𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟐: 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭

Charlie Huntington

Charlie tried taking steady breaths, but with every wheezy inhale came a puff of an exhale. He felt as if he were collapsing every time while trying to just breathe.

Giselle was in much better condition than him and yet she too was having a hard time even standing.

"We need to get out of here," she spoke softly, yet it was with all of the strength left in her.

Charlie already knew that. He wanted to get out of the room. He hoped and prayed that he would be granted freedom once again.

But the chances weren't looking too good. And Charlie was starting to lose his sanity and his faith.

"We can barely move," he closed his eyes, leaning back, "you have some sort of plan?"

Giselle lifted her head off of his arm. He could feel his body temperature decreasing, her body heat was the only thing keeping him warm.

"No, do you?"

"No."

Charlie could see as her face grew pale and she closed her eyes in pain, her hand held her head. He knew she was good as dead just as he was. But seeing her go through these episodes of pain made him wish he could make it go away for her.

Silence. It lurked in between their short conversations. He hated the silence. The waiting for something to happen. He began to doubt anything was going to happen. Waiting to die was the only expectant thing he could do.

Suddenly Charlie felt a shift happened in the room. He tried sitting straighter up against the wall, trying to figure out if he had hallucinated the feeling. He was still alive, right?

"What's wrong?" Giselle turned towards him but leaned her head against the wall, looking for the support.

"Did you feel that?" He tried to control his breathing, facing Giselle.

"Are you okay?" Giselle began to stare at him with worry.

A verse popped up inside Charlie's head. "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

He recited the verse out loud. He sat still trying to soak up the words. He couldn't remember the last time he even read the Bible, much less memorizing that whole verse.

"That's in Isaiah," Giselle spoke softly, a smile curved on her lips, here eyes still closed.
"I love that verse."

Charlie felt like crying. He trembled as his heart started to replenish.

Renew your strength. Take courage. God is with you.

The thoughts started freaking Charlie out. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Why was he just thinking of all of these things all of a sudden?

"Charlie, you okay?" Giselle's voice grew stern, he couldn't face her.

Hot tears streamed down his cheeks in reply. He felt so weak and helpless, he had thought God wasn't with them. He thought they were a lost cause- that he was a lost cause. Just another body awaiting for the end. It hurt, now more than ever, to realize that Jesus was always with him, the He was the source of his strength.

Sitting there, practically breathless, leanig against the wall of some dark, abandoned building, he knew what he had to do. 

He had to repent, be washed clean and become free once again.

When he did, he truly felt renewed. A sort of spiritual strength he hadn't felt in a long time.

"So, how did that feel?" Giselle was still smiling, although she didn't look much better than she had before. She was still leaning against the wall, looking fragile.

Charlie laughed, a sigh of relief flooded through him as if he could breathe again. "Really, really good."

"Good," she closed her eyes again, the same scrunched up face made his good feeling sort of fade.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

He knew she was lying. 

Distant noises starting distracting Charlie. Loud crashes, some sort of yelling and something banging.

A shot fired, Charlie could tell it was from a gun. Suddenly the two of them were frozen, awaiting for the next clashing noise to startle them.

It was now more than ever that Charlie actually felt alive again, his heart started beating rapidly.

Then it happened again, more noises. 

"What was that verse Matthew had said before? When we just got here?"

He couldn't see Giselle, he was looking ahead towards the door, expectant of something to come through. 

"Jeremiah 29:11?"

"Do not be afraid..." Charlie didn't have that one memorized.

Another shot fired, this time Charlie jumped. It was louder this time, closer.

More noise came closer, then something started banging against the huge metal door.

Giselle wimpered, Charlie felt her start shaking as he grabbed her and held her close.

Do not be afraid..... Lord your God is with you....

More crashing against the door. Was somebody trying to get in?

The door broke through, a cloud of dust along with it as it fell to the ground.

Somebody walked through, but Charlie couldn't see well in the distance of the dim light.

The figure stopped, they appeared to be taking off some of their gear.

"Giselle? Charlie?"

They both perked up at the voice. Charlie felt an immense wash of relief and tears at the mentions of his voice.

"BOURNE?!"

Charlie was too weak to stand up, he didn't have enough strength. He wanted to start running towards him and that wide exit.

"Let's get you guys out of here-"

Suddenly the room started shaking. Something was happening. Cracks appeared through the walls, crumbles started to fall. Charlie thought he smelt smoke coming from somewhere.

"This place is about to come down on all of us! We have to get out of here!" Bourne started making his way towards them when a patch of the ceiling crashed between them.

Charlie couldn't do anything, as the walls began to cave, he grabbed ahold of Giselle tightly in his arms. He could tell Bourne was yelling something, but Charlie didn't know where he was, much less what he was trying to say.

"Charlie," Giselle tried talking. He couldn't see her, just feel her grab ahold of his sleeves.

"Do not be afraid," he whispered, more to himself than to her as everything started to fade into a pitch black once again.

A/N

the end is near my friends... the end is near.