In My Eyes

Ch•7- Pompeii

A missile.

     I stood up from the couch immediately, my mouth grew dry "guys, guys, guys!" I waved my arms up to get their attention "Guys!" I hollered at the top of my lungs, finally Dad and Pepper looked to me with angered faces.

"What?!" Dad, Maya and Pepper asked with an irritated tone and in unison.

    I pointed my shaky finger to the Tv screen, unable to speak. All of them turned their heads to the screen slowly, and that was it "We're all going to di-!" Was the last thing I said before the world erupted around me, spiraling like a tornado. In that moment, time completely stopped.

    My body flew back across the living room like a rag doll. I tried grabbing on to something, anything, but it was too late. I saw the sunset out across the water just before the dust and fire took hold of my vision. I hadn't realized how beautiful it was until now.

     The windows shattered, the ceiling collapsed, pianos flew, the floor beneath my feet gave way.

     Even though I was only in the air for a split second, it felt like hours. That's how time stopped. Dad, Pepper, and Maya had disappeared from my view. My body collided with the dry wall, leaving a massive dent.

     Debris, glass, and household items landed on the floor all around me. I slumped to the ground, my head slammed against the floor. And that was the last thing that I remember.

                                     ***

3rd POV

    Tony's head was spinning a mile a minute. It took a moment for his vision to return completely. He spotted his old friend Maya laying unconscious on the floor across the room, she was nearly buried in rubble. Above him, the ceiling was falling through.

     A large chunk of the ceiling was cracking and was about to fall on top of him, if it wasn't for Pepper. She hovered over him inside the Iron Man suit, blocking the impact. The face plate lifted up, revealing her unharmed face "I gotcha"

    "I got you first" Tony spoke emotionlessly "like I said, We can't stay here" Pepper helped him up to his feet. Automatically he spotted his daughter, she was laying near the stair well on her stomach.

    Blood smeared along her head, and her eyes were closed. Dread filled his gut when he saw her. She wasn't moving, Tony couldn't even tell if she was breathing or not "Pepper! We have to get Jessi!"

    Pepper nodded just as the house began to rumble. The whole building was coming down around them. Dark clouds of smoke hung in the air, practically blinding the two. The house shook again. Pepper stumbled to the side, trying her best to keep her balance.

    A support beam disconnected from the ceiling and fell to the ground, separating Tony and Pepper. The ground gave away under the pressure of the beam "Move!" Tony yelled "I'm right behind you" He scanned for Jessi again. Relief flooded through him once he saw that she had regained consciousness.

    She was pushing her body off the ground with her arms "Get her! I'm gonna find a way around" Tony pointed to Jessi who was struggling to get up from her fallen position. Parts of the house were literally laying on her, preventing her from moving. Pepper stared at Tony with unsure eyes, not knowing exactly what to do "Stop stopping. Get Jessi, get outside! Go!"

     Pepper seemed to snap back to reality and did as she was told. She reached Jessi and helped the girl to her feet "Pepper?" She asked, a little dizzy "what are you...?"

     "Come on" Pepper gripped her arm and tugged her towards Maya who was just waking back up. Tony was still struggling to find a way out. More missiles were impacting the already torn apart house.

     Pepper aided Maya to her feet and held them both. Jessi kept looking over her shoulder to her Father who was barely visible through the rubble. Blood stains littered her once white t-shirt, dirt clung to her skin, and her hair was matted to her neck.

     It took Pepper a few seconds to figure out the thrusters on the palms before launching the three out of the front door, and sent them spiraling in to the driveway. Jessi tripped and rolled on the cement, colliding with Pepper who was still in the suit.

"Dad!" Jessi called, coughing when her voice gave out.

    "Oh my God, Tony!" Pepper yelled after her and stood up from the ground. They all watched in horror as the house collapsed from the inside. Tony was still in there. All the sudden, the suit began to detach from Peppers body. All the parts shot off and rocketed back in to the house.

     Jessi pulled herself up from the ground and bolted back to the house "No! Jessi!" Pepper wrapped her arms around Jessi's waist. Jessi scrambled in Peppers arm, trying to get out of her grasp "Don't go near the house!"

     "Dad's in there! Dad is still in there Pepper! Please we have to do something" Jessi slipped from Peppers arm and tumbled to the ground "he needs our help!" Jessi looked desperately in to Peppers eyes.

     "He has the suit" Pepper placed her hands on Jessi's shoulders and stared back at the smoked house. The sound of gunshots could be heard coming from beyond the house. This wasn't just a freak missile, someome was attacking the house.

     Jessi squeezed her eyes shut, praying that if she closed her eyes, none of this would be happening. The whole attack would disappear, and Maya would have never shown up, and they'd be on their way to Paris for her fourteenth birthday.

      The walls of the house would magically reconstruct and the helicopters that shot those missiles would disappear. It was like Pompeii. The world crumbled around them without warning. Everything was engulfed in flames and ruin. Even if they all did survive, nothing would be he same.

Everything would be gone.