Fallen (editing)

Chapter 30

I stare at the knife.
How-but-I don't- Where-
My throat burns with unanswered questions and I tuck the knife away in my pocket.
Dimitrio walks up to me, his scythe still in his hand.
I point to it. "Shouldn't you get rid of that?"
He shrugs. "Whatever. We should get out of here. The place is about to burn down."
I look around me for the first time.
Flames lick the walls of the building, smoke filling the air.
Sirens and people wail outside and we hurry towards the front of the building.
My ripped shirt is coated with blood from the spider and my hair is sticky.
Dimitrio's wings are spread out, shielding his face.
Smoke stings my eyes, making me blink back tears.
Suddenly, a scream pierces the smoky air.
I look near the left of the building, where a figure is huddled over something.
Dimitrio looks at me. "Uh, you can deal with that. But, knowing your dad......"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
He flaps his wings and flies out of a hole in the ceiling.
I run over to the figure, swatting smoke away from my face.
"Hey! We have to go!"
The figure turns. The soot-stained face of a girl stares back at me.
"Sylt?"
"Ash? We need to go!"
Ash chokes back a breath, tears flowing down her face. "No, no, I can't leave. I can't leave!"
"What? Ash, come on." I grip her arm.
She shakes out of my grip. "Let go of me! No! No! I can't leave without her! I can't!"
She cries harder, breaths rattling her chest.
I look at what Ash was huddled over. I squint at it and lean in.
The girl that was with Ash lies there, motionless. Her pale hair black with soot, her clothing torn.
"Ash..."
"No! I'm not leaving!"
She turns towards the girl, shaking her arms. "C'mon Cece! Wake up! CECE!"
I grip Ash's arm, pulling her up. "Ash, c'mon! You're going to die!"
She glares at me, tears welling up. "I saw you. I. Saw. You. Whatever you are, do something! Wake my sister up! WAKE HER UP!"
"You.... Saw me?" I stare at her, fear bubbling in my stomach.
Father- no no no no- She knows, SHE KNOWS
"Wh-what do you mean? Ash, you're hallucinating, it's all this smoke. We need to get you out of here!"
She pushes my chest. "Stop messing with me! I don't know what you are, but I do know you can fix my sister! I saw those horns; you got bigger! FIX HER!"
She roars at me, pushing me at her sister.
Shaking, I kneel down next to her, putting a hand on her forehead.
Nothing. Not even a hint of energy. She's dead.
I glance back at Ash's face, insane with shock.
I pick up her sister with my arm, holding her tightly.
Ash staggers towards me. "What-what are you doing?"
"Saving both of you." The lie slips out.
I sling my other arm around Ash, lifting her up. She struggles, punching my chest. Her tears slide down my back.
I run towards the door, smashing my shoulder against it. The glass shatters, scratching my skin.
People swarm against us, prying Ash away from me.
Her sister is carried away and laid down on a cloth.
I take a deep breath and look up.
What's Father gonna do? She knows. SHE KNOWS.
I take a other deep breath, clenching my fists.
Calm down. Calm down. You can't change anything. She'll probably forget about it anyway. Yeah, she'll forget.
I sigh and lean against the wall. The knife burns my leg through my pocket. The bruises on my chest throb-
Pops. Where is he? Did he make it out?
I push myself off the wall, sprinting up to a uniformed man.
"Excuse me. Have you seen my grandfather? His name is Bernice."
The man looks at his clipboard. "Bernice Johnson?"
Is that his name? Just see if it's him, Sylt.
"Yes."
The man looks at me, brow furrowed. "Follow me."
He leads to a the back of a red truck where injured humans are laid down.
Where is he? Where? Where? WHERE IS HE?
I look around, panic setting in my stomach.
"Where is he?"
The man sighs. "Is this him?"
He points to a figure laid on the floor.
He points to a corpse.