Obey the Law @sgtrolandhills - Tumblr Blog

Death at a Funeral Home || Blanche, Erin, Orion, & Roland

TIMING: August 28th, 1:30 PM LOCATION: Nichols’ Funeral Home PARTIES: @corpse--diem @harlowhaunted @3starsquinn @sgtrolandhills SUMMARY: These pipsqueaks toasted YEET CONTENT WARNING: House fire tw, Death tw

The nice thing about spending time with Orion was how much of their time they could spend laughing together. She was worried at first -- after the whole Brad thing -- that things would be absolutely terrible, but they weren’t. Things were truly fine. Though Blanche never, ever wanted to think about writing poetry ever again. Blanche was practically in stitches over some stupid movie they were making fun of as she picked at her salad. Picking up lunch for her and Rio was a good idea, even if she didn’t have much of an appetite. They sat in Erin’s small employee lounge, chatting and eating on their lunch break. At least neither of them had to worry about love potion or any of that crap here at Erin’s. “I’m telling you, we should absolutely go green next. Have you seen those dark green hair people on instagram? It’s so pret —” Blanche’s sentence cut off as a certain smell hit her nose. What was that? Was something burning? She craned her head to look at the closed door. “Hey, you don’t smell smoke, do you?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. If there was a real issue, she was certain the smoke alarms would be going off. There was nothing to worry about. Right?

Orion was wiping away tears, trying to manage to get a few bites of his wrap in between his laughing. Blanche was one of the few people Rio was able to really let loose and be himself around without the constant anxiety bogging him down. He was afraid that things following the love potion were going to ruin things or make it awkward, but thankfully the two had been able to mostly move past the situation, aside from a bit of pent up anger towards that tool, Brad. “Green, huh?” He let the idea sit for a minute, trying to picture the color on Blanche’s head since he couldn’t see his own at the moment. He was still shoveling the wrap in his mouth when Blanche asked. He had been so focused on his food and laughing that he hadn’t even noticed, but now that she mentioned it his hunter senses seemed to switch back on like some sort of sensor. He stood up, smelling the smoke himself and his hearing picking up on a low, crackling sound. “I do. What is that?” He was getting nervous, his heart rate already picking up. The alarms weren’t going off. It couldn’t be a fire. He took another brief bite from the wrap before abandoning it on the foil it had been wrapped in. “We should check it out right?”

The stronger the smell god, the more she started to worry. There weren’t any smoke alarms going off, but there were still warning bells sounding off in Blanche’s head. Something was wrong. Blanche’s fork fell back into the plastic container as she stood, forgetting about her lunch entirely. Maybe she was just paranoid and hypervigilant. Or maybe something was wrong. “Yeah,” she agreed. “It’s probably fine — someone left a window open and someone’s having a bonfire or something.” Blanche moved around the small table to push through the employee lounge door. The handle was hot, and Blanche quickly yanked her hand away from it. A spark of panic ignited in her. “Uh —” Blanche shifted her sleeve over her hand to open the door, except it wouldn’t budge at all. She tried pushing harder and still nothing. She was slowly starting to realize that small tendrils of smoke were starting to come from under the crack in the door as things started to heat up. Her mouth grew dry and she backed up into the table. Fire. Fire! They were in a room with no windows where the only exit wasn’t opening. She swallowed hard, and pointed at the door. “It won’t open.” She said. “I couldn’t get it open.”

Orion was busy staring at the ceiling, trying to keep his panic to a minimum. This all had to be some sort of misunderstanding, right? There couldn’t actually be a fire. What would have even started a fire here at a funeral home? He didn’t dare look at the door when he heard Blanche go to check it. Because she was going to open it and everything would be fine and the panic would subside. Only, he could hear the noises growing louder. “What do you mean it won’t open?” Rio questioned, finally looking at her. He made his way towards the door, grabbing the handle and yelping when it burned his hand. When the handle wouldn’t turn, he just tried pushing against it instead. Lightly at first, before he started shoving against it, hard enough to try to break the knob and shove the door open. “Something’s blocking it.” His voice was riddled with panic, shaking along with his hands. “What’s going on?” Smoke was pouring under the door now, and Rio stumbled away from it. “What the heck is going on?” He couldn’t tell if he was more scared or confused by what was going on. But it seemed to be a pretty unhealthy mix of both right now.

“Wait, don’t —” And he grabbed the handle. Blanche flexed her own burned hand, wincing slightly as Rio threw his body against the door, no doubt a lot harder than what she could have done. Except even Rio couldn’t open it. Something was blocking the door. What could be blocking the door and how had they not noticed anyone blocking the door before? Blanche was busy trying to figure that out as the thin grey tendrils were starting to turn black. It burned the back of her nose and throat and she sprang forward, coughing slightly as she grabbed Rio’s arm, pulling him down. “Stay low to the ground!” Blanche hissed. What did she know about fire? Come on, what did she know about fire. She knew the answer was not much, and certainly not enough to get them out of a room with no windows. Neither of them were wearing anything they could stuff in the crack of the door. It was too late anyway, smoke was already pouring into the room. It scratched the back of her throat and made her eyes water as it grew thicker. The room grew hotter. Panic bubbled in her as she fumbled for her phone for her phone, dialing 9-1-1. The call dropped. She tried again. It rang once, twice - and then the call dropped again. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit!” Blanche swore loudly, before breaking into a coughing fit. “Does your phone work? Does your phone - where’s your phone? We need the fire department.”

The room was filling up quickly with smoke. Blanche pulled him to the ground, but Orion was already coughing, the air becoming thin and stuffy far too quickly for Rio’s liking. He needed to keep working on the door and trying to get it open, but it wasn’t easy to do when the room was filling with smoke and the place was heating up quickly. Rio crawled over to the table, snatching his phone off of the counter and trying to dial 911. “No. It’s not working.” Rio smacking his hand against the phone in some feeble attempt to get it working. Too many weird things were starting to connect. The fire, the blocked door and now the cell phones? This was no accident. Rio couldn’t even begin to fathom why, but somebody had done this on purpose. “I don’t know what to do.” Rio whispered, his body shaking so much with fear that he could just barely get the words it. He crawled back towards the door, beginning to bang against it. Then he moved over towards the wall, pounding his fists against anything that would make a loud noise. Maybe, just maybe, someone would hear and come looking for them. “Help! Someone please help us!” He tried to yell, though his voice was coarse. Smoke had taken residence on the ceiling, slowly filling the room from top to bottom. Before so long, Blanche and Rio would run out of room.

Their cell phones weren’t working, someone shoved something in front of the door, the smoke detectors weren’t going off, and the building was very much on fire. Someone had done this on purpose. Why would anyone want to trap them in the funeral home? Blood pounded in her ears as she desperately tried to take in a clean breath of air. No, stop that, you’ll make it worse. Blanche broke into a fit of coughing, her eyes burning from the smoke as she tried to follow Rio, her own fists banging against the door after he went to the wall. If she could just move whatever was in front of the door and send it flying… Familiar pain spread across her forehead and she let out a groan: Her hands started to burn against the heat of the door before she fell back on her ass in defeat. Blanche was so tired, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. If Rio couldn't break through, and if she couldn't use her telekinesis… Blanche realized then, as she started to choke, that they were dead. They were going to be roasted alive. Crawling to Rio, she pulled at the sleeve of his shirt. “No one is going to hear us,” she said quietly, her own voice hoarse, eyes brimming with tears. “We’re stuck.” They were going to die, weren’t they? Was this finally what got her? Blanche’s hand trembled as she gripped Rio's shirt sleeve. “I don’t know what to do.”

Orion had been pounding against the wall so much that his fist had dented the drywall. But his energy was running out quickly. His fear was quickly giving way to a terrifying sense of hopelessness. The same hopelessness that he had felt or so long before meeting all of his friends and building the life he had right now. The only difference was Rio wasn’t ready to accept it anymore. He didn’t want to die here. He wanted to eat lunch with Blanche and make up with Ariana. He wanted to keep working with Erin and see how serious him and Winston could get. Maybe even figure out a balance between his life and the hunter life, like Alain and Nic. But now it all just seemed impossible. Rio was sobbing before he realized it, covering his mouth to try to block off the heavy breaths he had been taking. Blanche was no longer pounding against the door either. She didn’t know what to do, the girl who always seemed to get out of things. Rio wasn’t convinced anything could kill Blanche. And yet here they were. He was dripping with sweat, the heat singing his skin. “I don’t know either. I just don’t know.” He repeated, spinning his body so his back was against the wall. His eyes were starting to get heavy. “I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have been here. I don’t want you to die.” He grabbed onto Blanche’s hand, folding his fingers with hers and pleading to her. This wasn’t fair. None of this was fair.

Blanche wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be thinking about. Was her life supposed to be flashing before her eyes or was she supposed to be trying to figure out how the hell she was supposed to get them out of this? She was supposed to keep fighting desperately until the very end — to find the way out and to find the answer. There was always an answer, always a way to keep on fighting. But what was she supposed to do against a fire? She was so tired. Blanche lay back against the wall, the exhaustion sinking deep into her, she realized she was thinking nothing at all. There was no answer, there was no way, there was just nothing. A blank screen with the knowledge of impending death in the back of her mind. It would hurt. The heat had gotten bad, stinging her white skin until it flushed red, the sweat dripping down her face. She coughed again, hand gripping Rio’s tightly as she shook her head. Blanche knew one thing about fire: the smoke would kill them first before they truly burned. Neither of them could breathe well, and soon they would drift off, right? Blanche didn't want to die, either, but there was nothing she could do. She was tired. Blanche coughed more, the smoke scratching and burning the back of her throat, her nose, and her eyes. “If I'm going to die...” Blanche wheezed, her eyes wet as she gripped Rio’s hand as tight as she could. “I'm glad it’s with a friend like you, Rio.”

Erin couldn’t tell where the fire had started, just that it had overwhelmed the back of the house already. It wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t dart through hallways, testing doors in an effort to pinpoint their screams. The smoky haze made her eyes tear and the air fill heavily into her lungs and she was struggling before she even got close. “Rio? Where are--fuck,” She yelped, yanking her hand back when the knob singed her fingers. Fuck that hurt. Smokey the bear was rolling over in his cave somewhere for breaking Fire Safety 101. Don’t touch the fucking door knobs. When she saw the casket pressed up against the employee lounge door, and heard the screams that filled the other side, her stomach dropped. She was going to kill that smug fucker. “Rio! Blanche!?” She yelled, pounding on the wall beside the door to let them know she was here. She was going to get them out. This would be fine. She wouldn’t--couldn’t-- let the swelling panic distract her--just moved on autopilot, shoving the casket barrier aside before using the bottom of her shirt to grab the handle. It was hot but tolerable. It also didn’t budge. Of course. That’d be way too fucking easy. And why the hell weren’t the smoke alarms going off?

“Can you guys hear me?” She yelled, the crackling behind her growing louder, growing hotter and she pounded on the door again to grab their attention. It didn’t make any sense. The door wasn’t locked. Something was keeping closed. Erin thought of Roy again. Whatever magic bullshit he’d done, it was working and a flush of fear rushed up the back of her neck. “I’m gonna get you guys out of there. Just--stay calm, okay!”

If I'm going to die I'm glad it’s with a friend like you, Rio. Those were the last words that Orion heard before he had blacked out. And they were the first thing rang in his ears as he slowly started to stir back to consciousness. He was so hot, his skin felt like it was on fire. Maybe it was, Rio was too tired to open his eyes at the moment to find out. But he could hear noises. It felt far away, just out of reach. But the more he thought about Blanche's words the stronger the noises seemed to come into focus. Was that Erin? His eyes shot open and he began coughing immediately. The room was almost completely covered by smoke now, only a thin layer on the floor safe from it. His eyes stung and were watering like crazy, his throat burned almost as badly as his body did. He glanced over at Blanche, lying next to him, hand still intertwined with his. “Blanche?” His voice was scratchy, but pleading. He shook her. Still Unconscious. “No... Blanche please wake up.” He was shaking her harder now, but nothing. He could hear her heart beat, however faint. He couldn’t let her die. Not like this. His arms and legs screamed in defiance as he slowly started pushing himself to his feet, but they eventually complied. He stayed low as he crept back towards the door, the whole door burning hot by this point. But he could hear her on the other side. Erin. He started pounding against the door again. He was pretty sure he was screaming, maybe a mix of Erin’s name and just screaming in general. But everything buzzed around him. He couldn’t actually hear his own voice.. Whoever had done this had tried to kill them. What kind of monster did that? Rio’s fists were closed, punching the door in anger now. He had started to lose that passion when he heard the sound of wood cracking. Rio had completely splintered the wood, splitting his knuckles open in the process. But that was all it took to rejuvenate him. He kept going, punching harder and harder until finally he punched clear through the door. Then he began tearing at it, ripping it apart piece by piece until he had created a big enough sized hole for them. “Erin?!” Rio heard himself this time, calling out to her as he went over to grab Blanche and try to get them out.

Roland had been in law enforcement for a long time and knew better than to check out a scene on his own, but with the evidence they previously had compromised, he knew he couldn’t even trust his own team. It was why he was peering through this seemingly abandoned warehouse at dusk. There was a lackey here that appeared to be on the phone with the big boss. Speaker phone. Bold move. He quietly fumbled with his own recording device, but paled when he heard the voice on the other line.“That Nichols’ woman thinks she’s got a shot here—and it’s cute. I mean that. We had a good thing going there. There was real Rookie of the Year material there. But if she’s not going to play, we don’t need her in the game. I’m on my way now to make some cuts,” the voice on the phone said. It wasn’t enough to be damning, but he knew he couldn’t let a murder take place if he had the power to prevent it. Especially if it meant maybe Erin hadn’t been quite as awful as he thought. Maybe even his original assessment of her had been spot on, too. He wasn’t sure he’d ever feel entirely the same about her, but he could help a small fish caught in the current. The drive over to the funeral home as a blur, especially as he neared it and saw smoke billowing from above the building. Shit. He sped further and called on the radio about a fire and Nichols’ Funeral Home. Without much thought, he flew out of his parked cruiser and ran straight into the building. He could faintly hear Erin and some pounding over the roar of the flames. His feet didn’t seem to move fast enough, but relief washed over him as he made his way toward the back and saw Erin alive. She was struggling to get through a door that someone else seemed to be punching through. “Erin,” he called out, “Who all else is in here?”

“Rio!” Erin jumped, hearing the faint sound of his yelling on the other side. Oh thank God. Thank God. Sounds were good. Sounds meant they were alive. She coughed hard into her shoulder as she tried to fruitlessly unjam the door. Suddenly there was a jolt and the door was cracking in the middle. Then another, and another, until she could see Rio’s smoke stained face from the other side. “Holy shit,” she muttered. Didn’t have time to process that right now, but she’d get back to it if--when--they made it out of here. Her eyes widened further when she saw Roland running through the smoke and falling debris. How? What? They didn’t have the luxury of time to be awkward or to wade through questions--not when the flames were licking closer and closer to their backs. “Blanche and Rio,” she called back to him, pulling at the sides of the hole Rio had punched through. Could faintly make Blanche out through the smoke clouding the lounge. Alive, but not great. Panic seared through her stomach again and she only just realized she was sweating right through her shirt. “Here--lift her up,” She yelled through the door to Rio, making room for Roland to help her pull the blonde through, misdirected anger and concern giving her newfound. She shouldn’t have been here. She was supposed to let her know when she was coming over. It was dangerous. Being here, being around Erin was dangerous. For once, why couldn’t she just listen?

Something was shaking her. No, leave me alone. Just leave me alone. I’m so tired. Just let me sleep, please God let me sleep. Blanche had never believed in a God - not really. There had never really been a point to religion in her house. But if there was one, it would leave her alone. It would let her sleep. Let her rest. Please let her rest. But she couldn’t - there was no rest for her now. Not really. Nothing would ever quiet the noise in her head. The heat hurt her skin as she forced her eyes open. She couldn’t see well, and she couldn’t even really breathe as her head lulled to the side. Where was Rio? Blanche flexed her hand that had been in Rio’s. Where was Rio? A fresh jolt of panic forced her eyes back open, squinting through the smoke. God, it hurt. It hurt. Fuck, why couldn’t she have just stayed asleep. And there was Rio, appearing out of the smoke in an instant. He snatched her up off the ground and Blanche let out a low groan, wriggling as they were forced back to the door. There was a hole now. But there was also fire. Orange and red and white flames licked the walls and her blank screen of nothing turned into white hot fear. She did the only thing she could think of: Blanche screamed, the sound ripping through her throat until she broke into hard, wet coughs. Blanche only realized it was Erin when she was already pulled through, squeezing her hard as she was passed off to the other man. It was a mess of limbs and heat and so much fire and confusion. No, Erin. Erin shouldn’t be here. She leaned against the man, hardly sure she could stand. “Rio — Rio! Get Rio!” She hacked. “We have to — We have to go —”

The fire was growing still. Where the heck was the fire department? Orion was careful getting Blanche through the hole in the door to Erin and the police officer. Rio and Erin has done their best with the door, but it had left jagged pieces of broken wood point out in several spots. It was harder than he had hoped, mostly because Blanche was coming back to consciousness and she was screaming. Once Blanche was through, Rio climbed through next, wincing as his leg caught on a piece of the wood. He stumbled through it and all but fell into Erin, immediately turning it into a hug “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.” He knew that someone had done this on purpose, so why did Rio still feel responsible? He broke the hug to begin coughing, the smoke was only a bit less thick out in the open space of the building, but it still burned his throat. He heard Blanche calling out his name and slowly limped toward the man holding her up. “It’s me. I’m... here” what else was he supposed to say? That he was fine? “We need to get out of here.” Rio pleaded to the police officer. His legs felt weak, but stable enough to carry himself if needed. Was this the hunter healing, or adrenaline? He couldn’t know, he had never been in a building intentionally set on fire before.

Worrying for Erin had already left Roland determined to act before the firefighters arrived, but his heart broke seeing the two younger adults struggle. He remembered the small blonde girl who had trolled him online. She hadn’t made the best first impression, but she was quick to volunteer when her town needed her. She was still just a kid. Rio had assured her he was there though he looked worse for wear. Still, slightly better than Blanche. Roland scooped Blanche up into his arms and directed, “Rio’s here. We’ll get you both out of here.” More debris began to fall and he quickly ducked out of the way to protect them both. “This way,” he pointed, “Rio, if you begin to feel faint, Erin will be right beside you. You two go first.” He stayed close behind them on the path toward the door. It was getting harder to breathe and the sweat was pouring out, but the objective remained the same. Get them all out of here alive. He could talk to Erin about all of this after. He sputtered out a cough as they made their way further away from the burning back room, though the flames were beginning to catch up. Just keep walking ahead. You have to get these kids out. They were making way, but still not totally out of the fire when Roland felt the floor weaken below him.

“Rio, Erin,” he screamed out as he threw Blanche forward. Rio helped catch the small college student as she stumbled forward. Roland tried to push forward, but as a large piece of the ceiling fell, the floor beneath him collapsed. He tried to reach for the edge of the floor, but his hand’s loose grip wasn’t enough to keep him from plummeting to the ground below them. He fell backwards and felt a sharp pain as his back and head both thudded against the concrete below. The heat and flames started licking at his skin and caused a loud groan to escape his lips. Every inch of his body roared in pain and the smoke quickly filled his lungs. This was it. He couldn’t help but think of his mom and hoped she would be okay though the thought of being reunited with his dad was comforting. Flashes of his life passed before his eyes. Catch in the backyard with his dad. The look of pride on his father’s face when he graduated from the Police Academy. The sound of his mother’s voice singing Stevie Nicks on a rainy afternoon. The way Isabel glowed when she said ‘I do.’ How gutted he felt when his dad died and she left him shortly after. Kavanagh’s sheer determination to get to a cadaver and bring families some sense of closure. Cece dragging him to a bar and insisting he had some fun. Kaden showing him how to make a proper roux. Erin bringing him lunch and insisting he ditched the Lean Cuisines. Jane and Marley with their childish prank wars. Winston helping Roland pull one over on Marley. The memories played through his throbbing head so quickly before he choked out a few more painful breaths. There was no reprieve from this, but now he could--

Erin squeezed Blanche hard the moment she was free of that room, that flustered anger from seconds ago giving way to sheer relief. This was fine. They would be fine, kept repeating in her mind, over and over. That’s all she would accept. When they were both finally out, Rio gripping her tight, all she could do was hug him back just as hard. Allowed herself this smallest moment of relief. “No, no, don’t you dare be sorry,” Erin snapped back, giving him one last squeeze. This wasn’t his fault. This wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own. She’d deal with that, and with Roy soon enough, but the hardest part was over. This would be fine. Just had to get the hell out of there. Somehow. Now. Erin nodded over at Roland as they started to do just that, giving his arm a light squeeze. “Thank you,” she said, raw gratitude filling her voice. He probably still hated her, knew he was just doing his job, but she was already set on groveling at his feet for the next millenia.

Sirens screamed in the distance, snapping her back into action. Time to fucking move. She helped Rio along as they started to navigate through the chaos. Only barely heard Roland above the thundering crack of the ceiling and floor both giving way with him in between. “Roland!” She screamed, starting to dart after him. Fresh flames shot up like a wall, knocking them back, creating a literal barrier. Her arm shot up to shield her face and she screamed again, this time from the pain that lit up her arm when the fire singed her skin. They climbed from the hole with a vengeance where Roland had disappeared, leaving no room to maneuver around or through them. A hard, heavy pit in her stomach formed and all she could do was stare, as if he would climb out, safe and sound. It never came. No, no, no. Her heart wrenched when she recognized how impossibly unsafe it was to run after him. They had to go. Had to get Blanche and Rio out of here alive. “C’mon, we’ve gotta--” she coughed, reaching for the other two, gritting her teeth at the bright pink patches on her arm that shot a white hot pain through her every time she moved. “Go--” she yelled through grit teeth, looking up and around. Stopped moving just as suddenly. There was nowhere to go.

It all happened too fast. Blanche was in and out of consciousness, but she felt Roland falter and the next thing she knew she was slamming into Rio, the two of them stumbling as he caught her. Roland was gone. Blanche screamed, struggling out of Rio’s arms as she tried to follow Erin to pull her back so she didn’t fall too. But flames leaped out of the hole and she shrieked, turning as she stumbled to her knees, unable to stand. Blanche didn’t feel the pain in her back at first. All she could think about was the fact that someone had just died. Blanche looked around. They were trapped. The fire surrounded them. Roland was gone - fallen down a dark hole where he would never return. And they were going to be left here to burn. Why didn’t Rio just leave her there? God she was so tired. She was so tired. And now they were going to burn. She choked, tears streaming down her face as pain spread across her back. There was the hallway - the hallway. Fallen debris blocked the way… She sucked a deep breath. Blanche could do something. She had to do something. She was so tired. Just give up. Just sleep. It hurts. But she saw Erin. And she saw Rio. Rio and Erin fought for her. Roland had died for her - for all of them, really. She owed it to them. Blanche reached up to pull herself up. She staggered, her hand outstretched in front of her as pain danced in her head. Blanche ignored it, and pushed harder. And harder. The pain in her head worsened as finally she felt the release of energy fly from her. The ceiling beam blocking the way flew forward along with rubble, clearing the way forward. She staggered backward, slamming into Rio, mumbling something unintelligible.

Orion wanted to run after Roland. To jump down into the floor and see if he could pull him out. But he couldn’t. He had to hold Blanche back, Blanche who was struggling against him to try to get away. He could only assume Blanche had the same idea, go in after him. But Erin was right. They needed to get out. And if the air wasn’t so hot and dry, Rio would probably be sobbing. Because that man… he had just died. For the three of them, to make sure they had gotten out safely. A life was gone now, all because he had come running in to save the three of them. The food behind them had collapsed. Their only way out had been blocked by the caving ceiling, and the room got thicker and darker with smoke every second. He winced when a sudden surge of heat singed the side of his neck. It was a familiar feeling, the burn. All of it too much for Rio to process at once. He felt his grip loosen, and before he noticed Blanche had slipped from his grasp. He stared straight ahead, his focus on his surroundings slowly blurring away. He barely even noticed when the debris seemingly moved itself from their path. When Blanche fell back into him, Rio grabbed onto her on instinct alone. He didn’t even move until he felt Erin pulling him forward. His body was on autopilot, his brain too jumbled to send any real commands. And then something was holding onto him. Wait, someone. But it wasn’t Erin or Blanche. The surprise forced Rio back into reality. The sudden grip made Rio jerk away, shaking the figure off and shoving them away. It wasn’t until two more figures grabbed hold of either arm that he realized they weren’t dangerous or demons at all. They were firefighters that had busted through the front door and were trying to lead them out of the funeral home.

Erin didn’t question how Blanche had cleared the path but she could’ve cried with relief. Maybe sometimes magic didn’t suck. Without thinking, she started to shove the two towards the firefighters first, putting up a small fight as one of the men tried to push her along as well. Her lungs burned and she could barely think with the pain ripping through her charred arm but-- “You have to help him,” she choked out, glancing back at the fiery void that had swallowed Roland whole. Maybe he was okay. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked. A nugget of hope still existed somewhere in her, futile as it felt. “It’s Roland. Roland’s still here,” she pleaded, yelling as loud as she could above the roar of fire and splintering wood, pointing like a madwoman. He looked, and it was a long look, one that didn’t offer much confidence to her sinking stomach. Erin understood what the solemn shake of his head meant - she already knew. It was too dangerous. She couldn’t tell anymore if her eyes were watering from the smoke, or the pain, or from the hope that dissolved into agonized acceptance. She knew the stages well. Denial was over. Anger would probably come soon enough.

The air outside was dark and thick and it took more than a few moments to register that she was outside. All of three of them. Outside. Safe. Strange hands worried over her while an oxygen mask was shoved onto her face, the EMTs tending to them as quickly as possible. Where are you hurt? Can you hear me? Ma’am, I need you to-- she didn’t mean to ignore them. Couldn’t focus. With the sound of sirens screaming all around them, she could hardly hear anything anyway. Fresh air filled her lungs before she forced herself to look up at the damage for herself. The funeral home was huge, old and the fire was devouring its wooden bones like a starved animal. It wasn’t completely gone, help had come in time, but she felt her heart shatter as she watched the firefighters battle against the flames and everything inside. Her work. Her home. Her life. Roland. Roland. Angry, furious tears overwhelmed her and shook her hard by the shoulders. It took all of her strength not to just scream. In one day, Roy taken everything from her and then some. Roland didn’t deserve this. Blanche, Rio—none of them. This wasn’t about getting out or simply wanting him dead anymore. She wanted to destroy him.

The firefighters came through the smoke and fire to save them. Blanche was lifted up off Rio, too weak to continue moving herself. They were safe now. The man carrying her tried to speak with her the whole way out, trying to keep her awake, but she was used to this feeling by now. She was going to pass out. Blanche went in and out of consciousness as they were herded to the ambulances. She reached for Rio and for Erin, but she was taken away too quickly. At least she could sleep now. She could fall into a deep sleep where the pain in her head and back and wherever else could no longer bother her - except as they lay her on the stretcher, ready for treatment, she heard him. The words weren’t spoken to her, but the familiar feeling pricked her skin. They were words she wasn’t meant to hear because they weren’t for her, but she was the only one that could hear them. Blanche pushed herself up off the stretcher, wildly looking around. She saw Erin. And she saw him. The man who was left behind. He came to her next. Blanche’s eyes widened. “No -” she started. “Wait. Please.” Blanche croaked. For Erin. “Wait.” Was this even real? Her senses told her it was, but things started to blur. Blanche never was able to find out, to thank him, to say she was sorry this happened, to offer her help. She had no more energy left to give. She slumped back as the EMTs put an oxygen mask on her face, his form going hazey until all that was left was darkness.

Somehow, against all odds, he rose from the floor. Roland had been so sure he’d been gone for good. The pain had been too unbearable to believe anything else, but it was gone now. How was it gone? Without any effort at all he was walking away from his body and that was when the shock hit him. He was a ghost? Had Marley been right this whole time? Whether or not he believed her hardly mattered now. He had no way of making a difference anymore, but he hoped like hell that his last actions had. It was hard to tear his eyes away from his own lifeless form. This all felt like some sort of nightmare, but instinctively he knew he reached the end of his line. Maybe Erin, Blanche, and Rio hadn’t though. Everything in him pleaded that they made it out. Moving as a ghost came with ease. The flames and walls hardly mattered anymore. There was no sign of them in the funeral home and outside fire trucks lined the perimeter. Frantically, he searched for everyone. He spotted Rio first who while in bad shape, seemed like he’d make it.

His eyes scanned the backs of ambulances until he saw Erin distressed breathing through an oxygen mask. Something in him felt wistful. Even though Roland could never write off what she’d done, he understood now, at least to an extent, that she was the small fish in the pond here. She was safe for now though he had his doubts she stood much of a chance against Roy without help. He hoped like hell whoever her contact in the police station was knew what they were doing. He wished he could reach out to her, help her even. There were often plea deals available for busting bigger criminals. Not that she even needed the deal anymore, but he could have brought that guy in if he had just made it out. “I’m sorry,” he whispered knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear him. “I hope you find a way out of this. I don’t know how you got mixed up in all of this, but please just find your way out.” There was so much more he wished he could say to her, that he wished he had said to her instead of just never talking to her after her arrest. He looked down solemnly before trying to find Blanche.

The small college student seemed to be the worst for wear, as if she could pass out at any moment. Roland watched as the medics took her vitals and started administering treatment. What caught Roland off guard was that she seemed to make eye contact with him. “Blanche,” he said in a hushed tone. She seemed to hear his words, but quickly lost consciousness. One of the EMTs had her hooked up to oxygen and seemed confident she’d make it if they got her to the hospital quickly. It was enough to give him peace. His efforts hadn’t been in vain and somehow knowing that allowed him to simply fade away. The worries of this world were no longer his to carry.

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Obey the Law