Paint You Wings

Twenty-five

My eyes flutter open and I begin to cough. My throat feels dry and itchy. The coughing dies down as I get the sudden urge to sneeze. Well of course I get sick. I sit up in bed. It's only four in the morning. I check my phone, instantly being blinded by the light. Five missed calls. I lock my phone again and set it back on the side table. I stretch my back and moan as it cracks. My phone buzzes again. I glance at it.

Unknown.

My stomach twists. My hands tremble. I stand up and walk out of the room. I'm not going to answer it. I wipe my sweaty palms on my t-shirt and continue silently down the steps. The kitchen light is on.

I push open the door and rub my eyes as they adjust to the light. My eyes open wide. My stomach knots itself tighter, and I can't help but let the cough itching to get out escape. My heart falls into my gut. I scratch where my heart is, trying to make the pain go away. Tears threaten to spill, but no matter how many times I continue to cough, they don't turn around.

His hands around her body. Her moans that escape against his lips.

"Maya? Aaron?" I choke out between coughs. My throat feels as if it's on fire. Like I'm being choked. It burns. My eyes start to water and sting. I can't help but fall to my knees. I continue to cough as there's a hand on my shoulder. Sobs rack my body, or maybe I'm just shaking. I can't tell. My eyes feel so dry, but I feel so... sad. I should be crying.

"Belle? Belle! Wake up! Belle, you need to wake up."

I come up gasping for air. It doesn't help. Nothing helps. I can't breathe. My lungs are giving in. I cough and rub my stinging eyes.

"Belle there's a fire! We have to get out! Come on!" Maya grabs my hand and tugs me out of bed. I dumbly yank my phone with me. We run down the stairs. I blink rapidly, trying to water my eyes. I see the flames licking the ceiling and engulfing the hallway, the bedrooms. The floorboards beneath us creak and the ceiling starts to give. Maya screams as a big chunk of the roof falls to the floor in front of us, completely in flames. Maya and I both start coughing as the smoke wraps its fingers around our throat and squeezes. I fall to the floor, heaving up anything left in me, including blood. Maya tugs my arm again.

"Belle we have to get out!"

I wave my hand in front of her, pleading her to carry on. To just get out. I choke out some words that are inaudible. She doesn't give up. She continues to pull on my arm. I get to my legs shakily, but the flames are closing in on us. I hear the sirens. I hear the calls from firemen. My phone is no where to be seen. I guess it doesn't matter.

"Can anyone hear us?" The mans voice rumbles loudly. Maya screams something, but I can't hear it. I can barely see anything.

My coughs have turned into gasps. I'm left with the thought of death. How is Maya not being affected by this? As if answering my question, she begins to cough, and I realize then that she's shaking horribly. What I thought to be a surprisingly strong tug was really only a gentle pull. We both plunge to the ground. I see the shadows of men making their way towards us. My eyes start to sting. I blink harshly. I can taste the lingering blood and vomit. My throat burns, and I can hardly breathe.

I feel arms wrap around my body and I'm pulled upward as I black out.

***

I open my eyes, but the snap shut instinctively. I blink rapidly and rub my eyes.

"Belle?"

My eyes snap to the direction of the voice. It's Aaron.

"Are you okay?"

My mouth opens to speak, but nothing comes out. The stinging in my throat is much too strong, so I just nod.

Aaron stands. Purple bags are underneath his eyes, he's wearing a gray t-shirt and dark blue sweatpants. His long legs take a stride over to me and his hand is against his cheek. When our skin meets, I instantly forget about the pain.