Talk to Me | Sabriel AU

Burn Baby Burn

Gabriel came to with a soft groan, the scent of dust and musty cloth in the air. His eyes slowly began to open, his body feeling heavy as he tried to twist around, only to find his hands bound behind him and his legs tied together. He jerked up a bit, struggling to see where he was at, only to find himself in a dusty room, canvases and curtains lining the walls and floor around him.

He saw movement just to the right of him, turning his head and seeing the dark back of his father shuffling around the corner of the room. Now that he was looking at him, he could hear the sound of liquid spilling onto the ground, with a frown, he let out a soft grunt, wriggling a bit more, and freezing when his father glanced back at him. 

"Why are you doing this?!" Gabriel shouted, struggling in his bonds with more vigor as his father set down the bottle that he had been pouring the liquid from, walking over and crouching in front of Gabriel. With harsh hands, he grabbed a hold of Gabriel's hair, tugging it up and making the boy hiss as he stared down at him with cold eyes.

"You ruined my life, you spawn of hell." His father hissed, pushing Gabriel away and returning to the task of pouring out the rest of the bottle over the ground and kicking the bottle away without much thought. "Ever since your mother brought you home, it's been one hell after another..."

Gabriel's father looked down at the ground, letting out a soft growl as he fished a silver object out his pocket He turned it over in his hands a few times before a grin began splitting his face, looking over at Gabriel with mad eyes.

"But, this will be all over now." His father growled, flicking his thumb and a light flickering from what Gabriel now knew it was a lighter. Gabriel's eyes widened and he struggled more, panic seizing his limbs as he thrashed.

His father said nothing else as he tossed the lighter carelessly into the puddle of liquid that surround one of the curtains. It caught flame, and bright orange flames sparkled brilliantly against the brown of the walls as it spread up the green curtains to the canvas beyond. Gabriel let out a cry of panic, but his father was already gone, and he was left to the quickly spreading fire and smoke.

The fire licks around the room like a maze, moving from one corner to the other, lapping hungrily at the canvases and curtains that were left there, moving around the room and leaving the room full of smoke. Gabriel struggled even harder, coughing as the smoke began to fill his lungs and he began choking.

It was only a few seconds before Gabriel was forced to give up, feeling light-headed as he inhaled more and more smoke. A single tear managed to escape his lids, and a single whimper escaped his lips, the heat of the flames making his skin feel like he was being roasted alive.

"Gabriel!" He heard someone shout, his head slowly moving up in confusion as he looked around the room. He didn't recognize the voice, but it gave him a little hope as he let out another cough, wriggling towards the door as the flames licked at the bottoms of his feet.

"Gabe!" He heard that voice again, and he whimpered as he heard the footsteps in front of him. Suddenly, Sam was there, his arm over his mouth as he pulled out his knife, cutting the bindings that were wrapped around his limbs and setting him free.

"S-Sam?" Gabriel coughed out, struggling to get up with the help of Sam. Sam just wrapped his arms around him, letting out a small cough of his own as he helped Gabriel out and into the hallway. The smoke was not as thick here, and Gabriel felt his lungs burn as he took in a breath of air, leaning against Sam heavily and stumbling as his struggled to keep his limbs from collapsing.

He could hear the sound of sirens just outside the building, Gabriel blinking as the light blinded him for a moment. Suddenly, there was a blur of motion as firemen struggled to put out the flames, the police racing to search for his father, and the paramedics leading Sam and Gabriel over to the ambulance.

There was the sound of an explosion behind them and the force of it made Gabriel and Sam almost fall as they turned to see the building had caught even more fire. The firemen were shouting, and Gabriel shuddered and felt vomit rise to the back of his throat as he just imagined if Sam had been a moment late.

"G-Gabe?" He heard a soft, almost minute voice say, the hoarseness of it making Gabriel look over and see Sam staring at him with concerned eyes. Gabriel took in a deep breath, his heart picking up speed as he realized who had spoke.

"Did you just...speak?" Gabriel asked, his own voice scratchy and painful from the smoke. Instead of replying though, Sam just pulled him close, hugging him tightly and not letting go until Gabriel's mother got there.

The last thing Gabriel saw of the incident was of Gabriel's father being led to a police car, a group of police officers hovering around him incase he tried to make an escape. His view was pulled away from the scene as Sam pulled his head to his chest, holding him and covering his gaze from the world.