“You know nothing about him. About any of them. They are more men than you’ll ever be.” I seethe at thethought that he would dare claim Karter, or anyone in the brotherhood, was less than him. Not in a million years.
“Whatever.” He sneers and stands. “We’re getting out of here.”
“Go. I’m not leaving her.” I look back and grab Ashley’s hand. She might be dead, but she doesn’t deserve to be alone.
“Don’t be stupid. The place is already on fire.”
“And who the fuck started the fire, Barry? Huh? Would it be the fucking fireman who swore to protect people but ended up fucking up everything good in his life? You going to blame this on her too?” I scream at him, but it comes out choppy from the smoke.
He looks at me for half a second, then moves to grab me under the arms. I twist and turn, dragging myself out of his grasp before he drops me unceremoniously back where I was.
“You’ll burn.” He says it like it’s a threat and a warning all in one. His face is probably saying more than his mouth, but I can’t look away from my friend. I won’t. Never again when he’s around.
“Better that than be with you,” I call over my shoulder with barely a chin lift in his direction.
“Be that way.”
He walks out the door, and I break down into tears, grieving fully for Ashley now that I’m alone. But I know I can’t stay long. I might want to keep her safe, but I also need to keep my own child safe. I know the smoke is affecting me, as I keep coughing.
With a new focus, I get to my feet. My ankle gives out, obviously sprained, but I push through it as I grab Ashley’s hand and drag her to the door, coughing when I take a full breath to clear my throat.
It’s a slow pace, but we’re moving in the right direction. Pushing the door open and pulling her along is harder than I expected, but I cry out like a warrior when I get us both through it. One more to exit the waiting room, and then just a few more feet to make it to the stairs. It seems impossibly far away, but one step at a time.
I’m just at the waiting-room door when Barry rushes back in and shoves me aside. Bullets slam into the door he just shut. I scream on impulse.
“Shit.” He looks around, realizing he’s back where he started. “Shit, shit, shit.”
“What’s the matter, Barry? Having a bad day?” My tone is flat. I’m getting dizzy from the smoke. It’s lessened with the door closed to the doctor’s office, but it’s still coming.
I know it isn’t a small fire. Not if Barry started it. Probably thought he could cover his ass and have Ashley’s death go down as an accident or something. I doubt he remembers there were witnesses to him shooting her before they all ran.
“Shut up!” he shouts, but he doesn’t wave the gun at me. I hope he doesn’t have any bullets left.
That sparks a new plan. I’m not staying in here. Not with him. I’ve never waited for someone to save me before, and I’m not about to start now.
I stand again, using the chair Ruby sat in to steady myself. Barry is mumbling to himself again, but nothing more. Grabbing Ashley’s hand, I ignore the smear of blood as I drag not only her lifeless body, but her two babies. There was no saving them, not after where he shot her.
It’s slow. The adrenaline is crashing down on me, the weight of everything hitting me all at once. But I keep going. It’s what I always do—push through the hard parts and look forward. Something good has to come from this. Something, anything.
I make it to the door and pull it open just a crack.
“Don’t shoot,” I call out, but I’m not sure if anyone heard or cares. “Please.” My voice breaks at the end, and I cough through my emotions and the smoke. “I’m unarmed.”
“Move slowly,” a voice I don’t know calls back. “Hands up. Walk toward my voice.”
I open the door enough to hit the accessibility button, letting the automatic door swing wide. It seems to drag in time, but I need the door open to bring Ashley with me. I walk backward, dragging Ashley, watching that I don’t get her stuck somewhere.
“Arms up!” someone yells, and I still.
“I can’t.” Hysteria crawls up my throat with panic. “I can’t let go. She’s… she’s….” I cry out on a sob, and for a second, I let myself wallow in the pity that is life till I shake it out of me. I wipe my eyes with my hands, ignoring the dried blood coating my fingers, then secure her hand in mine once more.
“I’m coming out. Don’t shoot.” It’s all I give them. It’s determined, strong, and authoritative. It lets them know I’mnot to be fucked with, and if they scream about my hands again, I’m going to lose it.
But the second I pull, I stall. I pull her harder, but she barely budges. My eyes travel the length of her, noting every part of her body from the top of her head to her feet to see what she’s caught on.
She isn’t stuck. She’s being held, pinned in place.
“Let go.” I glare at Barry. My voice doesn’t tremble as more hate than I knew I possess comes out of me in those two words.
