Evanna- Love Me or Don't

Facing Death

Eva's POV:

I try to check the family room but it's completely blocked off. A wall of fire towers over me. Smoke stinks my eyes and burns my throat. I cough hard, desperate for air and not getting enough. I have to get out of here. Looking around me wildly, I search for the nearest exit. I can't get to the front door. I can't get to the garage. In order to get to the back door, I'd have to get around this fucking wall of flames.

The heat is almost unbearable, it's all I can do not to collapse and give in. But the thought of my Anna out there waiting for me keeps me going. And I have to make sure everyone else is out. If I left someone inside, I would never forgive myself.

Am I going to make it out of here? All I can see is fire. All I can smell is smoke. I can't breathe, I can't get enough oxygen, oh my God. I have to get out. Don't bother looking for people, Eva, you're not gonna make it out.

I scan my surroundings. If I go through the kitchen, I could potentially get around the flames blocking my path. It's my only option, isn't it?
Leaping over the counter- luckily playing soccer has kept me in shape-, I sprint around the corner and have to screech to a halt. I was wrong. There's no way around the fire. I'm trapped. I'm dead. Fuck. Anna, oh my God, Anna I'm so sorry. Shouldn't have left her Eva, you dumbass.

What do I do? I can't give up. I have to get back to my Anna.

I step back into the kitchen, turn on the sink, and wet my hands. Rubbing the water over my face to try to prevent as much burning as I can, I take a deep breath, and step into the flames.

It's a searing heat that takes my breath away- or what little breath I had, at least. I scream, shocked at how brutally painful this is. Dizziness hits me and I start to lose my balance but catch myself on the wall. clench my jaw and fight through it, although every inch of me screams to turn around and get out of the fire. Step by step I make my way through the room, doing my best to keep going despite the excruciating pain. Waves of heat roll over me. I double over, coughing, and when I rise I'm so dizzy that I can barely walk straight.

The door is on the far end of the room. I can make it. I head for the door but something blocks my foot and I fall to the ground. Shit, I'm completely in the flames now. There's no furniture here, how the hell did I trip?

I feel around me, my hands landing on a material that crumbles when I touch it. Reaching further, screaming in pain, I grab for the object. Is that- no. No, fuck no. It's an arm. I scramble to get myself up, I don't know how I'm still moving. I scream for help with everything I've got, grasping for the person. She's lying still, so still, unconscious in the fire. There's no way she makes it out of this.

I somehow manage to scoop up the person in my arms, all the while yelling for help. There have got to be firefighters here by now. I'm so close to the door, so close. Staggering forward, I know I'm not going to make it out of this. I'm sorry Anna, I'm so sorry.
The last thing I see is the doorway, no more than a few feet away but so impossibly far.

Anna's POV:

The fire trucks arrived a few minutes ago and after quickly assessing the situation, they radio for backup. There's three trucks here right now. A group of firefighters runs for the backyard, while another breaks through the front door. They're lugging huge hoses but despite the amount of water they have, I'm unsure if it's enough to stop this fire.
Eva and Sab. Eva and Sab. Those are the only thoughts running through my head right now.

A huge creaking noise captures everyone's attention. I look for the source, but I don't have to look very hard. A huge section of the front of the house caves in, sending flames, sparks and smoke billowing up into the sky. The firefighters are thrown backwards with the explosion, landing heavily in the lawn.

Someone screams. It might be me. There's no way they can get out the front now. I shrug free of Katie's arm around my shoulders and make a beeline for the backyard.

"Hey! The hell do you think you're doing?" a deep male voice shouts after me.

    "My girl's in there," I yell back, not turning around. I slam through the back door and immediately fly backwards. Flames shoot out the door, covering more ground in a few seconds than I thought was possible.

    "Eva!!" I scream as loud as I can. Nothing. I rise from the ground, every step a fight against the smoke escaping from the house. Pushing through the doorway, I choke on the thick air and it's everything I can do not to turn around and run. Eva. You need to get to Eva. Eva and Sab. Eva and Sab.
I can barely see through the flames.

    "Eva! Come on, where are you?" I take two steps forward, scanning the area as best as I can, and kick something lying limp on the ground. I bend down but a flame jumps towards me and I leap back. It singes my hand and I yelp in pain. Come on, Anna, get to them.

    I get on my knees and reach forward again, gritting my teeth. I make contact with the object and realize I found her. Holy fuck, I found her. She's wrapped around someone else- oh my God, it's Sab.

    I grab Eva under her shoulders and pull as hard as I can. Her limp body drags across the sparking floor and I can only imagine the pain she's in. If she's even conscious.

    "Eva, Eva, can you hear me?" I shout at her, desperation filling my ragged voice. No response. It's on me now. Both their lives depend on me now.

    There's a cry behind me but I can't waste time turning around. But before I can move more, hands grab me and lift me into the air.

    "No! No!" I scream, twisting in their hands. "There's two in there. There's two, I have to get them out. Let me get them out!"

    "We're gonna get them out, kid, now come on." He hauls me back outside and I make a dash back for the house. I'm yanked backwards again, and I fight to get free but this time he's ready and wraps me in his arms. "Kid. Kid. There's nothing you can do now. It's out of our hands. We've got them, we'll get them to the hospital, okay? We gotta get away from this house before it collapses more. And right now, you and I are in the way."

    I settle down when I see two firefighters emerge from the darkness with my friends limp in their arms. They're out, Anna, they're safe.

    The two firefighters rush my friends out to the front yard, where a group of people gathers around them. Emergency vehicles line the street now, the surrounding houses lit up in flashing blue and red. The man and I follow at a distance, and Katie comes running towards me.

    "Oh my gosh, you're fucking crazy, Anna!"

    "Th- they were in there." I'm lightheaded and my hand is in so much pain. But I have eyes only for Eva, unmoving, unconscious. "Can I ride with her? I need to be with her?" I direct my question to the firefighter standing beside me.

    "Kid, you don't wanna see that. Trust me." His words only confirm my fears.

    "Is she- are they gonna be okay?"

    He's silent for a long time. The tears have started rolling down my face when he says,

    "We can only hope."