HUMAN

Chapter 42 - Ember

"On three! One, two three!"

A tiger, dingo, and a badger heaved in unison, their muscles straining as they leveraged a bent rebar to lift the massive concrete slab that fell on their colleague. The weight resisted their efforts, immovable despite their combined strength.

The feline beneath the slab yelped in pain, her leg pinned and bleeding profusely. She clawed at the ground, trying to mask her fear. "Shit, c'mon!" The tiger yelled. With another heave, the slab began to show movement, the soot that gathered on top shifted ever so slightly and then the pry bar began to bend.

"Fuck, no use!" The tiger grabbed the pry bar and tossed it aside then picked up another one beside them. "One more!" They cannot give up. If they can move the slab just a few more inches and hold it there, she'll be able to crawl her way out.

That's if she can do that in the first place.

The air reeked of burning metal and melted plastic as the SIU headquarters began to crumble around them. No longer than ten minutes ago they were talking about their plans for the weekend, what they'll be up to, and what movie they'll be seeing at the theaters on Friday.

A flame that flashed throughout the building had torn all that away. Miraculously enough, the flash fire happened on the basement floor and had spared everyone from a cruel death by fire. The basement pillars were instead the one to take its toll, causing a domino effect of chaos throughout the building.

The once pristine corridors now filled with jagged debris and the guttural cries of Anthros trapped in the wreckage. Sparks rained down around them, hissing like serpents as the radiant heat made every metal around them searing hot.

The dingo released the rebar, stumbling back as he clutched his burnt palms. "Thomas, we can't keep doing this!" He cried out. "It's too much!"

"To hell we can't! We're closing to moving this son of a bitch there's still a chance if we-" The tiger was cut off by a hand landing on his forearm. He looked down at the feline underneath the wreckage and into her eyes.

A subtle nod was her answer. And Thomas knew what she was saying. Shaking his head, he grits his teeth and moved to another position of the slab and tried it there.

The badger dropped down to his knees from exhaustion and left Thomas to move the slab himself.

"Thomas, you idiot!" The feline called out. "The fires are closing in, just leave me. Please, get yourself out!" She commanded, but lying to herself won't help her. Thomas knew better than to leave her alone.

"No! We're close!" Tears streaked his soot-covered face. "Just give us more time Lisa!"

The building groaned in response, quickly reminding the group of the deadly situation that they're in. The badger placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thomas. . .the fires are closing in." He said, then turned to Lisa. "At this rate. . .none of us will make it." His voice was haggard.

"I. . .I. . ." Thomas couldn't drum up a response. A reason to keep going. He too knew himself that this was a losing battle. He hesitated and stared back at the feline. There was a glint in her eye, something that told him that she was okay with the decision. A faint smile tugged on her face.

"Thomas. Please live for me."

Her voice was steady, despite the fear in her eyes. Thomas' heart pounded. Lisa's trembling hand reaching toward him despite her words.

Time slowed as Thomas stared at her, his mind racing. The memories of their shared laughs, late nights in the office, and weekend plans all surged forward. Cruel reminders of what he was about to lose. His legs locked, his body frozen between instinct and resolve.