Okay, another chappie. So, this chapter is special cause she added a song into it! It just fits so well with the story. (Don't own it by the way) The song is 'I See Fire' by Ed Sheeran. (Really good song, you should listen to it). Feel free to review, favorite, follow, all that stuff. Enjoy!
Oh, misty eye of the mountain below
Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over Durin's sons
My alarm rang and out of habit, I whipped around to slam it off. I hated loud, unexpected noises, but alarms were effective. They woke me up fairly quickly. I stared at the clock in confusion as the noise continued. My blood ran cold as the scent of smoke hit my nose.
My eyes widened as I noticed a strange light all around the room.
"Guys!" My voice rang out, high pitched with terror. Lee stirred and regarded me through sleepy eyes. The rest of the Daredevils didn't respond. "Guys, wake up! There's a fire!" Lee jolted fully awake and his eyes flashed around the room.
"Wake up! All of you!" He commanded. Lee looked calm, but his words were tinged with urgency. I felt a small hint of relief as Tus, Chan, and Jos finally moved from sleep.
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Tus studied the situation with his usual scowl and a rare hint of a smile touched his lips.
"I blame your cooking for this, Chan," he said. Chan who had been rubbing his eyes tiredly, stopped and frowned.
"If you want to cook instead, be my guest," he retorted. Jos shook his head frantically.
"No!" He exclaimed, looking pleadingly at Chan. "Then the food would be even less edible." A reluctant laugh escaped my lips, but it died away quickly as I saw Lee's face.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chan began, folding his arms and staring down at Jos. Then his hand shot up to cover his mouth as he started to cough. Smoke wisped through the room.
"Stop it, boys," Lee said. His brow was furrowed in concentration. Silence fell across the room and the seriousness of the situation began to sit in. Panicked screams from other rooms stabbed through the night. The sound cut through me like knives, leaving me feeling hollow and slightly sick.
Calling out father oh
Stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
I followed Lee's gaze and dread sunk like a stone in my stomach. Flames flickered tauntingly around the doorway, growing steadily higher. Smoke thickened and coiled, steadily making it harder to breathe. Outside the hotel room's large and only window, city lights shone grimly several stories below.
The sprinkler system looked old and dusty, none of the fire equipment looked like it could be used in case of an actual fire. Perhaps that's why the alarms had taken so long to go off.
The smile had already vanished from Tus's face and Chan's expression was calm and grave.
"There's no way out, is there?" Chan asked quietly. Lee said nothing, but exhaled softly and leaned against the window. He hissed at the heat from the glass and moved away.
And if we should die tonight
Then we should all die together
Raise a glass of wine for the last time
"What?" Jos said in alarm. "What do you mean 'no way out'? There's always a way. Right, Lee?" Jos stared at Lee, anxiously waiting for the older boy's response. Lee remained silent, staring out the window.
"Whatever happens, we stick together," he said finally, turning away from the city outside to look at his team. The light had gone out of his eyes, leaving resignation and grim certainty. Jos's face lit with fear and he shook his head in disbelief.
"No. No, it can't be!" He exclaimed. He began to pace around the room, still murmuring 'no.' Tus crossed his arms and looked away, while Chan traced the edge of the room's desk wordlessly. Lee merely rubbed a hand across his eyes.
"Sandy, why didn't you wake us earlier!" Jos cried angrily. I flinched, but Lee spoke up without glancing in our direction.
"If it weren't for Sandy, we might have woken up even later. It's not her fault that the hotel hasn't taken proper safety measures. They must have seen it as an unneeded expense."
I looked at the short boy; his soft brown eyes pleading, his long dark-green hair slightly messed up from sleep. My face softened as I saw the desperate expression on his face. Jos whispered quietly, "Please. It can't end like this."
Calling out father oh
Prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky
I stared at the burning door and an idea began forming in my head. It was crazy, but it if I was lucky it might work. A strange smile slid across my face for a moment. It dropped as shrieks hurtled through the air from other rooms throughout the hotel. The smoke caused me to gag and I doubled over coughing, but when I rose, my face was hard with decision.
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me
I walked swiftly to the door, before I could let myself think about what I was doing. Chan's voice called out uneasily.
"Sandy, what are you – " I seized the flaming door handle and twisted rapidly, knowing I didn't have long. For a brief second I felt nothing, but then searing pain burned into my palm, enveloping everything else. A terrible scream pierced my eardrums, long and excruciating. I curled around my throbbing arm, not remembering when I had fallen and silently begging the scream to stop. It was several moments before I realized the sound was coming from my own throat.
Oh, should my people fall
Then surely I'll do the same
Confined in mountain halls
We got too close to the flame
Shouts filled the air, but the pain in my arm was louder. The wound's sting sliced through me like a lightning bolt.
"Sandy! What were you thinking?" Lee's voice echoed next to me, coming in and out of focus. Tears streamed down my face. "Sandy, speak to me." A wail rose deep in my throat, but words escaped me. I just needed to stop the pain.
Calling out father oh
Hold fast and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky
"Stay with us, Sandy. Focus, look at me," Lee's voice was firm and filled with authority. I slowly pulled my eyes open and found Tus and Lee kneeling beside me. Both were blurry through my veil of tears. Tus murmured something to Lee and he nodded seriously.
"We need to get out of here," Lee said, lifting me to my feet. He jerked suddenly in a fit of coughing. A wave of dizziness overcame me and I suddenly lurched forward as black spots crowded my vision. Hands grabbed my shoulders, but my knees still hit the floor.
"Guys, I might pass out," I said. My voice was feeble and gasping. A thought came to me and I willed my voice to be louder and more convincing. "If I do, please just…please just leave me."
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me
"You're going to be fine, stop whining," Tus said sharply, but a note of uncertainty touched his words.
"If you can't walk, we'll carry you," Lee said. He nodded to Chan, who helped grab me and haul me towards the open doorway. It barely registered to me that I had successfully gotten the door open. Jos seemed to have regained his cheerful attitude now that our death wasn't inevitable.
"Come on, guys," he called. He leapt toward the door. My gut twisted unexpectedly, but before I could call out a warning, there was a loud crack. The wood underneath Jos's feet broke and he plummeted through the floor.
Cries reverberated through my team and I stared numbly at the place where Jos had stood. I felt as if I had been impaled. Words shot out, but my mind was too unfocused to make sense of them. Surprise struck me hard as I saw tears run silently down Lee's cheeks and even harder as Tus collapsed next to the hole, yelling and sobbing. Chan leaned against the wall and deep shudders shook his shoulders. Jos wasn't…he couldn't be…
It was my fault. I had opened the door. No one would say it, but I had done this. Darkness overtook my vision and I began to see and hear things in flashes.
And if the night is burning
I will cover my eyes
For if the dark returns
Then my brothers will die
And as the sky is falling down
It crashed into this lonely town
And with that shadow upon the ground
I hear my people screaming out
I felt myself be moved against the large window, which was opposite the doorway. I heard Chan say something and Lee murmur once more, "Whatever happens, we stick together." A few last screams echoed in the night and then there was nothing. Nothing but darkness and silence.
Now I see fire
Inside the mountains
I see fire
Burning the trees
I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze
The next thing I heard was sirens, shrieking loud and clear. I heard voices all around me. 'She's still breathing. We need to move her to the nearest hospital.' 'That arm's never going to completely heal, not without scarring.' Once again, my vision melted away.
I finally awoke in a white room. There was a soft pillow under my head and white sheets over my body. Bandages wrapped tightly around my arm, which pulsed dully. A nurse startled as she saw my eyes open and moved toward me quickly when I tried to sit up.
"No, you need to rest. Go back to sleep," she said. I stared at her for a moment, but then a jolt ran through me as I remembered.
"What about the fire? Where am I?" I asked frantically, my words tumbling over each other. "What happened? How long have I been out?"
"You're at the city hospital," the nurse said soothingly. "You were in a terrible accident and your arm is badly burned. You need to rest." I shook my head in panic, but stopped when the movement gave me a headache.
"No. What about my group? The Daredevils? Where are they?" I asked. The nurse frowned and started to repeat that I needed sleep. I continued on, my voice rising with every word. "I need to know where they are. Have you seen them? Tus is tall and slender with dark hair. Lee is of medium height and has long brown hair tied in a ponytail. Chan is blond – "
The nurse cut me off and gave me a pitying look that made me freeze. She sighed and said, "I don't think you need any more trauma tonight, but I can see it's stressing you out more not to know. Your team has passed away, only you and one other were found alive."
"That…that can't be," I stammered. "I just spoke to them. Did you find their bodies?"
"No bodies were recovered, but – "
"Then they could still be alive – "
"They aren't." The nurse's words hit me hard enough to stop me from speaking. She continued, "No bodies were recovered because the building collapsed shortly after you and a few others were rescued. The only other person alive from your team was found several stories below your room. He went into a coma due to his injuries from the fire and the fall."
"Jos…" I whispered in shock.
I see fire (oh you know I saw a city burning out) (fire)
And I see fire (feel the heat upon my skin) (fire)
And I see fire (fire)
And I see fire burn auburn on the mountain side
The nurse left the room after a reminder to get some sleep. I relaxed into the pillow, but gazed at the wall for a long period of time. The pain in my heart was worse than the ache in my arm. I couldn't decide whether to be grateful that Jos was alive or shattered because the rest of my team wasn't. Lee's words came back to me like a whisper in the wind: No matter what happens, we stick together.