I RUSHED PAST the group of children, their teacher, and a round man, trying to calm them down as they cried and screamed. Coming to a halt a few feet away from the burning church. I could feel the heat from here.
"Jerry some of the children are missing!" The short-haired teacher cries.
My heart drops down to my stomach. The church. There are kids in the fucking church. Without another thought, I rush towards the burning building, ignoring the calls of protest I get from the round man.
Black smoke pours from the cracks in the wood nailed to the window, and through the smoke, I could make out the sound of children. I grab a hold of one of the boards. My fingers heat up quickly, and I can feel the splinters already splitting my skin. I grit my teeth, pulling with all my might, but it wasn't enough.
"I'm comin'!" I hear the booming voice of my brother. Not even a second later, he's beside me. With our strength combined, we ripped away two boards with ease. The hole was small, but I knew I could get through.
"Stay out here," I command Ponyboy. Johnny comes running towards us and Ponyboy yells my name.
I'm inside the church before Johnny gets to Ponyboy.
My eyes burn with tears as I pull my thin shirt up over my nose, coughing at the dense, smoky air. I can hardly breathe. The air might as well have been cement pouring into my lungs. My body heats up so quickly it feels like I am on fire myself; sweat clings to me like a second skin. I suddenly regret putting Dally's heavy jacket on in the car. My knees were locked and my legs didn't want to push me any further.
I force my body forward, stumbling through the burning church. I let out a yelp as a piece of wood from the ceiling falls. It would've fallen right on top of me if I hadn't been yanked back by the collar of Dally's jacket.
I flip around, squinting my eyes "Ponyboy. Johnny, I told you two to stay outside!" I yell at the two boys.
Ponyboy grabs me by my bicep, pulling me forward. "Scolding me can wait; we have bigger problems, Angie!" He responds through a fit of coughs.
I pull my bicep away and we stumble deeper into the church. In the corner, a handful of children sat, curled up with tear-stained faces. The three of us rush to them "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here!" Johnny says. Quickly, we start picking up kids.
A grab up a small girl with pigtails, her lip quivering and ash coating her rosy cheeks. "I want my mama!" She wails, I feel my heart clench as I hold her close, looking around for a way out.
The sound of breaking wood is heard and I look up. The ceiling was encased in flames, the wood jet black. It would fall any minute.
"Angela over here!" I hear someone scream.
I look over to see Ponyboy and Johnny putting kids in Dally's arms through an open space. I rush over there with the small child, putting her in the safety of Dally's hands.
Dally puts the child down and I flip around to grab another. I'm yanked back, and I look at Dally with frantic eyes, trying to pull away. "Angela, get out of there now!" He begs. I've never heard Dally beg or look so scared.
I ignore him.
I rip my arm from his grasp and rush back to the remaining child. "I got this one you guys get out!" I yell to Johnny and Ponyboy, who each hold a child.
"Hurry this place is about to collapse!" Johhny rushes me as he and Ponyboy out the children outside.
I grab up the small blonde boy, and he wriggles in my grasp, screaming and crying, his throat raw. "I'm trying to help you. Please calm down." I beg as I stumble through the collapsing building with him.
"Mommy! I want Mommy!" He wails.
Heavy breaths leave me as I go as fast as my weak legs will take me to the open window where Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally stand, reaching for me.
"Angela hurry!" Dally yells.
"Come on!" Ponyboy urges.
I give them the kid and Johhny takes him. Dally grabs my arm at the same time, I hear the ceiling above me creak. I let out a cry of pain as a flaming support beam comes flying, hitting me in my side.
Dally yells as he lets me go, and I roll through the rubble. The pain I felt in the left side of my torso was the most excruciating pain I'd ever experienced in my life. A scream leaves me as I shrivel up.
I couldn't move, even if I wanted to. Tears rolled down my face and all I felt was pain. Hot, fiery pain. Every breath I took felt like being stabbed directly in my lungs. The sobs that shake my body only make it worse.
"Angela!"
My head shoots up and I see the blurry outline of Dally. No, no, no not Dally. Has he lost it!? "Dallas...Dallas!" My voice wouldn't go above a hoarse whisper. I had to force his name out of my mouth. I wanted to tell him to get the hell out of here.
He collapses to his knees in front of me, breathing heavily "I'm right here, darlin'." He pants.
He attempts to pick me up, causing more excruciating pain to shoot through my body. I yell out in protest and grip the material of Dally's shirt. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Dally repeats himself as he picks me up, wincing at every noise of pain I make.
My vision blurs and I hear the distant sound of sirens. I feel someone else take my weak, beaten body before everything goes blank.
ð¥|DALLY'S POV|ð¥
The whole foundation of the church collapses as I haul myself out of the window. A few hot flecks of fire flies into my face. I wipe them away and grab Johnny by the shoulder from where he lay sideways on the ground, trying to catch his breath. "You okay?" I ask him.
He nods, his eyes hooded and his tanned skin blackened with the ash of the church. I could see some spots on his neck where he got burned. My arm had gotten burned, too; it wasn't too bad. Hurt like a bitch though. The back of Ponyboy's shirt had got on fire and I smacked it off of him. I hit him a little too hard, and he now lay unconscious beside Angela.
Angela.
My eyes land on the girl who lay unconscious on the ground, Ponyboy's lay beside her, unconscious as stuttered, shallow breaths left him.
My body slumps with dread and my heart hammers in my ears as I stumble to the two, dropping to my knees beside her.
I put a finger to her ash-covered cheek. Her flesh was hot and slick with sweat, and her wild hair burned in some places. I wondered if she was still alive. She had to be. Come on, darin' pull through. I know you can do it. "Outta the way!" Two paramedics come rushing to Angela, shoving me away.
"Is she alive?" I ask. The paramedics ignore me and crouch down between Ponyboy and Angela, a stretcher with them.
"I'm gonna need another stretcher!" One of them shouts as he starts pressing two fingers to Ponyboy's neck.
The other paramedic was yanking my jacket that Angela wore open. I almost wanted to yell at him for being so rough with her. He feels different spots on her body before calling out, "I've got a female, late teens, possibly early adult. Pulse is weak, she needs air!" I felt relief flood through me along with a new spike of fear. She's alive, but barely.
Another paramedic comes rushing towards Angela and the man crouching beside her. I watch as Angela is loaded up in a stretcher, an oxygen mask put on her face as she's wheeled to one of the ambulances.
I force myself onto my feet, scampering over to Angela. I needed to make sure she was okay. "Woah, you need to sit. Come on, let's get you in hereâ"
"No, I want Angela." I rasped out, forcing air in and out, but my tarnished lungs were making it difficult.
The paramedic looked at where I was looking. Angela is being loaded onto a stretcher. "You're arm looks badâ"
"It's fine." I cut the paramedic off, stalking as quickly as I could to the ambulance that held Angela.
"You riding with?" The round guy with glasses questions, gesturing to the ambulance holding Angela.
I nod "Move." I demand.
He holds out his hand, glancing down at my arm. "You might wanna get that looked at by someone here first, son." He tells me before walking off.
I roll my eyes and climb into the ambulance, sitting on the seat and gently taking Angela's clammy hand. A paramedic was back here, too. She didn't say anything as she wrote down on a clipboard, barely even acknowledging me. The doors are shut, and seconds later, we are speeding down the road back to Tulsa.
I rub Angela's thumb gently with mine, and I speak up, "What's wrong with her?" I rasp.
The paramedic lays her clipboard down on her lap, sighing, "By the looks of it, a possible broken rib and fire debris in her lungs. She's lucky she wore this jacket or it would've been a whole lot worse." The paramedic explains.
I let my eyes flicker down to Angela. I didn't believe in God or Buddha or any of that other stuff. But at this moment, I prayed to whoever was listening to please let Angela make a full recovery.
I would never forgive myself if my last conversation with Angela was us arguing.