Hang Ten - 9 Guys and a Girl

Chapter 25 - The Hospital

I need to start by saying how sorry I am this next part took so long. I couldn't get the guys to cooperate. I started and re-wrote this chapter about seven times.. I hope this one meets your approval. I am still stuck with such small increments of time - I must be channeling my inner C.L - LOL. Anyway, I am hoping to move things along very soon. For now, enjoy (No cliffy this time - I promise!)

Sang

Beep beep beep I hear the fire alarm blaring as I lay in my bed with the covers over my head. I know that I need to get out of bed and out of the house, before the fire gets to my room. Beep beep beep I raise my arms to remove the covers from my head and slide it off my face, but when I try to sit up I find that I can't move. I start to rock my body from side to side to get my limbs to wake up and move already, but it is no use, it's like I am tied down.

I look toward my door and see black smoke creeping under my door and I know that the fire is right outside my bedroom door. I need to wake up and get out! I'll have to go out the window and use the roof to escape, I know Kota will be mad at me, because he won't want me on the roof. At this point, I just want to be alive for Kota to BE mad at me.

I keep rocking, thinking that I just need to wake my limbs up.. If I can wake them up, I can move. I decide to get these blankets off my body, maybe that's what is slowing me down. So I raise my arms up to my chest - a feat which seems harder this time around - and find I can only just get them up to my chest. I pull down the blankets and realize that my arms are tied around my waist. I am only free from the elbows down. Furthermore, my thighs and ankles are also tied together. I am tied to the bed and I won't be able to release myself.

The room is filling up with smoke, its a thick dark grey smoke and it starts to creep up the edges of my bed. It is getting really hot in here as well, the fire is getting closer. I start thrashing around and try to yell. Unfortunately the damage that has been done to my vocal chords over the years has made it impossible for me to raise my voice above a mild scream. I can't yell loud enough to capture anyone's attention.

From beyond my bedroom door I can hear the voice of my stepmother, she is laughing and telling me that I will burn, just like a witch. She says , "You will burn just like the witches of old. The witches that used their wiles on men, just like you do. You are going to burn like the witch you are." Then there is a terrifying cackling sound.. her laugh resembles that of a witch that she just claimed me to be.

At this point there is a steady stream of tears falling from my face. The smoke is covering my face and causing some of the tears, but most are tears of sadness. I don't understand what I have done to make her hate me so? She just wants to see me suffer and now, it appears that she wants to see me die.

I refuse to die, I have too much to live for. I just met the boys and we just decided to try this relationship. I want the chance to make it work. They each have something special that I need in my life. Owen's leadership, Sean's focus, North's protectiveness, Silas's hugs, Kota's strength, Nathan's steadiness, Luke's playfulness, Gabriel's creativity and Victor's kindness. I have had a taste and I am not ready to give that up yet. I need to survive, they are my strength, my reason.

I try crying out again, knowing that the sound is not traveling very far, but I have to do something. I try working my fingers under the rope, but they keep slipping off, I can't get a good grip because my hands are sweating. The heat is now unbearable and I can hear the flames, they have made it into the room and are rapidly seeking out my body on the bed.

I hear a vibrating sound in the bed next to me...my phone! I look to my right and there in the bed next to me is my phone. The phone that the guys gave me is lit up and I see Owen's name on the screen. If I can reach the phone, I can tell them I need their help. I try reaching out, but with my arms tied as they are, I can't reach. So I lean to my right and try to scoop it up with my mouth. When my mouth tries to grab on, the phone slides across the bed. I inch closer and try again. I try opening my jaw and pushing my chin down into the bed. I am hoping to cause a small gap under the phone that I canslide my jaw into, allowing me to grab the phone between my teeth.