The need to breathe overrode all else. She barely even realized there was a person there, and even when she was lifted could only focus on the lack of air making its way to her lungs.
Burning heat flashed across her bare skin and scorched patches through her threadbare clothes. She clung to his arm. Splinters of wood hit her; the world was fading out, out…
The impact of their combined bodies against the door snapped her back into wakefulness, and suddenly cool oxygen hit her lungs. She gulped it in greedily, and the world began to come back into focus along with all the aches and pains of burns, splinters, and bruises.
She was in no shape to move. Kendra just lay there on her back, staring up into the sky and listening to the roar of flames and the cracking and snapping of wood as it fell in upon itself. To the sirens in the background, and the whisper of her rescuer’s voice, and the kids screaming her name…
Kendra scrambled to rise, but her limbs wouldn’t cooperate. Any attempt to talk only ended in a breathy squeak. Where were all the kids? Did they all make it out? Who was the stranger, and why was he making a mask? Those sirens - were there ambulances along with those firetrucks? She couldn’t go to the hospital. They’d find out everything, they’d separate her and her brother and her baby and her kids…
She reached up and grabbed hold of her rescuer’s sleeve as he crouched next to her. They couldn’t take her kids. She couldn’t go to the hospital. She had to get out of here, find somewhere safe.
Ghost would need to leave. In fact, he was just about to get up when Kendra had reached onto his sleeve. He fixed his mask and looked back down at her, finding her worried expression. She was out in the middle of nowhere living in this shitty house with a bunch of kids.
Some kind of runaway, maybe.
And that meant she couldn't have the cops find her.
He blinked for a moment, and then heaved a sigh. Would the kids be scared of him thanks to the mask? Ghost wanted to get this done as quickly as possible. A groan and he removed it, revealing his younger face.
"One moment." He told Kendra and stood, going to gather the kids as quickly as possible. Once he managed to gather most - if not all of them, he wasn't sure - he clapped his hands together to get their attention.
"Be quiet, stay close, or else bad things happen. Follow."
With that he'd HOPED they would listen, and he ran back over to Kendra, lifting her up in his arms once more. He had to make it to a darker place, somewhere where they could wait.
There was an old, dirty restaurant nearby. Nobody went there anymore - it was on it's last legs with it's.. oddly faithful customers. But it was surrounded by wooden fencing and even older tall buildings between it. They could hide behind it for now. It was only about two blocks away. Ghost knew how to keep to the shadows, but would the kids be quick? Would they follow? And that baby - would it be loud?
He really hoped not, as he kept behind houses and stuck to darker places, remaining hidden for the most part. That restaurant was in sight! But were the kids okay? Was this girl in his arms okay? She was beginning to get kind of heavy, and it was obvious with how often Ghost had to readjust.
At least the cops didn't find them. Maybe. He's sure they didn't.
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