6-Pack Challenge

Challenge 2

A curse escapes my lips as the ground rumbles beneath my feet.

I'm gonna die.

"Get the kids!" I hear a woman's voice call from inside a house to my left. I try to hobble past as fast as I can to the city cellar, but another explosion rattles my bones. The house to my left goes up in flames. A horrible screech echoes from the fiery tendrils.

A child's cry rings out over the sirens. Damnit. I adjust my crippled stride towards the house, sweat dripping down my nose. I nearly trip upon entering, and I glance down to see the dead body of the woman who had yelled. My attention is torn away when I hear a two young voices screaming. I stumble to the stairs, where there's a boy and girl holding hands, both in tears.

I grunt, my wrecked bones not agreeing to the amount of strain I'm putting on them. I was sent home from the trenches for a reason, my injuries were too much.

But these kids are going to die if I leave now.

I dive through the flames, nearly falling as the ground shakes again. I scramble along the steps to where the kids are. Despite the pain coursing through my body, I take hold of both of them. Up the stairs a little more, I notice who I assume to be their father. His chest rises and falls unsteadily.

I slowly approach him.

"Daddy!" The girl clasps his neck tightly.

"Emmie, you need to go. William, get out of here," he rasps.

"Daddy we need to get you out of here," the boy says.

"I can't. My leg," the father wheezes. I glance at his lower half to where there should be a leg. Instead, there's a pool of blood and a stumped knee. His eyes are dull.

"Daddy?" The kids choke. He looks to me.

"Take care of them, please," he says. I nod, unsure of what else to say. "I lov- I love you," he breaths as he goes still. The kids turn quiet.

"Listen to me. We're going to make it out of here, okay?" I tell them. I doubt they hear me, but I grab onto them anyways. Heat clouds everything and the smoke has made its way to my lungs.

Death is not an option. Death is defeat.

I try my best to cover their eyes as we go. Their mothers body is engulfed in flames. As I burst onto the street, I put the two of them down and grab their hands. Another burst of flame lights the house in front of us.

We have to survive. Death is defeat.

I race down the rubbled streets towards the city cellar. When we arrive, I bang on the doors as hard as my weakening arms can muster. They fly open and I tumble in with the kids.

I breathe a sigh of relief as the two children cling to me.

We did it. Victory is survival.