Experiment 21

34: Sparks Fly

And then I tripped. Again. The sound of shattering hit me before the pain did. Of course, I let out a screech of pain, hissing and rolling to my side. As I curled up, I prayed I didn't crack the good half of my face. My eye hadn't been all that good since that terror had fixed it. When I held my hand up, I could see out of both eyes. Thank god. When I felt through my face, I cut my fingers pretty quickly. I don't have a mirror but.. looks like I just barely missed my eyes. There were tons of cracks though.. one more fall like that and I'm done for.

When I got to my knees, my head throbbed. Sometimes I wish I wasn't made out of glass.. but I turned to look at what I tripped on. A red mass of.. FAN! I quickly grabbed him, starting to shake him

"Fan! Fan, oh my god, please don't be dead! Come on! You've got to get up, please..! I can't lose you too.."
"..mm.. wh.. huh..?"

As I watched him blearily open his eye to look at me, I squeezed him close. Which caused him to choke.

"lIGHTBULB-"
"Ah-! Sorry! Sorry! I thought you were dead-"
"N..no.. not dead.. I just.. passed out I think.. she-"
"Left the door unlocked. I saw. She's.. getting careless."
"But.. but this is our chance! Our chance to get out..! She saw me and-"
"She saw you?!"
"Let me finish-
She saw me and she.. she didn't say anything. I don't.. I don't think she thought I was real. Like.. like how I see you.. when you're not there."
"God.. Fan.."

He set his hands on my shoulders, giving me a sad smile before glancing around with another wheezing cough. I wasn't breathing too good either, swallowing back every cough I could. His smile dropped as he realized the power was out, before looking back at me in fear. It seems then he also realized he was soaking wet

"...the smoke set the sprinklers off, which in turn shorted a fuse box and now.. everything's off. I don't.. I don't know what's burning though."
"The smoke was still going when I went out but.. but I don't know.. why it's gotten worse.."
"...gotten worse-?"
"It wasn't.. nearly this bad.. when I came out."

He seemed disturbed by my expression dropping, so I quickly picked up the most comforting smile I could manage in the moment. I felt my lungs and head ache as I forced the expression, but he needs this. He.. he trusts me more than anything.

"Well.. we can-"
A cough forced itself out of my throat before I could swallow it down, and it forced me into a fit. It felt like my chest was being squeezed as it was cough after cough. I felt like I was choking and drowning at the same time. Fan, poor fan.. he stared at me mortified, ushering to help before I held a hand out for him tk stop. I took a few breaths to compose myself.. I can do this.. I can do this. And.. I managed to stop it.

"...we can find a way out here now. You and me. Together."
"..your hand is bleeding.."
"Yeah.. yeah I know.. don't worry too much about it."
"Do you.. know a way out..?"
"I think you'd know better than me duderino. You used to be down here all the time."
"Never in this part... I didn't know she had all this down here."

He started to cough again as he tried to stand up, his legs shaking and almost dropping him to the floor. I stood up to catch him, giving his hands a squeeze to steady him as he continued to choke. Now I knew how he had just felt, because I just wanted to fix him. Make it stop. But.. but he's got it. He took a deep breath and then gave a nod, showing me he was okay. When I looked around, he was right. There was more smoke than before.. which isn't a good sign. But at least I know.. he isn't burning alive now. Which is good.

Somehow all of this was.. making me feel like my old self. The one that.. died down here. The one that would've loved running through water, and smoke.. and finding a way out. She would've thought this was a challenge for her to win.. and would've laughed along the way. Ever the optimist.. at least that much hasn't changed. At least.. I don't think it has. But that's not what I need to think about right now. Fan had let go of my hands, starting to walk ahead of me. I followed him, basically trusting his judgement. All of my gut feelings had run out.

"She isn't one to change things.. so the rest of this place.. is probably built.. just like the rest of it."
He paused to cough again.
"So.. if we just.. follow the door plates and hall signs.. we should.. make it back.. to the main hall."
"God I hope so.. this is our last chance."

As we walked, we tended to bust into coughing fits more frequently. The smoke was getting worse.. and it was getting darker. The heat that was originally creeping up my legs was now almost unbearable. Which.. means we're likely getting closer to whatever's burning. We don't have too much of a choice to turn around though, because.. we'd just burn alive in there too. I'm not flammable but.. he is. So my worries aren't exactly behind me.

I saw his breaths starting to get more labored, and his steps get more shaky. Obviously the heat, smoke, and anxiety was starting to get to him. Thinking about it.. the air conditioning was probably shut off as well. Which is why the smoke had gotten so bad.. fuck. This really did continue to become more of an absolute disaster, didn't it..? I held his hand and started guiding him down the hall, letting him keep one hand on the way.

I realized it started getting lighter as we walked. Which meant one of two things. We're getting closer to windows and exits, or weve reached the fire. When I heard Fan's scream ring through my ears, I realized it was the second option. When I looked ahead finally, we had made it to the main hall. The bad news was.. the entirety of the lobby was on fire. Just about everything that could burn was burning. And the fuse box in the side of the room continued to spark.

The sprinklers weren't doing shit now. The shelves, the stools, the tables.. all of it was on fire. The brilliance of the flames hurt my eyes, and the heat made me immediately shut my light off. Fan only continued to scream, pulling at my hand to try and get me to run. But.. there was nowhere to run. There was only so long until those flames found our door and set us ablaze too. We just.. had to go through. Deny everything fire safety ever taught us. Sorry Smoky.

Any attempt to find a fire extinguisher was met with failure. We must've passed one on the walk down the hallway but.. we couldn't risk going back and getting caught. With another tug on my hand I turned around and faced Fan

"...we have to go through."
"We can't go through! You'll die!"
"I won't die! I'll get real hot sure, but you're the one made out of paper and wood!"
"Then leave me! I'll.. I can.. I-"
"Like hell am I leaving you to die down here! That's not fair! If you die, I die! I said we're getting out of here together!"
"But how are you-"
"Just.. just stay behind me and.. try not to let the sparks touch you."

Get out of here together. Hah..
God I hope I don't regret saying that.