Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater!
Chapter 36
The officers were exhausted from loading the people into the vans but were finally able to rest. The back-up squad had driven off with them to do as they please, leaving only half the number of officers as before.
Mr. Harper wandered over to his officers and cleared his throat, trying to gain their attention. With the crowd gone and out of the way, Mr. Harper could now send his men in without a worry.
"What is it sir?" One of them asked.
Harper scratched his head. "I want you enter the building stealthily, we need to find the girls." He said, fiddling with his tie. "You guys ready?"
The officers nodded, keeping a protective hand over their weapons. Harper led the way to the building; treading carefully through the doorway. The room was lit, but an immense heat struck their skin as soon as they entered.
Harper fanned himself with his hand, trying to cool down. "Man, it's like a sauna in here!" He wheezed. "Or it is just me?" He looked back at his colleges. They were following slowly behind with bright red faces and shiny foreheads. "Nope, I'm not the only one then. It's nice to get some feedback once in a while."
He wandered further in but stopped at the sound of flickering flames, turning to the side. A startled gasp slipped from his lips at the sight before him. The fire was still alive. "Shit, everybody out!" He yelled, shoving his colleagues towards the exit.
He cursed under his breath, shutting the doors back up to keep the flames at bay. "Damn it! I thought it had been extinguished!" He turned to the others, "Are the fire crew still on their way?"
One of the younger officers stepped forward, shaking his head. "I-I...erm, I cancelled their call because I thought the fire was gone," he gulped; slightly shaking.
"Did I tell you to cancel the call!?" He fumed, face turning red.
The officer shook his head, "No, sir, you didn't." He paled.
Harper growled, gripping the man's shirt. "I wasn't expecting an answer," he said through grit teeth before throwing him back, dusting off his hands. "You guys do realise that we can't enter until the fire is out, right? It's against the 'Health&Safety' rules."
Nobody replied. Harper sighed, telling the younger officer to call the fire crew back up so they could get rid of the fire.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He whirled around, expecting the younger officer to be before him; but he wasn't. "You have an excellent way of treating your colleagues, Harper."
"K-Kid? What are you doing here?"
Death the Kid snorted, "You know fully well why I'm here Mr. Harper." He reached behind him and gently tugged the short figure before him, showing her off like a prized possession. "Besides, I found my partner." He grinned.
"Ah, Patty!" Harper gasped, reaching for the girl. He checked her over for any wounds or marks, but found that she was mostly clean. Except for her legs of course. Large blisters gripped her legs with the bottom parts almost charred. "Did you get that from the fire?"
Patty nodded, stepping behind Kid slightly. "They don't hurt as much now." She smiled.
"That's good, but you'll still need to have someone check them out." Harper nodded before changing the subject. "Are the others still inside then?"
Kid answered for her, "Yes, but Soul has gone inside to get Maka. I sent Blackstar in to search for the rest," he mumbled.
"S-Soul is in there? As well as Blackstar!?"
Patty nodded, grabbing Kid's arm. "Maka should have freed the others by now," she said with a sad tone, hurt showing in her eyes.
Harper crouched to her level. "But why does this good news bring tears to your eyes?" He asked, sincerely concerned for the girl.
"I should be in there right now helping out my best friend." She mumbled, wiping her eyes. "But Maka tricked me and pushed me away, so that I ended up out here..." She shook her head, leaning into Kid. "She can't take all the glory."
Kid ruffled her hair. "There's no sense of glory to be won here today, just the feeling of justice." He grinned, leaning back. His golden eyes narrowed at the younger officers fumbling around, not knowing what to do with themselves. "Why don't you make yourself and your men useful for a change with this proposition I have?"
Harper scowled at the boy, standing up straight. Is that what the boy really thought about the members of the Law? "And what would that be?"
Kid grinned, showing off his teeth. "Why not see if you can find the bodies of the girls, hm? Wouldn't it be better to do what you can out here," he suggested, "while the others do their best inside?"
Harper nodded, crossing his arms. "You're right," he sighed, not liking how the teenager was telling him how to do his job properly. "You heard him," he called back to his men, ushering them off.
"We'll help too," Patty mumbled, pulling Kid along with her. She hobbled after them -for the pain in her legs was excruciating- not wanting to slow down the search for the others.
As they wandered over to the opposite side of the building, Harper couldn't help but scrutinize Kid's outfit. "Why are you carrying swords?" He asked, amused at his costume.
Kid gave him a quick glance before quickening his pace. "N-No reason," he stuttered.
The officer blinked, recognising the panicked tone. The kid didn't want to get in trouble. "Hey, wait!" Harper tried to match his stride but the shinigami was just too quick with his longer legs. "You won't get in trouble, I swear! I bet they're fake," he grinned.
Kid stopped, taken back by the officer. "Y-Yeah...they are...fake." He snickered, catching on while Patty joined in with a giggle. "They're practically harmless."
バトルゾーン
"I think this is his office," Maka huffed, struggling to catch her breath. "Anyone know how to pick a lock?" She mused, twisting the locked doorknob.
Fallon nodded, reaching for the pin holding Maka's hair together. She slid it out, letting the ash blonde curls loose. With a single glance, Fallon shoved the tip of the emerald pin into the gap above the lock, forcing it down. She twisted and pulled, popping the lock in a matter of seconds.
Maka grinned, patting her on the back as she retrieved her pin. "Nice work." She twisted the knob and pushed the door open. The first thing she noticed was how clean the room was, to her surprise of course. She'd expected it to be filthy, with contracts scattered everywhere as well as pictures of his victims. But this was another story.
Blaise began to open the draws of a filing cabinet beside the open door, raking her nails across discarded files and notes. She stopped when she noticed their stares, raising a brow. "What, aren't you going to help?"
The others scurried off, searching in their own areas for the contracts. While they searched, Starr walked over to the small fireplace embedded into the wall, finding a bucket of dusty logs beside it. She lit the gas and threw in the wood, igniting the flames with a press of a button.
Maka smiled at the girl, glad that she had found the burning mechanism. She continued to search through the draw until she came up empty-handed. She moved onto the last one with a sigh, but to her dismay; it held a lock.
She glanced back at Fallon who was busy with her own area. Taking the matter into her own hands, Maka pulled the pin from her pocket and shoved it into the hole; not sure on what to do. With a huff, she twisted the pin, trying to pop the lock.
She struggled with the pin, not wanting to break it during the process. But before she gave up, a distinguished click came from the lock. Maka smiled and pulled off the lock, putting the pin back in her pocket.
She yanked open the draw, eyes glazing with shock. Before her sat the contracts. She quickly gathered them up, checking through the pile. She had Fallon's, Blaise's, Starr's, and Patty's. Maka frowned, looking back at the empty draw. Where was hers?
Shaking her head, she moved towards the fire before throwing them in, watching them burn. A gentle pat on her shoulder caught her attention. "What's wrong?" She asked the singer.
Starr smiled, crouching beside her. "Are those the contracts?" She pointed at the crinkled paper between the flames. Maka nodded, looking back.
"I found the contracts."
"Good," Fallon breathed a sigh, glad that her contract has been destroyed. "Was everyone elses there? Including yours?" She pondered, staring at the fire.
"Yes, they were all there, including my own." Maka lied, crossing her fingers behind her back. "We're all free," a lump lodged in her throat, making her voice hoarse.
Starr frowned, clasping her hand. "Are you OK?" She whispered, loud enough for her to hear. She tugged her away from the others, flexing her fingers.
Maka nodded, struggling with her words."I-I'm alright, I mean, y-you don't have to worry." She swallowed her worry in one; dislodging the lump from her throat.
Before Starr could question her words, Fallon spoke up, "Should we leave? This place could catch on fire before we know it," she whispered awkwardly, pointing to the door.
"As much as I hate you, I agree with what you're saying, for now that is." Blaise sighed dramatically, flicking her hair back. "Let's get moving, people." She strut towards the door before anyone else could have a chance to move.
Maka rolled her eyes, tugging Starr behind while Fallon bumbled on. They ventured further down the corridor seeming that it was the only way out. With a glance back, Maka found herself caught in a crossroad of paths, unsure of which to take.
Starr looked left, then right, and left again. She knew that going straight ahead would probably lead them to a dead end, and they had just come through the south corridor, leaving only the left and right to choose from.
"Left or right?" She said, but nobody heard for the heavy grunts coming from the ceiling reigned over her angel voice. Cracks appeared in the paint work as a piece of the ceiling fell before their very feet; throwing them off balance.
Through the hole in the ceiling, the growing fire could be clearly seen by those below. It spread through the entrance and ran down the walls, covering the entire ceiling.
Starr screamed, covering her head as the whole ceiling above them fell all at once. Thinking on her feet, Maka thrust her arms out, knocking the singer into Fallon as they both fell back. Blaise bumped into Maka in her bid to escape, pushing the both of them in the opposite direction.
Starr screamed out her name just as the broken ceiling cut off the path between them, "MAKAAA!" She sat frozen in Fallon's lap, staring at the mass of broken bricks and beams covered in plaster where her friends sat behind.
On the other side of the blockade Maka was coughing hysterically, unable to control her breathing. The dust from the plaster had entered her lungs, leaving a thin layer of toxic on their outer shell. She hacked up blood, spitting it out at Blaise's feet.
Blaise scowled, shoving her away. "Eww! Don't do that near me, bitch!" She pushed herself up, dusting off the grime and dirt.
Maka ignored her cussing, trying to steady her breathing. Luckily for her, the strange serum which had been injected into her system -to block her weapon blood- had been mixed with a medicine that counteracts bad poisons in the body. It crept its way towards her lungs as she panted, getting rid of the toxic on her lungs.
It took her a few minutes to return to normal, but she still looked and felt sick. She shook her head, looking back at the mess blocking their way back. The fire had spread throughout the flammable objects, producing an even bigger fire than before.
She cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled over the flames, hoping her voice would carry over to the others. "Don't worry about us! Just find your own way out of here!" She didn't wait for an answer.
And ran, grabbing Blaise's wrist on the way.
Maka thrust her legs into action as she dragged Blaise away from the fire, not wanting to waste her precious time. Her breathing rushed out of its pattern the more she ran, becoming exhausted with pulling the slow girl behind.
Blaise whimpered, shaking off Maka's hold. The ash blonde paused for a moment before turning to face her. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"
"You know what's wrong!" She whined, stomping her foot like a child.
Maka shrugged, flexing her fingers. "Actually, I don't." She crossed her arms, waiting for the strange girl to reply. "Well?"
"Ugh, jeez! You were holding my wrist too tightly! See!?" She shoved her tanned hand at Maka's face. She flinched. "Look, right heeerrreeee!" She drawled, pointing her manicured finger at the small red blotch.
Maka rolled her eyes. "So you stopped me just so you could pout and shove your fake tanned hand at my face. Am I right?"
Blaise growled, raking her nails down my arm. "You left a mark! How will I get this out now!?" She screamed, stalking ahead.
"I'll probably kill you before you're seen by the public anyway," Maka muttered, blowing her fringe. But she hurried after her, wanting to get as far away as she could from the fire.
バトルゾーン
Fallon stared in dismay at the younger girl stood frozen before the fire, not knowing what she should do. All she could hear was the fire crackling as it burnt the fallen pieces of ceiling, creating larger puffs of smoke which blackened the remaining ceiling boards above.
"S-Starr, come away from the fire," she heard herself say, taking a hesitant step forward. "Come on, you could get hurt."
Starr felt a spot of warmth on her shoulder, snapping her from her daze. "Fallon? What's wrong?" She murmured, backing away from the immense heat.
"We need to get out of here, I'm sure Maka and Blaise have already gone." Fallon explained, pulling her back more.
Starr frowned. "But-"
Fallon's eyes widened as she hushed her, placing a finger to her lips. "Did you hear that?" She tilted her head so that her ear was positioned to the fire.
"H-Hear what?" Starr fumbled with her words.
"Shh!" She hushed her once more as she listened intently.
"Don't worry about us! Just find your own way out of here!" Maka's voice echoed through the flames, reaching Fallon's ears.
She grabbed Starr's hand, pulling her close. "Did you hear her?"
"What, Maka?" The singer mused, squeezing the older girl's hand. "Of course I did." She tugged her back. "Let's just get out of here, the smoke is intoxicating."
Fallon nodded. "OK," she hurried behind, ushering her on.
The further they walked, the cooler it got. But since they were stuck in a blockade of tunnels; the smoke had grown thicker. Any more of this and they could die.
Starr rubbed at her eyes, finding her sight fuzzy with the growing smoke. The bits of ashes kept floating around her face, irritating her eyes enough to cause them to water. "Ugh, stupid smoke!" She growled, keeping hold of Fallon's hand.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." She coughed, rubbing her throat. The smoke was as black as night, making it hard to see. "Guess we should have gone in the opposite direction."
Starr sighed, ignoring the tears running down her cheeks. "Rubbing them will just make them worse," she wiped her cheeks, leaving black marks on her skin.
Fallon giggled, poking her cheek. "You smudged the ash on your cheek!" She snickered as she rubbed at it with her sleeve. "There, all gone."
"Thanks, mum."
"No problem," Fallon ruffled her hair. A sudden smell hit her nose, knocking her back. "Ugh, what is that!?" She covered her nose with her arm, keeping ahold of Starr.
"It's gas!" Starr struggled to cover her own nostrils. "Don't breathe it in!" She cried, hiding her face in Fallon's shirt.
Fallon stumbled back from the new weight, hitting the wall behind head first. Her clothes rubbed the ash from the wall as she slid, loosing her sight. "I-I...there's nothing there...I can't see!" She panicked, clutching Starr closer.
Starr looked at her friend, horrified at her words. "W-What!?" She shook her shoulders as the older girl's head rolled limp to the side; her eyes closed. "Fallon? Fallon!?" She screamed, inhaling more of the smoke and gas.
She covered her mouth as she coughed, struggling to breath from the toxins entering her lungs. "F-Fallon! Please, open your eyes!" She cried, thumping her chest. "P-Please..." She felt her own body go limp against her friend.
Through her poor vision she could just make out a moving object. The blue on its head stood out from the rest as she was picked up and slung over something hard. Some sort of blanket was wrapped around her head before her vision went black.
Posting Date: 28th August 2013
Symm: I start school on Wednesday, not looking forward to it since I either have triple P.E or triple Welsh -.- I'm sorry about the late update, time just flew by O.O Literally...but here is the next chapter so please enjoy ;) I'll definitely update sooner! And sorry about the short length!
Thanks for the reviews and addings:
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Guest: Sorry for the wait! ^^
XXX
You better come back- Or I'll take your Soul!