Her Silence

Chapter Thirty One

"You save your soul by saving someone else's body." Arthur Hertzberg

A Voice From Above

Below the bar in a converted cellar with a low ceiling, a dark-haired, wide-eyed girl was laying on the floor of a locked room, wondering what she had done wrong to deserve all the years of anguish that she had endured. Her Mother had won, not fairly, but squarely. A fire started by the wild-looking, red-in-the-face girl was tearing through the kitchen so rapidly that she had begun counting down the assumed minutes that she had left to live. However, having never felt fear quite like it, she had lost count after thirteen seconds. Looking up through the windows of the small locker room she could see small flickers of orange, and black, billowing clouds of smoke. It was moving thick and fast, and she could barely breathe from the sight of it, let alone the sheer panic that was making its way up and into her chest, blooming at every ounce of fear that the girl felt. Seeing the flames licking up the kitchen in such an entrancing way only made her wonder how quick it will take for it to engulf her. Deciding enough was enough and that it was time to think about something, she turned over and settled on her back, stretching her legs out and crossing her hands over her chest, her phone gripped tightly by one of them. Staring at the ceiling, she could no longer see, but only hear the roaring of the fire. It sounded angry. James would be angry. He had silently warned her and tried to stop her from following Amy. Had he known? She checked her phone and saw that her message had been delivered but not read by James, and began to fear that once he does it'll be too late. Putting her phone down and gripping her hair in frustration, she started weeping, regretting every decision she had made against telling James how she loved him in person. The voice in the back of her head that had always told her not to but was now telling her she should have gone with her gut and her heart. Slamming her fists against the hard, cold floor, she shut her eyes ands thought about the few months she had spent with James. The happiness he had caused her was insurmountable, and she was sure he knew it. Everything in her life had changed the moment he gave her his jacket and stood with her in the pouring rain. James would have always stood with her in the pouring rain, and what she didn't know was that he was yet again on his way to do just that.

James had been on the phone to both his team and the emergency services within a matter of minutes of realising the compromising situation that he, Rosie, and the people in bar were in. He gave a short briefing to both teams and explained that there could be more to happen, depending on the whereabouts and involvement of Rosie's Mother. He had closed his eyes and swore a load of empty to threats to God if he pulled Rosie to heaven before he could get to her. He must see her alive. As he had put his phone away, he felt it vibrate, and in the process of getting it out of his pocket he was stopped by a wild looking, red-in-the-face girl hurtling towards him, smoke following close behind. She was not to be stopped, and broke no expression as she charged passed him at such a speed that he didn't even have the chance to catch her arm and scream at her into confessing what she had done and why she had done it. The girl's behaviour only made him speed up, and as he got to the kitchen doors he almost laughed at the poor attempt that had been made to keep Rosie in there, and then wondered why Rosie hadn't managed to get out. He knew she was small, but even a child could break through a napkin loosely tied to two door handles. He had no idea that Rosie was locked away, and that Amy had the only key. After he had steadily untied the napkin he held it over his nose and mouth, and he braced himself for the heat of the kitchen. He could see the flames through the window and was panicking at the fact that he couldn't see Rosie. He slipped through the doors, ensuring to shut it behind him and began shouting Rosie's name. After a few calls he hunched over and coughed, breathing as hard as he could whilst he was close to the floor and away from the flames and smoke. As he stood up, he was startled by a light being switch on and off in a separate room to the kitchen, one he didn't even know existed. He ran over and sure enough, there on the ground in floods of tears, was his beautiful Rosie. She had heard him, and caught his attention by the light on her phone. He let out a sharp sob, at both finding her at last, and at the devastating sight of her. The fear she must be feeling... he stopped thinking and began pushing on the door that was well and truly locked. He held a finger up to Rosie with his free hand, signalling for her to stay where she was and that he'd be right back. Seeing a fire extinguisher, he pulled it off the wall and head straight back over to the door. He stopped when he heard the movement of feet above him and winced when the draining fire alarm went off. As though the fire itself could hear the alarm, it seemingly grew even bigger to fight against it and smashed through the kitchen doors windows, and then crept closer to the room in which Rosie was trapped in. Without a second thought, James picked up the extinguisher and began hurtling it against the locker room door window. With James's strength and the weight of it combined, it was smashed almost immediately. Rosie lept up and screamed, and ran over to James. She reached through the window and for his hand, which he gave her, letting her sob into it. He moved it to her face, caressing her, tearing up himself at the thought of losing her; never seeing her again.