Hidden Scars

Chapter 64

Chapter 64...
The flame fell from Leo's bloodied hand. The second it touched the ground, the petrol exploded with fire and illuminated the trails throughout the house. The blast of the heat caused Astrid to fall back from the power onto the hard floor. She hit her head on the corner of the counter as she fell and passed out for a few minutes.
As her eyes began to flutter open, she coughed from the fumes and smoke entering her lungs with every breath. It burnt her throat trying to breath and her eyes felt sore from the ashes of burning materials. Lifting her hand to her forehead, she pressed it against a large cut that was bleeding heavily, blood trickling down the right side of her face past her eye and into her mouth. She could taste the iron and smoke mixture on her taste buds. Wiping the blood from her mouth, she sat up cautiously trying to find her balance, her eye sight dizzy from hitting her head. It took a few moments for Astrid's eyes to focus before she could see she was surrounded by flames.
Reaching for the draw by the side of her, Astrid managed pull it open and feel around for the phones inside.
She got them.
"H... Hiccup!"
Nothing.
"Hiccup! Where *cough* are you?"
Nothing.
Trying to steady herself as she stood up, Astrid searched through the thick smoke and flames of the house, burning everything in it's path including the photos on the wall and the furniture. No fire alarms were working, meaning that Leo must have taken the batteries out earlier.
Not being able to see anything was a big struggle, so Astrid grabbed her phone and turned the torch on to search around for Hiccup. She was hoping she could hear him reply through the raging sounds of the flames and the high pitch noises ringing in her ear.
"HICCUP!!"
The smoke was getting heavier as the fire rose up the stairs and to the top floor of the house. Astrid's lungs were struggling for oxygen and she couldn't stop coughing. But that wasn't going to stop her from finding her boyfriend.
Holding her torch and moving it around confront of her, she couldn't see any sign on Leo. She growled in frustration knowing that he got away but her mind was still focused on finding Hiccup.
"HICCUP PLEASE!"
"A....Astr...id" Astrid could hear a faint answer among the smoke.
"HICCUP! WHERE ARE YOU?!?" She shouted.
Hearing a murmur in the distance, she managed to see a body on the floor with the towel covering a leg and covered in blood.
"Hiccup? HICCUP! IT'S OK I'M COMING!"
Astrid looked around the area she was stuck in, trying to figure out a way to get past the flames and get to Hiccup. Luckily, there was a counter with a stool on the other side of the it which lead directly to a clear path to reach Hiccup. Taking her chance as she saw the fire moving closer to her position, she climbed up onto the counter carefully and put her phone in her back pocket. The stool was the other side of it so Astrid placed one foot down onto the top of the stool to see if it was stable. It was... or so she thought.
As the weight of her other foot was added to the stool and she stood up, the stool collapsed under her causing Astrid to fall hard on arm as she heard it snap hard beneath her weight; she screamed out in pain as her mind processes her injury. Yes Astrid Hofferson was tough but after everything today and this, the tears were easily spilling from her eyes. The blood was still dripping from her head wound and she was covered with a burns and bruising. She held her arm close to her chest trying to ease the pain but it didn't really work. She lifted her head with her teary eyes, making out the figure of Hiccup upfront of her... unconscious.
"H-Hiccup!" She shifted closer to him, being cautious of her arm but quick knowing the fire was spreading. Putting her fingers against the side of his neck from her good hand, she checked for a pulse. Yes... but it was very faint.
"Hiccup! *cough cough* Hiccup! Stay with *cough* me!"
She gently but roughly hit the side of his cheek, hoping his eyes would flutter open but nothing. He was losing too much blood to stay awake.
The wound...
Astrid moved closer to his gun shot wound on his left leg. The towel wasn't tight enough around it... hence why it was bleeding heavily still. There was only 1 thing she could do. Secure the towel tighter but without 1 working arm it would be a struggle. She tried to move her broken arm but it hurt too much to grip the towel or even move away from her chest. So she chose another plan.
Taking her good hand and gripping it tight, she took the other side in her teeth and pulled hard until the bleeding decreased significantly. Luckily it was working. She pulled it as tight as she could before releasing the towel from her aching jaw.
The smoke was still heavy in the air and the fire was still very alive.
"Come on Astrid... think..." her dizzy spinning head was trying to think of a way out of the house. She realised suddenly they were near the glass door that lead out to the side of the house to the front.
Struggling to stand, she stumbled over to the door and pushed down on it with the strength she had left.
Locked.
Realising there was no key in sight, she realised she had to break the glass using something to escape. Thinking to herself, she stumbled back as she had a dizzy moment and her back hit a table. Looking back to see she hit the table, her eyes caught sight of a heavy rock candle holder sat in the middle. Perfect. Picking it up in her good hand, she threw it with the strength she had left to the door, making the glass shatter in pieces. The smoke began to leave the house but the oxygen from the outside air caused the flames and fire to increase in height and strength.
Looking back at the fire, she realised they were running out if time and they needed to get out as quickly as possible. She turned to look at Hiccup still unconscious on the floor but colour slowly beginning to return to his cheeks.
"I'm so sorry *cough* Hiccup, but this is gonna *cough* hurt..."
She grabbed his arm and pulled him hard out of the door, broken glass still covering the ground and falling from the top of the door. The glass was scraping across Hiccup's back as he was being pulled out and his leg was also getting cut but there was nothing Astrid could do. She had to get him out of there no matter what she had to do. As she pulled her boyfriend out of the door, loose glass fell onto Astrid's head and arms scratching her skin and making them bleed. She covered Hiccup's face as it fell so he wouldn't get hit.
"Come on... come on..."
After struggling to pull him through, she finally managed to pull them both to safety to the front of the house before collapsing on the stones outside on the drive way. She took in each breath of fresh air and coughed hard, feeling her mouth and their burn with each breath. She saw the smoke from the house fill the morning sky and rise like a tower. She closed her eyes, as she breathed in the fresh oxygenated air before she heard a faint noise from the upstairs window. Her eyes flashed open and started at the window.
"TOOTHLESS! STORMFLY!"
Both were scratching at the window glass and struggling for air.
"Fuck... fuck... fuck... what do I do?" Aateid whispered to herself trting to thibk of an idea. The stairs were engulfed in flames and the upstairs was too.
There was a window next to the one Toothless and Stormfly were. Astrid stood up and bent down to pick up some stones and rocks. She took a few steps back before throwing the stones at the window. Her blurred dizzy caused her to miss a few times as she threw the stones at the glass. Finally a stone hit the corner of the glass where it cracked into the pattern like a spider web.
"Yes... one more... try"
She threw one massive stone which hit the glass perfectly and it shattered next to Toothless and Stormfly.
"Come on guys! Come on it's ok!" Astrid shouted up as they ran to the broken window.
Careful of not touching any glass, Toothless stepped out of the window and managed to find his was down safely to the ground, rubbing himself against Astrid.
"I know, you're safe..." She said as he ran over to Hiccup, nudging his head and meowing in his ear hoping he would wake up.
"Stormfly! Come on girl!"
Stormfly was cowering as she looked down to the ground and whimper.
"Please Stormfly! I'll catch you! Please come here!"
She was still whimpering and looked back at the fire in the bedroom. It was getting closer to her and she looked back down again at Astrid.
"Please Stormfly!" She cried on worry and panic.
This time, Stormfly listened to her owner. She jumped from the broken window and Astrid reached out to catch her with both her arms despite the intense pain. She landed in her arms as Astrid tried her best to keep strength in her broken arm. It hurt like hell but she cared more about saving her girl than herself. Stormfly began to lick Astrid and cuddle into her chest as Astrid cried, thankful that they were all safe. She put Stormfly down on the ground as she ran off to join Toothless as Astrid stood back at the house which was now completely on fire. She felt as though she caused this. All of her, Hiccup's and Valka's memories burnt into pieces. Everything gone...
She cried.
Hard.
Her throat hurt so much as though she was swallowing knives and the blood was still pouring from her head and other cuts. She looked back at Hiccup again to see he was still unconscious with many burns, cuts and his injury.
It was her fault.
She took her phone shaking out of her back pocket and dialled the 3 numbers.
999.
"Ambulance... please..."
Astrid's head pounded with her heart beat, feeling dizzy and concussed all of a sudden.
"What's your emergency?"
She heard someone say on the other end of the phone.
"There's... b-been... a f-fire..."
She breathed out as her body shut down and collapsed to the ground, the phone dropping from her hand with the call still active.
Both Hiccup and Astrid were unconscious as the fire continued to burn the memories away.