PREQUEL- The Birds Of Prey: Batgirl (Batman Fanfic)

Chapter 16: The Invasion of Gotham High (Part 2)

Instant regret. That is what I felt. The smoke burned my eyes and choked down my throat. I instantly fell to my knees, coughing and spluttering on the ground. 

The ground. 

I needed to stay low to the ground. I remember glancing at a leaflet that came through our door once, it had been pushed through by the local fire department, it detailed what to do in the event of a fire. Smoke rises, it is best to keep low to the ground. This may be the only time in the history of my existence that I have ever been thankful to have the ability to recall the most insignificant things.

My head is still too foggy from being hit and now from the insane amount of smoke, I was breathing in. With all my power and concentration I push myself into the nearest bathroom, next to the reception. I take off my shirt and run it under the cold tap, bringing it to my face, I start my roaming of the school.

"HELLO! CAN ANYONE HERE ME?" I yelled up and down the corridors. I checked every room on the first floor, there was no one. 

Adrenaline kept me going and stopped me from feeling the pain in my head and the pain in my knees from where I had been kneeling on broken glass. That had been my driving force for coming in here. I couldn't have any more people die because of me. The guilt would kill me before I could.

As I got higher and higher into the building, the thick heat and smoke got worse and worse. I kept coughing.

"HELLO!" I take another ragged breath and scream. My throat itches and burns but I know that I need to find the people that were missing. My eyes itched and my head throbbed from my earlier injury but that just didn't matter, how could I rest outside when I was the reason people were going to die?

I begin to get nervous as I can't find anyone. Maybe they had gotten out? Maybe they were already dead and burnt to a crisp? I shook my head, unintentionally flicking blood everywhere, they're alive and I will find them.

Just when I thought that I wouldn't find them, I hear a distant 'HELP' being shouted. A fire ignited inside me as I begin to sprint towards the source of the sound. It was coming from one of the history rooms which was being blocked by a collapsed bookshelf.

Three people were standing behind the door, they had broken the glass in the door and were trying frantically to open the door and remove the bookcase but it was wedged. They all screamed in joy as I bound up to them

"Please, you have to help us!" a younger girl sobbed, she had to be fourteen or so, her tears ran straight through the soot that had collected on her face. As I reached a hand out to remove some of the heavy books and plaques, she grasped my hand in desperation, obviously scared but it was preventing me from moving.

"I'm not going anywhere until you're free, don't you worry" I say and squeeze her hand before prying her fingers away from my wrist. 

I begin heaving the heavy stuff from the bookcase, I even have to shatter some glass to remove a rather large brass bust from one of the shelves. My knuckles sting a bit and I notice that there are bits of crushed up glass embedded in my skin but I don't care. When everything is removed, I give my best shot at moving the thing but it only moved a few inches or so.

"Fuck"  I mutter. The three girls had heard me and started to cry even harder, one ran to the window to bang on the window and yell for help again.

"C'mon Barb, you can do this" I ignore the protest of my muscles, the shooting stars in my eyes, and the throb in my head and put everything I have into moving the god damn thing. It moves and once I gain traction, I find it easier to move it out of the way. I wrench open the door.