Fledgling: Book 1 (Afterlife) (22 page)

He continues to search feet first in the sweeping motion, checking for anything that may be lying in their way in the darkened rooms. Together, they reach the final room. Against the wall is a double bed. I think it may be the main bedroom. As flames begin to tickle around the edges, they enter the room. Lying peacefully on the bed is an elderly man. He scoops him into his arms and fumbles his way through the smoke toward the window, once again led by David. By the time they get there, the Chief is waiting again. He is out of breath, but ready to go. Carefully they pass the man through and into his care. With another person safely out, they spin and head to the stairwell.
 

Once inside the stairwell, Ben catches a glance at David’s face. He looks anxious and pale even through his bulky mask. “You okay Dave?” Ben asks him.
 

He nods but his expression says otherwise.
 

“We’ll be out of here soon,” Ben says trying to be encouraging. Ben turns to close the door to the last level and sees that the walls in the apartment are now completely alight.
 

He closes the heavy fire door, and they sprint up the stairs, taking two at a time. Their breath is heavy, and they labour under all the added weight as they begin to search the next level. They connect the fire hose that Ben has been carrying into the fire booster and unravel it as a guide as they plod their way into the apartment. I hear coughing, and they head toward it. I feel Ben’s relief as he realises at least these occupants are still walking. They escort them to the window glad to see that the chief is already there and waiting. Even though they did not have to wait, I can feel his heartbeat rise and his muscles tighten with each passing minute. He turns and looks around the room. There are signs that the fire is developing quicker than they can rescue the occupants. Seeing this, Ben begins to help them out of the window to get them to safety quicker.
 

The heat is intensifying, and the sweat is dripping down his skin under his heavy fire clothes, but he continues. He turns to continue his search for people and catches the look on David’s face. Even though David is new to the service, he can see that he recognises the signs that the building is burning too quickly.
 

Another scream pierces from a level above. “Are you right for one more?” He asks David. David turns his head up as though looking for the owner of the scream then looks back at Ben and nods. He doesn’t look happy, but hearing the scream seems to trigger the rescue instinct inside of him. Grabbing the fire hose as a guide they shuffle their way quickly back to the stairwell. They unhook the hose, dragging it up the stairs with them, connecting it to the booster in the next level.
 

Using it as a guide they shuffle together, feet first through the apartment. There is a crashing sound from the level below. I am surprised to see the smoke levels rising quickly around them making it impossible to see. My senses give the feeling of lost hope, yet Ben is determined to rescue as many people as possible, if not all of them. The dedication of putting others before himself is a trait I know he has, but not to this level. Even as the fear within him rises, he will not give up; this is giving of himself completely.
 

A sound reaches his ear from his left. It was only soft, but sounded human. He stops suddenly to pull in that direction and stumbles. The resistance he expected from David’s end of the line did not manifest. He somehow ended up on his knees on the hot floor. He turns his head looking for David. Nothing. All he can see is smoke, thick, grey smoke. He reaches down and feels for the line that connects them. His thick-gloved fingers fumble and find the line. Success. He grabs it and begins to pull. Again there is no resistance. He pulls faster, and the line comes easily; there is not the drag there should be with a person attached. He pulls quicker. Suddenly the line stops. He has found the frayed end with no David attached to the end. It must have severed somehow.
 

Panic begins to well for David’s safety. He stands and calls out. “David . . . David!”

He hears a feeble call. “Ben?”

“You alright?” he calls.
 

The reply is faint, but the panic was clear. “Yes. You?”

“Yes. Try to make it to the window. I’ll meet you there.” The roaring sound of the fire was rising making it harder to hear David’s response. Strangely enough, he did hear that human sound off slightly in the other direction. Everything inside is telling him to follow protocol and get to the window and out of there. He knew if he did, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did not try and rescue the owner of the sound. It sounds again. It sounds like a high-pitched squeal of someone in a frenzied state of crying.
 

“Hello?” he calls out trying to confirm what he heard. The same squeal answers him. Knowing that people in the state of panic do all sorts of stupid things he had to check. “Hello.” He inches his way closer to the sound with his feet feeling the way first. He must have only gone a couple of metres when his feet connect with something. He bends down to investigate. It is so dark and the smoke so thick that he can’t see what it is, even at such a close distance. Squatting further, he reaches out his hands for the object. It was hard. He begins to feel around it and is surprised to feel that it is round, and when he runs his hands up it, he feels it is a cylinder shape. It is not very tall and sounds like metal.
 

The high-pitched squeal sounds again. He jumps. It sounds from the item directly in front of him. He feels further up the cylinder to the top. I feel the blood drain away from his face and limbs as he feels the hard circle attached to the top and reaches into the middle of the circle to feel a circular handle. It is a perfect shape for a barbecue gas bottle. Instantly Ben stands. His limbs are turning weak from terror, but he has to move now. Panicking, he begins to exit his way toward where he thinks the window is. He is in such a rush that he is struggling to do the proper safety walk. He trips over something on the floor, and lands face first on the floor. Pain sears through his right side. It has hit something hard. He pushes off the ground ignoring the piercing pain. He has to get out of here. His heart is pumping so hard I can hear it in his ears. His breathing through his apparatus is heavy and rushed, making it hard to hear anything else.
 

I can sense my body tensing. I desperately want him to get out, yet there is nothing I can do.
 

I stand helpless as he rushes forward stumbling again. Something pierces his side in between his ribs. He takes a breath, and it hurts with a pain that would cause another person to pass out. Gritting his teeth, he reaches down and feels something hard sticking out of his jacket. It feels like it could be a big shard of glass. Terror and panic begin to take hold. He doesn’t know how deep it is but he needs to get up, and he needs to leave now. Trying not to breathe too deeply, he pries himself up as fast as he can without passing out from the pain.
 

He hears a voice. “Ben . . . Ben!” It is faint. I think it sounds like the chief.
 

Ben breathes in deeply. I can feel he wants to scream out in pain, but instead he calls out as loudly as he can. “Gas bottle!”

I do not know if the chief hears him as I didn’t hear a response. He continues his struggle to the window each step is painful. It is not long until a force hits him from behind. I want to scream out in pain as I feel what he felt. Suddenly the shard of glass in between the ribs is the least of the pain. It is almost in slow motion as I can feel each piece of skin being ripped off me — ripped and torn in small and large chunks through the protective clothing and from my bones. Soon the bones begin tearing, piece by piece and the remainder of my body is thrown forward onto the scorching hot floor. The strong heartbeat that comforted me earlier falls silent. The arsonist had claimed his first fireman victim.
 

- Chapter Twenty -

Unintentionally, I pull my hands away. The shock of what just happened has caused the involuntary action. My palms are damp, and my heartbeat vivacious. I look at Ben. Moisture is trickling down his olive face, and his eyes haunted as they study mine. I don’t know what to say. It was so graphic and horrific, I am stunned. I circle my arms around him and pull him close, his head resting against my chest. Wanting to comfort him, I begin to stroke his hair along the temples.
 

After a while of silence, he lets out a big breath. “I told you it was gruesome.”

“And you were right,” I say. “I expected a murder, not quite like that, but seeing an arsonist started the fire, it would also be murder — just not of the direct kind.” I am almost ashamed of my words; they seem useless, yet it is all that I have.
 

A blue flash appears next to us. I look up to see Archangel Gabriel. The eyebrow raised and a curious expression is on the archangel’s face. I release Ben, and his eyes search for my distraction.

“Fledglings,” Archangel Gabriel’s tone is uncharacteristically snappy. “I should hope you two are not up to no good again.” A finger is flailing in front of us as we were a couple of naughty children. “You have already caused enough trouble today just by being you.”
 

I stand. “I was just comforting him,” I say a little too quickly with my voice tense.
 

The eyebrow rises a little further.
 

“He relived his last death; it was rather gruesome, and I saw it.” I splutter out the words. Archangel Gabriel’s more lenient ways are earning my respect at a rapid rate, and I hate being dishonest to someone I respect.
 

“Hmm!” A suspicious look crosses the archangel’s face. “Diverging into another fledgling’s past life is a very risky move. It is not completely frowned upon though definitely not a good way to earn the archangels’ trust. You two are lucky it is me who has come to brief you.” Archangel Gabriel shakes their head. “You don’t know how hard it was to get you two accepted on this mission, especially you.” The archangel was looking at me.
 

 
“So we’re going then?” I blurt out. With the thought of being allowed to go I forget about the reprimand.

Archangel Gabriel crosses their arms and raises one side of their mouth. “Hmm, I can see you have learnt a lot from your close call.”

The memory of Archangel Gabriel stepping in before the discovery of Ben and my relationship by Archangel Uriel comes flooding back. I look down at the ground. “Sorry, Archangel Gabriel. I am so keen to go on this mission that I was distracted.”

“My dear, you don’t even know what this mission is. It is possibly a very dangerous mission—”

“Even for an angel?” I ask surprised. I am starting to feel invincible and haven’t come across any real danger as a fledgling as yet.
 

“Especially for a fledgling,” Archangel Gabriel stresses. “And the other archangels have every right to be concerned about sending a fledgling that does not abide by the rules.”

“So are we going then?” Ben asks. He stands and stretches his arms toward the sky exposing his bare chest. His face is still slightly haunted, and he appears eager for a distraction.

Archangel Gabriel gazes around. “Where is the little yellow fledgling? I am supposed to discuss the final decision with all of you together. I thought you would be waiting together.”

The culpability strikes me again, and I look to the side. “Ah, she is angry with us. She thinks we have gotten her into trouble.”

“Over what?” Archangel Gabriel’s voice raises, the shock evident.
 

“Over naming her, even when she said she didn’t want to, as it was breaking the rules.”

“Are you serious?” The pale blue eyes study our faces.

Ben nods. “Yeah, she kind of stomped off in a really bad mood.”

“Oh, what nonsense. She did nothing wrong. I keep telling these Archangels that they need to be more communicative. The lack of communication causes so much anxiety. They never believe me.” Shaking the head, Archangel Gabriel goes silent for a moment looking in the other direction of the island. The expression is serene as the hands reach up and play briefly with the golden locks of hair.
 

A few moments pass when Cindy arrives, flustered and in a hurry. Her wavy blonde hair flies in her face by a puff of sea breeze. When she lifts a hand to brush it away, it reveals her face is anxious and pale.

“I’m so sorry Archangel Gabriel. I was just taking a walk.” Her yellow bodysuit glows dimly in the sunlight.
 

Archangel Gabriel studies her. “My dear, what is this I hear about you being angry at these two for giving you a name?” The archangel’s voice was kind yet straightforward.

Her pale face turns ghostly white. “Oh, am I in trouble too for being angry?”

Archangel Gabriel frowns then a humour hits the pale blue eyes and the angel laughs. “Oh, my dear. You worry too much. You are not in trouble for them giving you a name, and you are not in trouble for being upset with them. Now sweetie, relax and listen to what I have to say."