Paragon

⊰❉⊱ 55 ⊰❉⊱

"The noir hero is a knight in blood caked armour. He's dirty and he does his best to deny the fact that he's a hero the whole time." 

― Frank Miller

It all burned.

The walls. The floor. Even the air around me as I raced through what was left of it all. I moved fast enough not to let the flames have the exposed parts of my skin but it still took layers off my hands, off my boots–

The heartbeats led me to the end of the hallway where half the ceiling had collapsed already and a swimming pool sized hole lay between me and the group of mortals barricaded behind a set of burning doors. There was no screaming. Which meant they had less time.

I cursed as another wave of flames tore through the air and took more of the ceiling away. The smoke was everywhere and I had only heartbeats and patches of clear view to guide me.

I took several paces back against the burning walls and ignored the damage my body was racing to heal on my skin. The bloodlust would seek its payment soon. It never let you have immortal power without its fair share in return.

I ran without another linger thought.

A blur of a fireman's jacket between an impossible distance and the remaining hallway. I landed in a roll and front kicked the doorway without any hesitation. The flames hadn't reached them inside but they were all unconscious. That made exposing myself less of a problem.

I took the largest two mortals first over my shoulder like a pack mule before taking the smaller child in my other arm close to my body.

The building shuddered.

I ignored the roaring in my instincts that demanded their liquid gold. The lifeblood that would make me faster, strong, heal better to–

I shook my head and leapt to the window kicking at the sides viciously before it all crumpled away into the night sky. It looked like the mortals had tried and failed to open it... A fatal flaw in modern designs. 

I had no such trouble.

A gaping hole now let in the fresh night air and sounds of sirens and screams below. I kept them firmly in my grip as I calculated the distance to the ground below. A seven floor drop even in my arms would be enough to kill them. I sighed through my nose and quickly untangled the largest mortal so I could have one free arm.

With the two of them over one shoulder I leapt from the lip of the hole in the building. The night air rushed us along with the smoke and flame clawing up the side of the building. But I sank my limbs into the stone of the building like icepicks and scaled the dangers down better than the most seasoned climber.

The problem was how much time it cost me.

As soon as I hit the tarmac on the side of the building I walked their unconscious bodies forward toward the back of an emergency vehicle. Its owners were too busy helping the rest of the smoky faced survivors.

It was then that I noticed my teeth sharp in my mouth. The thought of their scents hung a little too heavily on my jacket. I shook my head viciously and stared back up at the flaming building.

"Focus. God damn it." I growled.

I began the climb faster without the hinderance now. Without the need to consider the safety for those that didn't have the luxury of healing.

The flames kissed my skin as I yanked myself through the burning floor and into the hole in the window. My hands had resealed shut by the time I fell into the dark room with the unconscious mortal. I threw him onto my back and almost hissed when the desire hit me harder than it had in so long.