Short Stories & Quotes by Dilumi

Devotion

[Start playing the song above]

     I ran close to Leo's side as we dashed down the hallway, looking for any escape we could find. "I think the stairs are this way!" he shouted above the crackling of the flames all around us and the loud banging we heard from downstairs. Turning the last corner, we met the door to the stairwell, and Leo put his hand on the door to test its temperature for no more than a second before swinging it open. He looked back to make sure I was behind him and then went through the door. We started down the stairs together, making it down one short flight before Leo stopped abruptly and put his arm out in front of me.

     Looking to where his eyes were focused, I noticed that the stairway led into nothing but an abyss swallowed by flames that were thick and tall. Leo jerked in the other direction and started to bolt back up the stairs, clasping onto my hand. "There's another stairwa-" He never finished his sentence before a large, flaming piece of wood crashed down and landed right in the middle of the landing above us. Leo instinctively jumped backwards, and I seized onto his shirt, turning towards him.

     A quick look told me there was no way we could get back through where we had come from. Leo's wide eyes darted around, then he broke apart from me and turned this way and that. I watched as he put his hands on the railing and looked down through the opening beside the stairs, then slowly shook his head and drew back. He turned and looked at me. The expression in his eyes told me what he couldn't put into words, and it cut straight into my heart, making a huge lump form in my throat.

     We have to die here together.

     "You sure you don't have your phone?" I said gravely. He dug his hands deep into his pockets, then pulled them back out empty.

     "Yours?" I checked every pocket of my jeans, but it was gone. I shook my head. I began to breathe heavily from the immediate stress of the situation, and I turned and looked everywhere. Flames. Flames above me, around me, in front of me and behind me. Flames that turned suddenly into blurs as my eyes spilled over with tears which I tried to wipe away, but to no avail. I screamed.

     Leo rushed forward and embraced me, putting one arm around my waist and the other gently on the back of my head, rocking me back and forth, doing the things he would always do to comfort me and tell me everything was going to be okay. But everything wasn't going to be okay, not this time. Through my blurry vision, I saw the flames rising higher. They seemed hungry, waiting to devour me alive. I thought of my journey. All the memories. All the dreams. All the colors. And this was how I was going...

     At least I was going with him...

     Leo turned away from me and yelled into the stairway. "IS ANYBODY THERE?! HELP US!!!" I joined him, pushing back tears and attempting to concentrate on nothing but being as loud as I could. For minutes, we shouted into nothing, then counted to three and screamed at the top of our lungs together. After the third time, we gave in and collapsed into each others' arms.

     "I don't want to die yet!!" I sobbed with the voice I still had left. There were so many beautiful songs that could never be released. Ideas that were meant to inspire so many minds, and now couldn't. "I have unreleased songs that could help people and now that will never happen!"

     "I know, I do too..." Leo responded, sighing. "We've done that for a lot of people already. I guess it's just time to accept our fate." I nodded. He's right. I was always able to manipulate my mind to turn every situation for good. But the fact that this was the end of the journey would take a while to sink in. It would take a bit longer than we had. So many things, and people, that I would leave behind...

     "You have anything sharp?" Leo said.

     "No..."

     "Do you want us to try and choke each other at the same time?"