Page 5 of Claim Me
I reach the other end of the corridor and start opening another door.
Then I run downstairs and end up on the opposite side of the same floor, the one already on fire. The building layout shows that the lab level has an additional section, and that is where the people are. The fire hasn’t reached them yet, but it’s only a matter of minutes.
My hands shake as I connect my devices and force the door open. A thick cloud of smoke hits me, the stench of burning plastic. I cannot see anything, so I drop to my knees.
The smoke is so harsh it makes me dizzy. I press the cloth to my face and crawl forward.
I use my ability again. It helps me figure out where they are, because I know I am taking the right turns. Eventually I reach them.
They locked themselves in a small room and are trying to break a window. I can feel the temperature rising. Something crashes nearby, like a panel falling over.
I open the door.
"Come with me, I know a way out!" I shout.
I hear crying, terrified voices.
"On your knees, crawl! The smoke is thinner down low."
They follow me in a line, one after another.
Something else collapses in the corridor. The heat is unbearable now. I can barely breathe. My vision blurs.
"Hurry!" I shout, but I can feel myself about to pass out.
Something falls again and flames start licking out from the walls. Is this it?
No. Focus. The visions have to help.
They come. I know exactly what to do, where to go. Those few seconds of seeing ahead let me choose the right path every time.
Somehow, we make it back to the door I came through.
I push it open and the smoke spills into the stairwell.
Coughing, unsteady, they follow me out. Some have burns on their faces and hands, but they reach the stairs alive.
I know I cannot wait for thanks, I don't fucking deserve it.
What I have to do is to run.
As I head down, leaving them slowly making their way down the stairs, I spot two security guards near the exit, looking up the stairwell.
My face is still covered. They must think I am one of the workers.
"Did you all make it out? Thank Fate! Is everyone okay?"
Voices behind me answer them, and I use that moment to slip past and get through the open doors.
I burst out of the building and sprint toward the fence surrounding the facility, coughing as my eyes water. Smoke stung them, but I push forward, knowing I have to put as much distance as I can between myself and that place. One leap later, I’m over the fence and onto the street. Glancing back, thick smoke still pours from the building, and I mutter a curse under my breath. I got out, but not far enough.
My actions have exposed us. Marcel’s airtight plan, designed so none of us would ever be caught on camera, has failed. Still, for now all that matters is that those people made it out. My pace slows slightly as I keep moving, eyes flicking toward the rising smoke, feeling the fucking weight of everything I’ve done pressing down. I screwed up, that's for sure.
I move like I am in a trance. Cars pass me, people pass me. I must look terrible with the mask and soot covering half my face.
Something inside me falls apart. Regret, bitterness, and despair mix together until I feel numb.
I don't know what to do. I feel like a stray dog kicked by its owner.
