RUN!

51

   The smoke fills my lungs at once and I can't help bending over. Next to me, Avery's trying hard to cover her nose to inhale as little smoke as possible. Declan has his back resting on the wall and already looks far gone. For a moment I forget he's Declan the kidnapper and see him as just Declan my jerk classmate. I want to help him. But I have to help myself first.

  I scan the room, most of it is already in flames and there's really no way we can come out of this unscathed. If only I had a big cloth to cover us with...Hey! I think I do!

"Wait here for a second," I tell Avery before dashing back into the hidden room. The duvet on the bed is large enough for two people but I'm not sure just how flammable it is. I'm hoping we'll be fast enough to get rid of it before it skins us alive. I drag it off the bed and run back to the door, where things are getting worse.

"Avery, can you run?" I ask her, draping one side of the duvet over her shoulder. She looks as scared as hell but she nods regardless of her fear. I take her right palm in mine and wrap my hand around her wrist.

"I've got you. Just close your eyes and run. In one, two, three...RUN!"

We jump into the room at once, ignoring the blazing heat that engulfs us as well as the feel of fire dangerously close to piercing our skins. The room is small so it's a short run out of it but the fire is everywhere now so we just keep running. Where there's an obstacle, we jump over it or run around it. And we're almost out of the house, the third stairs to be precise when the handle collapses.

"EEEKKK!" Avery screams as she jumps away from the handle. The sounds of sirens are faint but present. Finally, it's about time they got here.

"We're going to have to jump—"

"Why don't you just give it a rest," a new voice interrupts me. I raise my head to see Declan, injured and with several patches of burnt skin.

"How are you even here?" I snarl.

"There are several paths in this house. That's why you never found her," he bloats.

"The house is burning. What more do you want!?"

"You can't leave here Adonis. At least not with her."

"Just how sick are you!? This is insane Declan! Get over it, you lost. The police are outside and everyone saw you coming here. Accept your crime and maybe the punishment won't be so bad!"

"It's not my crime! I did nothing wrong so why am I the one suffering!? I'm not going to suffer alone, if I go down, you're all going down with me!"

"What are you—" the other handle collapses, sending the stairs toppling down. Screams fill the air but I'm not sure of who. I only know for sure that I never let go of Avery as we roll down with the burning duvet over us. Declan steps away from us as the fire spreads across the room. I open my mouth to speak but only end up of choking on the smoke.

"You shouldn't have butted in King," Declan sneers at me. I strain myself by raising my head a bit higher just so I can see the sick look on his face and I almost miss the shadow behind him. I instinctively draw Avery closer to me.

"You- you already...lost," I choke out. The strength in by body sapping away like trickling water. He chuckles softly then kneels close to me.

"I know. But you didn't win either did you? You're burning to death."

"Fuck you," I spit.

"Shut the fuck—"

THUD.

Declan collapses in front of me like a log of wood, revealing my best friend standing in the middle of the smoke. Lee pushes Declan away and bends down to inspect me.