Luna of Rogues

Part 44 - Into the Fire

It was a struggle to get back up. I remember the next minute in snatches (probably because I was half conscious), but I must have grabbed the fire extinguisher from its bracket and swung it at the window, smashing and smashing until my arms failed me. But I'd done enough — there was a gaping hole. All I needed to do was get Leo to it and...

Too late. It was already far too late. My legs gave out. I fell onto shards of broken glass, but I didn't feel the pain of it. I sank into a dark bliss, too far gone to feel the hands which found my shirt and hauled me out.

***

My eyes were open before I even knew I was awake. And suddenly I could see again, and breathe, and there was grass and snowmelt beneath me instead of searing tiles. Everything was still blurry, though, like looking underwater. A silhouette appeared above me, blotting out the fire glow which seemed to be lighting my surroundings.

"Sometimes, Skye, I really hate you," a voice said, and I recognised Rhys's annoying drawl in an instant. "In a loving way, don't get me wrong..."

"Leo?" I tried to ask, but the word died in my throat. Hoarsely, I tried again. "Get — Leo."

"He's already out. You think I can't carry two people?" he demanded indignantly. "I'm trying to take you to him, okay? Lie still."

I stopped trying to pick myself up and let my brother get his hands under my shoulders and drag me backwards a dozen paces, where another silhouette was crouched. I blinked a few times and they came into better focus. A female beside a motionless something. Leo — it must be.

"I don't think he's breathing," I heard Tally say.

"Pulse?" Rhys asked.

"No, I can't —"

She stopped abruptly, and someone swore. I tried to see what was happening, but I could hardly lift my head from the ground. The effort triggered a coughing fit, and the 'air' I coughed out looked greyer than a rain cloud.

It sounded like Tally and Rhys were doing CPR, with her opening the airway and him pumping my mate's heart for him. I reached over and fumbled until I found Leo's fingers, and I smacked them.

"Breathe, damn you," I told him.

"You should listen to your mate," Rhys added wearily. "We didn't do all of that shit just to have you die on the front lawn."

He thumped Leo's chest particularly vigorously, and there was a faint rattle as Leo took a breath. I let my head fall and found myself fighting tears.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Rhys said, suddenly cheerful again.

Through all the wheezing and choking, it sounded like Leo was trying to say my name. I slapped his fingers again, more gently this time, and Tally helped him roll onto his side so he could see me (or a blurry rendition of me).

"Hi," I whispered.

And he wheezed out his own, "Hi."

We lay there for maybe ten minutes, catching our breaths and generally resting. When I finally felt well enough to sit up, I was set upon by my brother, who seemed to have a bone to pick.

"The very next time you want to hang out in a burning building, Skye, you can bloody well burn," he snapped.

"You were the one to start the fire," I pointed out. "Let's not overdramatise this. No one's dead. There might have been a minor delay in escaping, but we weren't in any real danger..."

He knew I was baiting him, and he didn't care. "You were about twenty seconds away from becoming a crisp, little sister. Nearly get your throat torn out — fine, I don't give a shit, but fire ain't the way you want to go."