Maybe We'll fix Each Other

Chapter 30

Eri felt like her heart was in her throat. Her muscles were tense as she clung to the container door.

Her eyes scrunched shut, she huddled close to the metal as a large crash collided with the top of the container and shook it around her.

The warehouse was falling down around them.

And Hawks wouldn't wake up.

When the shaking settled, Eri forced her eyes open and shoved the door ajar.

Down on the floor, Hawks was lying awkwardly on his side. One of his wings was stretched back while the other was crunched up underneath him in a way that had to be painful.

Twice showing up had been terrifying, but just like with the Bullet in the shopping district, Hawks had saved her. He kept her safe.

But now that Twice was gone, Eri didn't know how she would get down to help him. The container was a good 8 feet up in the air, and she'd needed Hawks's help in the first place to even reach it.

"Hawks!" she tried again. Her eyes flicked up towards the ceiling as a board fell and nearly hit Hawks where he lay.

But still no response.

Eri felt tears well back into her eyes. She was as safe as she could be in the container, but what if something landed on him? What if he got hurt worse?

She set her jaw.

No.

She wouldn't let anything else happen to him.

Eri shoved the back of her hand across her eyes to force the tears away and inspected the drop before her.

The doors were rusted shut, but they did have metal bars that ran the height of the doors and connected to the handle. She would have to make it work.

Taking a breath, Eri turned so she could back her way over the ledge feet-first. She hesitated when she lowered a foot down and did her best to hook it around one of the tall metal bars.

She peered over her shoulder, feeling her heart pick up a little at the height. But she needed to do it for Hawks.

Forcing her eyes back forward, Eri gripped the ledge tightly with her hands and moved her other foot over so her hips were pressed against the corner and her legs hung over the ledge. She adjusted her other foot to match the first before pushing back.

Eri let out a little yelp as she slid a little bit as if on a fireman's pole, frantically clasping her hands on the metal bar in front of her. But as the metal was rusted, it cut harshly into her palms.

But Eri didn't let the pain get to her–she just gripped more tightly and got herself to stop.

Once she caught herself, she tried loosening her grip to slide a little more. And it worked! At least until her feet hit the container door's handle.

With a cry of surprise, Eri lost her grip and fell back, crashing the last few feet to the floor. It felt like the breath was knocked right out of her, and she had to take a moment to herself to get air back into her lungs.

She held back more tears as her hands stung worse and her legs were scraped up, the rust having torn through her leggings.

The sound of another metallic groan and some metal clanging to the floor in another part of the warehouse snapped her back to attention.

Eri sat up, ignoring the way her muscles screamed at her as she turned and scrambled to Hawks's side.

She desperately patted his cheek with one hand and pushed his sweaty hair out of his face with the other.