Chapter 118 We should jump

Chapter 118 We should jump
Scarlett’s POV.

“What's happening?” I asked when I saw it. What I wanted to ask was, how was this happening.

From where we stood on the third floor, we could see all the party guests rushing out and some guards trying to evacuate them.

The fire didn’t start from the first or second floor, it started on the third floor where we were.

Only the smoke was what was making the crowd rush out. The real fire was right here, getting closer and closer to where we were.

Christian tightened his grip on my hand and moved us away from where we were standing.

“I think someone started the fire here” I muttered. “How could a fire suddenly break out like that?”

We walked towards the stairs where we came through.

Christian tilted his gaze to the back, enough for me to read his lips. “Let's find a way to get out of here first”

“We will investigate this later,” he added.

The third floor was getting so hot, everywhere was getting lit with fire, the sound of wooden things and other things sizzling.

We got to the stairs and the fire was already getting a hold of the stair rails. Any minute, the stairs would also catch fire.

“Hurry, Scarlett!” Christian dragged my hand as we rushed to the stairs, walking on it and running so quickly.

He kept me close to himself, his arms spread over my little shoulder in a protective way.

We were able to get off the stairs without getting a single scratch. The second floor was also burning with fire.

I kept coughing and had my hand covering my nose while Christian used his elbow to cover his nose.

“Let's find the stairs, hurry” he croaked out.

The building was hard to figure out as the smoke had filled everywhere and one couldn't see well.

The fire made my whole body burn even though it wasn't touching me. My whole eyes hurt from the effect of the smoke and my lungs were dried out, begging to be removed from this misery.

Christian didn't let go of my hand. If he did, I didn't know what I would have done.

I walked, following after him as he held my hand and made him follow his lead so closely.

“Careful, there's a collapsed brick here” he said.

He told me to be careful but I didn't understand why I wasn't.

My leg hit the heavy brick he warned me about and I yelped.

I almost fell to the ground but he steadied me with his hands.

“Goddamn, Scarlett! I told you to be careful” he said.

Right. And I didn't know why I wasn't.

I tried to walk but I could only limp. He sat me down and made my back rest on the wall while he checked my leg.

Everything was so damn hot, even the wall I was resting my back on but there was nothing that could be done.

Christian checked the leg, touching it while I told him where it hurts.

“You sprained your ankle, Scar,” he sighed.

I knew what he was worried about. We were still trying to find a way to survive and get out of here. My sprained ankle won't do us any good but would only slow us down.

“Get on my back” he commanded. “I'll carry you”

“No,” I said sharply. Stupid how I was thinking about how awkward that would be even in this situation that we were in.

“I'm not asking for your opinion, Scarlett,” he said calmly. “I’m ordering you to get on my back”

The way he repeated it didn't make me argue. No, I just couldn't.

Slowly, I leaned on his back and he sat me well before he stood up resuming the search for where the stairs were.

The direction was different from where the staircase to the third floor was. If we had known this would happen, then we would have committed the route to memory earlier.

“There the stairs are,” Christian muttered.

I peeped out from his back and checked but my lips could only part in disbelief and my eyes could only blink.

The stairs would never work for us. Everything had been covered with fire, smoke coming out from there in multiple folds.

Was this how I was going to die? Get burned to death?

There was no way to get to the first floor. The stairs were the only option we had. The elevator would have surely stopped working since the fire started.

The fire escalated everywhere probably because of the electric wires around.

Or maybe it even started because of one? There was no way we’d know.

“We can't use this” Christian said but his voice didn't sound dejected.

He didn't sound like he had lost hope unlike me who looked like I've lost everything called hope.

“What do we do now?” I asked, voice low and shaky.

I thought my voice wouldn't crack at the thought of me dying but it did so much and I wasn't surprised.

“Is it that easy to give up on your life?” Christian placed me more comfortably on his back and turned, looking around everywhere.

He moved forward a bit then placed me down.

I stood straight but still limped because of my sprained ankle.

Christian leaned over the balcony that made us look through the first floor.

The fire didn't get to the first floor yet, only the smoke and the bricks of collapsed bricks.

He turned his gaze back to me and I raised a brow.

He looked like he had a solution. Does he?

“We will jump,” he said.

My eyes widened in terror and I looked at the distance between the first floor and the second. It wasn't much but it would surely kill me.

How…… how on earth was I supposed to jump that?

My heart was beating so fast and I kept trying to take a deep breath and it kept failing.

“To survive this fire, Scarlett,” Christian said, his voice dropping like a time bomb. “We will have to jump”