My Ruination

Chapter 2.

~Maahira~

Once again, I rushed back into the scene, using the House of Horrors as my shield and ducking and crawling to reach the upturned cart. I sat down on the grass beside the little boy as he realized the new presence beside him and slowly looked up. His amber eyes was affixiated on my face and tears streamed down his cheeks. He was barely around 3 years old.

"I am...I am scared." He choked from between his sobs, his words slightly gibberish. I felt my heart shattering into little pieces and the pointed edges piercing sharply. To be stuck in something so dangerous like this without any of your family, feels like the end of the world to a toddler.

"You can trust me, okay. You are safe now, I promise." I pulled his little trembling body into my lap as the fire spread towards the wild, unkempt bushes and the gunshots prevailed at a steady rate. I could only hope that they were actually not killing people because without any help, every single one of us were unarmed and outnumbered.

His sobbing reduced to light sniffles as I discreetly rose my head to check how far the gang were headed. And luckily they were headed to the direction of ferris wheel and other rides. But not before lighting the House of Mirrors on fire. I watched the fire spread to the peak of the house through the electricity cables as every inch of the structure burnt and withered away. The foundations used to make the whole thing stand upright was going to collapse soon. And guessing the distance between us, it was likely to fall on us.

"Baby, we are going run out of here really fast, alright? I want you to hold me tight and close your eyes." I instructed him politely as he hugged me tightly, wrapping his hands around my neck. It was the peak winter months even if the wildfire saved our faces from freezing over.

The kid was impeccably dressed against winter but I hid his little body under my bulky denim jacket so if the fire somehow reached us, he is not the first person to feel the grunt. I supported him up with my hand under his butt and ran for our lives.

I had barely made it at a considerable safe distance from the House of Mirrors when it collapsed. The makeshift pillars and wooden slabs came roaring down, blazing with fiery flames and blocking both my path forward and behind.

"Are you a superhero?" The boy mumbled from beside my neck as I searched just a small escape route, just any to get us across. I was no superhero, hell, I would have flied off instead of jumping and sneaking and ducking on the ground. But an innocent child imagining you as his superhero made your heart swell and burst at it's seams. It pushed me not give up, to not panic or lose my composure.

"Maybe. But you have to call me Maahi. This is our secret." I engaged with him, trying to keep this scene less traumatizing in his mind. I spotted a small opening where two wooden pillars criss-crossed each other over a wooden block and an upturned cart.

If I somehow removed the cart slightly, it would create just enough space for us crawl out. If I were to pursue this way, I would have do it immediately because the fire from the ends of the wooden pillars were spreading towards the block and the cart.

I detached the boy from my body and removed my jacket, throwing it over his head and wrapping it around him like a blanket. "Are you going to use magic?" He asked, his voice muffled from under my jacket.

"Yes. And I want to keep the jacket around yourself, okay?" I said as I rushed us towards the cart and pushed the cart towards the block, trying to close the distance between them. The cart was insanely heavy by itself, the weight of the pillars already weighing them down as it is. For a moment, I felt like I couldn't do it. For a moment, I fell like this was the monumental change in my life- not being able to survive, not being to fight.

But this child deserved his fair chance at life. He didn't deserve to face the consequences of me accepting defeat. That was on me. I pushed and kicked the cart and it moved well enough to create a tight space for us to get in.

I grabbed the boy's blanketed form and laid him on my side as we slowly slipped out. I made sure there were no more burning obstacles over our heads before getting up and pulling the toddler up along with myself.

"We did it." He squealed and jumped but not approaching to throw off the jacket, patiently waiting for my instruction. I raised his form in my arms as I ran out and cheered him,
"Yes. We did it. And you were so strong."

"My daddy says I am very strong. He will fight the bad guys now." The kid said, the fascination and appreciation evidently bouncing off his voice. The police swarmed the place as soon as we reached the main exit but how was I supposed to recognize his family? I am certain they are waiting for him but where?

I pushed past the terrified and bawling crowd of parents and children, looking around for basically anyone when the boy on my shoulder let out an overjoyed scream, "Daddy." I flipped around in the direction he pointed and noticed his father.

He was holding a walkie-talkie in his hand, dressed black sweater and slacks with a leather jacket. He was commanding the air around him, holding the authority and the situation under his total control. The panic and the terror on his face were substantially visible but I noticed rage and fury in his whiskey eyes. I looked up to realise the little bundle in my arm was his son as the men behind him put down their rifles, rushing away probably to get a first-aid kit as the man rushed in our direction.