Page 39 of Mine To Possess

The staff are pouring in from the kitchen where the fire originated.

Most of them are covered in burns and one of the chefs is actively on fire. I shout at her to drop and roll, but she doesn’t hear me over the screaming and the roaring of the fire, and her own total panic. Everywhere I look is like a scene out of a horror movie. I force myself to look down at the ground for a moment so that I can think.

I position myself between the fire and Amelia, but I know if we don’t get out of here soon, I won’t save her. It won’t be the flames that get us – we’ll be dead from inhaling the smoke long before that happens.

I wonder if we can make a run for it, dash through the flames and get to safety that way. I take a step forward, but that’s as far as I can go before the intense heat drives me back. I can already smell the hairs on my arms singeing.

The smoke irritates my lungs and I resist the urge to cough, knowing it will only make it worse. Amelia has already succumbed to coughing behind me, and in my mind, I see it happening again. Lisa dying in my arms. Amelia dying because I brought her here. I refuse to acknowledge the thought.

I won’t let it happen.

I turn back to our table and pick up the water jug. I pour the water over our napkins and pick one up. I press it over Amelia’s nose and mouth and see the panic in her eyes and she lashes out instinctively, trying to push my hands away from her. I persist, pushing the wet napkin against her mouth.

“It will help you breathe,” I shout.

My shout comes out as a hoarse sounding whisper and I’m not sure she can even hear me. I pick up the other napkin and press it over my own nose and mouth, showing her what I’m trying to do.

The relief from the smoke is instant when I put the cold cloth to my face. It’s not total respite, but I feel like I can breathe again. I point to the napkin as another cough wracks Amelia’s body and I don’t know if she understands what I’m trying to do, or if she’s just too weak to keep pushing my hand away, because I finally manage to get the napkin in place over her nose and mouth. Her coughing eases off a little and she reaches up and puts her own hand on the napkin, holding it in place.

I look around again and I know there’s only one way out of here now. The whole place is a blazing inferno, and the fire is ravaging everything in its path. I turn to the window. The drapes on either side of it are burning, raging with fire. The heat coming off them almost drives me back, but I push closer. I reach down and take off my shoes.

“Amelia! I need you to listen to me,” I yell.

She nods, her eyes wide and staring above the napkin. In some way panic has claimed her, but she seems to be trying to listen to me.

“I need you to crouch down, ok? I’m going to break the window and the air will rush in and make the blaze around us worse for a moment, but we have to go out through the window or we’re not going to make it. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

She nods mutely and drops down to a crouch.

I take my shoe and slam the heel against the glass. The glass cracks but it doesn’t break. The smoke is getting to me now and I’m starting to feel dizzy as the fire uses up every trace of oxygen in the room. We don’t have long at all to get out of here. I can feel my body weakening and I know if I don’t get the window to break on my next swing, I might not have the energy for another one.

My head is spinning faster, but I swing my shoe with everything I have, and I feel a momentary relief as the glass shatters. I duck down, shielding Amelia with my body as shattered glass rains down on top of us. The flames jump and dance, swelling and burning more ferociously for a few moments, fed by the same air that rushes in through the now broken window.

I wait until the flames settle back down to their original intensity, then I push myself up and take huge gulps of the cool night air. I lean down and help Amelia back up to her feet. She steps closer to the window, throwing her napkin aside and takes great big sobbing gulps of air.

The window is lined with shards of wickedly sharp glass. I take my shoe again and smash them all out.

“We need to go out of the window,” I shout as I put my shoes back on. “It’s about a six-foot drop on the other side. I’m going to go out first so I can catch you when you jump. As soon as I shout up to you, jump. Ok?”

“Yes. Go,” she shouts urgently.

The fresh air seems to have brought her back to her senses, blowing her panic away. I climb through the window frame and drop to the ground. The drop is a little more than I thought and the impact slams through my feet and up my legs. I suck in a breath, trying to ignore the pain in my legs. I turn back to the window and take a step back.

“I’m ready for you. Jump,” I shout.

I see one of her legs poking out of the window and then her body starts to emerge. She’s sitting straddling the window frame when another loud explosion sounds inside of the restaurant. Amelia screams and pushes herself off the windowsill. She comes tumbling through the air. I step beneath her, my arms raised to catch her.

I manage to grab her, but she came down a lot faster than I anticipated, and the impact of her body slamming into mine knocks me off my feet. I land hard on my back, with Amelia on top of me. Amelia looks down at me, concern etched into her face. There are black soot lines on her face, and she looks terrified.

“Viktor? Viktor? Are you ok?” she asks, her voice laced with panic.

I nod and suck in a painful breath. “I’m fine. Are you ok?”

I’m already sitting up as I say it, running my hands over Amelia’s body, checking for any cuts or burns.

“I’m ok,” she says. “I’m ok.”

I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me tightly. She rests her head on my shoulder and she’s half laughing and half crying when she speaks.