Missing

Chapter 56

"Eldon! What do you mean 'they're dead?'" I bring him over to Riley because the fire has made it's way through the open door.

"They're dead, Emily. I saw them die. I killed them. It's all my fault." I don't know if Eldon is speaking to me or himself.

"Will everyone stop saying it's their fault. This is no one's fault but Chloe's!" I scream. The fire is cornering us and there isn't much time left to talk before we are all scream in the pain of the fire devouring us.

"It is my fault and I can't make it up to them. I can't tell them I'm sorry." Eldon mutters.

"Will you guys just shut up and try to get us out of here!" Riley cries. She throws a piece of wood into the fire and points the long end away from us. The fire follows it. She continues to misplace fires that are coming at us.

I hold Eldon's burning face in my hands. The ashes are all rubbed off from his sweat.

"Eldon. I don't blame you for anything. What happened?" I try to be patient and gentil but it's hard to be both when there is a fire licking your feet.

"There is a bomb. Chloe set a bomb in here. We have a maximum of ten minutes before it destroys us and all the proof that she was ever here. It's her plan. I distracted her. Now she won't even have to live with the guilt. She got everything she wanted." Eldon explains in no hurry at all.

"GUYS! HURRY UP AND THINK OF A PLAN! I'M BURNING UP OVER HERE!" Riley screams as she lifts up the hem of her dress. The same on she has been wearing since the day she was kidnapped.

"There is a door on the far end that has a fire distinguisher. It has an exit a few yards away. The only thing is that door is a truck entrance and the automatic switch isn't going to work right now." Eldon holds my hands that are still pressing up against his hot cheeks.

"No! I'm not leaving here without you!" I understand what Eldon is saying - he wants to be the one to stay behind, hold the door, and die.

"Emily, you don't understand! Do you remember the reason I'm crazy? It's because of death. I killed someone Emily. I thought I could forget about it but now I have just added two more people onto that list. If you and Riley don't go, I'll have to make that number five! I can't live with all that weight on my shoulders! If you do this, I get to die and I won't have to haul around that load of death and regret. I won't have to be crazy." Eldon pleads.

A single tear falls from my eyes. I have lost so much already, now I have to give up Eldon too.

"No..." I whimper.

"I have to Emily." Eldon is crying too. I don't want to live without Eldon but Eldon doesn't want to die with guilt.

"You'll be a hero, you know that right? If you do that, you will be a hero and I will love you forever. I will love you forever no matter what happens. If I live with you or die with you or live without you or die without you, I love you." I say through my sobs and over the flames that Riley is still so kindly holding back.

"I don't need you to love me. All I ask is that you remember me. I don't care how, just never forget me." Eldon says.

"I want to love you." I say.

"I want to too." Eldon hugs me.

"Are you guys ready?" Riley calls. She has run out of wooden planks to direct the fire with.

"Yeah." I look into Eldon's teary eyes, "I think so."

"Okay then." Riley grabs my wrist and pulls me through the forest of fire towards a large panelled door that reaches all the way up to the ceiling. A truck can easily go through this.

Once we reach it, I realize what Eldon means. The door is steel and istwo meters in depth. It is way too heavy for someone to have the strength to hold up and go under.

"I love you Eldon." I say one last time.

"I love you Emily." Eldon says to me, then he reaches under and pulls the door open. His muscles are shaking. I change my mind. I don't want to live in a world without him, but before I can say so out loud, Riley pulls me through the open gap. Once I'm out, the door slams shut.

I wish I can go back and help him, to go back and save him. Riley drags me along the hall filled with fire, but my heart is only aching for Eldon. She stops and lets go of my arm, knowing I don't have the strength to run back to Eldon. She breaks open the fire distinguisher case and pulls out a red can.

Riley quickly scans the instructions and starts spraying the white contents onto the wall of fire ahead of us. She starts to drag me again, stopping every time she has to shoot a flame.

Eldon said something about a bomb. We have wasted probably eight minutes just trying to let go of each other. Now, we only have a matter of seconds before this whole place blows up. It'll blow up all of the dead bodies and all of the bloody knives. Every single phone that was used to send me a threatening text and every last drop of blood. Everything that will connect anyone to this place will be gone, except the two remain survivors. Once we get out of here, Riley and I will be the only ones that can be fully charged. There isn't any proof other than our being here on no one's legal property.

I stop letting Riley drag me and start to run for myself. Before I get much running stamina, I trip a few times. I see an exit right ahead. It has a few flames but it's nothing that Riley can't put out. She sees it too. Riley points her fire distinguisher at the door and shoots down all of the flames. We bust through the heavy door just as a loud boom happens.

First, I'm on my feet, ready to make a face plant, then, I'm floating on nothing. My ears are ringing and my vision is blurry. Suddenly, I'm on the ground. I feel pain everywhere. I don't care if I'm dead or alive. I don't care who is by my side. I don't care about anything right now. All I want to do is sleep. For forever and ever.