Chapter 2: In Fire and Smoke
Making her way to the elevator, Valena once again tried to call her parents only to hear the automated voice for the thousandth time. Shaking her head to clear all of her dark thoughts, she pressed the button to the ground floor. The descent was quick and devoid of any stops, but that didn't lessen her ever-present concern. The ding pulled Valena out of her thoughts as the doors opened. Stepping out of the elevator, she did a quick scan of the hotel.
The lobby was almost a separate building from the hotel and had a modern black-and-white theme with red accents. On either side of the lobby were small stores filled with necessities, clothes, etc. The second floor was a food court that had an impressive skylight.
Glancing at the clock, she realized how late it was, and using the hotel's wifi, Valena quickly found the fastest route to their rondeau point. Unaware of her surroundings, she stopped in front of a cafe and saw her parents wave from a taxi. A dazzling smile bloomed on her face as she waved back, her excitement overflowing as she jumped happily.
In the blink of an eye, the peaceful scene turned into a horrific nightmare. From the corner of her eye, she saw a piece of debris flying toward the old woman beside her. Utilizing her own body as a shield, a concrete block hit Jin Valena's shoulder, and a loud pop was heard. Not bothering with words, she hurriedly pushed the old woman into the cafe, before running back to the sight of the crash.
"Help! Someone!"
Amidst the noise, Valena could vaguely hear a man shouting.
"Keep talking!"
Unbeknownst to her, her voice was the only reason the trapped young man didn't give in to the darkness.
"I'm here! I-agh!"
Frantically searching for what seemed an eternity, Valena finally found him trapped inside a luxury van that was on top of another car. Scanning the man, she was relieved to see him unharmed, other than a few bruises. The van, however, was on its side, and the rest crushed. She would have to climb up and through the sunroof to unpin the man from underneath the dislodged table. With the smoke and fire getting worse, Valena grabbed a piece of pipe and smashed the window. Using the pipe to crush all the remaining glass as best as she could, Valena climbed up the side of the unstable car and slid through the sunroof. Hissing in pain as the leftover glass scraped against her skin, she made her way to the man.
"I am going to get you out. But you can't move until I tell you."
Her voice was calm and steady despite the shaking encircling them. Getting a vice-like hold on the table, Valena tried to keep composed.
"I am going to pick up the table. You'll have to slide out slowly."
Her angelic voice held the right amount of firmness and instantly reassured the man. Nodding his head in reply, the man prepared to move his bruised body. During the process of getting in the van, her shirt ripped, leaving the man with a full view of her back and shoulder. Her skin was a peachy, honey color that strongly contrasted the black contusion that had darkened her skin.
Beads of sweat rolled down her sickly pale face as she lifted the table. Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he braced himself as the van jolted backward, and the girl let out a piercing scream. His eyes darting to the girl, he saw the serrated edge of the table impale her hip. Looking down, the shock set in, and Valena didn't feel anything as she stared at the table that cut down to the bone.
"That feels strange."
Her voice was unperturbed as if she wasn't bleeding out profusely. The man too startled to speak, reached out to her with a shaking hand
"Move."
The man scrambled out from underneath the table, trying his hardest not to rock the van. Taking a deep breath, Valena clutched the table, and without hesitation, she pulled back. You could hear the flesh tear further as she stepped back, and her face lost any remaining color. Pulling herself up, she slithered through the sunroof and on top of the van. Holding out her hand to the man she called.
"Come on. I won't let you fall."
The warm blaze of the fire gave her a goddess-like glow and the man forgot he was reaching out to a frail girl. Grabbing his hand, she gave it a quick pull as the van shifted, throwing them down.
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