~~Young~~

Chapter Twenty Two

   But again she pushed him away, “no, no take Chels first.”

   “Sera I’m not leaving you in here.”

   “And I’m not telling you too but she can’t get anywhere on her own. She needs help more than me I…I can always jump if I have to.”

   Oh he really didn’t like that idea at all. But she was right, at least Sera had the chance to move, to run if need be to get to safety.

   “I’ll be right behind you, as soon as the two of you are on the ground I’ll jump and you’ll catch me,” she added as if she could sense his hesitance, “I promise.”

   He still didn’t like it, but he had to admit he was slightly swayed by her confidence in him.

   “You better,” he resigned to her and ran up behind Chelsea, “Ready?” he asked her and grabbed her under her arms.

   She nodded and he didn’t waste any more time, taking three long strides and leaping out the window as he spread his wings. They both cringed at the movement, though Gage was able to keep in his own cries of pain. Oh his wing was well and healed by now, but the gentle breeze running over the end of his wing-and subsequently the feather on its way out- was like someone was tearing his skin from his bones.

   The seconds it took him to land didn’t come soon enough. The moment his toes touched the grass, as soon as Chelsea had been passed on to the onlookers waiting below the window, he spun arms out for Sera. She said she would be right behind them, she promised she’d be right behind them.

   “Sera,” he bellowed, “let’s go!”

   Nothing.

   “Sera!” he called again, and even he heard his voice break at the end.

   Something was wrong.

   Like a cannon he shot off the ground and back into the inferno, “Sera!” he called for her again.

   He gasped as the pain in his wing quadrupled and he checked to see if maybe it had caught on fire. Nope, no flames. Not that his feathers were flammable but the skin beneath it was and in that moment it was the only thing that made sense.

   He swallowed back the pain and tried to search the room to no effect. In that short time the fire had found its way into the space and smoke obscured everything but the floor. Well then the floor it was and Gage dropped to his hands and knees uncaring of the ember that bit at him.

   “Sera!” he crawled over to where he had left her, “Se…ra…” he trailed off seeing a familiar figure balled up just outside the bathroom.

   Her back was pressed against the wall, her knees were pulled up to her chest and she had her head in her hands.

   “It’s about time you got here,” he snapped at Death as he made his way over to where she was crouched…beside Sera?

   Now he was furious, “what are you doing,” he pulled Sera from the floor and laid her across his lap, “why didn’t you help her?”

   “Gage…I…” her words broke off.

   Whatever, her explanation didn’t matter right this second. But Sera, she was awfully limp…maybe she had passed out from the smoke. He pressed an ear to her chest to listen to her breathing…that’s when Death met his gaze. Her nose was red and her eyes puffy, the whites of her eyes were just as pink as her irises…at least what he could see behind the tears pouring down her cheeks.

   Gage felt cold all over as her looked back to Sera, “Death…” he fought for words, “…no. Please don’t tell me…”

   Her sob was all the answer he needed.