Chapter four

Everything is on fire, and spreading like a virus. I cannot see it; my eyes are squeezed tightly shut, from the horrible moment when I had fallen face-first onto the floor. But I can feel the heat; my skin is burning. The air is full of smoke; my lungs are filled with it. I bring my legs up to my chest and wrap my arms around them like a vice with my suitcase lodged firmly in between.

Everything is falling apart around me. Surely I will be crushed if I stay.

But fear, my heart is pumping it throughout my body. I do not want to move.

And the devil, the devil is behind me. The devil will eat me before I am crushed by the rubble. I cannot move.

A scream slices through the heavy, scorching atmosphere.

I open my eyes by a tiny fraction. It is one of the drunken men, awake from his slumber and screaming his head off as his body is covered in flames. I watch as shock overrides fear. He is burning alive.

As I anticipate the instant when he stops thrashing around and his heart stops beating as he is engulfed by flames, a gunshot is fired.

The man stops moving. His screams subside. Stars materialise on his face like cancer. I am so astounded, so shaken, that when his face is completely covered in black stars and he disintegrates into a pile of cinder, I fail scream in terror.

And when I see the murderer, my voice finally comes through.

My breathe hitches, a sob escapes me.

It is a beast, in the form of a metal ball, with canons protruding from its body; a creation of the devil, something that does not belong to this world. But it is the eyes that make me want to get away from it as far as possible.

They dark, endless: a window straight to the abyss. They are the eyes of the bartender. They are staring straight at me.

I rise unsteadily, hurriedly to my feet and run towards the flash of light ahead of me without taking a single glance behind me.

An image of my family flashes through my mind. We are all smiling, even Erne. Eaze does not have his mask on, just like how I drew him in my sketchbook. And then with a flicker of red, the image catches on fire. It burns and burns until it is reduced to ashes, just like the man.

Lize, Erne, Eaze…I have to save them…

Tyki…save me!

But he is not here, so I will save myself. I will save Eaze. I will save my family.

I escape the suffocating confines of the destroyed tavern. The blue sky is covered in clouds of smoke now, the sun completely obscured from view. The landscape is ominous and desolate. Eaze is nowhere in sight.

Eaze! Eaze! Eaze!

I scream his name. I scream it from the bottom of my heart with all my fear. But he cannot hear me. No one can. Not even myself.

Tears stream down my face. I have only cried three times in my life. This is the fourth and seemingly the last.

The demon emerges from the ruins of the destruction it has causes, emitting an aura of bloodlust. Its canons are loaded. It's going to fire. I'm going to die.

But like a miracle from the heavens, a giant hammer appears out of nowhere. It connects forcefully with the unaware demon and my life is spared.

From behind the clearing explosion of smoke and gas, my saviours dash towards me like knights in shining armour. Their figures are blurry because my eyes have been irritated by the smoulder and the only thing I can make out is a twinkle of metal emblazoned on their chests. And…red hair.

A feeling of relief washes through me, if not just a tiny bit, it is enough to make me collapse onto the floor as I am unable to control my shaking.

Its eye patch and the silver haired boy. In an instant they reach me.

"Are you alright?" asks eye patch, over and over again. His arms fold gently around my shoulders. All I can do is cry in response.

"Lavi, we have to get her help."

"Where's the closest hospital?"

"Not for miles."

"Then we have to take her back to the Order."

Slowly, tenderly, I am lifted from the ground.

For the second time in my life, I am carried away from the burning pits of hell.

Free talk:

Fast update? No?

I had been planning this moment for a while so when it came time to write, all the ideas clicked and just flowed onto the page! Yes it is a bit shorter than the others but I just can't seem to write long action scenes. They're usually just SMASHBANGBOOM. the end.

Hopefully my brain won't go completely blank after this (which it won't, because I've already planned the next bit!)

So hope you have enjoyed and tell me by reviewing (:

~FSR