Chapter 40

Burn

"Stop! You'll get hurt!" Carol called after Tanzi, rounding the corner to follow her. "Tanzi!" There was no response from Tanzi, who had darted through a set of double doors that seemed to lead to another set of stairs. "Hey!" Carol followed Tanzi up the stairs and finally came to a stop upon seeing the sight in front of her.

Lucas was motionless against the wall, the ruin of a stair rail thrust through his shoulder and looking very pale. Lacey knelt next to him, tears in her eyes as he clutched his hand. Jeremiah also knelt next to Lucas, a hand on his shoulder.

"Lacey!" Tanzi cried as she reached them. Lacey turned, surprised at this outburst, and even more surprised when Tanzi enveloped her in a deep hug. "You're okay!"

"H-H-Huh?" Lacey eyes flittered around wildly as she pushed Tanzi away. "W-What? Tanzi?"

Tanzi's eyes narrowed for a moment and turned to look at the fallen Lucas. After staring down at him for a moment Tanzi drew back as if struck by an electric current. She clutched at her head again and let out a small growl of pain. Then she straightened up with wide eyes and looked to Lucas. "No, no… Is he…?"

"He is barely breathing," Jeremiah informed grimly. "He hasn't got long left."

"He'll be fine!" Lacey said with a fierce expression on her face. She had knelt back down to Lucas and grabbed his hand. "You'll be fine… You'll fight through this…"

"Where's Jeffrey?" Tanzi asked, realizing the old man wasn't with the group. Jeremiah didn't respond but seeing his face Tanzi got the answer. "He's…" Tanzi squeezed her fists tightly as her words flickered out. She was biting her bottom lip and seemed to be resisting the urge to cry or shout.

"We have to get you out of here," Carol said as she knelt down next to Lucas to look him over closely. It was as Jeremiah said – Lucas was barely breathing and his skin was clammy. Even as she listened his breath was getting slower and slower. She took his pulse and could feel the heartbeats slowing. It wasn't a matter of minutes. It was a matter of seconds.

"I-I can't leave him!" Lacey resisted as Carol grabbed her arm. "I can't!"

"Lacey, there is a fire downstairs and it is spreading rapidly. It will not take long to spread," Carol said firmly. "Lucas is—"

"He's not!" Lacey practically shouted as the tears ran freely down her cheeks. Jeremiah, Tanzi, and Carol could only look at her sadly. "He's… He's not… He's…" She sniffed and hugged Lucas' neck tightly, reaching over the rail impaling through his shoulder. His head lolled to the left and hung like a ragdolls. Carol took his pulse again but this time she could feel nothing. She tried at his neck but even then she could feel nothing. Putting her ear to his mouth Carol could hear nor feel his breath.

"He's gone, Lacey," Carol said softly. "We need to go."

"I-I-I can't leave him here! In this hospital, to get buried under rubble, to get burned, I can't!" Lacey cried. At her words the building shook again and parts of the stairs above them started to fall again. "H-He doesn't deserve that!"

The sound of footsteps drew the attention of Jeremiah, Carol, and Tanzi as Zach appeared. He cast his gaze over the scene and immediately his face fell. "No…" Then he looked around again. "Jeffrey?"

Tanzi shook her head.

"Shit…" He was holding that strange Nectar in his hand, Carol could see, the orb glowing in his palm.

"Did Naomi take the other one?" Tanzi asked carefully.

"She did."

"So that's the only one left?"

"It is."

"What is it?" Jeremiah asked, looking at the orb in Zach's hand. Lacey had started sobbing on Lucas' shoulder as he spoke.

"This… This will save either Tanzi, Carol, or Lacey from the List. The Oracle at the Lighthouse made it… Jeremiah, you're not on the List so as long as we get you out of here you won't need to take it."

"Save them from the List?" Jeremiah didn't seem to believe it. "How is that possible?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Zach said truthfully. "It… heals injuries from what I've seen."

"It's true," Carol said with a sigh. "He stuck his hand in the flames and I watched the skin heal. Whatever it is, it works."

"It-It… It heals?" Lacey's voice was strange as she looked up from Lucas. Her eyes were filled with desperation. "If it heals then… Then can it… Can Lucas…"

"I'm not sure it works like that," Zach said.

"Not sure means not sure… we can try, right!?" Lacey got up to her feet. "We can give him that thing and-and he could live again?"

"That's a dangerous thought process," Carol warned but Lacey was having none of it.

"We're still alive! We can make it out of here!" Lacey insisted. "Please, Zach, please! Save him! Save Lucas!"

"That's too big a risk," Jeremiah said. "If it truly rescues you from the List then it would be better served on you, Carol, or Tanzi."

"I don't care about me!" Lacey growled and suddenly darted forward. Without warning she grabbed for the capsule and Zach instinctively pulled it away only for Lacey's fingers to catch it and knock it away from both of them. Their heads turned to watch it arc through the air and hit the floor near the top step of the stairs, unbroken. It rolled for a moment and started falling down step after step. "No!" Lacey cried madly, diving after it.

"Lacey!" Zach quickly followed her down the stairs.

"Jeremiah, Tanzi, let's go," Carol said as Zach and Lacey went after the Capsule.

"Agreed," Jeremiah said. He looked to Lucas one last time before suddenly kneeling down and pulling off his white cowboy hat. "I wish I got to know you better, son. You must have had a hard life not having a home, not having parents." With one last look at the hat Jeremiah placed it atop Lucas' head. "That was given to me by my grandfather and I've worn it through all the hard times. I'm sorry." With those words, Jeremiah stood and followed Zach and Lacey down the stairs.

"Tanzi?" Carol stepped forward but Tanzi had one hand on her head again. "Another one of your visions?"

"Carol?" Tanzi's eyes had clouded over for a moment but now they focused back on Carol. Tanzi squeezed her eyes shut. "No, no… You're next, Carol, you need to get out of here…"

"Not without you," Carol said firmly and grabbed Tanzi around the shoulders. "I'll help you. Come on." The building shook yet again and a larger chunk of concrete landed at Carol and Tanzi's feet. "Go, go!" Quickly, Carol helped Tanzi down the set of stairs. As they reached the bottom, they saw that Lacey was pushing Zach against the wall.

"Give it to me!" She cried out. "Zach! Give it! Lucas can still be saved, Lucas can still live!"

"Lacey, stop it! You need to think this through!" Zach retorted.

"Listen to him," Jeremiah said as he stepped forward and grabbed Lacey around her small waist. He pulled her easily away from Zach but that didn't stop Lacey from beating her hands against Jeremiah's burly arms.

"Get off me! Get off me!"

"Calm down, Lacey." Jeremiah said as he pulled Lacey further away. "You need to calm down!"

"NO!" Lacey roared and thrust her sharp elbow deep into Jeremiah's gut. He loosened his grip in pain and that was enough for Lacey to run forward and dive at Zach again. Her hand slammed into his and there was a sudden CRUNCH.

Zach's eyes widened and Lacey froze as a golden liquid dripped down Zach's arm.

The last capsule had broken.

At that moment, as if Death himself were laughing at his luck, a great crack spread through the floor underneath them.

No one had time to shout before the floor capsized in on itself and all five survivors plummeted down into the basement below, one floor down.

Zach landed painfully and immediately felt the intense heat. He looked around desperately to see that the entire basement was bright with fire that was roaring at his eyes. Zach looked around and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Jeremiah had pushed himself up against the wall but the flames were already creeping up his clothes. He beat away at them but in this vortex of fire there was no hope to put the flames away. Jeremiah's skin was already blackening and his roars of pain mixed with the other screams.

Zach turned and saw Lacey crouching on the floor, cackling madly as the fire ate at her skin and clothes. Her long blonde hair caught instantly and went up instantly.

The smell of burnt flesh was too much and Zach turned again to see Carol beating her hands fruitlessly against a charred door, the metal bent and twisted. She was coughing and hacking from the smoke though had managed to find a spot away from the fire.

An arm grabbed Zach's own and Zach's head snapped again to see Tanzi desperately grabbing him. Her eyes were wide with fear and was reflecting the fire darting around them. "Ruby!" Tanzi cried, the tears sizzling in the intense heat of the basement room. "Tell her… Tell her…" Tanzi coughed violently and fell to her knees by the sheer heat and the black smoke.

BANG!

Zach looked to see Carol had smashed her fist against the door and the door itself had managed to budge though at the cost of Carol splitting open her knuckles.

BANG!

Again, Carol smashed her full weight into the door and it moved again. Carol turned into the room. "I've nearly got the door! Come on, come on!" Then she turned and gave it one more massive shove with her shoulder—

The moment the door opened flames whooshed in and engulfed Carol in an instant. A horrible, guttural scream sounded as the flames ate away at the policewoman but they were cut off as her form crumpled to the floor, still burning.

Zach's hands were shaking and he felt a sharp pain in his left hand. He raised it and opened his palms to see the shattered remnants of the capsule – and a good amount of the liquid itself. In that instant he hoped against hope that he'd be able to save at least one of these people. Falling to his own knees, ignoring the dulled pain of the fire and trying to see through the black smoke, Zach managed to see Tanzi laying back on the floor, her eyes still wide.

"Please, please…" He put his hand against her mouth and let the liquid drip into her mouth. "Be enough… be enough… please, please…" Zach pleaded. The last of the liquid disappeared down Tanzi's throat and he turned again to look at Jeffrey. The man had fallen to his rear and had his head between his knees – and he was completely engulfed in fire. His skin was already blackening and his clothes had fused to his skin. If he was alive it was only barely and certainly not for long.

Then he turned to Lacey and found she was in a foetal position on the floor and in much the same condition as Jeremiah, the flames eating into her. Every so often Zach heard an "Eh…" like the last vestiges of her crazed laughing before even that died away. Zach's bottom lip quivered as he looked to the burning forms of Carol, Jeremiah and Lacey and felt something rise in his stomach. He turned away and let the contents of his stomach out on the floor, letting the smell of it join the stench of burnt flesh.

"Tanzi…" Zach croaked and looked at the girl again. The fire hadn't touched her yet she still wasn't moving. There had to be enough Nectar… There had to be! "Please…" Zach pleaded. "Live… Let her live… Let one of them live…" His face twisted as he started feeling woozy as he inhaled the black smoke. "Let her live… Let her… Let her…"

Strangely enough, before Zach felt his consciousness slip away, he could hear footsteps very faintly. He fell to his side and saw a strange black figure approaching him. The black figure faded away and Zach closed his eyes, feeling the failure settle in. Carol… Jeremiah… Lacey… All torn away in one simple act of violence… He had this power within his veins and even then he was unable to save them… Even Tanzi… That Nectar may not have been enough and now… now…

"…only two…" Zach heard the muffled voice as he fought to retain consciousness though he was now unable to open his eyes.

"…get them…" These words were followed by a strange spraying noise.

"…place is gonna fall… out of here before… does…"

"…alive… after all this…."

"…Nectar? Unbelievable…"

"…Must be alive…"

"…Go… now…"

And with that, Zach finally slipped away into unconsciousness in the burning basement, wondering if this strange power of the Nectar would keep him alive even if the hospital collapsed above him.

A/N:- Took a big risk with this chapter... Hope it worked out well. Was certainly a hard choice but at the end of the day, Death will get his victims, no matter what. Phew... Two more to go! Thanks as always for readin'!