All the bookcases were engulfed in flames, completely blocking escape. The heat was intense. The carpet crawled with fire barely inches from where they crouched against the wall. She couldn’t hear students screaming anymore and wondered if anyone even knew they were stuck here.
The fire alarms, however, were deafening.
Simon.
He’d been at lunch, and she knew he’d taken to shooting hoops in the gym instead of submitting to ridicule in the cafeteria.
Would he even know the fire alarms were going off?
“Stay close to the vents,” called Nick. “I’m trying to create a gap in the oxygen so the fire stays out of here.”
Staying close to the vents wasn’t a problem. She practically had her face pressed against the cinder blocks, hyperventilating through the gaps. The air on the other side felt like it was coming out of a freezer. She was sweating through her clothes from the heat at her back.
She couldn’t worry about her brother now. He hadn’t been in the library, so he was probably in better shape than she was.
“How?” she gasped. “How are you doing that?”
“Maybe we can have that whole discussion another time.”
Nick glanced over and she watched the firelight flicker across his features. He was sweating, too. “You all right?”
“Is that a trick question?” But his efforts appeared to be working. The fire hadn’t entered their little area yet. It gave her an idea. “Can you make a path through the fire that way?”
Nick grimaced. “I’d have to clear all the oxygen around us as we moved. It would take too much time.”
“How much time?” God, she couldn’t think with these fire alarms.
“Ten, twelve minutes maybe?”
Yeah, she couldn’t hold her breath that long. She probably couldn’t survive that long.
She was already starting to feel light-headed from whatever he was doing. She pressed her face to the gap again and inhaled.
The air felt thin, and she took another deep breath. It felt like her lungs couldn’t inflate all the way. Smoke was collecting along the opening to the alcove as if a pane of glass kept it out.
“How long can you keep that up?” she said.
“We’re going to find out.” His jaw was tight. “I should have just taken that stupid test for him.”
“Gabriel was taking a test?”
“Yeah. The math teacher cornered him. He asked me to come tell you, but then Ryan Stacey showed up ”
He stopped talking. The fires went dark.
And all of a sudden, she was on the ground, looking up at Nick. His hand was patting her cheek, his eyes wide. “Layne?
Layne.”
She sucked in a breath a mistake, it was more smoke than oxygen. She coughed, hard. “What happened?”
“You passed out. You have to let me know if you feel light-headed again ”
Everything went dark.
This time, she came to with her face pressed against the narrow vent. The air was cool and rushed into her lungs. Fire still blazed at her back.
The fire alarms were silent.
She started to turn her head, but Nick held her there. “Don’t,”
he said, and she heard strain in his voice. “I’m trying to keep the oxygen on that side of the wall, and it’s no easy trick.”
“How ” she gasped. The air was still thin. “How are you breathing?”
“The lack of oxygen won’t bother me.”
She tried to turn her head again, but he held fast until the edge of the cinder block was digging into her chin. “I’m not kidding,” he said. “Don’t even turn for a second.”
She could barely see him from the corner of her eye, and she thought maybe the alcove was just too dark.
Then she realized it was full of smoke. He’d lost some ground to the fire.
She swallowed, and it hurt. “What happened to the alarms?”
“It must mean the school’s been evacuated.”
“Do you have a phone? Can you let someone know we’re trapped here?”
“I already tried the first time you passed out. No signal.”
Layne wanted to be brave. She wanted to be optimistic.
But she started crying anyway.
Nick’s hand went over hers. “Gabriel will find us. He’ll get us out.”
“How?” she choked. “How do you know?”
“Because he always does.”
Fighting through the crowds of students took a while. They packed the hallways, backed by teachers who did not want to let Gabriel run toward the library. He had to shove his way past them. Chris had chemistry this period, so he’d be on the opposite side of the school and he wouldn’t even know about Layne and Nick meeting in the library. He would have evacuated with everyone else.
Layne and Nick might have evacuated, too. Gabriel could be bolting for the library needlessly.
And the fire was calling him, full of fury and danger. He could smell smoke in the air.
By the time he rounded the corner to the Language Arts wing, the alarms went silent, only the warning lights still strobing. The halls were deserted, thick with smoke.
Come play.
He got low to the ground, putting a hand against the painted cinder block of the hallway. Two more turns and he’d find the library entrance.
But one more turn revealed bodies in the hallway.
Two girls, their faces red. Young, probably freshmen. He didn’t recognize either of them. He hurried to the closest and put his cheek close to her mouth.
The fire alarms, however, were deafening.
Simon.
He’d been at lunch, and she knew he’d taken to shooting hoops in the gym instead of submitting to ridicule in the cafeteria.
Would he even know the fire alarms were going off?
“Stay close to the vents,” called Nick. “I’m trying to create a gap in the oxygen so the fire stays out of here.”
Staying close to the vents wasn’t a problem. She practically had her face pressed against the cinder blocks, hyperventilating through the gaps. The air on the other side felt like it was coming out of a freezer. She was sweating through her clothes from the heat at her back.
She couldn’t worry about her brother now. He hadn’t been in the library, so he was probably in better shape than she was.
“How?” she gasped. “How are you doing that?”
“Maybe we can have that whole discussion another time.”
Nick glanced over and she watched the firelight flicker across his features. He was sweating, too. “You all right?”
“Is that a trick question?” But his efforts appeared to be working. The fire hadn’t entered their little area yet. It gave her an idea. “Can you make a path through the fire that way?”
Nick grimaced. “I’d have to clear all the oxygen around us as we moved. It would take too much time.”
“How much time?” God, she couldn’t think with these fire alarms.
“Ten, twelve minutes maybe?”
Yeah, she couldn’t hold her breath that long. She probably couldn’t survive that long.
She was already starting to feel light-headed from whatever he was doing. She pressed her face to the gap again and inhaled.
The air felt thin, and she took another deep breath. It felt like her lungs couldn’t inflate all the way. Smoke was collecting along the opening to the alcove as if a pane of glass kept it out.
“How long can you keep that up?” she said.
“We’re going to find out.” His jaw was tight. “I should have just taken that stupid test for him.”
“Gabriel was taking a test?”
“Yeah. The math teacher cornered him. He asked me to come tell you, but then Ryan Stacey showed up ”
He stopped talking. The fires went dark.
And all of a sudden, she was on the ground, looking up at Nick. His hand was patting her cheek, his eyes wide. “Layne?
Layne.”
She sucked in a breath a mistake, it was more smoke than oxygen. She coughed, hard. “What happened?”
“You passed out. You have to let me know if you feel light-headed again ”
Everything went dark.
This time, she came to with her face pressed against the narrow vent. The air was cool and rushed into her lungs. Fire still blazed at her back.
The fire alarms were silent.
She started to turn her head, but Nick held her there. “Don’t,”
he said, and she heard strain in his voice. “I’m trying to keep the oxygen on that side of the wall, and it’s no easy trick.”
“How ” she gasped. The air was still thin. “How are you breathing?”
“The lack of oxygen won’t bother me.”
She tried to turn her head again, but he held fast until the edge of the cinder block was digging into her chin. “I’m not kidding,” he said. “Don’t even turn for a second.”
She could barely see him from the corner of her eye, and she thought maybe the alcove was just too dark.
Then she realized it was full of smoke. He’d lost some ground to the fire.
She swallowed, and it hurt. “What happened to the alarms?”
“It must mean the school’s been evacuated.”
“Do you have a phone? Can you let someone know we’re trapped here?”
“I already tried the first time you passed out. No signal.”
Layne wanted to be brave. She wanted to be optimistic.
But she started crying anyway.
Nick’s hand went over hers. “Gabriel will find us. He’ll get us out.”
“How?” she choked. “How do you know?”
“Because he always does.”
Fighting through the crowds of students took a while. They packed the hallways, backed by teachers who did not want to let Gabriel run toward the library. He had to shove his way past them. Chris had chemistry this period, so he’d be on the opposite side of the school and he wouldn’t even know about Layne and Nick meeting in the library. He would have evacuated with everyone else.
Layne and Nick might have evacuated, too. Gabriel could be bolting for the library needlessly.
And the fire was calling him, full of fury and danger. He could smell smoke in the air.
By the time he rounded the corner to the Language Arts wing, the alarms went silent, only the warning lights still strobing. The halls were deserted, thick with smoke.
Come play.
He got low to the ground, putting a hand against the painted cinder block of the hallway. Two more turns and he’d find the library entrance.
But one more turn revealed bodies in the hallway.
Two girls, their faces red. Young, probably freshmen. He didn’t recognize either of them. He hurried to the closest and put his cheek close to her mouth.
