You Saved Me (Emison Fanfic)

Ch. 17 - Everything Started at Radley

AN: no internet or cable for a week+, fml, but thanks for hanging in there everyone!

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No One's POV

"CALEB!"

The heat from the fire made it sound like glass bombs were going off, the wooden beams supporting the ceiling groaned and Ali ran with wobbly legs straight into the dark clouds of smoke billowing from the unseen window and into the otherwise perfectly blue sky.

"Ali no!" Mona coughed from the floor, reaching her hand out to stop the blonde.

Alison's eyes burned, any vision lost to the blurry fuzziness from her tears coated eyes.

She reached forward until she was able to feel the wall, crouching low and letting her hands guide her towards the opening where the heat was close to unbearable.

"Caleb," she tried.

Ali found the window and stuck her hand in, "Caleb, grab my hand!"

She waited, not chancing her life to go back inside, "Caleb! Caleb, please!"

Alison was in pure panic now, one more call from risking it all to go in.

Her chest was heaving, pressed into the dirt and gravel and dead grass below her.

Then she felt small hands grab at her shoulders, but they were pulling her away from the building fire, away from Caleb.

"Ali, c'mon, get out of there!" Mona was pleading, using her body weight to try and pull Ali from inhaling any more smoke.

"No, let go Mona."

Alison's hand was still outstretched, "CALEB take my hand!"

"ALI, let's go!"

Alison was willing to let Mona pull her away until she felt a hand, grab hers and pull. Her eyes lit up and she grabbed at Mona's hand on her shoulder with her free hand, "Mona, help me, it's Caleb, help me!"

It took a moment for Alison's words to register before she got closer to the window and along with Alison's hand she found one of her own and pulled. The girls placed the bottoms of their feet against the outside of the window against the wall and straightened them, pulling the body from the window.

Straining every muscle they could while it was still so difficult to breathe, the girls pulled until Caleb's body slumped, his back against the ground, breathing low and labored.

Mona and Alison stood, grabbing Caleb's limp hands and dragging him to a clearing and collapsing next to him.

"Ali, is he-,"

"He's gonna be okay."

Alison propped herself on her elbow and pressed her ear to his chest, "he's still breathing, but barely."

Mona got up and coughed hard, they were dry coughs, each felt like she was swallowing strips of sandpaper, the friction down her throat with each breath to her lungs was painful.

"We've gotta," one more cough, "get," cough again, "him out of here."

Alison looked at the dark soot covering Caleb's face, the ashen clothes and took in the smell of the old burning building that drenched them.

"Then help me get him in my car, it's bigger." Ali reached her hand to Caleb's face and gently patted his cheek, "Caleb, wake up, get up, please, you have to get up."

Caleb's head lulled to the side and he barely uttered a low groan.

Ali tried again just before the sound of sirens was heard. The sound growing in octaves as it approached.