The Burning Building
by Nathan P.
Just remember me well. Goodbye.
The words rang in her ears as she remembered that fateful day. Now, the boy she loved was laying here in the hospital, in coma. The horrific incident had happened only three days ago…
Zoey ran to the cafeteria, relieved that at least half the day was over. It had been a boring morning, just like the others, and she was ready for the second half to be done with as well. But now she wanted lunch.
After getting her salad and fruit cup, she rushed to a table, containing her friends. Chase, Nichole, and Michael were deep in discussion with an important subject at hand.
"I think apples are the best fruit," Chase said. Chase always got at least two apples for every meal, so this quote was not unexpected.
"I like strawberries," Nichole said. "The pinkish color is really neat, plus they taste good."
"I prefer the potato chip," Michael said. "I mean, look at them!" Michael had an extreme potato chip fetish. His love for them had caused him to grow slightly fatter. Quinn, the experimental type of girl with an odd lifestyle, had attempted to create an artificial potato chip, a chip with the calories and fat removed. Michael went down in size, but the potato chips caused odd side effects. Shaky legs, blurred speech, etc. Quinn abandoned that experiment, letting him eat them as he pleased.
"Michael, potato chips aren't fruit," Chase said, rolling his eyes slightly.
"Whatever man, I don't care." He looked at his bag of potato chips for a second, then stuffed a double handful of the chips into his mouth.
The conversation about the fruits continued all through lunch until the bell eventually rang. Everyone separated to get to their next classes. Zoey and Chase shared math class, so they walked to their class together.
Silence filled the walk to Zoey and Chase's math class. Eventually, they reached the class, arriving before the rush. They sat down as their class filed slowly in.
"Jeez, this is boring," Chase whispered quietly as the math teacher droned on in the background. The class was only half-over, as the clock read.
"Tell me about it," Zoey whispered back. Another boring class, as they always were. The study of pre-cal, which was very hard in the first place, took its rightful position as especially hard because the bore-factor, as Nichole said it. Kids in the back of the class were asleep, curled up in odd positions in their chairs. Zoey's head nodded slightly, and Chase tapped her foot to keep her awake, causing her to fly up back into her sitting position.
'Alright, class," their teacher said. "It's time for group problem sol-" he was cut short by Michael bursting into the classroom, blowing papers everywhere. "Sir! Come quick!" he panted. "The library's caught on fire!"
"What!" the teacher cried. "How did this happen?"
"Well, one kid accidently rubbed against a pressured valve or something. Anyways, an employee of the library went to light a cigarette, and the pipe's liquids burst causing a massive explosion! We have to hurry and help because the building's structure is weakening as we speak!" He was panting as he spoke, and the teacher had to ask for him to repeat it twice before he got the full message. The class ran out of the room, Michael walking slowly along behind them.
"Just go on without me!" he panted, falling down from being exhausted.
The burning building was in the distance, blazing with an orange-blackish glow. The fire department was at least a half hour away from PCA, so teachers and some students were attempting to either escape or help others escape from the wreckage.
"I'm going in!" Chase shouted running the remaining distance to the open door. Zoey, in a slightly shocked state because of this act of bravery, followed him. She wanted to help, too.
"Wait for me!" she shouted, running into the building. Three others followed behind her eventually separating. Their teacher had gone back to get a now unconscious Michael, his face stuffed with chips.
The two stepped across the threshold into the library, and were instantly put on their knees. The smoke was agonizingly bad, its horrible smell and way to make people cough had taken over the two. They continued their rescue mission on their knees, holding their shirts over their noses.
"This way!" Chase shouted over the deafening roar of the flames. Just as they moved, a pillar gave way, crashing less than a foot away from Zoey.
"Chase!" she cried. "We've got to get out!" She had a desperate tone in her voice that drew Chase to it, and they began crawling in the direction of what they hoped to be the entrance of the building. Almost to the doorway, three more pillars gave way, blocking their exit. They were trapped in the burning building.
"Zoey! We're trapped!" Chase yelled. He glanced over at Zoey, who was sitting holding her knees, tears beginning to swell up in her eyes.
"Yes we are." She said quietly. "We are going to die here." She looked up at Chase, crying.
"Zoey," Chase said. "I know." He put his arm around her, holding her as she cried, wishing it would not end like this. He sighed. I have to tell her now.
"Zoey," he began. Ever since you came to PCA, my life has been different." He looked up at her, surprised to see she had sopped crying and was listening. "Yes?" she asked.
"Well, you have been great. You make me laugh, you are beautiful, and you're smart."
"Yes?" Zoey said, moving closer to him.
"And you are the coolest friend a guy could have." He paused, taking a deep breath. Zoey moved in closer. "Yes?" she said.
"Well, what I'm trying to say is that, Zoey," he stopped for a second to look into her eyes. "I really like you. Ever since you came I knew I had feelings for you that would never fade. I like, no, I lo-" he was cut short by Zoey forcing her lips onto his, pinning him against the wall. The kiss surprised Chase slightly, yet at the same time, making him close his eyes and appreciate the moment. The kiss seemed to last an eternity. At last they pulled apart, smiling at each other.
"I love you too, Chase," she said. The flames brought them out of their gazes, and they watched in horror as the flames closed in around them and the structure of the building slowly collapsed around them.
"Just remember me well. Goodbye." Chase said this, fighting the tears.
She looked at him. The building collapsed as Chase threw himself on Zoey, shielding her from the debris of the building as it finally gave way, burying them under the remains.
Zoey looked at Chase unconscious in the hospital bed. She remembered how she had woken up and informed what had happened in a bed right next to him. She still remained, only to watch him, waiting for the one she loved to come out of his slumber.
His eyes opened slowly. Where am I? he thought. I an attempt to sit up, a searing pain burst through his leg causing him to yelp. He laid back down.
His sudden outburst caused a blurred shape in the corner of the room to yelp back, tumbling out of the chair it was sitting in. "Who's there?' Chase groaned. His vision began to clear up as he looked at the shape getting up. It looked familiar…
"Chase?" Zoey said. She walked carefully over to him. He's alive! Yes! Zoey thought. "can you hear me?" Chase nodded slowly.
"Good." She was concerned about him, knowing that he was in pain. You could tell he was in pain by the multiple rounds of bandages in various places across his body. "Can you see me?"
Chase looked up and nodded. It was Zoey!
"What happened?" he asked.
"Oh, remember? We were in the library, and the fire was all around us, and then we lost consciousness, and then they found us in the rubble, and they sent us here, and then I woke up but you didn't, and now you're up after three days of being in coma, an-" she paused, looking into his eyes. "You saved me." She said.
"I did?" he asked questioningly.
"Yeah." She said quietly. "You threw yourself on me, protecting me from the rubble and debris. See?" She showed him his leg. It was covered in layers of bandages. "A nail fell an got you in the leg."
"Zoey?" Chase looked up at her. "Do you remember what happened in the library?" He looked into her eyes.
"Yes," she said. She felt embarrassed, now knowing they both lived.
"Well, even being alive, I still feel confident in what I told you." He looked at her. "How about you?"
Zoey smiled, leaning over him and kissing him softly on the lips. "You know it," she said teasingly and leaned in for another kiss.
I guess things really do change when you're in the burning building.
THE END