BURNING DESIRE

Chapter 30

"Winter? Winter? Can you hear me?" Jack's voice echoed through the haze. It was frantic, raw—each syllable dripping with urgency. "Shit! Lewis! I've found her!" Jack shouted again, his voice slicing through my panic like a knife. My heart raced as I sprinted towards him.

There she lay—Winter—near the door, her body sprawled out in a way that suggested she had fought to escape but had succumbed instead to despair. The sight tore at my insides; it felt as if someone had ripped open my chest and set fire to my heart. "Fuck!" I gasped as I knelt beside her lifeless form. "Fuck!" My voice cracked in disbelief as I knelt beside her lifeless body. "Winter? It's okay; baby, I'm here." My hands trembled as I brushed her hair back from her face, desperately searching for signs of life. "Just hold on for me; please don't leave me! Oliver needs you!"

"Jack! Check the other rooms—Jimmy is in here somewhere!" My voice broke with desperation as Jack sprinted off into the suffocating darkness. I lifted Winter into my arms in a bridle-style hold; I needed to save her. As we moved deeper into hellfire and ash, The staircase groaned beneath us like an ancient beast awakening from slumber but offered no resistance as we stumbled downwards and out into fresh air.

I laid Winter down gently on the damp grass outside—a stark contrast to the chaos behind us—and pressed my fingers against her throat: nothing but silence met my frantic search for a pulse. C.P.R.—the words floated through my mind like an incantation meant to conjure life back into her body. "Please baby," tears streamed down my cheeks as desperation turned to raw anguish. "Please." "Mummy! Mummy! What's wrong with my mummy?" Oliver's small voice pierced through every ounce of pain gripping me—the sound so pure yet laden with confusion and terror made it impossible to breathe. As if summoned by fate itself, Dean and Mike appeared carrying another lifeless form between them—an echo of despair mingling with their frantic efforts at resuscitation—but all I could focus on was Winter lying before me, cold and still.

Jack runs over to me, "We found a male but
It's not looking good." he said sadly.
"Jack! Just Get Oliver out now!" My shout rang hollow even amidst chaos; he nodded grimly before disappearing.

Jack comes running back over to me. "Nicky has got them in the ambulance; Taylor is going with Oliver," Jack said urgently, his eyes darting toward where Winter lay—still and pale against the cold concrete. He knelt beside me, worry echoed deep in his eyes.

I glanced down at Winter's lifeless form. The Paramedics rushed forward, a whirlwind of green uniforms and frantic voices. They took over without hesitation, their practised hands moving swiftly to assess her condition.

I stood back but felt every ounce of despair claw at my throat as they yelled commands back and forth—an orchestra conducting a symphony of panic. And then came a sound I'd thought I would never hear again: "We have a heartbeat! She's back! Get her on the stretcher now!"

Hope flared within me but dimmed just as quickly when reality crashed down—I wasn't ready for this rollercoaster ride of emotions. As they lifted Winter onto the stretcher, I sprang into action, chasing after them like a moth drawn to flame. "No! Wait!" My voice broke through their efficient routine as I jumped into the back of the ambulance before anyone could stop me.

Inside, fluorescent lights buzzed overhead while paramedics worked feverishly around us—their faces masked by determination and urgency. The sounds were overwhelming: machines beeped insistently while sirens shrieked outside, Each sound amplified my dread until it felt suffocating. "Stay with me, Winter," I whispered fiercely as if she could hear me beyond this veil between life and death. Her skin was cold beneath my fingertips; I grasped her hand tightly—anchoring myself to hope amidst this storm of uncertainty.

Ten minutes—or perhaps hours—slipped by under that sterile glow as we hurtled toward salvation or doom down slick streets lined with indifferent buildings watching silently over our plight. Every jolt sent waves of fear crashing against my resolve; how could we lose her now? Then came another twist—a sharp intake from one paramedic who leaned closer to check Winter's vitals again.