Moirai

door, hoping to block the smoke.

Hazel coughed violently and I felt my own lungs grow heavy as I wheezed, doing my best to catch my breath. It felt as though a tank crushed my lungs and I lost the ability to breathe.

I wanted to look outside but the bathroom window was frosted and didn't grant me the opportunity. I couldn't leave the bathroom and I refused to abandon Hazel. I had witnessed Jacqueline die: I wasn't going to allow that to happen again.

The planes circled overhead for several minutes. I didn't know how much time had passed before I felt the ground shake violently and heard a loud sound erupt, once, twice, and again until after the fifth time it stopped. I hoped they weren't bombing the town. I didn't move from the bathroom, sitting down with Hazel on the floor. I held her tight, feeling her body tremble in my arms.

“It'll be okay,” I whispered, trying to reassure her. “You did well,” I reminded her. “You probably saved our lives.” If she hadn't been quick to react with the damper, they would have sensed the smoke from the chimney and destroyed our home if not the entire town. Hazel shook with tears as I held her tight. “It's going to be okay,” I told her once again, realizing I no longer heard the planes overhead. I loosened my grasp. “Stay here, okay?” I told her. “I need to make sure everything is safe before we go outside.”

“Don't leave me in here,” Hazel pleaded with me.

“Fine,” I sighed, grabbing two additional towels and dousing them in water. I held one up to my face, hoping the smoke wouldn't penetrate.

Removing the towels from the bottom of the bathroom door, I slowly pulled it open. A wave of smoke hit us hard. I coughed into the towel, dropping lower to the floor, pulling Hazel down with me. “Crawl!” I commanded. The smoke was thicker at the ceiling and I hoped we had done right as we inched through the bedroom for the kitchen.

My eyes burned and blurred from the smoke. I felt Hazel tugging at the bottom of my shirt as she held me, following close behind me. Could she see anything or was that why she held on? My throat was raw as I struggled to breathe.

I crawled over the small bump in the room between the doors, feeling my way across the wood floor in the kitchen. It was too dark and thick with smoke to see anything. I gasped for air and struggled to breathe as I dropped the towel. It hadn't helped, not enough. My hands shook as I slowly moved closer to the door. I didn't know how much further I had to go. Even with the wide panel windows to my right, not an ounce of light could be seen.

I felt Hazel's grip loosen and I reached around, grabbing her hand. I wanted to tell her to keep going, not to give up. The words never found my lips. As I collapsed onto the floor, Josh! was my last conscious thought before I drifted into oblivion.

CHAPTER 4

I awoke with a start, my eyes blurred and my body twitching as I tried to remember where I was and instead felt the freezing cold grass against my back. The last thing I remembered was crawling out of the house with Hazel. I didn’t remember making it to the front door. Someone had found us. I breathed in, taking the oxygen into my lungs from a mask around my mouth.

“You're okay now.” I heard Cate's voice. She normally would have been the last person I wanted to see. My head turned slightly to see her staring back at me. “Lucky for you I came outside and saw all the smoke. What were you thinking?” I didn't answer. I tried to but my throat was parched. “Don't bother.” Cate held up a hand. “I know you were trying to be the hero but you could have gotten yourself killed. You and Hazel.” I glanced around, looking for her. “Don't worry, she'll be okay too,” Cate assured me.

I shifted on the grass, looking for Joshua. He ran towards me. “Olivia? What happened?” He knelt down, his hand stroking my cheek as I attempted to lift the mask from my lips.

“Don't,” Cate warned me. “You need it a little longer.” She turned towards Joshua, gesturing for him to follow her. My eyes still blurred, an effect intensified by distance as I tried to make out what they were saying. Were they talking about me?

Another minute later I felt his warm hand in mine. “You're going to be fine,” he assured me, giving it a squeeze. What happened in there? We didn't often share the telepathic bond anymore. It wasn't that we couldn't, it was more that we hadn't needed to. We were often together and if there had been anything that needed to be said aloud, we both felt comfortable doing so.

The drones, I answered. Even mentally it took a lot out of me. They were flying overhead and Hazel closed the damper. She thought it would keep them from seeing the smoke coming out the chimney. Except it had to back up into the house.

“You could have been killed.” He stared at me, his thumb stroking my cheek covered in dirt. I must have looked a mess.

Is Hazel okay? I asked, still not ready to sit up yet.

Joshua nodded. “Sydney is looking at her right now but she's about in the same condition you're in,” he told me. “I think they're going to transport you to the medical clinic for a few hours. Just to make sure you're okay.”

I didn't want to go but I knew Joshua was probably right. Will you come with me? I wanted even less to be alone.

“Of course.” Joshua nodded, giving my arm a squeeze.

Slowly I was beginning to feel better, and I reached up, wanting to take my mask off. “I did call for you,” I rasped, staring up at Josh.

“I barely heard you,” he admitted. “I was busy.” He looked sheepish in response and my hand moved over his arm.

“What were you doing?” I wanted to know what had been so important. Obviously the drones flying overhead wouldn't have made it possible for him to run back to the house to find me, but still…I didn't understand what he'd been up to.

He glanced at Chancellor Collins and I turned to see what was going on but missed the exchange. Joshua sighed. “Keeping the town safe.”

I wondered precisely what that meant. I didn't ask. I let Joshua put the oxygen mask back over my mouth and nose. I turned my head, seeing Chancellor Collins and Sydney carrying Hazel to the medical center.

I hoped they didn't plan on doing that with me. I could walk there. My legs weren't broken. I just had a horrible headache and terribly sore throat. I'd be okay. I probably didn't even need to go to the medical center. Slowly I moved to sit up and Joshua reacted. “What are you doing?”

“I want to walk on my own.” I pushed myself off the ground, grimacing from the instant headache. Joshua wrapped an arm around my waist as I pushed the oxygen mask off. “I'm okay.” I didn't feel steady on my feet but I hadn't hit my head. I felt capable of walking to the medical center. It wasn't that far away.

“For the record, I'm against this,” Joshua told me but didn't let go. He held one arm around my waist as he walked with me across the street. We had to walk half a block east towards the clinic but I knew I could do it. I swayed a little in his arms but finally Joshua pushed open the doors as we entered. Hazel was already lying on a bed.

Sydney came rushing towards us. “What are you doing walking?” She wrapped another arm around my waist, helping me to a bed.

“My legs aren't broken,” I remarked as I moved to lie down. The headache vanished.

“No, but you've inhaled a lot of smoke. You might be dizzy for a little while.” She grabbed a penlight, checking my pupil reaction.

“I'll be fine,” I rasped hoarsely as I gently tried to push her away.

Joshua sighed. “You don't sound fine,” he reminded me. “Olive, would you let her do her job, please?”

I put my arm down to my side and lay there motionless as she looked me over. She put a small device on my earlobe, glancing at the monitor. “What's that?” I asked, wanting to know what she was doing to me. It didn't hurt.