YuLin sat up immediately at the word fire. He looked around and indeed saw the black smog gathering on the ceiling, the crackling of wood on the fire and the nervous shouts of people outside.
YuLin acted immediately, he ran to the water basin by the door and tore his sleeves of before shoving hem in water. "A Li! Come, quick!"
A Li went to YuLin's side without question and had a wet rag shoved in his face, "What the hell?"
"Many die through inhaling the smoke rather than by fire. Breathe through that until we make it out! Stay close." He demanded. Seeing YuLin's dead seriousness, A Li had no mind to argue and stuck as close as he could to YuLin.
Through the building, many rooms had already caught on fire, pillars were burning down and black smoke was thick in the air, the brightness of the fire also caused them to squint their tearful eyes. YuLin's heart beat erratically, he was extremely nervous and anxious... what if they couldn't find a way out? Burned alive? He didn't want to even imagine that, he reached a protective hand out to A Li's and gripped it. A Li sensed this protectiveness and frowned in both worry and confusion... Perhaps not all demons are bad...
Through weaving in and out of rooms and around pillars, they finally made it ground floor and saw the light of the day just ahead, as they both leapt outside, they inhaled a mouthful of fresh air before they began panting.
A Li scrubbed the tears away from his eyes as people surrounded them, offering comfort and water.
"You Ok?" YuLin asked, through gulps of water.
A Li glanced at YuLin before giving a shaky nod. Just as YuLin was about to embrace the kid, a massive crackling noise sounded as he turned and saw the left side of the inn collapse and a woman screamed.
"Please someone! someone! My little sisters in there!"
The crowd collectively gasped, but none stepped forward.
The woman tried running forward but was held back by other women, dressed to look like maids. " Ma'am you mustn't!"
"The inn has collapsed... it's too late!" One sobbed.
However, the woman continued pulling and wailing, "You don't understand! The left side collapsed, she was sleeping on the third floor, the right side of the building!"
The crowd looked down and sighed, shaking their heads. It was now too dangerous to enter the building anyway.
YuLin looked at the weather, clouds. No hot sun to cause a fire, no lightning to spark a fire. He raised his voice and quickly asked, "How did the fire start!"
The crowd turned and stared at him and his soot-covered face.
"Aiya... must be someone in the kitchen's..."
"No no I heard that.."
"What?" YuLin demanded as he looked down at the old man who spoke out.
"Sir... I heard it was rebelling... an act in defiance of the general's brutal recruiting..."
YuLin's face contorted... he was sure this was the first time in his life he's scrowled at someone. He turned to the crowd and began shouting, "You people are really...really ungrateful! War is coming... if we don't have enough men, more than just one house will burn. The whole nation will burn! And you dare set fire on an inn housing many innocents. To the inn where the very man trying to win this war is staying. No face I tell you... whoever you are you have No face!" With that, YuLin sprinted into the remaining piece of the Inn. His figure disappearing amongst the blazing fire.
The crowd gasped yet again as many screamed. The young woman who had shouted out earlier gaping at the scene.
"YuLin!" A Li screamed, just as he was about to chase after him, a hand dropped heavily to his shoulder as a voice spoke out.
"What the hell 's happened here, kid? Where's the idi- YuLin?"
YuLin tied the wet piece of cloth around his head, covering his mouth and nose as he held another one in his hands.
He ran towards the stairs, avoiding falling debris at every turn, angry burn marks appearing where he'd been hit. His cloth was drying fast, and he began coughing with each breath.
When he made it halfway up the stairs, he turned to see the stairs behind had completely collapsed.
No going back then...
He continued up and up until he made it to the third floor. There, he banged on every door, shouting with a hoarse voice, choking on the smoke.
"Little girl! little girl! Your sister is waiting for you, where are you!?"
YuLin kept searching the rooms until he heard a scream come from the end of the hallway, he darted out one of the rooms and raced there, kicking open the door. He scanned the room frantically until his eyes found a small figure huddled by the closet, wearing what must've been a white dress, but was now covered in dust.
YuLin ran over and crouched in front of her.
"Little girl, I'm here to help. Can you tell me your name?" YuLin asked as he lifted the young girl's snot and tear covered face.
She coughed as she replied, "Ya-YaYao..."
YuLin stroked her hair and said, "Ok YaYao, listen carefully, you're going to be just fine. I'm going to tie this cloth around your nose OK? It'll make breathing easier." He tied the cloth then smiled at her with his eyes, "There, better? Now let's find a way out."
YaYao's eyes filled with a new tank of tears as she shot forwards and hugged YuLin's throat tightly.
YuLin patted her back before picking her up. He didn't bother leaving the room to find an exit, knowing that half the stairs had already collapsed. Instead, he walked straight to the windows.
YaYao saw this and mumbled, "Gege... I'm scared of heights!"
YuLin could hear the immense fear in the girl's voice. "Shh... It's Ok, You're so smart guessing what I'm about to do. Gege's friend will help you down. Do you trust me?" He asked, tapping YaYao's nose.
YaYao looked at YuLin, and nodded.
"Good girl."
YuLin stepped back, raised a leg and kicked the wooden shafted windows right of its hinges.
The people below exclaimed as smoke began flowing out a new place and a window smashed out of no where, when YuLin peaked his head out with the little girl, the woman screamed.
"YaYao!" and the crowd shouted excitedly.
"But wait! That's the third floor!"
"Right right, it's too high to drop a little girl!"
YuLin ignored the chatter and sat the girl on the window sill, causing many to grasp.
"Quick quick! have people under, ready to catch, it seems like there's no other way!"
Many rushed below the sill and extended their hands, yet YuLin still ignored them. Raising one hand and placing two fingers in his mouth, he whistled a shrill, yet clear tune.
The people were silent for a moment, wondering what was going on when suddenly, big gusts of wind appeared from above. They screamed.
For a blackbird... no, it must've been something else, the size of a horse appeared above them, flapping its thunderous wings.
YuLin smiled a wicked smile, "XiaoQin! Over here!" He shouted as he lifted YaYao up. "YaYao, meet Gege's friend, XiaoQin, he will take care of both of us!"
YaYao nodded her head in a daze as she stared at the magical beast.
When XiaoQin got just below their window, YuLin swung YaYao a little before he dropped her on to XiaoQin's back where she grabbed the feather's tightly.
The second he let go of YaYao however, he felt the wood beneath him snap, and suddenly, his foot was stuck in between the boards.
YuLin was pretty sure that was the first time in his life that he swore when he muttered a "Shit." He looked out the window to a still hovering XiaoQin, who cawed in alarm upon seeing YuLin stuck.
YuLin reached into his robes and pulled out XiaoTian, who coiled tightly around his arm.
"Be good now, you know you're weak to fire, you can't stay with me. "YuLin willed for XiaoTian to loosen it's grip as he threw him outside the window. "YaYao! Catch!"
When he heard a small scream he said, "Don't worry! XiaoTian is also my friend! Look after him till I come Ok? XiaoQin! Go, you're fanning the flames."
XiaoQin did not leave as he Cawed repeatedly. YuLin hardened his voice as he shouted, "Go, Now!" XiaoQin had no choice but to obey his master's words as he reluctantly flew to a nearby clear landing.
YuLin was just done sighing when the rest of the floor gave way and he fell right through.
His vision was a blur of blacks and reds until he hit the second floor. With a loud crack, he felt a shocking pain dash through his right leg. YuLin didn't want to see it.
Bang!
And more debris had fallen atop him... layering no top.
YuLin coughed and wheezed, trying to gasp in breathable air. Tears streamed out his eyes due to the stinging smoke.
He felt horrible.
Alone.
Scared.
QianDu was on his horse the second the kid told him what had happened, he rode until arriving at a small centre where recruitment was taking place and he found the general stood with hands behind back, back facing him.
"General!" QianDu shouted.
LiZhao turned immediately upon hearing the urgency in QianDu's voice. "What is it?"
"The inn! It's on fire! YuLin came out safely with the kid but rushed back in!"
Before QianDu could finish, he was yanked down his horse as LiZhao jumped on and kicked the horse's sides, galloping in the inn's direction. LiZhao's heart was terribly frantic, anxious and unsettled. He didn't let himself imagine YuLin was anything other than alright.
YuLin was so tired. He heaved as best as he could with the crushing weight of debris on top of him. His parch dry tongue ran over his dryer mouth. He winced in pain, almost unable to feel one of his legs. His eyelashes trembled under the weight of exhaustion.
At least YaYao was safe... XiaoTian too.
At least the general wasn't here.
He was safe too.
"Lin!"
YuLin frowned."
"YuLin!"
That voice... the general!
"YuLin where are you!"
YuLin opened his mouth but nothing more than a gasp came through. He tried again... nothing.
"YuLin!"
The voice was getting further away.
YuLin still could make no noise and hit his fist pathetically against the floor in frustration.
Jingle.
YuLin's eyelids cracked open. The bells... the bells!
He lifted his fist slightly and shook them. He himself could barely hear them over the crackle of the fire but he still tried. He shook them once.
Twice.
And thrice.
Before his hand fell to the ground in exhaustion and his eyes closed again.
"YuLin!"
YuLin smiled, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, for that to be the last voice he heard before dying.
.......................................................................................................
A/N- (o-o/