Confusion

Chapter Seventeen

My hand went to my head instantly, I'd hit it on the cushion of the head rest. Jesus that hurt.

Then I looked to my right immediately to see Robby with his eyes closed, he was breathing though, he must just be unconscious.

"Babe! Babe wake up" I called through my gas mask, shaking him.

His eyes fluttered open and he smiled at me briefly, before a look of realisation washed over his face, causing him to sit upright rapidly, gripping my hand tightly and looking around.

I copied him, looking around at what, ten minutes ago, was rows of lively people, talking and laughing and joking, now all that was in there place was bodies.

They were all dead.

He turned around and cupped my face, obscuring my view of the countless rows of dead families, who somehow looked as if they had been dead for years.

"Follow me, come on babe we need to get out of here" he whispered, just loud enough for me to hear him, as he unbuckled my seatbelt, then his own.

I stood up next to him, allowing him to lead me down the aisle to the door, which he kicked open.

I could feel myself trembling. I was still crying a little from before at the sight of all the bodies, but I knew that we had to get away quickly, before the plane blew up.

Outside it was really warm, so we were in Tenerife, we just had no idea whereabouts.

It was in this moment, when I realised that we had lived. We were alive.

A few minutes ago could have been the last time I ever saw the person who meant the most to me in the whole world, but here I was. Standing next to him, gripping his hand for dear life and trembling at the thought of where we could be right now.

"Right, quickly, run" he ordered as we ran into the trees of a Forrest that was nearby. Everything seemed so unrealistic.

As I ran, all I could see was a blur of greens and blues at either side of me. The Forrest was about fifteen feet away and I was almost there, when I felt something wasn't quite right.

I slowed down and stood under the trees as I caught my breath and looked to my side.

He wasn't there.

I gasped and looked up the way we had come and I saw him, emerging from the plane with a young boy in his arms.

He was coughing and spluttering and he only looked about ten. He wasn't wearing a gas mask either, which meant that he must have inhaled some pretty nasty stuff.

Robby was halfway there, just close enough to shout to, but then it happened.

Suddenly the whole plane lit up in flames and exploded. It was as if it was filled with petrol and someone had thrown a thousand lit matches onto it.

The black and orange flames engulfed the whole of it and blew Robby clean off of his feet and sucked him into the flames.

"NO!" I yelled, my voice ringing out through the trees through my gas mask.

The fire caught nearby trees and the strong smell of burning infiltrated my nostrils as I stood there shaking uncontrollably.

"ROBBY!?" I screamed as I moved forwards a couple of paces, collapsing to my knees and falling to the ground.

I couldn't see him anywhere, all there was was the fire. I couldn't even see the plane because there was so much light.

I ran. That's all I can remember thinking.

I wasn't going to sit and cry whilst I could be saving him.

I ran so fast I felt like I was flying.

I looked left and right rapidly, hoping for a sign, anything to show me he was still alive.

Nothing.

I stopped on the outskirts of the fire and tried to pinpoint the place where I saw him last, but the fire had spread so much since then, he would be really deep in by now.

I decided to go around the side instead and as I did I was screaming for him so loudly that birds in nearby trees, that hadn't already left because of the fire, took off.

"ROBBY!" "ROBBY COME BACK!" I shouted, feeling the tears of fear come streaming down my face.

Where was he?

It was in that moment, that another explosion happened, sending me flying into the middle of the trees and dizzying me heavily.

I propped myself up on my elbow and tried to sit up, but I couldn't.

My head was bleeding now and I was sure my right leg was broken, but I wasn't leaving him there!

I tried to stand but my knees just gave way.

I ripped off my gas mask in anger and laid back on the grass.

I wanted to die.

All my life had bee so hard. Mum getting pissed ALL the time and hitting people, the police having to come round at night and dad passing out with her from the drugs. I was so young, I saw it all and ever since I got out of there, I used to wake up screaming just thinking about it. Then I moved in with Trish and Richard and everything was fine. I met Robby. The one person I loved more than anyone in the entire world.

Then I  thought of what it would be like living without him. No longer feeling the excitement that swallowed me every time I laid eyes on him, to never fall asleep in his arms, or wake up to him running his hands through my hair. Never being able to hear him sing to me again, or hold his hand. To never have him kiss me when I was in the middle of saying something or smell his alluring smell every time I was near him.

It was all gone. I would never love another person as much as I loved him.

I let my head drop to the side and I watched as the blurs of flames flickered and roared as they encased more and more of the ground and trees.

I couldn't stop crying. I just wanted him back. What had I done to deserve this? But it was okay I guess.

I'd be with him again soon. The fire would soon enough swallow me too and we could be together again. I just wished I could have died lying in his arms, old and happy, after spending our whole lives together, rather than when we were so young.

As my eyelids began to close, I thought I saw something. I could see him. He was coming back, holding the little boy, stumbling a little and coughing.

I shot up and opened up my eyes, but after blinking several times, I realised I'd imagined it.

I fell back to the ground again, the pounding pain in my head preventing me from sitting.

Just as I was drifting asleep, I heard something.

"Pais!"

I stopped still to listen, it was hard to, the fire was getting closer ands closer, but I could hear him.

"Pais!"

I tried to open up my eyes, but I couldn't, it hurt so much.

'Just lie here' I thought to myself. You'll be with him soon.

"Baby!"

My eyes snapped open and I looked straight ahead to see the person I loved most in the entire world.

"Pais!" he yelled between coughs.

I cried so much at the sight of him and tried to stand, but I just fell.

He was still carrying the little boy, limping slightly and coughing.

He hoisted me up as soon as he reached me and hurried as fast as he could deeper into the Forrest so that the fire wouldn't reach us.

After around three minutes we stopped. He placed me down carefully and sat the little boy up against a tree, before leaning down and kissing me hard.

I kissed him back as hard as I could and gripped his hair. I didn't care about my head or my leg, I was just so happy that he was alive, safe in my arms once again.