Chapter 68: Everything Will Be Okay
“Wrong number.” Replied to a man from the other end of the line.
The unknown man then hung up.
Clint looked at his phone with a shocked expression, then put it into his pocket. He quickly made his way to the store where the fire was.
He squinted his eyes and looked around the store, only seeing tall flames and smoke all around. Then, suddenly, the signboard fell down, blocking the way into the store.
Clint was ready to leave when he vaguely heard a noise over the burning sound.
”Selene!” He cried out, with a sudden look of realization.
There was no answer, but the knocking sound continued.
Clint didn’t have a plan, but he ran to the store anyway.
He kicked down the display window, the glass falling and shattering after a loud crack. The people around shrieked in surprise.
The store was thick with smoke. Clint couldn’t see anything, and his coat was getting burned. He covered his mouth and staggered around, shouting, “Selene…”
He then heard the knocking noise again, and he knew exactly where it came from.
He rushed to the warehouse and kicked the door with his full strength. The door gave way, and he pushed it open.
The warehouse was dark, but the light from the fire allowed him to see Selene, who was tied up and lying on the ground.
Clint did not know what he was feeling right then. Lucky? Scared? It was hard to describe with all the adrenaline rushing through his body.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
His belt is blank. He didn’t feel the pain from the burning. His body was on autopilot.
He crouched down to pick up Selene, then rushed out with her.
There was another cracking sound, and then the ceiling fan suddenly fell down and hit Clint. His vision blurred even more, but he kept walking forward.
“Oh, my God! Someone’s coming out!” Someone outside shouted as a crowd of people looked.
Clint carried Selene out of the burning building and laid her down outside. He did not notice the fire on his coat. “Someone call an ambulance.” He shouted.
The people around rushed to put out the fire on his coat, but Clint barely noticed.
He patted Selene on the cheek, and there was no reaction.
“Maybe she breathed in too much smoke.”
Clint frowned, squeezed her nose, and started CPR on her.
“Selene, wake up.” He shouted anxiously.
Finally, Selene groaned weakly without opening her eyes.
By now, fire engines were approaching, and a pair of ambulance workers helped Selene onto a stretcher and carried her away.
Clint walked with them, holding Selene’s hand.
“Everything will be okay.” He said, both to Selene and to himself.
But his exhaustion overtook him, and the world went dark.
Selene felt as if she was in the middle of a nightmare. She tried to escape, but her feet were held in place by something. All she could see was endless darkness.
“Selene, Selene…”
She heard a familiar voice call out her name. She tried concentrating on the sound. She could see some light.
Selene’s eyelids started fluttering slightly. Austin, who was sitting nearby, noticed this. “Selene, are you awake?” He cried out.
Selene forced her eyes open. The first thing she saw through her mental haze was Austin’s pale face and red eyes.
Then came the pain. It felt as though her whole body was on fire. This was enough to really wake her up. “Austin, what happened?” She tried to speak, but no sound came out.
Austin only saw her lips moving.
Though the fog in her brain was still there, she realized that there was something wrong with her throat. She tried to speak again, but there was still no sound.
“Don’t try to speak. The doc said that the smoke you’ve inhaled did a number on your throat. Your voice will be gone for a while.” Austin explained to her.
Selene seemed quite shocked to hear that, but she didn’t attempt to say anything else.
She closed her eyes and thought back to what had happened. Her brain felt fuzzy, and she had a splitting headache, but her memories were intact.
She had left her store at midnight but was robbed by two masked individuals. She ended up tied up and thrown into the warehouse. After that, the store somehow caught on fire.
But before she had lost consciousness, she had really thought that she would die. But now she was in a hospital, and she didn’t even know how she got there.
However, the feeling of fear still lingered within her, and it was stronger than before.
Selene managed to keep herself calm. After thinking for a while, she opened her eyes and looked at Austin. “Why am I here?” She moved her lips.
Austin rubbed his eyes. “You’ve been unconscious for two days.” He then started to sob. “It’s my fault. I should’ve stayed. This wouldn’t have happened if I had not left.”
Selene lifted her hand and patted him on the arm. ”I was robbed, and they put me in the warehouse. But I don’t know where the fire came from.” She whispered.
“Don’t worry. I’ve called the police. They are looking into it.”
Selene nodded slightly and closed her eyes again. Some memories from the previous night resurfaced in her mind.
“Selene, Selene…”
Then, someone kicked open the door of the warehouse. She was then picked up and carried.
Selene frowned. “Who rescued me from the fire?” She whispered.
Austin was stunned for a while. “It was Clint. If he hadn’t come, who knows what would’ve happened to you.” He shuddered. “He was injured when he saved you. He’s in the next room.” He added.
“How is he now?” Selene asked.
“His burns are more serious, and his head was hurt by the ceiling lamp. But overall, it’s nothing too serious compared to you, just mainly bruises.”
While the two talked, the sound of footsteps could be heard, and the door was pushed open.
Austin turned to the person who had just entered. “Mr. Denovan. You’re here.”