Chapter 48: Saving Rachael
The interior of the hall was all covered up in flames with only a few gaps here and there which Jin could use as a pathway.
What was worse was the smoke that filled the hall making it difficult for anyone to breathe.
'How am I even going to find her in this hellhole?' Jin thought in worry as he carefully moved deeper into the hall.
"The map!" Jin's mind reminded him of this important information. In the rush of the situation, Jin had forgotten about it altogether.
He opened up the system interface and clicked on 'location'. A screen indicating a red dot and a green dot soon came into his view.
Understanding where Rachael was Jin made his way towards the red dot while maneuvering through the wall of flames.
On the other side, Rachael who had momentarily lost her consciousness after hitting her head opened her eyes with difficulty.
She raised her hand to touch her forehead which felt a bit swollen. A stinging pain from her forehead forced her eyes open. The smell of smoke entering her nostrils made the last bit of confusion in her mind clear up as a series of coarse coughs escaped her mouth.
Tears escaped from her eyes as she realised how difficult it was for her to breathe. The warm air all around her wasn't helping her a bit.
After recovering a bit from the coughs Rachael pushed her upper body up with her hands only to see herself covered in walls of flame all around her. If she wanted to escape she needed to rush past that wall of fire.
With no other choice left, Rachael firmed her unsteady heart and prepared her mind for what was to come.
She grabbed the handle of the seat next to her and pushed herself up.
"Ugh!" Rachael fell down the moment she put pressure on her left leg. It was clearly sprained.
Rachael looked at her swollen left leg with horror in her eyes. With her legs like this, there was no hope for her to escape on her own.
The last bit of courage which she had crumbled under this scene of hopelessness as her whole being got overwhelmed with the fear of dying.
The stinging and prickling sensations from the heat on her skin due to the flames nearby gave her a small demo of how painful burning to death would be.
'No! I can't die like this!' Racheal thought.
"Hel- Cough! Cough! Cough!" She tried to call out somebody for help only to realize that she had lost her ability to.
The irritation in her throat due to inhaling soot and other particles had made it nigh impossible for her to call for help.
As if the remind her about her impending doom. A part of the ceiling nearby could no longer take the torment of the flames and collapsed.
Rachael screeched in horror and was met with intense pain in her throat all because of it. Tears welled up in her eyes and kept trickling down her face like raindrops as a never-ending stream of coughs ensued.
'Am I really going to die like this?' Rachael thought as her consciousness started to fade.
The collapse of the ceiling had intensified the amount of burnt particles in the air depriving Rachael of what little oxygen was left around her.
With strength leaving all her body Rachael rested her face on the soot-filled floor and gazed into the walls of flames as her last bit of consciousness started to fade. Find more chapters on мѵʟ
"Mother..." Her deceased mother's figure seemed to have conjured up on the walls of flames. The gentle smile on her face reminded Rachael of the good times she had spent with her.
'Mother...I'm finally coming to meet you...' Rachael thought as she gazed at her mother's gentle figure.
The figure in the flames seemed to shake her her head in denial and gave Racheal a smile before disappearing like it never existed.
The next moment Jin's figure jumped through the wall of flames and rushed towards Rachael.
'William..?' that was the last thought she had before her eyes gave in. She felt her body being covered by a coat and then being carried up by him. That was the last memory she had of the events that unfolded.
...
In a hospital room, Rachel's figure lying on the bed with a bandage around her forehead. Her eyelids quivered a bit attracting the attention of the person beside her.
"Rachael?" The person called.
Hearing the familiar voice Rachael soon opened her eyes. Looking beside her she saw the worried face of her father.
"D-dad?" She muttered and the next moment was affectionately hugged by him.
"You're finally awake," With tears in his eyes he caressed her head as the worries in his heart slowly subsided.
Rachael welcomed the warm embrace from her father but was soon reminded about William.
"William?! Dad, is he alright? Did he get hurt?" Rachael inquired with a worry-filled face.
Seeing the worry-filled expression in her daughter's eyes her father turned around and nodded towards Johnson who had been standing near the door waiting for his instructions.
Johnson soon left the room and a few moments later brought Jin along with him.
Jin's forearms had suffered a few minor burns and so he had been bandaged there but apart from that he was doing all fine.
If not for her injured leg Rachael would have rushed towards Jin with the amount of worry that overtook her face when she saw his condition.
"I'm sorry William... because of me you got injured," Rachael said with a guilty conscience.
"There's nothing to be sorry about ma'am, I was only doing my job and I'm glad I was able to save you. Besides, it's only a minor injury,' Jin said as he moved his arms in the air to show that they were alright.
"But still..." Rachael still blamed her for his injuries.
"Rachael, while it's good to take responsibility for your actions however it's not right to blame yourself over something that couldn't be controlled. What happened today was just an accident. You need not blame yourself needlessly and burden yourself," Her father said as he caressed her back.
Rachael nodded her lightly after hearing Father's words with her gaze down towards her hands. She still felt ashamed but could only submerge that feeling in her heart.
Henry could only shake his head seeing his daughter like this. He was reminded of her mother who too was as self-critical as her and sighed.