Chapter 57

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He is lost. There is no question about it. One minute he is in a room with Seth and Chloe, the next he is in an unfamiliar hallway. Smoke is everywhere and sirens are going off. The building is crumbling as he walks, but he has nowhere to go; only forward.

If only Jared and I hadn't argued. Then I wouldn't be in this mess. Rick is struggling to breathe. The smoke is heavy and it won't go away. He has been wandering around for what seems like hours. He tries to find a familiar passageway or a marker of some kind. But it's to no avail.

He clenches his fists in anger. How could I be so freakin' stupid? I never should've left! Now I'm lost and they're probably looking for me! In the midst of his frustration, he punches the wall with all his might. The pain does not register until later. His hand is bleeding but he ignores it. What he failed to notice, was that everyone in this part of the castle was gone. He turns around one hundred eighty degrees. There is no one but him. How did I end up here anyways?

Despite being alone, Rick presses forward through the rubble and smoke. He starts coughing uncontrollably from the lack of fresh air. He falls to his knees and tries to breathe normally. This is quite hard, though, because of his asthma. He was diagnosed when he was ten. It was not bad at first, but it gradually got worse. Now he was in need of his inhaler, but he forgot to bring it.

So I'll die here from an asthma attack? That's so pathetic. He looks all around for any sign of life. All he sees is smoke, walls, and a floor. He stands back up, despite the dizziness, and keeps on walking. His vision is getting blurry and his coughing gets worse. He walks on for ten minutes and then collapses. So I'm gonna die in this hellhole after all...I'll die alone...His world slowly quiets and turns black.

Someone is calling him-a girl's voice. It's still far away, but he can hear it. His chest hurts and his hand is bloody. The rest of his body refuses to work. He opens his eyes. He can hear the voice better now,

"Rick? Rick, where are you? Rick!" Chloe.

"Rick! Answer me! I know you're here somewhere!" Jared.

"Rick! Come on, now. Rick!" Seth.

He sits up with a groan. "I'm...I'm over here."

The footsteps come to him. Chloe is carrying Jared on her back. His leg is bloody and scrapped up. Seth is a bit pale, but other than that, unharmed. Chloe has a wild look in her eyes, and her legs are shaking from carrying Jared for so long.

"What happened to you?" Seth asks him.

Rick coughs. "M-my asthma got really bad."

Chloe sets Jared down and they both sit in front of him.

"What happened to your hand?" Chloe asks.

"I punched a wall." He answers.

Jared sighs, "There you go again; punchin' inanimate objects."

He coughs again. "If you were the one who couldn't breathe and was lost, you'd do the same."

Jared turns away and says nothing.

Chloe takes his hand and bandages it carefully. He ignores the pain as best he can. This was nothing compared to what he usually got from his dad. Jared knew this too, and they would never forget.

"Is that better?" Chloe asks.

"Yeah. Thanks." He replies.

They make eye contact for a few short seconds.

"We should get going." Seth says cautiously.

Chloe turns to him. "Where to? I don't know where we are."

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