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I crept into the hallway, checking up and down it before rounding the corner to head back to Buffy’s room. Relief washed over me as I kept walking. I was almost to Buffy’s room. I was almost safe.
Then, I smelled smoke. I froze in place, drawing in a deep breath through my nose to try to catch the scent again. Did I make up that smell? After that breath, I knew it wasn’t a phantom smell. Something was on fire.
A bad feeling rolled over me like a dark cloud, and I found myself running toward Buffy’s room. Something told me to get there as fast as I could. I shouldn’t have worried about what happened at the library while I was there. I should’ve worried about what happened at Buffy’s room while I was gone.
CHAPTER 22
BIBA
By the time I reached Buffy’s room, flames were licking at the doorway, having wreaked havoc on the inside of her room. I could hardly see anything through the flames, but I spotted Buffy’s blonde hair as she lay on the floor between our beds.
“Buffy!” I shouted, silently begging her to get up and run. When she didn’t stir, I moved closer to the flames, trying to find an opening to rush through so that I could get her. I wasn’t going to leave her. I promised her that I would protect her to the best of my ability, even if that put me in danger.
Memories of seeing Gail and Simone’s bodies flashed through my mind like lightning. I couldn’t see another body, another fallen friend. With each death, the crack in my already battered heart grew larger. How much more loss could I take until it shattered?
“Is someone in there?” a boy with a thin frame and brown hair asked as he came up to my side, staring at the flames with wide eyes. Other students flooded into the hallway to gawk at the scene. Others ran off to get help.
“Buffy is in there,” I told him, my throat tightening with worry. I could hardly get the words out. The smoke burned my eyes, making them water as I continued to look for a break in the flames. All I could think about was getting her out of there before the flames consumed her and stole away the one friend I had left.
“She’s going to die if we don’t get in there now,” the boy told me.
I already knew that. She could’ve already been dead, but I was still going in after her. I refused to leave her there to burn. Holding my breath, I jumped through a small break in the flames, grimacing as the fire grazed my arms and legs. I landed a few feet away from Buffy, who laid face down with a t-shirt gripped in her hand. She must’ve tried to protect herself from the smoke.
“Buffy? Buffy!” I shouted as I rolled her over. I patted her cheek, desperately trying to get her to open her eyes. To my relief, I saw her eyelids flutter and her lips subtly part. She was alive, but she was hanging on for dear life.
A thump sounded next to me as the boy jumped into the room. He knelt next to me, looking down at Buffy with a concerned look on his face.
“Is she alive?” he asked me, raising his voice above the loud crackle of the fire.
I nodded as I looped one of Buffy’s arms around my neck. She felt like dead weight, but she was still kicking. She still had a chance.
“Barely. We need to get her out of here!” I stressed to him. My chest already felt tight from how much smoke I already inhaled, and my throat burned. I couldn’t be in here much longer either.
The boy nodded and slung Buffy’s other arm around his neck. Together, we lifted her to her feet. She didn’t have any strength left in her body, so we had to drag her toward the doorway, which was nearly engulfed by flames.
I looked over at the boy, knowing that we had no other choice but to rush through. If we didn’t, all three of us would die in here.
“On three!” I shouted.
The boy looked nervous, but he nodded, tightening his grip on Buffy.
“One, two, three!” I yelled before charging forward, ducking my head as we broke through the flaming doorway. Fire lashed at me, singeing parts of my clothes and hair. Pain seared through my knee as the fire ate through my pants to leave behind a harsh burn. I nearly fell, but another student took over for me and helped lay Buffy down on the ground.
“Help is on the way!” another student announced as people crowded around us.
The boy turned to me, placing a hand on my shoulder to steady me.
“I’ve got her. I’ll watch out for her,” he assured me. “She’ll be okay.”
