It slowly became hard to breathe as the raging fire spread across the room, licking the floors and lighting the furniture ablaze.
Damien threw a chair at the window, breaking the glass but there were thick grilles behind them, blocking their escape.
Lola grabbed the metal bars that were hot in her hands and shook them vigorously but the sturdy material did not budge. She noticed they were locked at the sides and almost screamed in frustration.
Of all the places in school, it had to be the room with the poorest signal and reinforced windows. The heat was spreading fast, she could feel it singe her skin. She backed away from the fire which would soon engulf them and stared at her friends hopelessly.
Damien was shaking the metal bars vigorously, making them rattle while Nalini screamed for help, her voice almost drowned out by the crackling fire. Hanna had dragged Edward out of the cupboard, just in time before it caught fire and now the two of them sat huddled together behind Nalini.
Hanna looked up at Lola helplessly and something in her broke. She couldn't understand it. Why hadn't someone noticed an entire room on fire?
She looked up at the fire detector and alarm system that were installed in all the classrooms. The ones here that had been disabled.
She'd never noticed these small things before but it has become glaringly obvious that this whole thing had been set up. Everything from the date and time, Edward's call, the room selection and the removal of the ceiling's fire alarms. That person in the dark hoodie who had been staring at her through the glass panel must have been behind it and she shivered at the memory of the shadowed face staring back at her.
She wondered if he had been Tyler. The guy had been acting strange recently.
Something crashed at the corner of the room and her eyes shot up to see the cabinet collapse into a pile of burning rubble.
"We have to get out of here fast," Nalini said the obvious.
The air was dry and hot, Lola could feel it scratching her throat. She leaned against the window, her face warm and blood pulsing. The windows were the only way out but they were all locked.
Lola's eyes started to water as she looked around for another escape route. The group huddled closer together as the fire took on a life of its own.
"What if we crashed through the door?" Damien asked as he pointed at the burning door. The edges had peeled to the sides and the wood was ablaze with fire.
Nalini wiped the sweat off her neck and glared at him. "That's just plain suicidal."
"Sitting here doing nothing is just as bad," He countered. He stood up straight and pointed at the small stacked boxes behind us. "It's already burning to a crisp. If we throw something heavy at it, there's a chance it could break down right? Right?"
Damien was looking at them for reassurance but Lola didn't know if it would work or just waste their energy. After a few seconds of deliberation she nodded vigorously.
"We might as well try."
Nalini sighed and they each picked up whatever furniture they could find and threw it at the door. The door groaned and then creaked but it didn't come rumbling down like expected. Lola's arms burned with exhaustion and her chest hurt.
She struggled to breathe and fell back against the window. The fire was inching its way towards them from the sides. She closed her eyes and prayed even though her chest was an empty cavern of hopelessness.
Damien threw a heavy metal box right at the door and she could hear him panting in exhaustion. The box hit the door and broke a hole right through it. The wooden splinters caught fire and the hole grew wide enough for them to fit through.
For a brief moment Lola dared to hope and everyone looked at each other. But there was only one huge problem. They would have to cross the fire to reach the door and looking at the raging madness, Lola knew that were they stuck.
They were literally sitting ducks. Ducks that were about to be burnt to a crisp.
***
Julian speed walked along the empty streets. The lights from the street lamps above were his only source of vision under the night sky. That and the small glare from his phone screen. He scrolled to unlock his phone, checked and then locked it again absent-mindedly.
Lola hadn't replied his messages or answered his calls since the game ended. He thought he would catch up with them at the after party but he couldn't seem to get through anyone.
Even Damien and Nalini were unreachable. There was a gnawing feeling deep in his gut telling him that something just wasn't right. He picked up his pace, going into a light jog as the school came into view.
The front doors were closed and all the windows were dark. It didn't seem like anyone was inside. Julian dialled Tyronne's number and he picked up after a few rings.
"Hey man! The party is wild, when are you coming?"
"Have you seen Damien yet?" Julian asked in a panicked voice.
"Damien?" Tyronne paused for a moment and Julian could hear the sound of music and laughter in the background. "Nope, haven't seen him. But knowing that guy, he might be upstairs in one of the rooms getting lucky."
Julian felt a stab of irritation at his friends nonchalance but he couldn't really blame him. Instead he swallowed down his annoyance, said thanks and ended the call. He rushed up the stairs to the front doors and shook it open but it didn't budge.
"Fuck." He ran his hands through his hair and then dialled Lola's number again. She always answered his calls. He just knew something wasn't right.
He walked along the perimeter of the school, looking around for unlocked doors. It was only then that he realised there was smoke coming out from the back building. Julian's heart rate picked up as he broke into a sprint towards it.
The smell of burning wood wafted through the air and then he heard Nalini scream in frustration. There was no mistaking her distinct high pitched tone.
"Lola!?" Julian shouted through the windows. Black smoke clouded his vision, making his eyes burn.
"Julian?" Lola's voice hit him right in the heart and he couldn't explain the rush of relief that filled his veins.
He clasped her warms hands and squinted his eyes. He then saw that they were surrounded by fire and his fingers tightened over hers.
"We're trapped," She said, her voice hoarse. "We created a hole in the door but there's no way to get to it.
Julian looked at the door that lead to the hallway and he raked his brain for a way to get them out. There was fire everywhere and no way lead to the door without getting burned.
"I'm coming," He said determinedly as he released her hands and ran around the building looking for a way in. He tried a few doors and kicked open a flimsy looking one that lead to a deserted hallway. He could smell the smoke from here.
He took out his phone and called the police, alerting them of the fire but the signal was terrible in here. They could barely hear a word he said.
After repeating himself about ten times he gave up and tucked his phone in his pocket as he raced down the hallway. He saw the fire extinguisher he was looking for and grabbed it. He ran to the door and sprayed into the room but then something hard hit his head making his vision go black.
He fell to the floor and the fire extinguisher rolled away. Julian's head was ringing, he could barely make out the sound of the fire crackling or the sound of Lola's screams as someone leaned over him.
He blinked furiously at the dark figure hovering over him and his nerves spiked when he saw a blade glint in the moonlight. Whoever it was lifted the knife and was about to bring it down to his chest but Julian kicked him hard and pushed him off.
He scampered away, just in time as the blade hit the floor instead of him. The dark figure came charging at him and he used all his strength to push him off. Something warm slid down his arms, wetting his shirt and he realised he had just been stabbed.
The adrenaline surge he felt blocked out the pain he should be feeling. All he could think about was saving Lola and his friends. He clutched his arm and darted out of the way just as his assailant tried to stab him again.
His eyes darted instinctively into the burning room and he could see the fire reaching his friends already. It was now or never. Julian sucked in a breath and charged at the hooded guy. He knocked the blade out of his arm and punched his face.
The sound of bone cracking reverberated through the air and the man sucked in a breath before holding his nose. Julian kneed him in the groin and the guy cursed in pain before sinking to the floor.
Without wasting a second he grabbed the fire extinguisher and sprayed into the room, making a small pathway for his friends to run through. He was almost done when he felt something sharp dig into his back.
The man grabbed his neck and pulled him outside but Julian threw the large metal container inside, hoping Damien would be able to reach it.
Unlike his arm, the pain in his back made him breathless. It was all consuming, Julian couldn't think of anything else as he was thrust to the wall. He slumped to the floor as the figure kneeled down so that they were eye to eye.
He could barely make out the face but those eyes. They were so devoid of emotion and his assailant lifted up his hand, clutching the knife. Just as Julian thought he was about to die he heard the sound of Eva's voice.
"Stop Lennox! It's over!"