Only Because I Need You

Escape!

Caitlin pressed her face against the iron bars. Long wisps of black smoke had begun to crawl across the ceiling of her cell. A small amount of panic crept into her body. She knew that Ethan would have escaped and he would be long gone. She was on her own. She bit down on her lip. The smoke began to stream a lot faster into the corridor. She backed away from the iron bars a little, she knew that the last thing she needed was to breath in smoke. She felt a bead of sweat run down her forehead. Waves of heat rolled across her skin. The compound was on fire. She stared at the wooden floor that covered the bottom of the tunnel. She would not be touched by flames, but she certainly would die if she inhaled too much smoke. Her heart hammered in her chest, she knew she had no chance of escape. She had scoured the cell several times for any means to open her door, but alas it was useless.

She pulled her knees up to her chest. Of all the ways she thought she was going to die, choking on smoke in an underground Meta fighting ring had not been one of them. A small sadness began to niggle away at her heart. She was not going to see her friends again. She missed them dearly, never more than in that moment. She bit down on her lip to stop it from wobbling. Maybe then though, she could final be with Ronnie forever.

Thundering footsteps dragged her from her misery. The smoke had covered the entire corridor in a greyish haze and Caitlin could feel it nipping her eyes. A familiar silhouette appeared in the darkness in front of her cell, "Caitlin?" The voice yelled slightly.

Caitlin's eyes widened. She swore that was Barry's voice, how had he found her? She staggered to her feet, the smoke shifted, revealing one milky eye and one hazel eye of the figure. No, it wasn't Barry, but it was someone she was just as relieved to see, "Ethan?" She asked, smoke burned in her lungs and throat. She let out a harsh cough.

She heard the sound of a lock turning and the satisfying click as her cell door unlocked. She stopped her mouth from falling agape. She had thought for sure that Ethan would have left her behind. She thought he would have been halfway to another country by then. Yet he wasn't, he was standing right in front of her. Her cell door swung open, causing the smoke to swirl angrily around it, "come on," he yelled.

She didn't waste a second. She left her cell behind in an instant, she wouldn't miss it. The cracklings of flames echoed across the tunnels. The heat was nearly unbearable, she could feel it scorching her skin. She doubledover, keeping low to the ground where it was cooler and had less smoke. She followed Ethan's wavering silhouette in to the depths of the smoke. She could only hope he knew where he was going. Her eyes began to stream with tears and she found herself coughing violently. Ethan was coughing just as much as her, if they made it out, she swore she would not let him escape until his lungs had healed. They pressed onwards for what felt like hours. Sickly beads of sweat trickled down her skin and seeped into her clothing which clung to her body. She tried her best to minimise the amount of smoke she inhaled, but it was doing her no good. Finally they walked through a tall doorway that led to a large cavern that was slightly less infested with smoke. Ethan stood up straight, she could make out the basics of his features and some of the large objects around them, but little else, "we need to find a way out of here," she told him, her voice was dry and raspy.

He turned to look at her, his eyelids were drooping slightly and his shoulders were slumped, "I know that, but I don't know where the exit is," he coughed, Caitlin could hear the rush of air that violently exited his lungs. He was already feeling the effects of oxygen deprivation. They didn't have long. He swayed slightly, he had been in the smoke for longer than her. She gritted her teeth and grabbed his hand, she was going to get them both out of there, even if it meant she had to carry Ethan out. He had come back for her so she would not leave him behind. Besides, she needed to teach him that unlike future team Flash, she was not going to betray him.

His hand was warm and loose in hers, but his grip tightened just a little as she delved back into the smoke. She pushed onwards with very little idea to where she was going. Her insides burned violently, she hacked and coughed until her throat begged her to stop. Yet she kept on pushing. Ethan's grip was getting looser and looser by the moment, but he was holding on. She had been wandering for what felt like an eternity before she saw it. A light shining through the blackness of the smoke. Their escape. She almost ran towards it, she guided Ethan behind her. She found herself travelling at an upwards slant. The rocks crunched underneath her feet. Her muscles felt tired and heavy, that didn't stop her.

Before she knew it, she reached a heavy metal door. It was burning hot and smoke was sucked out of the edges. Her own eyelids began to droop. Her free hand found the handle and with a grunt of effort she pushed the door open and was welcomed by a blast of cool air. She pulled herself and Ethan out into the open air. The brownish plains around them were empty and seemed to stretch on for miles around. The shadow of Central City could be seen on the verge of the horizon. Caitlin staggered over to the nearest patches of dusty grass and collapsed backwards onto it. Her world was spinning. Ethan thudded to the ground just beside her. Blackness began to close in, but just before it did she managed to croak, "we did it, we escaped,"

His eyes lazily met hers, "Yes we did," his words were slurred, but she knew what he was saying. They lay one their backs, side by side under the setting sun, their hands still intertwined. Ethan closed his eyes, he was finally able to sleep. Caitlin turned her gaze back to the sky, she hadn't realised how beautiful it was. She had never seen so many shades of orange and yellow in her life. It was truly breath taking. She stared at the sky until the blackness crept across her vision and consumed her consciousness whole.