Fractured- UnOrdinary (Original)

Chapter 7: Inferno

The three were met with almost complete darkness the second they stepped into the smoke. 

Blyke activated his abilities to light up the pitch black hallway as they swiftly made their way through the black fog. 

It was like stepping into a hazy nightmare as his beam reflected against the dust clouding the air. The three of them immediately felt disoriented, like they had just been tossed into an entirely different world.

What was going on?

As they moved, the groundskeeper couldn't help but feel like they were being watched. It was an odd feeling, but he couldn't help the hair standing up on the back of his neck. 

He didn't want to let the kids walk in here, but they needed light to see and they sure as hell couldn't breathe in this thick smoke without the blondes barrier. He was lucky that he ran into the two students with the most useful abilities for this situation 

"Hello?! Is anyone in here?!" Blyke called out into the darkness only to receive no answer.

They continued to rush through the hall, looking in classroom after classroom, all completely frozen in time minus the people. It was creepy and the almost deafening silence besides the faint crackling of flames echoing in the distance and their stern but shallow breaths left all of them with chills down their spines. They checked their 7th room when they heard another yell come from further down the hallway.

Arlo peered around before his eye caught something. He could just barely make out the flames coming from down the hallway, from the headmasters office. "Blyke, you don't think...?" The redhead only remained silent. He didn't want to think about it. Besides, he was strong. He could handle himself.

Right...?

Keene had gone ghostly pale, realizing what this could mean. He hoped he was wrong. He really, really hoped he was wrong and that the man wasn't in there when everything lit up like a bonfire. 

The blonde stopped as he squinted into the darkness. From it, he could see someone trying to crawl through the smoke, pushing through some ceiling tiles that had cracked and disintegrated on the floor. "Over there!"

He and the groundskeeper raced over to the figure, Blyke closely following behind them. The redhead could only gasp in shock when they got close enough to the person. The eerie red glow from Blyke's beam contrasted sharply against the mans green hair and the blood that trailed down the hallway behind him. 

"H-Headmaster!" The man was weakly trying to crawl along the floor, trying to avoid inhaling all the smoke but with little success.

Arlo immediately allowed his barrier to phase the headmaster into their air bubble, Keene kneeling next to him on the floor as he reached it. The blonde also knelt down and helped the man up, both supporting his weight on either side. 

Arlo visibly flinched when he saw the shard of glass impaling the headmasters hand. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only injury he was sporting.

The poor man had harsh burns covering his body, mostly his arms and back. Blood trailed down from his forehead in thick streams, covering half his face in the crimson substance as well as his shoulder. His leg was bent at an odd angle and Keene knew from one look that it was broken, maybe even dislocated. His clothes and hair were singed and his glasses that were usually sitting neatly on the bridge of his nose were crooked, the glass of one of the lenses sporting a spiderweb crack across it.

"Vaughn?! Vaughn, what happened to you?!" Keene fixed his hold on the man as the headmaster coughed, his breaths strained and short as blood dribbled from his lips. It was obvious he was struggling to allow fresh air to enter his lungs. The man only managed to open his mouth slightly before he went completely limp, his eyes rolling back.