Jam Pony, the next afternoon
"So are you gonna tell me what happened to you or not?" Maya asked Jenna, pointing to the large cut on her face.
"Not," said Jenna, opening a bottle of water. The two girls and Zack were having lunch, enjoying the free time, knowing that their boss wouldn't hesitate to yell at them to get to work the second they got up once they were done.
"Fine, fine, be like that," said Maya with a grin. Zack looked around the table.
"Where did all the napkins go?" he asked, indicating some sauce he'd dropped on the table.
"Must have run out," said Maya as she got up, "I'll go see if I can find something."
"Alright," said Zack as he smiled at her. Jenna observed her brother and her best friend and rolled her eyes.
"Why don't you just ask her out already?" Zack turned to her.
"What are you talking about?"
"You, Maya... Don't even try to tell me you don't like her, I won't believe you," said Jenna, waving her bottle around.
"You tell her this, I'll kick your butt." Jenna put on a shocked face.
"You would beat your little sister? That's just wrong!"
"Little sister... you're only about two minutes younger than me."
"So?" she said with a grin.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise, like a window breaking, soon followed by screaming. Zack and Jenna looked to each other for a second before getting up to go see what was going on. It took barely one second for them to see. Someone had begun throwing fiery objects through the windows of the whole building. The place was filled with flames and smoke in no time.
"We have to get out of here!" said Zack.
"But what about Maya?" asked Jenna.
"She can get out on her own, come on!" he said, dragging his sister towards the exit. Before they could get there, they realized they had to help everyone else. They carried some, helped others walk to the exit. A few had been trapped under a fallen beam, but they were saved as well.
When they couldn't see anymore people inside, they headed outside. Fire trucks and paramedics had arrived by then and were treating the injured people. Jenna looked around the crowd, while coughing, to try to find her friend. But soon she noticed she wasn't present.
"W... where's Maya?" she asked Zack.
"She has to be around here."
"She's still in there," said Jenna as she turned back to the burning building. Zack saw her and grabbed her arm.
"No, you are not going in there, it's too dangerous."
"Let... go of me!"
"No way," said Zack. Jenna turned to her brother, her face filled with anger.
"If you try to stop me I will beat you down. Now, let go of my arm." He hesitated for a second, then let go.
"Be careful. If you're not back in five minutes, I'm going in after you."
She nodded, then slid into the building, leaving her brother more worried than ever. It was awful inside. Complete chaos when only a few minutes before it had been so peaceful.
"MAYA!" she called. She made her way across the flames, knowing she might have been stuck in the back when the fire broke out.
"MAYA!" she called again as she got to the back. She heard a small sound and looked down to her right. All she could see was her hand coming from under the storage cabinet, but she knew it was her. She removed her jacket and wrapped it around her hands in case the thing was too hot before throwing it off of her friend.
It wasn't a pretty sight. Maya had been burned in a few places and showed some cuts and bruises from when the cabinet fell on her. She was barely conscious. Jenna picked her up and looked around the room. Her path was blocked by then. She stepped back, when the thought of the back door came to her.
Luckily for her, it was very easy to get through the back. She ran along the outside walls to come circling around to the front.
"I GOT HER!" she screamed. Zack and a couple of paramedics came running at her as she set Maya down. Jenna sat on the ground about two feet behind them as they worked on Maya. Zack came to her side and took her hand.
About a minute later, the two paramedics looked up to each other. They set down the instruments they were holding. One of them turned to the shaking twins.
"I'm so sorry," said the woman, with a hint of sadness in her voice. Jenna's eyes grew wide, even more so as she saw the second paramedic look at his watch.
"Time of death, 12:42," he said slowly.
*
Not too long after, hospital hall
Zack sat, silently crying, as his sister cried out loud with her head on his shoulder. They were still in shock. Their friend was dead. Three people, including Maya, had perished in that fire. The police was still baffled by who could have been responsible... but THEY knew...
"I... it's... m... my... f... fault," Jenna managed to let out, still sobbing uncontrollably. Zack looked down at her.
"No, it wasn't," he said slowly.
"If... if I had gone... to help her before, when I was close enough..." she said before Zack interrupted her.
"No... if I hadn't sent her to get the napkins, she..." He couldn't hold himself anymore and he started to cry again, this time out loud along with his sister.
They faintly heard the sound of hurried steps and looked up to find their parents and the others running towards them.
"Mom, Dad," said Jenna as she got up. Max hugged her children close to her heart.
"Are you okay? You guys scared me!" she said, feeling a few tears.
"We're fine, Mom," said Zack.
"What happened?" Logan asked, as Jenna let go of her mother only to fall into his arms, the tears still coming one after the other.
"Maya's... she..." Zack started before stopping when he thought of that sweet girl he was about to ask out... and now she was gone.
"I'm so sorry, honey," said Max as she brought her son closer.
"We should get home," said Logan, "You two have to rest."
"No," said Jenna suddenly, standing away from her father.
"Jenna..." he said.
"I'm not just going to go to bed when that... that monster is out there. He kidnapped the kids... he set fire to our office and killed three people... three friends... I'm not gonna let him get away with this." Her tone was angered, dangerous... she was ready to burst, and when she did, it wouldn't be pretty...
"So are you gonna tell me what happened to you or not?" Maya asked Jenna, pointing to the large cut on her face.
"Not," said Jenna, opening a bottle of water. The two girls and Zack were having lunch, enjoying the free time, knowing that their boss wouldn't hesitate to yell at them to get to work the second they got up once they were done.
"Fine, fine, be like that," said Maya with a grin. Zack looked around the table.
"Where did all the napkins go?" he asked, indicating some sauce he'd dropped on the table.
"Must have run out," said Maya as she got up, "I'll go see if I can find something."
"Alright," said Zack as he smiled at her. Jenna observed her brother and her best friend and rolled her eyes.
"Why don't you just ask her out already?" Zack turned to her.
"What are you talking about?"
"You, Maya... Don't even try to tell me you don't like her, I won't believe you," said Jenna, waving her bottle around.
"You tell her this, I'll kick your butt." Jenna put on a shocked face.
"You would beat your little sister? That's just wrong!"
"Little sister... you're only about two minutes younger than me."
"So?" she said with a grin.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise, like a window breaking, soon followed by screaming. Zack and Jenna looked to each other for a second before getting up to go see what was going on. It took barely one second for them to see. Someone had begun throwing fiery objects through the windows of the whole building. The place was filled with flames and smoke in no time.
"We have to get out of here!" said Zack.
"But what about Maya?" asked Jenna.
"She can get out on her own, come on!" he said, dragging his sister towards the exit. Before they could get there, they realized they had to help everyone else. They carried some, helped others walk to the exit. A few had been trapped under a fallen beam, but they were saved as well.
When they couldn't see anymore people inside, they headed outside. Fire trucks and paramedics had arrived by then and were treating the injured people. Jenna looked around the crowd, while coughing, to try to find her friend. But soon she noticed she wasn't present.
"W... where's Maya?" she asked Zack.
"She has to be around here."
"She's still in there," said Jenna as she turned back to the burning building. Zack saw her and grabbed her arm.
"No, you are not going in there, it's too dangerous."
"Let... go of me!"
"No way," said Zack. Jenna turned to her brother, her face filled with anger.
"If you try to stop me I will beat you down. Now, let go of my arm." He hesitated for a second, then let go.
"Be careful. If you're not back in five minutes, I'm going in after you."
She nodded, then slid into the building, leaving her brother more worried than ever. It was awful inside. Complete chaos when only a few minutes before it had been so peaceful.
"MAYA!" she called. She made her way across the flames, knowing she might have been stuck in the back when the fire broke out.
"MAYA!" she called again as she got to the back. She heard a small sound and looked down to her right. All she could see was her hand coming from under the storage cabinet, but she knew it was her. She removed her jacket and wrapped it around her hands in case the thing was too hot before throwing it off of her friend.
It wasn't a pretty sight. Maya had been burned in a few places and showed some cuts and bruises from when the cabinet fell on her. She was barely conscious. Jenna picked her up and looked around the room. Her path was blocked by then. She stepped back, when the thought of the back door came to her.
Luckily for her, it was very easy to get through the back. She ran along the outside walls to come circling around to the front.
"I GOT HER!" she screamed. Zack and a couple of paramedics came running at her as she set Maya down. Jenna sat on the ground about two feet behind them as they worked on Maya. Zack came to her side and took her hand.
About a minute later, the two paramedics looked up to each other. They set down the instruments they were holding. One of them turned to the shaking twins.
"I'm so sorry," said the woman, with a hint of sadness in her voice. Jenna's eyes grew wide, even more so as she saw the second paramedic look at his watch.
"Time of death, 12:42," he said slowly.
*
Not too long after, hospital hall
Zack sat, silently crying, as his sister cried out loud with her head on his shoulder. They were still in shock. Their friend was dead. Three people, including Maya, had perished in that fire. The police was still baffled by who could have been responsible... but THEY knew...
"I... it's... m... my... f... fault," Jenna managed to let out, still sobbing uncontrollably. Zack looked down at her.
"No, it wasn't," he said slowly.
"If... if I had gone... to help her before, when I was close enough..." she said before Zack interrupted her.
"No... if I hadn't sent her to get the napkins, she..." He couldn't hold himself anymore and he started to cry again, this time out loud along with his sister.
They faintly heard the sound of hurried steps and looked up to find their parents and the others running towards them.
"Mom, Dad," said Jenna as she got up. Max hugged her children close to her heart.
"Are you okay? You guys scared me!" she said, feeling a few tears.
"We're fine, Mom," said Zack.
"What happened?" Logan asked, as Jenna let go of her mother only to fall into his arms, the tears still coming one after the other.
"Maya's... she..." Zack started before stopping when he thought of that sweet girl he was about to ask out... and now she was gone.
"I'm so sorry, honey," said Max as she brought her son closer.
"We should get home," said Logan, "You two have to rest."
"No," said Jenna suddenly, standing away from her father.
"Jenna..." he said.
"I'm not just going to go to bed when that... that monster is out there. He kidnapped the kids... he set fire to our office and killed three people... three friends... I'm not gonna let him get away with this." Her tone was angered, dangerous... she was ready to burst, and when she did, it wouldn't be pretty...