(This is happening while Angela faces her father on the roof, right before they get into the helicopter.)
ELIJAH
°°°°°°°°°°
Everything burns.
The air. My lungs. My skin.
Every breath feels like inhaling fire.
I stagger forward, my left arm feels numb. The bullet that grazed my shoulder earlier must have done much more damage than I thought.
When I reach up to grip my shoulder a sharp pain shoots from my side. I look down and see my shirt covered in blood.
I take a deep breath before pressing my hand hard against my side trying and failing to slow the bleeding.
Warmth seeps through my fingers, thick and relentless, dripping onto the ruined floor beneath me. Too much. It’s too much.
The explosion must’ve hit closer than I thought. My vision blurs, the edges darkening as I force one foot in front of the other.
Move. Just move.
The hallway is barely standing. Flames crawl up the walls, feeding on everything in their path. The ceiling groans above me, pieces of it already collapsing in chunks of burning debris.
I cough, choking on smoke, my body folding slightly before I force myself upright again. Not here. I’m not dying here. Another step.
My leg nearly gives out beneath me, pain shooting up from my side and into my chest. I slam my hand against the wall to steady myself, leaving a smear of blood behind.
Focus.
The roof. I just need to reach the roof. They’ll be there. She’ll be there. Angela. My Angel.
Her name hits harder than the pain. For a second...just a second - I see her.
The way she looks at me when she’s trying to be strong but isn’t. The way her voice softens when she says my name.
It almost makes me stop. Almost.
A loud crack echoes above me. My head snaps up just as part of the ceiling collapses. I barely move in time. A burning beam crashes down beside me, the impact sending me stumbling back. Heat licks at my skin, too close, too close-
“Shit-”
I push past it, ignoring the way my body screams in protest. The staircase. It’s just ahead. Half destroyed, but still standing. Good enough. I grab the railing and haul myself up the first step. Then the second. Then....my grip slips.
I drop to one knee with a sharp grunt, pain exploding through my side so violently it steals the air from my lungs.
Black spots flood my vision.
For a second, everything goes quiet.
Too quiet. No fire. No explosions. No pain.
Just....nothing.
My body sways. I’m not going to make it. The thought comes, clear and undeniable. And for the first time-
I believe it.
My hand tightens weakly around the railing. Angela.
The image of her flashes through my mind again- this time clearer. Stronger.
And it does something.
It pisses me off.
“No,” I rasp, forcing air back into my lungs. “Not… like this.”
I drag myself up again, step by step, my body shaking with every movement. Each step feels heavier. Slower. Like I’m sinking instead of climbing. Halfway up, another explosion rocks the building.
The staircase trembles violently beneath me.
“Come on…” I mutter through clenched teeth. A piece of metal slices across my arm as debris rains down, but I barely register it. Doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except-
The door - I'm sure leads to the roof - it’s right there.
Just a few more steps. Voices echo faintly above. Distant. Muffled.
I can’t make out the words- but I know.
They’re there. She’s there. But relief hits too soon.
My foot misses the next step. Everything tilts. And suddenly I’m falling.
My body slams hard against the stairs, pain detonating through me as I crash down several steps before coming to a brutal stop at the landing below.
A strangled groan tears from my throat.
I try to move...but nothing.
My body doesn’t respond. My chest rises sharply, struggling to pull in air that won’t come.
The roof door is still there. So close. Just above me.
I can see the faint light spilling through the cracks. I reach for it. My hand barely lifts off the ground before dropping again.
Too weak. I’m too-
Another explosion erupts somewhere below, the force of it shaking the entire structure.
The staircase groans.
Cracks.
Splits.
“No…” I breathe.
Not like this. Not when I was this close. I try again, forcing my arm forward, fingers dragging uselessly against the ground.
Angela, my love...
Her name is barely a thought now. Barely anything at all. The world starts to fade at the edges, darkness creeping in, swallowing everything piece by piece.
The fire feels distant now. The pain too.
Cold replaces it. Heavy.
Final.
My head drops against the step. My eyes fall shut. And for the first time in a long time-
I let go.
A deafening explosion rips through the building. The staircase collapses.
And Elijah Black disappears beneath the fire.
YOU ARE READING
FOREVER MINE
Romance[Book 2] ••••••••••• After constantly being lied to and betrayed from not only her family but also her once best friend, Angela finds it hard to be able to trust anyone again. What will Elijah do when Angela enters his life again? Will he be able t...
