Chapter 12
The boys and their pet platypus had been surrounded by fire everywhere except a single wall that was undamaged by the raging flames. Phineas licked his lips and Perry's mind rushed with fear. What should he do? How could he save the boys?
Doof looked desperately at the wall of flames that were rising up to the ceiling. Oh no this was bad. He had to save them. But how?
Bathilda cackled at his left and Doof ran to the far wall of where there was a smaller range of flames. "Phineas! Ferb!" he called out. The fire here wasn't so high up. They could jump through it maybe. "Do you have anything to stand on?"
"No!" Phineas called out over the roaring fire. "Wait. No Ferb can have me stand on his shoulders!"
"That'll work! Hurry!"
Phineas clambered on to his brother's shoulders and Doof held out his arms. "Jump Phineas jump!" The flames were growing even higher. Time was growing shorter.
The twelve year old ginger jumped over the rim of the flames, only feeling a faint warmth as he crashed in to his father. The entire apartment was starting to get eaten and devoured by the hungry orange and golden flames. "Go to the car! Get out of here!" Doof yelled.
"I'm not going without Ferb!" Phineas said stubbornly.
Doof didn't say anything else, and turned back to the boy who needed help. But in their moment of arguing the flames had grown several feet higher. Ferb backed against the wall, sweat dripping down his face.
Was he going to die?
Hmm. Death by fire. He didn't think that he would die this way. He never thought much about death really. Almost like it wouldn't happen to him. He was still so young.
But life could easily be taken away as well as given, the boy told himself, another one of his wise sayings he always tended to say in a moment of need.
Perry he thought as he glanced down at the platypus. The animal was shivering in fear and was standing on his two back legs, just a centimeter from Ferb's skin. Ferb looked him up and down, a twinge of recognition biting at him as he recognized the stance his platypus stood in. But he shrugged it off and faced the flames.
Ferb didn't want to die. He was only twelve years old, just like his brother. It didn't seem fair that he should have to die and Phineas would get to live. How would his brother get on? They'd done everything together. Ferb being gone would completely break his heart, and Perry without him too would shatter it.
Doof, the boy prayed, wishing he could hear him, you need to look after my brother until his dying breath, since I won't be there for him. Stay with him until it's his turn to leave too. Hopefully years and years from now, and not today.
"Ferb! Ferb! FERB!" Phineas was screaming. But Ferb couldn't hear Phineas screeching out his name. Ferb's eyes were fixed on the platypus, who looked relatively calm now, as if he knew what he had to do. The platypus felt the stare of his owner's gaze and he turned his head to look up at him quietly.
Ferb saw intelligence in those eyes. They didn't look like a mindless animal anymore. The platypus looked like he was as smart as a human, probably smarter.
The pair just stared at each other for a moment, and Perry's eyes suddenly hardened with determination. Ferb reached a hand over, intending to hold Perry's hand. Perry looked down at it, then to Ferb before reaching over and grasping Ferb's hand in his, and then as faster than anything, he hoisted Ferb up and both of his hands went below Ferb's feet, and using all of his strength, Perry rocketed Ferb over the flames.
The boy landed on his brother and both got shakily to their feet. The flames were nearly all around them now. The apartment would collapse at any moment.
"Perry! Perry's still there! Why didn't you bring him over with you Ferb? How did you jump like that?" Phineas demanded, grabbing his brother's shoulders. Phineas didn't know why, but he felt a fierce protection over Perry to not let him die. Perry couldn't die. There was something that Perry had to do, and Phineas had no idea what it was.
Ferb just watched his brother silently and turned his head quietly over to the flames while his brother screamed out questions to him.
Both Ferb and Doof saw it.
Perry was barely noticeable amidst the flames, but he was distinguishable, his image flickering. They watched as the platypus saluted them, a faint smile on his face, small crystal tears forming in his eyes. His eyes met Doof.
I kept my end of the bargain Doof. Keep yours.
Fighting back tears, Perry's image disappeared and Doof grabbed the boys' hands and pulled them to the car, much to Phineas's protests. Doof shoved the batteries from his pockets in to a container. The container shut and the car started up instantly.
"Location?" a mechanical woman's voice asked.
"Home," Doof said, his voice cracking.
The car lifted up in to the air and zoomed away from the apartment, right as two of the floors collapsed in on itself.
"We're going home," Doof whispered.
Meanwhile, Bathilda followed the flying car with a smile on her face. She had managed to get out during the chaos, and she knew it didn't go well by the walkie talkie she had left on the other end. Screams and cries that would pierce a person's heart made hers sing with delight.
Just as planned.
Haha I am on FIYAH! :D (fire) aren't you guys PROUD of me? X3 I just wrote chapters 11 and 12 IN ONE NIGHT when I typed this up. And I already had written a small segment of 13 when I was typing up to finish 11. then I worked on 12 cuz I felt so motivated (and I finished it! Hahaha!). so I did like 3 chapters in one night on monday. WOOT WOOT for the coffeeeeeee!
(gets ready in battle gear) the fangirls are going to murder me. I better be ready.
