Treat Me Like a Game, and Ill Show You How Its Played

Chapter 16: Silent and Not Awake

"Everyone! Everyone get out of this damn house!" Ashton, the host of the party, yelled at the top of his lungs. People pushed others aside and shoved towards the door to safety and far away from whatever was happening. Ashton, using the little bit of respect inside of him, pulled people away from one another who were drunk and making out and screamed in their faces to get out. People were bolting up the stairs and screaming, practically tripping over each other.

What the hell was going on?

I stared in shock of the chaos in front of me. The hundreds of students bolting down the stairs, also, as they heard the pleas for help and the desperate screaming coming from everywhere, along with Ashton and his friends yelling until their face was red. Luke was standing right next to me, having the same expression as me. Floorboards creaked and the floor was quickly heating up. The burning smell filled my lungs and sweat soon started to appear on my forehead. Smashing of glass came from downstairs along with the smell of burning wax.

"Luke, what's going on?" I asked with fear in my eyes. He met my scared eyes and I saw the same fear in his blue eyes, his eyes turning a lighter shade of blue as more fear swept over him. We were just standing here, letting everyone pass by us, and we were doing nothing. Neither fight or flight was coming into play.

"Hey! Ash! W-What is going on?" Luke shouted over to Ashton who was currently trying to calm down a girl in our grade. One of the quieter ones. He quickly looked over at us, seeing who was calling him, and the same type of fear was in his eyes. However, anger was mixed in. Pure anger. His eyes softened looking over at us but quickly went back to their hard expression.

"Its a freaking fire! Someone was stupid enough to set the basement on fire and its spreading. Quickly. Get out of this damn house!" He shouted over at us and picked up the girl and rushed her around everyone, disappearing in the crowd. The cries grew louder and the footsteps grew quicker and that's when I saw the orange-red flame start to peak through the section that lead downstairs. I heard more things crash down on the ground as the flame swallowed them and the wood was starting to burn. The old, rickety steps cracked and fell to the lower level and I saw a figure running towards us that just came running up the stairs. The last one to come up the stairs. They were carrying someone in their arms, holding them close. The figure running was now seen as a boy, seeing his shortish hair and the muscle tone of his body. He was holding a girl who was lying limp in his arms, her hair swaying side to side as he ran towards us.

Noah and Jade.

They were the last ones to come running up those steps. The steps that have all fallen now and were completely engulfed in flames now. They came face to face with us, tears streaking Noah's face and his eyes puffy. I looked over at Jade and saw she was laying emotionlessly in Noah's arms, not moving a muscle.

"S-She passed out from the heat and I found her lying on the ground, under some wood and the flames slowly covering her. I was getting her a drink and that's when I felt the heat and ran to go find her. I quickly pulled her out and ran up the stairs, and that's when my weight were to much for them and they broke as soon as my foot left them." Noah spoke quickly, guilt in his eyes as his eyes became more of a blur, "She hasn't moved a muscle since I found her-"

"Well, you just found her shortly before now, right? Who's to say she just fell into unconsciousness when you pulled her out?" I say, trying to make him feel better. I know what I said wouldn't help that much, but it was worth a shot. Anything can make you feel slightly better is you take some guilt away, even if its not much. I looked me in the eye and I saw what he thought. That the worst could've happened.

"C'mon. You found her barely covered in the flames. There is no way she could've... you know. Theres no way. She is just knocked out from the heat like you said. She is fine." Luke reassured him, looking at Jade. Noah let out a sigh and we looked back all together.