Page 177 of Please Open Me
Her voice broke on the last word.
And that’s when I realized–she wasn’t afraid of dying. She was afraid ofmedying.
“There’s a–” A fit of coughing cut her off. “A door. Behind the water heater. Go.”
I shook my head. Leaving her? Scared, hurt,alone? Not a chance in hell.
I cupped her face with shaking hands, ignoring the smoke, the soot, the sweat–the blistering heat pressing in from all sides.
“Look at me.”
Her wide, tear-filled eyes found mine.
“I will never fucking leave you,” I swore, my lungs burning. “When I say forever, I mean it. If this house comes down, it comes down on both of us. Got it?”
“Sebastian–” she coughed hard, but I didn’t let her finish.
I kissed her forehead like it was the last thing I’d ever do, because at this rate, it might have been. Then I ripped off my hoodie, wrapped it around her upper leg, and shoved my shoulder beneath the beam.
The wood groaned, my spine screamed, but against all odds, it moved.
Just a few inches.Enough.
“Mason! Move!”
She screamed as she dragged herself free, the sound ripping through me, but my girl did it. She’d fought abuse, a coma, hell itself, and she fought now.
This was not our end.
The second she was clear, I dropped the beam, scooped her up, and ran.
Smoke swallowed the room. Flames clawed at the ceiling. But I didn’t look back.
I found the hatch behind the water heater, kicked it open, and dragged us both through jagged pipes and choking ash until–air.
Cool. Real.
We made it to the grass before my body gave out.
The second I hit the ground, I collapsed. My bad leg screamed, my stomach flipped, and I gagged into the dirt, desperate for oxygen.
Mason was outside. That was all that mattered–until the shadows moved.
My heart pounded like a war drum as I clawed at the dew-damp grass, forcing myself upright. My fingers brushed a rock. Instinct took over. I grabbed it and staggered to my feet.
That’s when I saw her.
Mattie.
She was on her knees not ten feet away, blood streaking her face, her lips split open. Her arms were bound behind her back, swaying as she struggled to stay upright. One fox-like eye pinned on mine, the other was black, blue, and swollen shut.
My lungs seized. The world slowed.
Then,click.
I turned toward the sound and saw Dale.
At first, all I noticed was his face. Then a soft, broken sound drew my attention lower.
