anter 17
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08:21 Sat 24 May
He turned to the stairwell and ran.
Ellie’s world swayed in and out of darkness. Her throat burned, dry and raw. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream anymore. Her body slumped against the corner of the smoking
hallway. The flames were close now–she could feel them licking at the walls, eating the edges of everything around her.
Sebastian’s legs ached with every step as he scaled the stairs two, three at a time. Smoke had already reached the upper floors. He ignored the heat that pressed against him, ignored the warning shouts from the lower floors, and kept climbing.
“Ellie!” he shouted, breathless.
His lungs begged for air, but he wouldn’t stop.
Not when she was in there.
On the 12th floor landing, the smoke was so thick it stung his eyes. But then he heard it- the faintest cough.
That was enough.
He pressed forward, shoulder–first into the bathroom door, then kicked with all his strength. Again. Again. Until his shoulder burned and the metal bent.
The fire crew had followed him up by then and joined in, helping wrench the door open.
It flew off its hinges at last–and inside, he saw her.
Collapsed. Unmoving. Covered in ash.
“Ellie!” he shouted, stumbling forward, almost tripping as he dropped to his knees beside
her.
Her eyes fluttered, barely open.
He lifted her into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, brushing soot from her face. “I was late… I’m so sorry. I’m here now. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. Not again.”
She stirred faintly, her arms instinctively wrapping around him.
He held her close as the firefighters helped guide them out.
By the time they reached the street, Ellie had fallen unconscious again, but her pulse was strong. Paramedics rushed her to an ambulance. Sebastian followed, his hand never leaving hers.
As he sat beside her in the vehicle, he whispered again and again.
“You’re safe now… I’ve got you.”
His own skin was red and blistering in places, but he didn’t care.
All that mattered was that she was alive.
And this time, he wouldn’t let go.
08:21 Sat, 24 May
Chapter 18
