexandra turned around to look at Jonathan, pressing her hand against the rear window. For a moment Jonathan just stared at her.
"Alex! ...Alex!", he yelled, awakening out of his lethargy, struggled to his feet and started running after the cars.
The cars kept speeding up and as he suddenly realized he would never catch up, Jonathan stopped. In a few moments, the cars disappeared on the horizon.
"Nooooo!" Jonathan screamed, fell on to his knees and cried bitterly, Alexandra's gift of love in his hands.