Chapter #4: Smoke
-PREVIOUSLY-
"Here is your pizza Mis- Oh, hey Brielle!" Tony said with a smile. He still had that childish smile. My heart hurt seeing it again after so long. He was a talker and a certainly didn't need to talk to him right now. I coughed, even though I wasn't sick. "Hey Ton, sorry can't talk now.. Sick." I spoke, covering my mouth with my elbow as I fake coughed. "Oh.. Sorry to hear that. Hope you get bet-" His phone started ringing and I could tell it was a recording right off the bat. His expression changed to panic and he shoved the pizza in my hand. The ring-tone was of a woman laughing, it sounded awful familiar. He flashed me an apologetic smile before waving and speed walking down the hall. I could barely make out the ring-tone anymore but I swear it was Melody's laugh. I swear.
-CURRENTLY-
I woke up to the thick smell of smoke. I instantly arose and practically flew to the window. I shoved aside the curtains as quick as possible. "Oh no." I whispered to myself. Throwing on my sweat pants and tee from yesterday I ran and swung my door open. I forced my feet to run even though I just woke up. I fumbled with my lock on the apartment door and eventually got it open, not even bothering to shut it as I ran down the hallway.
My feet eventually picked up speed and eventually I was out of the apartment running across the street without looking either way. I didn't care. I needed to get in that house. I couldn't hear sirens yet but I knew I would soon. I was having an adrenaline rush, this has only happened once before, when I was about to commit suicide. I instantly pushed that thought away, I didn't need to have a pity party right now.
I reached the door of the house. "Steven! Kathy!" I screamed, banging my fists on the wooden door. No response. "I'm coming in!" I yelled. I tried the door knob. Locked. There is only one other option. I banged my shoulder against the door, it hurt but that was the least of my concerns at the moment. One thing is for sure, you get a lot stronger when you have adrenaline on your side. I tried once more and the door flew open, the wood splitting underneath my strength.
The smell of smoke was overwhelming, made me dizzy. I pushed through the light-headedness, bringing my shirt up to my nose. I couldn't see clearly, the smoke burned my eyes. "Mr. and Mrs. Albert!" I screamed. My throat hurt too but again, I didn't care. I ran faster around the house. It only took me seconds to find Steven. He was under a burning book shelf. I pried it off of him with one swift motion. I placed his limp arm over my head and grabbed his body with my other. Amazing as it sounds, I had gotten the old man out. Part of me screamed that I should check his pulse but I needed to find Kathy first. I was more worried about her, she had breathing issues and I knew that smoke this thick could kill her. She was 83 years old on top of that, she wouldn't survive long. I ran back into the house as quick as possible.
Up-stairs was the worst. Fire and smoke consumed everything in-sight. I was positive that Kathy was up here. Positive. I ran straight into the flames, the heat was almost un-bearable but at the same time I could handle it. Not in the bathroom, not in the closet. My legs felt like they were on fire, which they were. I heard sirens. I had to get out. And quick. Running back down the stairs was the hardest. The adrenaline was gone and the pain was coming to me now. I knew I couldn't make it much longer. My lungs screamed for clean air, which I could not provide. My whole body ached and my legs burned.
I was about to collapse when finally I reached the door. Swinging it open I fell on my knees outside and gasped for air. I rolled on the ground, putting out the flames nipping at my thighs. The sirens coming closer, sounded as if they were 3 blocks away. Get up Bri. Closer. MOVE! 2 blocks away. I arose on shaky legs and ran, as fast as I could manage straight into my apartment.
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I lay on the sofa as Melody carefully wrapped my leg, it stung sometimes but I was feeling remarkably better. "There, all done!" She exclaimed, setting down the last of the gauz. I sat up and examined my leg. It was all white and didn't burn anymore, which was a good thing. "Thank you." I said, sitting up. Turns out the wounds weren't bad. I was mostly feeling the heat of the flame, my actually leg took minimal damage. "Are you sure you can stand?" She asked with a concerned expression on her face. I gave her the look that said : don't-you-dare-under-estimate-me. She laughed and stood aside and allowed me to go at my own pace. My arms and legs felt weak but I still managed to stand. I stayed like that for a few moments before walking without any trouble. I smiled and realized that I wasn't hurt as bad as I thought.
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Melody cooked me breakfast and made me take a nap, which made me feel a lot better. My throat still burned but I knew that would pass over time. The time was roughly 1:30 and I was still wanting to go to the mall. It took some convincing on Melody's part but after 30 minutes of jogging around the living room and saying I'm fine she gave in. I dressed in shorts and a simple tee-shirt. The shorts didn't cover up the gauze but it allowed my leg the most moving capability. My makeup was light and my hair was up in a simple braid, with a few loose strands hanging around my face. I knew people were going to me asking me all day "what happened to your leg?". Melody and I already decided that we would make up new stories each time, get a good laugh at each one.
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The day went by quicker than I thought it would, but at the end two things were for sure. Melody is hiding something from me... and I'm really tired. I'm not used to my friend keeping secrets from me but I surely can tell when she is. She was just acting... odd all day long. She kept her phone on silent and always walked away whenever someone did call. It made me remember Tony's ring-tone. I thought for a moment that she might be in a relationship with him. But I instantly pushed that thought away, she promised me that she would never make a move on him. That didn't stop the thought from coming back from time to time though, the girl on Tony's ring tone sounded too much like my friend. It can't be possible though. Can't.
~Harry's POV~
I finished brushing my teeth, flashing myself a smile in the mirror once. I walked over to my bed and slipped off all of my clothes, crawling under the sheets and turning on the TV. The news was on, which I hated. I reached for the remote and was about to turn the channel but something caught my eye. There was a picture of some girl on screen, it was fuzzy but she looked awfully familiar. I stared at the screen for a few seconds longer before the image disappeared. I rewinded the TV and listened to the whole article.
Apparently there was a fire, in which two people got caught in. An elderly couple, the man made it out alive but the old woman, Kathy was her name, didn't. Apparently there was a mystery girl, the hero. She saved the old mans life but instantly fled the scene. A jogger caught a picture of the girl and she is now issued a "BOTL" (be on the lookout). I paused the show at the image of the girl once more, knowing her from somewhere. Somewhere, but I wasn't sure where.
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Short chapter, yes I know. But the next will be a bit longer :) What are your thoughts on the story so far?
