Fatal Dreaming [[OLD]]

Chapter 13: Melancholy

A/N: Hey I'm finally back! Exam season at my high school has been keeping me extremely busy lately, but luckily I finally managed to finish this chapter! :D

So yeah, it's not early January like I was hoping, but hey it's still been less than a month! And this chapter ended up being way longer than I was initially expecting, and as if chapter 12 wasn't long enough, this chapter's even LONGER!! All of the big stuff happens right in the centre and at the end of the story, so I guess that's when I should be expecting the super extended chapters :3

I need to once again give a massive thank you for all of the comments and feedback!! You all make me so happy, and give me the motivation needed to keep this story going! I feel such joy at seeing how so many people enjoy my writing, and that people can feel emotions and excitement out of it! I honestly never thought I would get this far, so thank you endlessly!! <3333

Please enjoy chapter 13 at long last! (Imma start throwing in some minor warnings at the start of chapters as well, for when they're needed. Tbh I should've been doing this since chapter 1, whoops)

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Minor Warnings:

- Descriptive fire scene

- Major character near-death

- Panic attack

- Long, emotional chapter. Prepare yourselves.

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The heroine let out an aching grunt as she fell to the ground, to which her partner quickly paused his movement to take her arm and pull her to her feet again. She stumbled a bit, but ignored it and held her determination.

"Come on, we have to hurry!" he shouted over the roaring of the flames.

Ladybug nodded in return and continued to run alongside him. He kept a protective arm on her at all times, and didn't steal a single glance behind him, knowing that anything they had already passed by had been turned to ashes by now. They both looked at the setting around them with wide, terrified eyes. Chat Noir had known that situations like this, aside from being really frightening, would be agonizing, but god he was forcing himself to ignore a lot of pain. He felt ready to break; to splinter like the crumbling world around him.

His lady cried, "We'll never make it out in time!!"

Chat felt the same intense horror as she did, but for their safety he forced himself to push it away and focus on surviving.

"We just have to keep going, there has to be an exit close by!" he insisted.

The two heroes gasped as a large plank of flaming wood fell from above, crashing down a mere metre away from their position. The inhale then led to them both coughing violently from the plethora of smoke. Chat and Ladybug gripped each other's hands as if they refuse to ever let go, and they both wondered the same question: How much longer could they survive here?

The fire was growing at a rapid rate, barely keeping a path open for them, and never had the blonde felt more thankful for a fireproof (albeit, still scorching hot) suit. It made him wish at a time like this they had any of their abilities left, but to their great misfortune, Lucky Charm and Cataclysm had already been spent, and now the two of them were cutting their remaining time very close. Up, down, and all around them were orange and yellow flames licking the air, so the only option left for Chat Noir and Ladybug was just to run, and pray that they made it out safely.

"You're sure th-that all of the civilians.... m-made it out of here safely?" she wheezed, as they sprinted through together.

"Quite c-certain m'lady," he panted in reply. "We're the only two people left in this damn p-place, I can only hope that we get out of here with our lives."