Check Yes or No | H.S.

Chapter 32

"Yeah, so that doesn't look good." Harry stuttered. We stood clung to one another in shock watching the flames enlarge. The heat and the smoke was intoxicating.

"We gotta get out of here," I looked up at Harry before the two of us tried breaking down one of the doors. They were still locked, but we were determined to break them down. It was all we could do. The noise outside seemed to escalate as someone pulled on the handle outside. We yelled louder. The flames were approaching and my lungs had had just about enough smoke for a year. It was getting hard to see Harry's clean face, but I could feel his presence. Every once in a while, he'd whisper in my ear to remind me he was still there. The way he whispered...it was intoxicating.

Suddenly, as our all our force was on the door, somebody on the other side of it wrenched it open and we went stumbling out. I was caught by the shoulders and carried away by a large man, probably a firefighter, but I couldn't really see anything. The air seeped into my lungs like unleashed damn water. Coughing fits were hard to ignore, but I tried my best to conceal them the best I could.

I was sat down on a chair away from the van and given oxygen to regain stability. Across from me, hoses were pouring water on our date-night-van now engulfed in almost life ending flames. There was a small crowd of people watching, and lots of police to direct traffic, both vehicle and foot. All the flashing lights lit up the area stunningly. My eyes searched for Harry. I couldn't see him anywhere. Although I knew he was fine, I had to be with him -- I had to know for certain. Maybe something happened to him getting out of the van. Maybe they didn't get him in time and he was hurt? He was behind me slightly, after all, and I never saw anything after the door opened. What if he's in danger? I tossed the oxygen mask away from my mouth and stumbled around searching. The rest of the guys' vans weren't around. They probably don't even know what happened. Otherwise security is just being careful with them and wouldn't allow for stops to be made. 

I still hadn't figured out what had caused the accident, but I didn't bother searching for that answer until I found Harry. My best bet, I figured, was checking the other ambulances, which there were plenty of. The first one I got to, which was parked just across from the one I was at, was extremely busy with people, which gave me false hope. There was a stretcher, and a man lay on it, strapped in on all sides. His face was bloody -- really, really bloody. I couldn't bare to look at him, but my eyes wouldn't move. 

"Jamie!" A voice called out behind me. From a distance, Harry was down the road at another ambulence. I ran to him...Well, tried to until I realized my body was not ready for that kind of engery exersion. He still had the oxygen mask on and his pant leg was charred. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine." He remained calm. I was about to say something consoling when a man came running up to us, with his camera flashing.

"Did you get hurt, Harry? Need your mommy's shoulder to cry on?" He rattled off ridiculous comments. 

"Get away, would you!" I defended Harry. 

"She's a fiesty one, aye, Harry?" 

"What the hell! Get away!" I shot out of my seat and was planning on pumbling the guy for all I knew, but Harry grabbed me back. A firefighter then took notice and got the police involved. I laughed as the man was escorted out by a group of angry men. 

"Sorry," I looked at Harry who looked exhausted.

"I just didn't want to see you on the newspapers in the morning. That's all."

"How do you stay so calm?"

"I don't."

"So...you got hurt?"

"Not really. Don't worry about it, kay?"

I'm not sure how to describe this but, though we were sitting next to each other at the back of an ambulence watching a fire being burnt out, we were miles apart. There was this physical tension that could not be broken, and I don't even know how it got there. Looking at Harry, whose hair was sweaty and whose cheeks were still pink, he wasn't with me. His eyes were in a different place. His heart was drifting. But I wasn't ready to leave. So, I stayed. 

After a few moments, he slid off his seat and vomitted violently all over the ground before him and then dropped motionless to the ground. I hollored for help and the ET's got him on a stretch and closed the doors. I watched as they lifted him inside and his cleaned off his face, until the doors were locked shut and all I could see was red.

 I was shut out. And that didn't feel so good.