As always, thanks to all the awesome readers for spending their time in my world & leaving the most amazing reviews!
Thanks to the awesome Kelly2727 too!
Chapter 10
"Andy..."
Hearing her name made Sam's heart stop.
"Diaz?". Sam snapped his eyes to that of the younger officer as fear etched his face.
"Sir, Andy never left, she's still in the house, and that was an explosion".
Sam and Chris were on their feet and moving towards the door, Chris had his gun drawn as they stepped through the doorway into the black billowing smoke that suddenly seemed to be filling the house.
Watering eyes and muffled coughs emitted loudly from them as Sam pulled Chris down towards the ground before motioning forwards.
"Andy" the soft whisper came out of Chris before he could help himself, as they scurried along the floor towards the Shaw girls' room.
The smoke had grown so thick, that visibility was below zero.
It hung in the air like a vile barrier
The dark thick air began to blur their vision as involuntary eye watering began, and their throats began to burn with each inhaled breath. Their need for air was however greater than the scalding breaths they inhaled repeatedly.
"Andy". Sam suddenly yelled out loudly as a thought caused his heart to plummet straight into the gates of hell.
They were here.
For her.
They were burning them out, to get them out, or burning them inside.
It didn't matter.
They were here to kill her.
And anyone who tried to stand in their way between them and Andy.
"Andy" Sam's voice carried the same sense of urgency it did the night it carried out over the water, as he called out again when her response was only silence.
Shifting along the floor, Sam tried to pick up his crawling pace as he made his way blindly through the house.
"Sa..." Her voice was cut off by a strangled cough.
"Andy". Sam's voice was now fierce as he crawled through the house on the floor in desperation. But somewhere in his tone was a sense of relief at hearing her voice.
"Room..." Andy choked out.
Sam's hand suddenly hit something warm as it slid along the floor, before he saw a flash of her white tank top and chestnut hair through blurry eyes and dense smoke.
Feeling its own way, his hand felt it's was up her hand, to her arm, and kept traveling upwards. It found her shoulder, and eventually her cheek, that he felt was wet.
More wet than it should have been from her watering eyes.
"Andy?" Sam whispered unable to see through his own burning eyes now flooded with their own tears to in a bid to expel the smoke fused in them.
"I'm ok, something...hit head...its bleeding" Andy stammered out.
"Shit". Sam said his hand searching for a wet spot.
"I'm ok, we have to go".
"You stay right next to me okay? Diaz move into the smoke, towards the front door".
"Sir, the kitchen is on fire, and that side of the house ..." Chris' voice cut off as the loud crackling of the flames consuming everything in its path stated the obvious.
"I know, smoke is cover right now, they're smoking us out the back so we go out the front. We need the bag, at the door". Sam gave Andy a gentle nudge towards the front door, before squeezing her hand in silent promise, before she moved away following Chris she scooted in front of Sam, staying where he could see her.
Loud shots rang through the air from outside, giving the three figures on the floor a glimmer of hope as they kept moving towards the door.
"Diaz, check the front" Sam said as they neared the door. Andy tucked safely behind him.
Chris peered through the remainder of the front door window, which was now only odd pieces of glass holding on the frame.
The once beautiful arched stained glass window now only specks of colour nestled in the wood.
"Looks clear sir, blue lights ahead. Looks like Officer Shaw?".
"Okay, open the door, stay low".
Chris opened the door hesitantly causing a funnel of smoke to pull up past their heads out into the open.
Oliver and Dov stormed the stairs and met Chris as he came barrelling out first gasping for air, as Andy followed and then Sam.
"Diaz, grab vests in the cruiser" Oliver motioned to Sam and Andy noticing they were not wearing any, although Chris had the sense to keep his on. The front of the house now engulfed with red flames, as they licked up to the ceiling of the hallway, ruling out the option of them retrieving the duffel bag inside that held theirs.
Nodding Chris moved down the stairs and turned just in time to see the house lights flicker before plunging them onto sudden darkness, the only light radiating from the growing flames that engulfed the house.
Andy took a step away from Sam, Oliver and Dov in a bid to inhale clean, smoke free air, as she put her hands on her hips and leaned forwards letting out a spluttered cough as her lungs filled with fresh air.
She was vaguely aware of the light flickering, before going out, as she tried to inhale another breath that burnt its way down into her lungs.
She was vaguely aware of Chris' gaze on them, as if he was seeing something from his angle that they were blatantly missing.
As Andy stood up straight and turned to see what had caught Chris' attention, the three men standing on the wooden deck came into view as her body turned to face theirs.
Then Andy was suddenly aware of Sam's sudden panic filled face, his eyes stretching wider than she had ever seen.
So too did Oliver's, his face clouding over in realization of something everyone else was unaware of, well except for Sam.
And Dov's face, well that was one of boyish confusion.
Andy barely registered anything other than trying to concentrate on her laboured breathing, as Sam suddenly took two heavy steps towards her before she felt intense pressure on her chest, followed by the ground slipping out from under her feet before her back made impact with the gravel of the driveway below the steps as she slid painfully on the rough gravel before coming to an abrupt holt.
Sam had shoved her backwards so hard that Andy had the air in her lungs suddenly escape with a loud oomph as she hit the gravel.
Gasping for air, as she tried to re-fill her lungs, she looked up disbelief written all over her face at Sam's sudden actions.
He had wordlessly just stalked over to her and pushed her with such force on her chest that she sprawled out on her backside.
Blinking a million miles a second, Andy shook her head to physically clear the furious thoughts that flew into her mind, and hold back the tears that once again threatened to fall.
Staring at Sam, Andy heard the distant rumble of something before the earth shook and another loud explosion racked through the air.
Andy lay sprawled on the gravel as she watched the front door fly off its hinges, and the remaining windows glass became airborne as glass ploughed through the air, in a display of shimmering red, orange and blue, a reflection sparkling off the flames.
Sections of the roof tiles lifted, and wooden panels pulled apart from the deck. Paint began to bubble on the outside wall, before melting and dripping down to lather whatever lay beneath it.
Red flashes pulled into the air before changing into a thick smoke that made its way to the cloudless skyline, drawing random patterns in the night sky.
Then Andy watched in silence as the earth opened up and swallowed the three figures still standing on the deck, before a pile of rubble tumbled to grace the space the figures had just occupied.
A layer of timbers, tiles, bricks and wood now replaced the human figures that had stood there frozen seconds before.
The whole scene unfolded in silence as Andy's ears deafened from the loud explosion, her ears ringing from the force of the noise as it carried out into the silent night air.
She sat horrified as she watched the house tumble down on them, causing another heavy cloud of debris to fly her way as she battled to find her footing in an attempt to stand, partly from loss of balance now that her ears were ringing, and partly from pure shock and horror.
Andy's heart hammered so loudly in her ears as she watched the ground race up towards her as her legs crumbled from underneath her. The staggering sound of heartbeats now replacing the ringing.
It was the only sound she heard as she stumbled forwards, her hand shooting forwards to restrict her fall, only for her hand to feel dulled pain shoot through it as it grazed heavily over the course gravel that dug in to tender skin as it met the ground.
It was the only sound she heard as her knees joined her hands in hitting the ground, sliding an inch forwards on the loose, tiny stones.
It was the only sound that mingled with the wetness covering her face.
It was the only sound she heard until she heard herself screaming, although she could not her own words.
She felt it rather than heard it. A low rumble beginning in the pit of her stomach, before rising up to her chest causing it to clamp down around her heart and squeeze until she thought she felt it stop beating. Then the sound vibrated in her throat, before it reverberated off her tongue, and over her lips, filling the air.
Her own screams were the only sounds she heard, as her eyes relayed the images to her brain almost in slow motion.
Strong hands gripped Andy around her waist as she stumbled to her feet and tried to run forwards towards the crumbled remains of the burning house.
She fought and clawed at them as she tried to break free of their iron grasp on her. Fighting them with all the strength she possessed. She twisted and turned, but they were too strong as they eventually lifted her off the ground and pulled her back, her bare feet kicking over the gravel and then meeting the air as she felt herself being lifted.
Felling herself being turned slightly, before her feet touched the ground again, Andy was pulled into something hard. She blinked rapidly to clear the blurry vision she still had, as her eyes focused she looked up into the sad face of Chris who was just shaking his head from side to side as he held on to her.
His face was a mirror of her own as it expressed the most heart shattering look of sorrow as he told her it was too late.
There was nothing they could do other than stand and watch as the house continued to tumble down and burn.
Looking at the house Andy knew he was right.
With one last look at the house she turned to Chris and let him pull her in to a tighter hug as she felt the dizziness and nausea take over. She felt her body begin to shudder and move into a full tremor, before she felt the ground rush up at her again as she sagged to the ground this time taking Chris with her as the darkness pulled her into a lulled sense of safety and unconsciousness took hold of her.
***** Okay, so that is probably the worst cliffy I have ever done, so tell me what you think in a review. Love it, hate it? I would love to hear it!