Our Fatal Flaws

Chapter 15: How The Hell Did We Survive That?

Lucy POV:

Have you ever seen those movies where the hero swings off a tall tower with a rope and then continues to save everyone like it's nothing?

Yeah, I have too. Let me tell you, it's not exactly that easy.

The actual jumping part was fine. The swinging? Not so much.

 When the rope ran out of slack, it felt like I had just been hit in the ribcage with a pole. I was most definitely winded and probably had at least two broken ribs. I might as well have just done this without the rope. Not to mention we were not facing forward, we were just spinning wildly, hurtling through the air at alarming speed.

Despite not being able to think see straight, I knew we were headed straight for the window. Lockwood pulled out a flare and his rapier.

He might have been acting tough but I could tell from his little wince that the impact had taken its toll on him too.

A few seconds before we made contact with the glass, Lockwood threw the flare at it. His aim was precise, even with all my flailing. Instinctively I covered my face. The glass shattered on contact and we soared through it, being pelted with sharp pieces.

Then we were out in the cold London air, leaving the oven we were previously in behind. I don't know how, but the rope came loose behind us, meaning instead of swinging backwards, we plummeted towards the ground below.

I closed my eyes and waited for the killing blow, but no killing blow came. I landed on something bouncy. I had landed on some kind of huge inflatable pillow. I tried to move but my limbs weren't responding to me. But none of that mattered as I felt the person beside me slip his hand into mine.

I managed to turn my head to look at him and meet his eyes. He held my gaze for a few seconds.

"How the hell did we survive that.." I whispered

He smiled softly, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

Soon, we both were yanked off the inflatable and put onto stretchers. A mask was put on my face and I felt myself growing sleepy, but the last thing I saw before everything went black, was Kipps and a doctor huddled around a small, black-haired girl, whose blue skin was slowly fading back to a normal colour. And a concerned-looking George who had left behind the cup of hot chocolate he had been given to come see how we were both doing.

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