The Law Of Three [ On Hold ]

VI

word count; 1876

[ O C T A V I A ]

Georgia tore her eyes away from her microscope, glancing over at the door nervously. Her gaze flickered to me and then back at the door. "What was that?" I asked, twisting around in my seat.

"I-I don't k-know." She stammered, stumbling to her feet. "Stay here." She hurried out into the hall.

Several minutes passed and Georgia didn't return. I stayed in my seat, doodling aimlessly in my notebook. It wasn't until someone screamed and there was a loud crash did I get up to see what was happening.

I got to my feet and made my way to the door, sticking my head out into the hall. I coughed, suddenly finding myself surrounded by smoke, and people running down the halls. I could ashes, and I knew at that point something had caught fire and was burning. It smelt horrible. "Georgia!" I called. I stepped fully out into the hall. "Georgia!" I spun around in a circle, coughing as the smoke found it's way into my lungs. I took a couple steps forward in the blinding fog. "Dad!" I yelled. "DAD!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped, turning around. It was Georgia. I sighed in relief. "What's going on?" I asked her. She didn't respond. She just stared at me, a blank expression etched into her face. She had scratch marks and dirt covering her, her lab coat was torn, and looked ready to collapse. She had a cut on her forehead that was seeping blood. It trickled down her face leaving a red trail behind. "Georgia? What's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on her shoulder. "What happened? Where's my dad?"

Her amber eyes locked with mine, filled with terror and fear, and she opened her mouth to say something. But it wasn't words that came out. No. It was a deafening scream that escaped past her lips before something dragged her into the smoke. "GEORGIA!" I screamed. I felt something coil around my leg and knock me flat on my back. I could feel my breath get knocked right out of me as I landed with a thud. Pain coursed through my shoulder. "DAD!" I screamed. I pushed myself to my feet and took of running through the smoke, bumping into the odd person running away too. Twice I fell, and I somehow managed to hit my head on something as I barreled my way towards the stairs. I stuck close to the walls as I hurried up the steps of a staircase I had come down down when I first arrived.

When I reached the top, I found myself back in the lobby, surrounded by other people who had been trapped in the smoke. The air was much clearer in here. "Octavia!"

"Dad!" I turned around in circles, trying to locate my dad. I found myself engulfed in a hug moments later.

"Are you alright?" He asked, holding my face in my hands. I shook my head.

"No." I said, tears spilling down my cheeks. "No." I repeated.

"Octavia, what happened down there. Where's Georgia?"

"She's gone!" I sobbed. "There was a loud bang, and there was smoke everywhere . . . I want to go home." I cried, curling into his chest. "I want to go home.

"What do you mean she's gone?" My dad asked.

"Something grabbed her and pulled her into the smoke." I told him, still crying. "Daddy, I want to go home, please."