by Raathi Chota
“Lana!” Blake yelled, and I noticed he squatted down a hall as he tried to avoid the fire. From the corner of my eye, I saw Axel. He tried to get to Blake but suddenly stopped and started to cough. Every time I inhaled, it’s like a cloud of smoke choked me. Axel became a big blur as the fire got out of control. His coughs got worse, and as I stepped in, a plank of wood dropped between us. He shook his head then pointed elsewhere. He crouched down and began to crawl. Toxic fumes filled my lungs as I followed his finger. Through his coughs, Blake’s calls, and Miranda’s screams, I tried to focus. I pulled the collar of my shirt up so that it covered my nose and mouth. The room consumed itself in flames as my eyes teared up. Past the thick black smoke, cracked wood, and flames, I raised my hand to see. I pulled away before the fire burned me. I squinted my eyes and walked in further until I realized that Axel pointed at a body.
“Who the fuck is that?” Axel coughed through the smoke as I squinted my eyes to see who it was, but the body was wrapped in some material with only a face visible. I tried to get closer and avoided the thought that it was Lana. It couldn’t have been, because why would Blake go in the other direction? He must’ve seen the body. I felt a tug on my arm, and when I turned, Ethan stood crouched over with one arm across his nose and mouth to avoid the smoke while the other held onto me.
“Come on, we gotta get out of here before this place collapses!” His voice was muffled behind his arm, but I heard him clearly. I turned back to the body and where Axel tried to inch closer, then back at Ethan.
“No, they’re still in there. I’m not going anywhere!”
Ethan stared at me to a point where his eyes began to water, and he looked past me at Axel, who had no intention, like me, to leave. We heard the ambulance sirens followed by the police, and he sighed then walked out to where Miranda yelled.
Axel was closer to the body than I was, and he stared at it, as if afraid to see who was in there. The body didn’t move; it laid on the ground peacefully, as if dragged out of bed and wasn’t aware of its surroundings. More parts of the cottage began to crumble, and when I reached Axel, I realized we were trapped. A plank blocked the doorway, and either side of us was covered in so much smoke I didn’t think it was real. We looked at each other, and his gaze shifted from the body to the fire that neared us. I coughed rapidly, and he placed his hand on my shoulder then forced me down onto my knees. Somehow that made breathing easier as we towered over the body. Axel reached out to see who it was but stopped when a scream echoed through the cottage followed by a bang. We jumped up because we knew that was Lana, and even though part of me was relieved she wasn’t the one covered in the center of the room, I wondered who laid below us and if they were alive.
About the Author
Raathi Chota’s writing first began as a hobby and after growing in popularity, her gift for storytelling took off. Since gaining over ten million reads with her first novel on Wattpad, Raathi found her true calling. Being a regular high school student in Australia and a dedicated writer, her imagination knows no bounds. She enjoys random adventures where she knows she will find inspiration. Her stories are general fiction that is packed with young adult, thriller, mystery and romance themes. Raathi’s stories are page-turners leaving you yearning for more. She gained over twenty-five thousand followers across Instagram, Twitter, Wattpad, and Inkitt combined. She recently began the second book on Wattpad and additional chapters on Inkitt where it gained its popularity and began trending on their website.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Raathi-Chota-162715917804333/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Raathi07
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16429704.Raathi_Chota
Website:
www.raathichota.com
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/raathi07/
Wattpad:
https://www.wattpad.com/user/Raathi07
Inkitt:
https://inkitt.app.link/RA_Raathi_Chota
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