Blaze

Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Helena fell to the ground on her back. I rushed to her side, and found the problem. A piece of red-hot shrapnel was buried in her gut. The metal had lodged itself deep, and now blood oozed steadily from the wound. She put her hands on the shrapnel, but then immediately jerked back from the searing heat.

I put my hand on it, making sure my grip was firm. I turned Helena's head away from her stomach, instead letting her face me. I gazed into her eyes and bit my lip before I spoke.

"It's going to be alright, don't worry." I said, voice hushed.

She nodded, gritting her teeth. I pulled the shard of metal out in one clean tug, dropping it on the floor. There was a small whimper as blood began to flood out. I covered the wound with one hand, pressing down. With my other hand I fished around in my belt for my phone. I pulled it out of my belt, speed-dialling for an ambulance.

"Hello? There was an explosion, beside Thames. My friend, she was hit by shrapnel...uh...Waterloo Truckyard. Pressure? Okay, hurry, please, shes bleeding out" I shoved the phone back in my pocket before I put my other hand on her stomach.

"They're coming, just hold on, just a little longer."

She nodded, biting down on her lip. She broke out into a coughing fit, and blood splattered from her lips.

It was a long five minutes before I heard the sirens. I took Helena's hand and placed them on the wounds.

"Hold it there, the ambulance is here."

I hoisted her up, one hand under her back and another under her knees. Running out of the truckyard, I stopped just in time so that the oncoming Prius didn't flatten the both of us. Dad stepped out of the car, his eyes wide.

"What...?"

"Mum's in there, in one of the cargo trucks near the control room. You'll know when you here Greg yelling."

He said no more, only nodding then running into the truckyard. The ambulance arrived a moment later, the paramedics jumping out the back with a stretcher. I went up to them, but they only stared at me.

"What are you waiting for? She's dying!"

They snapped into action, opening up the stretcher and allowing me to put Helena down. They brought her up into the ambulance, laying her down on a bed. The two of them shut the doors as the ambulance moved off and, with the help of two more paramedics, hooked her up to a system of detectors. Her heart racing as if she were running a marathon.

"Miss, you need to calm down." one of them said.

I took Helena's hand in mine, giving her a reassuring nod.

She gave me a weak smile, barely managing to talk. "You look miserable, smile."

I forced a smile for her. For the first time that night I noticed what she was wearing. A tight black top that hugged her features with khaki shorts. Blood had stained her shirt, staining it crimson. I squeezed her hand, and felt the tears streak my cheeks.

"She's not gonna make it," one of the paramedics whispered to his workmate, thinking we were out of earshot.

I gave him a cold death-stare and he shrank away. The other paramedic elbowed him, but everyone in the ambulance could see that he was right. Her heart rate continued to soar, increasing as every second past.

"She's going into shock." one of the paramedics said.

She seemed like the most senior of them, with a face that had been creased from years of work in her trade. My eyes darted to the moniter. Shock meant her blood pressure was dropping and her heart rate was rising. They moved in and began working, and I was forced to move aside. I could barely see what they did through the jumble of hands.

"Cardiac arrest!" one of them yelled.

My own heart nearly stopped when I heard that. The woman began CPR, but it was a lost cause. The door swung open and two more paramedics were waiting outside. They dropped the ramp, barely paying me any attention as they helped pull the bed out on its wheels.

I followed them out, helping them push it faster. They rushed into the emergency room, but one of the nurses of the hospital stopped me from following. There was no point fighting them. I sat outside, awaiting news. As nurses and doctors passed by, they stared at me. I was in the suit, but without my mask. Hundreds of people had seen my face tonight, there was no way they wouldn't be able to identify me.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the doctor walked out of the emergency room. I stood up to hear the news, but I already knew what he was going to say. Just as he opened his mouth to talk, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face a short, stout officer.

The cop had a brown bush for mustache, with hair combed back formally. He seemed to be pretty high-ranked.

"Son, I'm gonna have to get you to come with us."

At his flanks were two more, much younger officers. One was fairly-tall, with a buzz-cut. The other was more brawny, with centre-parted dark hair. In my eyes, they were no different to the Rooks. Just bullies who picked on others. I'd been raised to see cops as that. It was the way in Castling.

One of them stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs. I smacked away his hand and pushed past them, breaking into a sprint down the corridor.

"Stop!"

I heard one of them speak into a walkie-talkie. I threw the staircase doors open and leapt up the stairs. When I reached the second floor, I busted out the window, flying through broken glass. The police had surrounded the building, but that wasn't an obstacle. I dropped down onto a police car, landing with a thump, leaving a dent in the cheap roof of the police car. I jumped off and dashed across the road. A car smashed right into me, its headlight shattering from the impact. I didn't slow, rolling off the car and continuing back towards Thames.

I heard the sirens blare as I escaped into a park and away from the hospital. I didn't care for anything anymore.

*****

I walked out onto the banks of Thames. The litter that had collected on shore crunched under my feet. The city lights were beautiful at this time of night, breath-taking even. Off in the distance, smoke rose from two different places. But none of that mattered to me.

I walked up to the bank and fell to my knees, yelling my lungs out. I buried my face in my hands, letting the tears flow freely. I yelled and yelled till my throat became sore and my voice went hoarse. Why did the world have to be so unfair? Why had it made me and my family suffer for so long, along with so many people around the world. Why did I suddenly become a superhero, admired by many and showered in both hate and glory? Why did Helena have to die because of me? Why?

I smashed my hands onto the ground, and I felt the ground tremor. Fire rose from my fists and shoulders, spreading down my arms and back. The world was cruel. I was never a superstitious person, but I'd remembered once saying that I wouldn't worship God even if he existed, because he didn't take care of us like he should've. Now I just wanted to kill God. Whoever planned destiny was twisted and cruel.

After having sulked out on the bank of Thames for about an hour, I finally stood up, flames long dead and eyes red. I checked my phone. Thirty-seven calls from Dad. I turned around and began my long walk home, to Dad's place.