Day 13
Theme: That's Gonna Leave a Mark
Prompt(s): Burns
The car pulled up outside the theatre. There was a crowd of people already outside. When the car door opened, Gordon was almost blinded by the bright, flashing lights that hit him as he stepped out of the car.
He moved out of the way and held his hand out for the woman who followed him out of the vehicle. She placed her palm in his, and sent him a smile that had been carefully practiced for photographs as she stepped out onto the red carpet.
Even though Gordon had spent the entire journey next to her, he was still amazed at how beautiful she was. She was always stunning, but the dress she wore tonight was coated in gems that caught the light from the cameras which made it sparkle. It was a pale pink and flowed behind her as the two of them made their way into the theatre.
Her hand was on his arm as they walked, the paparazzi behind the barriers on either side of them. Gordon rarely got this kind of attention, as he was used to his remote life away from everyone, and only really experienced it when he was with Penelope. So, he was pleased when they finally stepped into the theatre and the flashing cameras could stop giving him a headache.
Once inside, they were shown to their seats. They had their own private box for just the two of them, and it seemed a bit much for Gordon, but he wasn't going to complain if it meant he could be alone with Penelope. Especially when they were both offered a glass of champagne as soon as they sat down.
Now, they were both in their seats as they waited for everyone else to be seated and for the show to start. Gordon wasn't sure what the show was about, as Penelope hadn't offered too many details. She had just told him that she had been given two tickets to attend an opening night, and Gordon accepted before she had a chance to explain anything else. He didn't care what it was about, just that he got to spend an evening with his girlfriend.
Even though they had been together for a little while now, Gordon's stomach never stopped doing backflips every time he thought about the woman who was finally his. They were even out in public for the rest of the world to know that they were official.
A hand looped around his elbow and Gordon looked over to see Penelope beaming up at him. A smile stretched across his face at the sight of hers, and he put his hand on top of Penelope's.
"Thank you for inviting me."
"I couldn't think of better company."
The two of them sat like that until the show eventually began. Gordon diverted his attention to the stage as the lights dimmed and the curtains were drawn back.
Virgil was definitely the musical lover of their family, but Gordon would be lying if he said he didn't have several soundtracks memorised by heart. There was something about the cheesy storylines and dance numbers that just appealed to him.
Although Gordon had no idea what to expect from this show as he wasn't aware of what it was about beforehand, it was quite entertaining. The story was set several centuries ago, but the music had a modern twist. There was a mix of romance and drama, and Gordon quickly found himself getting engrossed in the characters.
Currently, the two main characters, who were both secretly in love, were sneaking out to meet at their rendezvous point. They were lit only by the oil lanterns they both held and a single spotlight that was trained on the two of them. It created a beautiful imagery, and Gordon would have realised that if he was paying attention.
Because despite how entertaining the show was, he couldn't stop glancing at Penelope. She had a small smile on her face as her full attention was on the show below, and was completely unaware of his staring. Gordon still couldn't believe he was here with her and that of all people, she had decided to invite him. He just had to keep looking at her to remind himself it was real.
Not only that, he didn't think he could ever get tired of seeing her face, and everytime he looked at her it was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again.
Suddenly, there was a crash on the stage and the hand on his arm tightened. Gordon turned his attention back to the show, and found that one of the actors had dropped their lantern and fire was quickly spreading across the stage.
Gordon didn't think that was meant to be part of the show, if the fact that the music had stopped and the way the actors watched the fire in a mix of shock and fear was anything to go by.
Everything seemed to be still for a moment as the crowd was stunned by what was happening, but then chaos erupted. People screamed as they scrambled out of their seats and ushers yelled for everyone to evacuate the building.
Gordon stood and pulled Penelope from her seat. They moved out into the hallway behind the box and headed down the steps to the ground level. However, instead of moving towards the exit like everyone else, Gordon stopped and glanced towards the rest of the building.
"Pen, I-" Even though Gordon was off duty, he couldn't just leave without helping. There were people who were stuck back there and Gordon wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't help them get out.
He didn't want Penelope to be upset at him putting himself in danger, but this was his job and he couldn't just leave.
However, he shouldn't be surprised that Penelope understood him so well, and he didn't even need to explain before she nodded in understanding.
"I know."
Gordon relaxed, and then turned to head to the back of the building.
"I'll meet you outside," he said as he stepped away, but stopped as she spoke again.
"I'm coming with you."
He turned, frowning in confusion as he went to protest. Before he could speak, Penelope held her hand up to stop him.
"I'm helping."
She hitched her dress up and the look she sent him was one that Gordon knew not to say no to, if he knew what was good for him. Whatever Gordon said, she would come with him anyway, so there was no point in arguing.
"Alright," he nodded, and then the two of them hurried in the opposite direction to the exit.
They had to fight past everyone who was running the other way to them as they navigated their way backstage. Gordon burst through a door that a number of people were coming out of, and from there it wasn't hard to find the backstage of the theatre.
The fire had gotten worse in the short time it had been since it started. It had spread from the stage and Gordon could hear cries for help as he reached where all the props were kept. The place was filled with smoke and Gordon could already feel it aggravate his throat. He also felt very warm now that he was close to the fire.
There was a group huddled on the other side of the backstage area, and Gordon and Penelope quickly picked themselves over to them before the fire cut them off.
The group looked scared but relieved to see them arrive. Gordon recognised two of them as the main actors of the show, and the others looked like they were stagehands.
"Follow us! We'll lead you to the way out!" Gordon had to shout over the roar of the fire.
The group all nodded quickly as they understood his words. Gordon stepped to the side to let them past, so he was at the back. Penelope was at the front of the group and started to lead them the way they had come.
There was a creak above them and they all stilled as they looked up. A fake tree had caught fire and suddenly snapped in half as the burning branches came crashing towards them.
Gordon hurried back as the burning tree landed just in front of him. The rest of the group moved out of the way just in time, but it still created a new issue. Gordon was trapped, as it blocked his way out.
"I'll find another way out. You guys go on."
Penelope nodded from across the fire between them, although Gordon could see the pain on her face at the idea of them splitting up.
"I think there are still people trapped in their dressing rooms," one of the stagehands called to him, and Gordon nodded.
He sent Penelope one last, long look which she returned, and then they both went on their way.
Gordon put his mouth in the crook of his elbow as he started to cough from the smoke. He found his way to another hallway that was lined with doors, most of which were open. When Gordon looked into the rooms, he found that they were thankfully empty.
"Help!"
He heard the call come from one end of the hallway, and Gordon ran in the direction of the voice. The fire got worse as he went along, so he knew he needed to be quick if he wanted to make it out.
He found a dressing room. The door was wide open, but fire was quickly consuming the room. It was on the walls and floor. The only safe area was the back corner, where a young man in a fancy suit, clearly a costume, was huddled.
"Help!" He yelled again as he saw Gordon.
"I'm gonna get you out of there!" Gordon called back to him.
He looked around the room, but there was no clear path around the fire. Gordon shed off his jacket and threw it onto the floor to smolder some of the flames. The suit was a gift from Penelope for tonight, but Gordon was sure she would be fine with him using it to save a life.
"Come on!" Gordon held a hand out towards the man.
The man looked at his hand and then the flames sceptically. Gordon knew they didn't have the time to wait and it seemed the man realised that a moment later, as he swiftly took Gordon's hand without another second of hesitation. Gordon pulled the man towards him as he stepped on Gordon's jacket, and then they both hurried from the room.
There was a crash from the room just a couple moments later as something fell, and Gordon only sent one look back before he pushed the man to continue on.
"We need to get out of here!" Gordon shouted over the roaring flames, and the man nodded quickly.
The coughing had gotten worse and Gordon's chest and throat were both on fire. He was sweating from the heat and panting whenever he could get a breath in. The man with him kept stopping to cough, and Gordon had to push him along to keep moving.
He knew that if he stopped as well, there was no way he would be able to get moving again.
They moved through the hallway as they searched for an exit. Gordon made sure to look into every room they passed, but it seemed everyone else had managed to get out as they were all empty.
Gordon was concentrating on keeping moving forward, so he didn't register the groan above them before it was too late.
A chunk of burning ceiling fell on top of them. It clipped Gordon's shoulder and the force of it sent him to the floor.
Gordon cried as pain met his entire arm and he tried to pull away from the fire, but his arm was trapped under the burning object.
Suddenly, the other man was above him and he kicked the piece of wood off his arm. He then pulled Gordon to his feet before he had a chance to look at his arm.
"Stage… door," he said between pants. He couldn't continue as a coughing fit overcame him, but he pointed down another hallway.
Gordon realised he was talking about an exit, so he nodded as he cradled his throbbing arm to his chest.
Each step felt a mile long and took Gordon's breath away. His coughs took his energy away and he now had to stop every few seconds to catch his breath. He and the man clung to each other to keep them both moving.
Soon, the door was in sight. Gordon tried to keep on going, but then the man next to him fell. Gordon was pulled down with him and he landed painfully on his hurt arm.
Gordon tried to push himself back up, but his head spun with the movement and he fell back down to the ground. He panted as he tried to crawl across the floor, but he only made it a few inches before he slumped again.
He struggled to suck in a breath, the ash thick in his throat. The fire still roared around him, and although Gordon's head screamed at him to get back up and get out, his body wouldn't listen.
All he could do was reach an arm out towards the door in one final attempt to get out of there, before he collapsed into the ground one final time.
Something was placed over his mouth and Gordon tried to push it away. Someone grabbed his hand to move it out of the way, and the thing was pushed even firmer to his mouth. Gordon tried to use his other hand, but stopped as even just the small movement sent agony through his whole arm.
His eyes flew open to see the blurry figures above him. He blinked and tried to look around, attempting to work out where he was.
It was loud around him, but this time it was the sound of people rather than the fire from before. He also realised he was no longer on the floor but rather something flat and soft. Lights flashed around the people over him, a fuzzy mix of red and blue.
Gordon slowly blinked again as he continued to look around. He knew he was missing something, but he couldn't think of what.
Then, she appeared. Clear above him, unlike everyone else. She smiled sadly down at him and brushed a hand through his hair.
Gordon tried to take the mask off his mouth again to speak, but she placed a hand over it like the others had before to stop it from going anywhere.
"You need to keep this on."
Her words made it to his swirling mind, and although he didn't completely register what she said, he still knew what she meant.
His hand moved from the mask and he instead latched weakly onto her wrist that was still placed on his head. He managed a small smile before another coughing fit hit him.
He clenched his eyes shut as it made his chest and throat burn, but he opened them again as he felt himself begin to move.
The flashing lights and noise were cut off as a white ceiling appeared above him. He sought her out again to check she was still there, but the hand was still on his head and her face was still in his view.
Gordon weakly smiled at her again, and as if the small movement took all his energy away, his eyes slipped shut and the world went dark. The last thing he felt before he fell asleep was the hand that stroked through his hair and the light kiss that was planted on his forehead.