Chapter 164 ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR

Chapter 164 ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR
Scarlett's POV

I eventually forced my way out of the stampede, my arms bruised from colliding with frantically pushing bodies. I looked around desperately, but I still couldn't see either Rachael or Stan anywhere in the hallway. I could only hope that they were already on their way to safety.

I shoved past a few more running students and pushed through to Blue’s room, knowing he was still inside waiting for me.

Surprisingly, the area directly outside his door was completely free of people. Even in the middle of a literal emergency, everyone was still terrified of getting on his bad side.

The door was sitting slightly ajar, and maybe he saw me standing outside, because he suddenly pushed it wide open, reached out, and pulled me straight into his chest. Before I could speak, his mouth was on mine, capturing my lips in a deep, fierce, and desperate kiss.

His warm hand cupped the back of my neck, tilting my head as he pulled me flush against his hard body. It was intense and possessive, carrying the weight of everything we hadn't said yet and the terrifying uncertainty of what was about to happen next. He kissed me like the world was ending around us, his lips moving against mine with a fire that sent a shiver down my spine.

When he finally pulled away, my head was spinning and my brain had to reboot just to remember how to breathe.

Blue stared down at me, his grey eyes dark. "Do you have everything you need?"

I blinked, taking a second to recover my voice. "Yes... but can we go to the library first? There are some books that would be a shame to be lost to fire. Is there time?"

Blue didn't even hesitate. "Anything for you."

He reached down and grabbed a much bigger bag than the one he usually slung around his shoulders. That was probably everything he wanted to take out of Bellamy.

Looking at that bag, a wave of ecstatic joy hit me. I was finally leaving Bellamy!

As Blue grabbed a few final items from his desk and moved around the room closing the windows, I looked at the bare walls. A small part of me realized I might actually miss this crazy place just a little bit.

"Where are we going after this?" I asked, watching him strap a small sheath to his belt. "Do you have a house somewhere? What is going to happen to us?"

"I have no house," Blue said plainly, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "But just trust me, Red."

We stepped out of the room, with Blue walking in front of me like he was terrified someone would try to jump me in the chaos.

It was deafeningly noisy outside. Shouts, crying, and slamming doors echoed down the hallways. Even the burly guards who usually kept strict order were nowhere to be found. I didn't know if Derek had bribed them, threatened them, or if they were just off somewhere quietly saving their own asses.

I shouted over the noise so Blue could hear me. "Why not open the main gates?! Shouldn't they let the students run out for safety?!"

Blue kept walking, his body shielding me from the panicking crowd. "These are problematic and criminal young adults! They cannot just let them loose in the world because of a fire. They likely have an extraction team on the way here already to move everyone to another facility. We must be long gone by then. In the meantime, it's unavoidable that some people will die or be badly injured."

As we moved through the corridors, Blue had to physically use his strength to clear a path for the two of us. Nobody was thinking rationally anymore; everyone was just running blindly to survive. People were getting trampled on, and a few fights had already broken out over the stairwells.

We eventually arrived at the double doors of the library. Blue pushed them open, and we slipped inside the quiet, cavernous room.

I immediately set out among the tall wooden shelves, seeking the three specific books I had in mind to save. Two of them were rare, limited-edition historical volumes, while the third was a fictional book I had grown attached to at some point.

Blue closed the library door and stood close to it, his sharp eyes scanning the room, silently urging me to hurry.

Then my ears caught the sound of multiple rushing footsteps outside. Blue cracked the door open slightly, relaxing only when Tanner and Jax slipped inside the room.

As I pulled the last book from the high shelf, I heard Blue turn to Jax. "Do you have the map for the tunnel?"

"I gave it to Stan," Jax said, rolling his uninjured shoulder. "He is already leading the rest of the guys secretly to the entrance location."

Suddenly, another rush of footsteps echoed down the corridor outside, and Jax quickly slammed the library doors shut, locking the latch.

Tanner panted, looking over his shoulder. "I saw Derek out there, and he is looking for you everywhere, boss. He must not find you. He has a gun."

Blue just shook his head calmly, turning his gaze back to me.

I stuffed the third book into my backpack, pulling the zipper shut. Right as I threw the bag over my shoulders, the first violent BANG rattled the library doors.

Everyone in the room stiffened instantly, turning their heads toward the entrance.

Jax moved like lightning, straining as he grabbed a massive wooden reading table and dragged it right up against the double doors to barricade them. Tanner jumped in to help him, pushing a second heavy desk into place.

But there seemed to be a large barrage of angry people out there. Loud thuds echoed off the wood, sounding like they had tools to break a door down with. Bangs upon bangs kept coming in rapid succession, and the thick wood of the door began to visibly splinter.

Jax dropped his canvas bag onto the floor and unzipped it, starting to pull out dangerous-looking weapons one after another.

I shivered, cold terror pooling in my stomach. I suddenly wondered if I actually preferred for the authorities to arrive here sooner, even at the risk of us getting caught in the middle of it. Things were rapidly taking a turn for the worst. Who was even out there trying to break in? Was it Derek's crew, or panicked students?

Tanner grabbed an iron pipe, while Blue reached into his coat, snatching up multiple glinting daggers.

Blue strode briskly over to where I was standing pale and trembling. He reached out and placed a sleek, small gun into my right hand.

I stared down at the cold metal, sorely regretting asking him to come to the library first. We should have just gone straight to the underground tunnel!

Blue looked me dead in the eyes, his eyes glinting with a dangerous edge. "This is the beginning of the end, Red. Freedom is near. Use this to protect yourself. It has five rounds. Point it and shoot. Just try to miss me and the others."

I let out a dry, nervous chuckle, wondering how on earth he was able to sound so lighthearted in a moment like this.

Then he reached out, gripping my face gently with his warm left hand. His tone turned dead serious. "Also, listen to me carefully. If I ask you to run... that is exactly what you must do, Red. Promise me."

I started to shake my head, my eyes burning. "Run? Run to where? I cannot leave you behind!"

Blue squeezed my cheek softly. "Don't worry, I'll be right behind you."

Before I could reply, a particularly loud, splintering crash erupted through the library as the wooden doors gave way.