Burn Out (ONC 2021) ✔

Chapter 10

Cassie was fidgeting, breathing hard and all efforts to steady her hands had proved abortive. She looked up helplessly at Logan as sweat trickled down her forehead.

Flame had only offered fifteen minutes before they returned with one of their other personalities. This time, to murder both of them.

If only 15 minutes was time enough to use these good-for-nothing hands to set herself and Logan free and find a way out.

"Cassie, what's going on?"

"I c-can't..." She stuttered taking shallow breaths.

"Hey. Hey, look at me. You need to calm down. You need to breathe. You can do this. You can do this." Logan kept muttering encouraging words as she fought her nerves and struggled with the key to release herself from the handcuff.

After what felt like 48 hours, she succeeded.

Cassie leaned against the pole and closed her eyes to take in some air. "Good job." Logan's voice snapped her back to their reality and she could recollect that they hardly had any time left.

She got up and hurried towards him to release him. Lucky for her, this was much easier and once he was free, she embraced him. It was a reaction in the spur of the moment, as she felt so much burden lifted off her shoulders.

"So, how do we get out of here?"

Logan collected the key from her.  "I think... Flame looked at the window," he said, walking towards it.

"That was a clue?" She asked as she trailed behind him closely.

He pushed the window open even further and put his hand through the burglary, trying to find the lock.

A transient look of relief on his face told her he'd found it. And even after he'd gotten it open, the aperture was still quite small. It looked like getting out of here would require having to drag themselves out on their bellies.

"You go first," he whispered to Cassie.

She looked out into the terrifying, thick blackness. But at the thought of Flame returning in probably less than two minutes, she chose the lesser evil.

Cassie put her head through the hole and used her hands as support to pull herself through. She must've sustained some injuries on her trunk. But right now, there was so much adrenaline, she could hardly feel anything.

She got out and bent down, waiting for Logan who was right behind her.

"What do we do next?" She asked as he locked the burglary window.

He buried his face in his hands and replied with a similar whisper, "I don't know." 

"You're supposed to know. Think."

"Okay... Okay." He tried to calm himself down so he could take Cassie's advice. 

Cassie listened in the eerie silence of the night and she was convinced she could definitely hear footsteps. "I think they've gotten into the room. What do we do now?"

"Run!" Logan said.

That did not sound like a carefully thought-out decision. It was more like a last resort to survival. Without giving her any second to further process or digest the information, he held her hands tightly and led her as they began running into the night.

After a few minutes, which was more like an eternity, Cassie felt like all the air had escaped her lungs. She was drenched in cold sweat and tears and almost believed that if she took one more step, she might not survive it.