ARCTIC HEART (ON HOLD)

9: Between You and I

Arizona bit her inner lip as she stood there wondering what to do next. If even two hours ago, someone told her that she would be willingly standing right where she ran away from just two days ago like an athlete on crack, she would have laughed on their face. But there she was, staring at her phone intently as if it would grow a mouth and yelp which way to go next. Arizona was standing with her backpack packed with books, clothes, instant noodles, and what, not in an attempt to carry out today's mission.

Finding ma hero

Arizona looked right and left. The neighborhood did not become any less shady, neither did her heart take a liking to it a bit more than the last time. But it was imperative that she met this guy and apologize. At least for herself. She was someone who believed in Karma a bit too much. She believed if she was not done closing her cap on things while she could have, Karma would intervene and she did not like the way Karma operated. Besides,

Why isn't he coming to the shop anymore?

Was it something that I said?

Wait,

Arizona heaved.

I don't even know his name!

The realization amplified her guilt even more. Shaking her head, she focused on which path to walk down next. She could tell he lived somewhere around here and her gut was telling her she was quite close. Her options were simple really- going down deeper across the fence on the right and look for a house that will magically yell Mr. Knight in Shining Armor or roam around in the commercial area straight down the street and ask his whereabouts in the hope that someone could tell her where this infamous white devil hid his lair. None of the options was great but that was not her problem. The problem was that they were both unchartered territories for her and she was not vibing with the place. With the fondness that bad luck cuddled for her, she could not just count on her sheer luck here.

But like the absolute sweetheart Karma was to her, it threw down an "I'm here" sign to her. Because right on her right, white fumes started coming out in bulk and the air became heavy with smoke.

Arizona was taken aback at the suddenness of the event. She sprinted towards its source instantly. Bad neighborhood or not, she did not want anyone roasting in their own house.

The smoke exiting the house became double by the time she reached there. Arizona was coughing at that point and could not see much. She contemplated calling 911 but given how brilliant the emergency service has been after the war, it was as good as not being there at all.

Covering her nose, Arizona started circling the house in the hope of being able to break in. The windows were tightly sealed and so was the door. There were no other cracks in. Arizona picked up the trash can beside the porch and wrecked it against the window. Once more and again. And on the third attempt, she succeeded. The glass shattered into million pieces emptying a voluminous amount of smoke on her face. Arizona wheezed and coughed as she put her hand in to unlock the latch. She jumped in readily as the window slid open. 

The house was filled with smoke. Even so, it was mostly empty, like no one lived there. But then again, the smoke meant someone did.

"HELLO! ANYBODY HERE?!!!" Arizona barely yelled with the smoke clogging up her throat. Her eyes were stinging at that point. She blindly piloted through the room and stood at the threshold of another which seemed like a bedroom with a mattress and on the mattress was a guy lying down with his head under a pillow, motionless.

Arizona ran to the bed and threw away the pillow revealing luscious locks of ivory hair.

You?!!!

Arizona turned him to his side to check if he was breathing. Finding him like this was the last scenery in her mind.

Noel was breathing somehow but his pulse was really weak. She pulled out her phone to call the nearest hospital but he grabbed her hand.

"No," he whispered with pleading eyes.

Arizona looked at him dumbfounded. "What now?! You'll die like this!!!"

"No." This time his response was stronger but his hold was fading. They were inhumanely cold. Arizona frantically rubbed his palm with her and looked around, running the cogs in her mind before they got any foggier. The smoke was the densest in the room. Few more minutes there, then whoever coming there next would find two carcasses instead of one. But Arizona had no intention of dying there or letting him die like that.

Screw my luck!

Arizona cursed and got fast on her legs. She first smashed all the windows with her the cactus pot by the window. As the smoked thinned up significantly and her head got clearer, she looked for the source of it. The smoke was high alright but there was no fire.

Arizona took out a copy from her bag and started fanning it around her to get a clearer view and then she found it. A hand-long clay pot that was filled with something black and charcoal-like was creating this ruckus. She quickly carried it to the washroom and ran water over it to douse whatever it was and it worked. The smoke was not coming out anymore. Arizona threw that pike of trash away and heaved. She broke down on the bathroom floor to catch her breath. Her knees were still jerking from the adrenaline rush. She heaved and exhaled to bring her breathing back on track.

Her mind unclogged and shot a spark of alarm in her head. She crawled her way up and rushed to him. A wave of trepidation washed over her as she stood by his bed.

He was still there, lying down motionless which made her heart jump.

Is he..?

Arizona sat down, placed his head on her lap, and frantically shook his shoulders, tears rolling down her eyes.

Get up!

Wake up!

Please!!

Please!!! I'm begging you!

Her vision got swallowed in a blur of grey as she rubbed his plums again and again.

Am I too late?

Should I have called the hospital?

Thousands of thoughts crossed her mind as she mumbled wake up with her each breath.

Noel opened his eyes like drops of tears smeared on his cheek. A shower of brown hair shrined around his face as a familiar face looked at him, her eyes pooled up with concern. Noel knew he knew her. All too familiar. But not quite his own. He smiled to himself.

Funny! Why would anyone be concerned for me?

Only, his face did not twitch into a smile and neither did his eyes glint. Arizona saw the light disappear from his eyes as he slowly succumbed to an infinite abyss of darkness.