Run For Your Life

Ablaze

Song: I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire by The Ink Spots

April 29

The group search high and low for any source of fire. Lighters, matches, shorts in the electrical circuit. But they find nothing.

Bill is still not talking. He's grieving his lost gun. Stanley feels a bit bad for the boy, but it's not like he can help it. And Bill knows that, which is why he remains calm. For the most part.

Beverly, who wants nothing more than to get going, is filling with rage. She's quite paranoid and just wants to be on the road. Instead she's looking in the same few spots she's been looking in for what feels like years.

She groans in frustration before plopping to the ground and holding her face in her hands. "I just don't understand how I'm here."

No one says a word and so she continues. "Everything was fine! Until she left me with that freak! And now he's dead and I'm here and I can't fucking find anything to light this fucking place on fire!" She's standing now, also screaming.

And that's when Ben notices the spark that lights her eyes aglow. A deep fire red, in fact. But that's not all. Soon her hands are set ablaze and the entire group stumble back in horror.

Her entire body glows, from her head to her feet. She's still screaming while letting the fire course through her. Ben is having a hard time trying to stay calm with her bursting into flames. He fears she's going to die. That is until he sees her lift an arm upwards, shooting flames with her bare hands.

Soon the ceiling is completely lit and Beverly comes down from her high, exhausted. She's actually out cold, ironically enough.

Bill takes Stanley's hand and immediately begins shoving him towards the exit. Richie does the same to his Eddie. Mike follows close behind, shirt above his nose. Everyone's eyes scrunch as they move. The place is heating up fast. Too fast. Smoke forms around them, blurring everything in sight. Mike's almost positive the ceiling is about to cave in.

Ben stays, trying to wake the girl with glowing red skin. The smoke is getting to be too much and he wonders what the right solution is. Debris crumbles down to him, dirtying his hair. He takes a deep breath before swooping the small girl in his arms.

Only it's the worst pain he's ever felt. Almost.

Her skin scorches into his own, causing bubbles and blisters and scars. He screams at the pain, but continues on. Shouldn't she be burnt to a crisp? Why is she still perfect? Why is she still breathing?

Ben ducks and dodges as he moves through the building. He can't be far from an exit, though he also can't see a thing. He's going to die holding Miss Marsh.

But then there are hands on his back, pushing him towards the right direction and out into the open at last. He makes sure to get a reasonable amount away from the building before setting the red girl onto a patch of grass.

"Holy shit that's disgusting." Eddie moves around everyone until coming face to face with Ben. He gently takes his arms, inspecting even further.

Ben winces at the pain, but doesn't pull away. Eddie frowns at the marks. "Usually I'd have my fannypack."

Ben is still holding the injured arm in his hand, wondering what to do next. Then something strange happens. With a gentle touch of Eddie's hand, things seem to cool down. All of the marks fade away back into his skin, as if nothing ever happened. The pain is gone as if there was nothing there to begin with. Ben wonders if he's going mad, but the rest of them have seen it too.

His eyes widen at Eddie, who only sits staring at his own hands. "How-I just don't-..."

"You healed me." Ben states quietly.

Richie steps a bit closer. "Think you could fix my eyes?" He smiles.

Eddie shrugs, stands, and dusts off his knees. "I don't even know if that was me. And if it was I don't know how it works."

"We n-need to get going soon. Ben do you th-think you can handle carrying Beverly?"

The boy remembers the pain and sighs, but eventually nods. "I can do it."

Eddie stops him. "You're going to burn. Wherever we're going it can't be close by!"

"There's no other option." Ben shrugs before scooping the girl back into his arms.

Eddie immediately notices the look of pain and touches him once more. Everything fades from him again, even with the girl still in his arms. "How are you doing that?" Ben is losing his cool.

"I don't know!"

Richie gets an idea then. "Well what if you two ran side by side until we arrive to wherever the hell we're going, aye?"

Bill grabs Stanley and begins the journey. "I don't care what we do, but we need to go now."

Suddenly there's a siren in the distance, coming right for them. The group look to each other and then at the flaming building. Now they take off. They're in this together now. No turning back from this.

No going back.