The Art of Destruction: THE SPIRE

Prologue

Ella ran down the side street, her heart pounding in her ears and the reverberating footsteps as her sneakers hit the pavement with each long stride. Her short hair bounced with each step as she looked over her shoulder- searching, even in her haste to get away. The ghost city flew by her with each step, her legs ached and her lungs burned as she took in air through her parted lips. 

She collided with another body, arms wrapping around her and keeping her from falling to the blacktop.  "Bishop, what's the hurry?"

Ella shoved away from Jack forcibly, her hands colliding with his shoulders. "Where is everyone else?" she gasped, not from anything but from lack of breath. As she stepped away from him, she put her hands on her sides to brace against the cramps forming near her lungs. 

"You're out of shape." Jack pointed out, looking her slender body up and down.

"I just ran- forget it, have you seen Michael and- --" she started to stand up straighter and adjusted her jeans before fixing the strap on the loose-fitting, sleeveless shirt to sit on her shoulder properly.

"They were supposed to be with you." He replied and pulled down the sleeves on his black shirt as he looked around the overgrown, four-lane street. 

The man-made construction was crumbling with the over and undergrowth of nature; weeds and vines bulged under the cement and separated it into multiple slabs of rock. What buildings still stood were being choked by growing trees from lobbies. Ivy walls spread the length and height of windows and sides of skyscrapers- shielded the once shining cities into a dull, but beautiful, forest of remains. 

"We ran into another... 'problem' I distracted them while they made a break for the door. I came out here but I couldn't find the cart - or them." Ella replied and waved an arm around the city of foliage.

"Wasn't Yuen supposed to be at the cart?" When she nodded her confirmation, he huffed and ran a hand through his hair, "Nothing is going right," he mumbled. "What happened to your jacket?" he asked and looked at her bare arms.

"It was part of the distraction." she dismissed and looked around. When she realized that he was alone her gaze flicked back to him so quickly that her eyes ached with the rapid movement. "Where's-?"

"We got separated." Jack said simply, itching his clean shaven cheek.  He looked back towards the building, the alarm still blaring but barely audible from their distance. 

Ella narrowed her eyes, her eyebrows knitting together. "You left him in there?!"

"I had to look for Becca one last time! He was fine when I left him-"

She shook her head and stuck up her hand. The conflicting obligations were tearing her apart, she still had to find one but she couldn't leave the others behind. She chewed her bottom lip and held her right hand to the back of her head, the other braced against her side- against the pain that was starting to wrap its way around her heart. 

Her heart wanted to beat faster, harder, out of adrenaline but fear gripped it tighter- she ached. "I'm going back for him." Ella said suddenly and took one step forward, back up the hill to the building she'd last seen him in but Jack threw out his arm like a rail and clothes-lined her, preventing her from moving forward.  

"Wait," he warned.

Before she could move around him or remove his grip from around her waist, the ground shook and sent them both stumbling back a step. She felt it before she heard it, the explosion seemed to roll through her body before it resonated in her ears. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the pillar of black smoke in the sky, the furious red of the flames roared loud enough to hear from where they stood.

Jack's arm dropped away from her stomach and he took a step back. "Okay, now you can go." 

The rubble, from the building that was no more,  hailed down in front of them- bouncing several times before rolling down the hill to their feet. Glass shattered around them as flaming chunks flew into the windows of tall skyscrapers. The smell of fire and smoke made her nostrils flare and she took a step back. Ash began to fall like snow with the hailstorm of debris. 

Her heart was in her throat and her stomach twisted into a knot and seemed to fall lower than physically possible- she felt like she was imploding. She took two steps forward, into the downfall of bits of building. He had to be alive. 

Then, just as she started to pick up pace, there was a secondary explosion. It shook her to her core, not only the reverberating explosion but the reality of the situation crushed her. Ella stumbled back, a withering breath escaped her parted lips as she stared into the flames. A hole was burned into her heart like a fire- she covered her mouth with her left hand and her heart with her right. 

Jack tried to talk to her, she could hear his voice but couldn't understand his words. 

Black ash coated the streets and abandoned cars and pieces of rubble, engulfed in flame, littered the ground. The building was obliterated- as was anything or anyone inside.

She doubled over, gasping and shuddering. Her knees were weak as she started to lower herself to the ground. 

He was gone. 

***

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