Number 7

"I can't get any water!!! There aren't any buckets or anything in here!!!"

Jane shouted out to the others from the bathroom, however Celia and Jessica had been reduced to mere statues - too horrified to even move.

For the girl who had been lit aflame had stopped screaming.

Instead, the corpse, which was now surrounded in flame, lay still.

"No... this... this is..."

Standing up, Celia fell backwards to the ground, too shaken to even hold herself up.

"This..."

And then, turning around, she ran.

"This isn't real."

Whipping out her phone, she scrolled through the contacts as she found what she was looking for.

Dad.

"Hello?"

"Dad... dad... fire... fire!"

There was a pause on the other end as the girl rushed down the stairs, but after that pause, a calm voice responded.

"I'm on the way."

"Please hurry!"

"I know the location. We can track the GPS of any incoming calls. I'll be there in a few minutes. Are you inside the building?"

"Yes!"

"Can you make it out?"

"I think!"

"Then get out of there for now. I'll be there as soon as I can. If you can't get out, get to a place away from the fire... and I'll go in there to get you."

----

Everything was a jumble.

She couldn't think straight.

How could she?

She had just watched her own friend burn to death at the hands of a bully.

Could hatred even describe the emotions she felt?

'I'll... never relate to someone like that.'

Rushing down the stairs, the bottom floor was not yet on fire.

Celia ran and ran, panting and terrified as she reached the front doors of the building.

'I... I made it... but...'

Exiting the building, her mind could not forget the image which had been seared into her head of the roasted corpse of her friend.

'But at what cost?'

Looking up to the building, the girl witnessed that the entire top floor was aflame, smoke rising from the building as people gathered to witness the scene.

Sirens could be heard in the distance, and the sky itself seemed to darken at the phenomena.

'Why?'

'Why did you have to go and do something like this!?'

'If I had known you were going to KILL her, then I wouldn't have cared about following your instructions!!!'

Tears flooded down the face of the girl, who could utter no more sounds than incomprehensible sobs.

'How did things end up this way?'

'Was it my fault?'

'Was it my fault for obeying?'

'Was it my fault for complying?'

'Was it my fault for not having called an adult?'

'Was it my fault for befriending her?'

'Was it my fault for existing?'

If she had not approached Heather, Jessica would have not gone so far.

She hated the fact that Heather had obtained a friend for whatever reason, and decided to pull something this flashy as a result.

Perhaps it was jealousy.

Perhaps the friends of Jessica were merely fake friends who wouldn't sacrifice anything for her, and she wanted to prove to herself that Celia wouldn't do so for Heather either.

'Was it my fault... for being a good friend?'

'For being loyal to her, and not walking away?'

'Was it my fault for assuming that her intentions wouldn't be this wicked in the first place?'

Celia had never imagined that Jessica would have done something this extreme.

Hazing, she had expected.

Perhaps even injury.

But death?

Such a thing had never even entered her radar as a possibility.

'What should I have done?'

However as she thought this, the sounds of a siren blared into her ears as she perked up.

A firetruck had arrived, and numerous men were currently rushing to plug the hose up.

'Ah... dad...'

As the men rushed to contain the fire, one of them ran over to her, a serious expression on his face.

"Celia... I'm so glad you're alright."

Hugging the girl, the man squeezed her tightly.

"Are you ok? Does anything hurt? Are you feeling bad? Did you inhale any smoke?"

"I'm... fine."

"You don't look fine at all. Your face is covered in tears."

Wiping the tears of the girl, the man hugged her even tighter.

"I'm so glad... you're alright."

"Sir! We're ready to begin!"

However the moment was interrupted by one of the man's colleagues.

"Understood. But we should confirm if there is anyone left inside first."

Then, turning to Celia, the man looked at her with a serious gaze.

"Celia... you did well to make it out. Was there anyone else inside?"

Pulling down the gas mask on his head, the man prepared himself to enter the building - should her answer be a yes.

And in that single moment, Celia's mind exploded with memories.

Memories of her short friendship with Heather.

Memories of all the teasing she had done, and all the times she had been given such serious responses.

And then, the image of that burned corpse - and the hateful expression of the girl who had created it.

Freezing in place, Celia didn't know how to respond.

She opened her mouth, but she could not say a thing.

And as her father watched her carefully, the words of her friend played within her mind.

"If you had to kill someone you loved in order to save multiple people that you didn't know, would you do it?"

"I'd save the person I love every single time. Good or bad, I don't care about the people I don't know. If they die, it doesn't matter to me."

"If it were your father, would you care who the people on the other end were?"

"Are you telling me that if you knew they were good people that you'd save them? Or if you knew that they were bad people that you'd let them die without a second thought?"

They... were bad people.

"Two... maybe three. There are two or three girls still inside. Probably two, since one ran off before. And..."

With a gulp, it took everything in her being to speak the next words.

"At least one dead body."

"So four in total?"

"Yes..."

"Celia."

Walking forward, the man placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You did well. From this point on... leave it to me."

----

She had chosen to save them.

She had chosen them over her father's safety.

They were bad people.

They were people she hated.

They were people that she despised so much that she wanted to kill them.

But she didn't.

All she would've had to do was tell her father that there was nobody else.

She could have lied, and those girls would have been trapped up there - reduced to ashes as the flames continued to rage.

However as she watched her father rush in there, the girl told herself one thing.

'Father... I chose to try and understand... even people as rotten as them.'

'Is this... what you would have wanted from me?'

'Is this the right decision?'

'No matter how much I think about it... I just can't relate to them.'

----

"Shit!!! I tried to get out of here as quickly as possible, but the stairs on this side don't lead all the way down!! And why the hell does this place have to be blocked!!!"

"I don't know!!! It just fell after an explosion! We can't get past! And..."

Huddling on the floor to avoid the smoke above, two girls spoke to one another with tears in their eyes as they covered their eyes with their arms to avoid the particles in the air.

Although only two girls spoke, a third was present - yet this third girl had fallen unconscious.

"Cough, cough! What... what do we do!? We can't get out of here, there's smoke everywhere, and if we breathe in too much we'll end up like Jessica! We can't get around the beam over there that's blocking the hallway... are we going to die!?"

"I... I don't know!"

"Then think up a way to get us out of here, dumbass!"

While anger laced the words of the girl, she spoke with tears in her eyes - both clearly terrified as the flames grew around them.

"Is this it?", one whispered. "Are we really just going to die here?"

And now, despair.

"No. You're not going to die just yet."

However as the girls gave in to such despair, the voice of a man entered their hearts.

Jerking their heads up, they saw that a man was standing there behind that wall of fire.

Bending over, the man grabbed the burning beam, heaving it up and aside as it landed with a thud.

He wore a mask on his head and a heavy fireproof jacket covering his body, allowing him to be capable of touching such a hot structure. And while the appearance of this man might have been terrifying to many, to these girls in this situation - it was nothing less than a light of hope.

"Can the two of you walk?"

"Y... yes..."

"I can..."

Standing up while trembling, the two remained low as they covered their mouths, coughing all the while.

"Take these."

Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a couple of low tech masks, handing them over to the two girls.

"It isn't safe for the two of you to walk around in the heat like this. Take these as well.'

The girls placed on the masks as the man undid his coat, handing over the first coat to one girl and a second coat which he was wearing underneath to the next.

Then removing a third layer, he placed it upon the girl whose body lay on the floor - and removing his own mask, the man placed it on the sleeping girl.

"Come on."

With these words, the man slumped the girl onto his back, carrying her as he gave up all of his protection for her sake.

"Feel free to rush ahead of me, but don't run. Make sure you're not going anywhere dangerous."

With these orders, the two girls looked up to the handsome man, nodding quickly as they darted ahead of him towards the stairway.

Then, following behind them at a slower pace, the man trudged forward - covering his own mouth as he carried the girl on his back.

He remained as low as he could to prevent the smoke from reaching his lungs, but even so he could not help but to inhale some as he let out a few coughs.

Even so, he pressed forwards.

For even if this man were to give his life, he would do it in order to assist those around him.

----

Minutes before Jessica had fallen unconscious, she had watched as Celia rushed off - abandoning the two girls after witnessing the death of her own friend.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

The girl began to hyperventilate, distressed at the corpse of the girl she had killed.

Could it be said that she killed her? It was the fire, after all. Perhaps she wasn't the one who killed the girl, but instead this was merely an accident.

No... such a thing wasn't true.

Even if she threw aside the fact that she was the one who had started the fire, even if she ignored the position that Jessica had put these girls into, she had grabbed the girl and placed her into the flames with her own two hands.

No matter how she spun her words, she was a murderer.

"Huff.... huff... huff..."

And this realization was too much for the girl to handle.

She had to get rid of the body.

But how?

How could she destroy it?

There was only one way.

The fire around the body had died down at this point, and it was now nothing more than a charred corpse.

'I have to hide it... and then it can burn with the rest of this building.'

Thus, the girl stood up.

Coughing and wheezing, she could barely stand, but she forced herself to do so as she grabbed the body.

It was hot to the touch, enough so that her hands seared, but even so she heaved it with everything she had.

And she dragged it.

Into the bathroom nearby, she would hide it inside a stall.

It would remain there until this entire building went up in flames.

'Huff... huff... huff...'

As she dragged it into the bathroom, the girl kicked open a stall, throwing the body in and closing the door.

'It will look like... an accident. Someone who wasn't related... was in here...'

Then heading off with wide eyes, she dragged herself back into the hall.

'I have to get out of here.'

'I have to escape.'

'I have to save myself.'

As she exited the bathroom and entered the hall once more, the girl looked to see that the wall of fire had spread even further, blocking her path.

Turning the other way, she saw the other girl watching with fear in her expression.

"Jessica... what do we do!? I checked the other way, but there isn't any way down!"

"Heh... heh.... hahaha..."

With tears in her eyes, Jessica began to laugh to herself, lost in madness as the flames roared around her.

"Huff... cough cough cough!!! UGH!!! URGH!!!"

Then, suddenly, she fell to the ground in a fit of choking.

"UGH!!!!"

Wheezing in and out, the girl's eyes rolled back in her head, the smoke having filled her lungs as she fell unconscious.

"EH!? Jessica!! Wake up!! Shit!!"

"What's wrong!? Hey, what's going on here!?"

"Ahhh... ahhh..."

The other girl had approached from the stairway, witnessing the scene just as Jessica had fallen unconscious, at which both fell into a panic.

For the wall of fire in front of them which led to the only exit prevented any options.

They were trapped.

Left to die.

And unless someone came to save them, they would be doomed to such a fate.

----

Panting and wheezing, the man exited the building, met by a rally of cheers.

"He did it!!!"

"That's the last one."

"Hey! Look at him!"

However even as the man struggled to get out of the building, he fell to his knees with the girl in his arms.

"Huff... huff..."

Gently laying her down, the man's vision became blurry as everything went dark around him.

"Hey!! Stay with us!! Are you alright!? Shit! Call an ambulance! For both of them! His burns are severe, and it looks like he's breathed in too much smoke!"

One man shouted out as many rushed over to the pair, and another whipped out his phone.

"Hello!? We need an ambulance! There's a man who has collapsed after exiting a burning building, and an unconscious girl who was inside the building! Yes. Yes. The address is..."

Within minutes, an ambulance was called to the scene, and numerous people had gathered around the man.

However one girl in particular pushed her way through the crowds.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! That's... that's my dad! Please let me through!"

Struggling through the crowds, the young Celia burst out of the crowd to witness it.

Her father was lying there with eyes closed, heavily breathing even in his sleep.

His jacket and mask were worn by the unconscious girl at his side - and he had clearly given them to the girl in order to prevent her from having obtained any lasting injuries.

The other two had already left, and were likely long gone.

"No..."

Falling to her knees, the girl shook the body of her father as if to shake him awake.

"Girl! Please stop that! You're going to make things worse for him!", one man pleaded.

"No...."

His burns were severe, as if he had to jump through fire itself to escape - particularly the burns on his hands, the gloves of which had also been given to the girl.

"No!!"

Laying her head on his chest as she cried, the girl shouted out in regret.

Had she made the wrong decision?

Should she truly have told him that there weren't any people left within that building?

Suddenly, the sounds of a siren resounded in the distance.

Parking in front of the building, a crew rushed out with a couple stretchers, at which the crowd made way.

"Please let us take him.", one woman asked Celia gently as they loaded Jessica onto the other stretcher.

At this request, Celia stood up, wiping her tears.

"If you wish, you can come with us to the hospital."

"I... I will."

And with this offer, the man was loaded onto his own stretcher as both people were brought onto the ambulance.

Following them inside, the doors were shut as the vehicle began to move, and Celia watched as the doctors began their work.

"The girl is unconscious, but her burns are light thanks to the protective gear she was given. She likely breathed in too much smoke and fell unconscious. After that point however, the intake of smoke likely wasn't high. The man, on the other hand..."

Looking at the man, whose eyes had rolled behind his head, the nurse was clearly concerned.

"He pushed himself even when he was already beyond his limit. He ran through the halls breathing in more smoke than a normal human could handle, all without any protective gear, and while carrying an unconscious person. Yet even when he should have been unconscious... he kept on going."

Whispering to herself, the nurse was amazed at the fortitude displayed by the man.

"It was as if there was some mad force driving him to remain awake until he had saved the girl."

"But it's exactly that fortitude which has put him into such a dangerous position. We need to perform emergency treatment ASAP."

The one speaking was the doctor, who was currently putting on a pair of gloves as he prepared some equipment.

"Remove his shirt."

"Understood!"

The nurse obeyed as the doctor placed a stethoscope upon the chest of the man, however as soon as he did this his eyes widened.

"His heart has stopped. Prepare the defibrillator."

"Understood."

Without a moment's hesitation, the nurse and doctor shot into action, holding down the man as they placed the tool upon his chest.

"Three... two... one..."

The electricity spat out, at which the doctor felt the man to confirm that his heartbeat had not returned.

"Once more. Get ready."

However, it was at that moment that Celia realized it.

Upon looking at the body of her father, which had now gone cold, she knew that such efforts were in vain.

"Three... two.... one."

For no life returned to his eyes.

The moment he had decided that he would enter that building was the moment he had decided to give his life.

----

Could pain even describe the horrid emotions that Celia underwent at that moment?

Dawning upon the realization that her father had given his very life for the girl who had mercilessly killed her best friend, Celia's eyes widened in horror.

She couldn't accept it.

How could she?

Yet no matter how many times she denied it to herself, that would not change reality.

Reality was harsh, and she knew that this was the truth - regardless of what she told herself.

He had died.

Celia had returned to her mother on that day, having been given a ride home from one of the hospital workers.

That worker had broken the news to her mother, who fell in shock upon the sudden news.

While she had married a man who was in such a dangerous line of service, her heart could never have been prepared for such a sudden death.

However, life had to continue on.

Years passed, and the two learned to cope with such a dramatic event.

The mother found a job and began to provide for her daughter, and the daughter eventually found her way back to school.

Jessica had moved away after the incident, never to be seen by Celia again. The other two girls began to avoid Celia completely, and neither of them wanted anything to do with one another.

There were no words between any of them.

Heather had died, and her death was written off as a death within a fire. Her mother didn't particularly care, and her father never even learned of it.

There was no further investigation.

Yet even despite the dramatic events, life continued on.

Celia graduated middle school, and eventually found herself in high school. Her mother, however, deteriorated over time.

Celia watched as her mother slowly went more and more insane, and it wasn't until she went to college that she realized just how much trouble her mother had gotten herself into.

She was taken away by a mental health institution after a public display of madness - one which perhaps might have been caused as a result of Celia being away for college.

Perhaps her very presence was the only thing that gave her mother the peace of mind she needed to continue living.

Yet it wasn't until this event that Celia was approached by someone after a lecture as she walked back to her dorm on a particular day.

"Celia Marinor. Age 19. First year of college, your father died in a fire when you were 12 years old. That fire was started by a girl who was trying to haze you and ruin your relationship with a friend of yours, who she was jealous of. That's you, isn't it?"

As she was walking home one day, a hooded figure spoke these words from an alleyway, whispering to Celia who froze as she walked by.

"How could you know that?"

Stepping out from the alleyway, the figure pulled off their hood, at which Celia realized that burn marks were present on this woman's hands.

"Because the girl who started that fire was me."

----