Our Late Nights

The Fire - Chapter 36

My aunt always told me a story has its turning point. Something or someone changes. Whether it's in real life or in fiction. She didn't tell me this to discourage me but i was a curious child and with no friends, no siblings i had resorted to reading. Like in any children's story book the tales are practically the same but in different fonts.

As I got older and explored more with no filter I found what I liked, romance. It was one of the reasons how I knew I was into the same gender other than the fact there's something otherworldly about women in general. Nevertheless in that case this was it for me.

A crackling sound woke me and I was glad to have done so. I knew by the smell and bathroom smokers that this was no ordinary 'I left my stove on' problem, "Faye wake up," My first priority was the woman who could sleep through anything sometimes, "God Faye this is not the time for you to sleep dormantly."

I shook her vigorously for the sake of her life but leapt out of the bed after no response. I tried to open the window in her room but the damn thing was painted shut. And I am so going to make her sue over this landlord special.

However the most strange thing about this was that no alarm was going off. Looking out the window no one was there so this could be going on with all the residents being oblivious. I could see smoke starting to come into the room as I searched for both her clothes. I didn't mind that she slept naked but in this instance i didn't want people to have a free show when we were out of this.

I could barely see in the dark as is and like a bonfire the smoke continued to quickly seep in, "Faye get up!," I was scared for a millisecond as she could be passed out. Who knows how long the fire could have been going on. But she instantaneously woke up in a coughing fit.

I had lifted her arms to put a shirt over her and had some pants for later. Then helped her out of bed as she must have been affected with how frail and hard it was for her to stand. Leaving through the bedroom door we were met with a room full of smog blinding us and making me have to fight for air. Faye was the one to push forward this time, gripping onto me so much that it could possibly leave marks.

We'd managed to get to the door and it was somehow worse in the halls. There was some screaming far off as a few people must have noticed their predicament by now.

My eyes were burning and I shut them tight relying solely on Faye's direction. We'd started running after snaps of the foundation were heard in a large variation. I was led to the fire escape stairs and briefly saw the fire alarm button.

Faye pulled on me to follow but I stood in place, going to break it. It must've been an older variation as the glass didn't break easily. Faye waited yet never relented, pulling on me to go. I resorted to punching the damn thing and finally after doing so the blazing siren set off.

We both rushed down the stairs and people started to join us pushing and shocking to save their own asses. There was too much commotion and hysteria somewhere close to the ground floor. Something hit me hard in the head. I clung to the railing hearing Faye call out for my name but it started her voice started to drift away.

The fumes were intoxicating and it didn't help that there were probably more people forcing themselves past me to try and keep upright. Hard hands gripped me but didn't help in trying to get out. They pulled me from the stairs onto one of the floors and easily pushed me down.

There was glass breaking and other unforeseeable sounds but I focused on the hooded figure. I mean why can't villains just show their faces once in a while? My question was answered but not in a nice way.

The figure stood his ground and forced my hand away from my shirt that covered my nose. I choked and could see red flames coming off of one apartment's front door off to our right. It could be a coincidence that he was on this floor right? No, of course it wasn't. He stupidly pulled his most likely preplanned mask off his face saying things I couldn't even hear.

Next was his foot crushing down on my torso. He wore the type of military boots in movies that could send you flying. He put his whole weight on me and I knew by the scourging pain sent through waves across my body that something must have broken.

I will forever thank the slightly scary man for eagerly opening the door. We were in the right proximity for it to hit some bottom part of the man causing him to fall over next to me. The tattooed dude lent out his hand waiting for me and the crook who was once there had now vanished. I was led out in company with some other people who must've been left behind by others.

The air outside was clean and fresh yet still had the reminisce from the inside. My lungs endured the worst and I couldn't help not breathing correctly. I frightfully looked around for Faye but it was impossible with what seemed to be the whole race surrounding me.

There were policemen ushering people from the building while firefighters tried to control it. For some reason my breathing strained towards wheezing. It was impenetrable how I cried for relief that I didn't know how to give.

It was only when my eyes somehow connected with hers from what seemed like a mile away that I finally listened. Falling out in front of a burning building would be a cool story for the grandkids. But first I need to actually make it out alive to see the green eyed fool behind bars.