Burn in Water, Drown in Fire

Burn in Water, Drown in Fire ~25~ S.O.S

~25~ S.O.S

“You have my note!?” Angel yelled when I told her I had the paper that was meant to be burnt. “We burnt that!”

I shook my head.

“But I haven’t read it!” I informed. “If you want, you can have it back…”

She paced around the room.

“Keep it,” she hissed. I was screwed, and she was mad.

“Angel, I didn’t read it—”

“I don’t care,” she said, looking to me. “Read if you want. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Read it? Fine. I reached in my pocket and unballed the paper.

“Zachariah Tyler,” I read the top of the paper that was addressed to me. I noticed that she sat down on the recliner, facing away from me. This is it. “‘You’re arrogant. You’re a jerk. You’re Lulu’s obnoxious ex. You’re an a$$hole. You’re stupid. You’re stubborn. You’re completely opposite than me. You…you have some façade that everyone sees but me.’”

Was this a letter about her feelings toward me, or just a hatred letter? I scanned over the rest of it, but found only the insults that she wrote…and the fringed bottom of the paper that she tore off. But what am I supposed to say? It was all true.

I pulled a different note out of my pocket and placed it at the foot of my bed.

“You can read mine if you want,” I allowed.

“What’s the use?” she asked. She turned and I saw that she was frustrated. And then she realized something as she looked around the room. “Why are you even here?”

“About that…” I trailed. Now was the right time to tell her. I couldn’t keep lying to her—for both of our safeties. I grabbed her hand and she allowed me. I looked into her brown eyes and she still said nothing. “I—”

When I was seriously about to tell her, an alarm started to ring and red lights flashed. Suddenly I heard two gun shots. Angel flinched, but I immediately stood up and started to leave the room.

“Zac, you can’t—” Angel tried to preach when she kept her hold on my hand.

“I have to,” I said to her sternly.

“No you don’t,” she whispered.

“Yes I do,” I insisted. I started to pull up my firefighter pants that were baggy, but left the straps down. Angel still looked worried. I grabbed her hand before I left and another shot an out.

“Zac, please,” she pleaded. I shook my head.

“I’ll be fine,” I promised, even though I wouldn’t know the outcome. I kissed her cheek and adrenaline rushed through me. “I’ll come back, just stay down.”

She nodded and ducked down behind the bed. I exited the room to find the Chief and Marshal with a shot to their leg and chest. Of all the other officers and firefighters, they were all passed out on the floor and groaning in pain. Crap…

I raced down and across the hall to Joey’s room and found his bed to be empty with his mom tied up to the recliner.

I shook my head. I looked out the window while Joey’s mom sobbed and then saw as Joey, Devin, and Brian were being hauled into different vehicles by the aide of familiar people. Sh!t…

I started to run back to my room where Angel is. When I got there, she was still out of sight under the bed.

“Angel, we have to go—”