Chapter 130: Leo

The heat is unbearable, searing even from where I’m standing. Every inch of me feels like it’s on fire, especially my side, where the wound throbs, raw and angry. The flames lick closer, every wave of heat tearing at my skin, but I can’t stop. Sofia’s trapped inside that closet, and I’m not leaving here without her.

The smoke is thick, choking, filling my lungs and making it impossible to catch a breath. I cough, sputtering, trying to focus as the room blurs in and out, the walls and ceiling groaning under the weight of the flames. Pieces of debris crash down around us, scattering embers, each one a cruel reminder that this house won’t hold for much longer.

I grip the closet handle, pulling with every ounce of strength I have left. It barely budges, the heat warping the frame, sealing it tight. But then I hear her—a small, desperate voice, muffled through the door, crying out and calling Cole’s name. The sound sends a jolt through me, sharper than any pain, cutting through the haze of smoke.

“Hang on, Sofia!” I shout, my voice hoarse, raw with desperation. “I’m getting you out. Just hold on.”

Danny’s next to me, pounding against the door, his face a mix of determination and fear, and together we throw ourselves against it, over and over. Each impact rattles through me, sending a fresh surge of pain through my side, but I grit my teeth, ignoring it, forcing myself to focus on her voice, her cries.

The flames close in, licking at our heels, but we don’t stop. The door finally begins to crack, the wood splintering, and I redouble my efforts, fueled by the sound of her sobs, the small, broken whimpers that are tearing me apart.

With one final, desperate shove, the door gives way, and we pull it open, smoke and flames rushing in. 

Smoke fills the closet, dense and choking, and as the door finally breaks open, I see her—hunched over Cole’s body, her face streaked with tears, blood, and soot from the smoke. She’s clutching him like a lifeline, her shoulders shaking with every ragged breath. “Cole… Cole…” she whispers, her voice hoarse, broken, repeating his name like it’s the only word she has left.

Danny reaches for her, his hands gentle but firm, but she clutches Cole’s body tighter, shaking her head wildly. “No, no… I can’t… I can’t leave him,” she sobs, her voice barely more than a gasp, her fingers digging into his shirt as though she could somehow bring him back by sheer will.

The house groans, a deep, ominous sound, and the floor trembles beneath us as bits of ceiling start to crumble, the fire eating away at everything. We don’t have time. “Sofia,” I say, urgency threading through my words, trying to keep my voice steady, but she won’t look up, won’t let go. “Sofia, please. We need to go.”

“No!” she cries, clutching him even harder. “I can’t… I can’t leave him here.”

Riley and Nate burst in, eyes wide with fear and desperation. They kneel beside her, each one of us trying to pull her back to reality, to make her see the danger surrounding us. Nate’s voice is low, soothing. “It’s okay, Sofia… we know. We know. But we have to go, okay? Please.”

But she shakes her head violently, her hands gripping Cole with a strength I didn’t know she had. “No… I won’t leave him… please, I can’t…”

The fire cracks and groans, beams starting to give way, and a piece of ceiling falls behind us, sending a burst of flame that nearly singes us all. Nate and Riley share a look, then reach down, each of them taking hold of her arms, pulling her away as gently as they can, even as she screams, trying to twist free, to cling to Cole.

She fights them, her cries raw, desperate. “No! No, please, don’t… I can’t leave him! Cole!”

But there’s no time, no room for more pleas. We have to move. Nate and Riley hold her firmly as we make our way through the collapsing hallway, each step a race against the flames consuming the house. The front door is already a wall of fire, so we pivot toward the stairs, toward the roof—the only way out now.

Sofia’s screams echo through the burning walls as we run, each step tearing us apart, but we keep moving, each of us holding tight, knowing that if we don’t, we’ll all be swallowed by the flames.

We make it to the roof just as the fire trucks pull up, red and blue lights flashing, casting shadows across the darkened sky. Danny waves frantically, signaling to the firefighters below, and relief floods me, only to be followed by another wave of fear as I look down at Sofia in Nate and Riley’s arms. She’s inconsolable, shaking violently, her cries raw, breaking over and over, clutching at Nate as if he’s the only thing keeping her tethered.

The firefighters bring the ladder up quickly, reaching us in seconds. Danny shouts to them over the roar of the flames, “She’s pregnant—be careful with her, please!” The firefighter at the top nods, his face set with determination, and reaches for Sofia, who still struggles, her body twisting, trying to break free, crying Cole’s name.

The firefighter secures her in his grip, shielding her with his body just as an explosion rocks the building, the windows bursting with the force of the fire. Glass shatters around us, sending a rain of embers and shards, and the firefighter holds her close, protecting her from the blast. Once it settles, he slowly makes his way down the ladder, Sofia clinging to him, her face hidden against his shoulder as she cries.

One by one, we follow her down, each step bringing a mixture of relief and unbearable grief. When I reach the ground, my legs almost give out, the weight of everything hitting all at once. The firefighters lead Sofia to the back of a truck, helping her sit down to look over her injuries. She’s shaking, barely able to hold herself up, and they wrap a blanket around her, speaking in low, gentle voices as they check her over.

One of the firefighters turns to us, his face grim. “Is there anyone else still in the building?”

The words sink like stones, and I feel my throat tighten, the answer burning as I force it out. “Yes… two bodies. But… they’re both dead.” The words feel foreign, too heavy, too final, as if saying them out loud makes it all real.

Cole. My friend. My brother. Gone.

Nate’s hand lands on my shoulder, grounding me, and I see the same haunted look in his eyes. We all feel it—the hole, the grief, the guilt twisting in each of us. There’s no way to make sense of it.