Jimmy gripped the Flying Broomstick's handle tightly with both hands, trying to gain altitude and keep himself from falling.
It was obviously futile. The Flying Broomstick had completely failed and could no longer slow his descent.
Listening to the whooshing wind by his ears, panic crept into his voice. "What's going on?"
What answered Jimmy was a shrill whistling that tore through the night sky.
It was not the wind caused by their falling bodies, but the explosive crack of bullets tearing through the air.
Even before the bullets' crack came the flickering muzzle flashes from the factory below.
The moment they saw the flashes, the hearts of Jimmy and the other two sank, and despair spread through them.
Although the magical world and the Muggle world had only recently begun to make contact, as MACUSA employees working on the front lines, they understood the power of No-Maj firearms far better than ordinary wizards did.
They were only thirty meters from the ground. At this distance, they had no way to cast complete spells to defend against the fierce barrage below.
Liam Graves, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, understood this as well. He had already ordered a batch of magical items, but they were still being made and had not yet been issued to them.
Death seemed almost within reach.
The whistling was just as imminent, and time seemed to stretch out at that moment.
The flashes below formed an unbroken blaze, painfully bright and nearly drowning out their vision, stirring up memories and regrets from the past...
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
A string of dull impacts rang out, violently pulling Jimmy and the other two back to reality.
The sound of air currents from their fall, the explosive crack of bullets cutting through the air, and