灰烬遮住了他的苍白的脸和深色的头发。他抱着脚踝时看起来很痛苦。

听到门打开，Jacob抬起头。他看起来年轻，也许十四岁。Cleo跑过去蹲在他面前。

Cleo你的脚踝怎么了？

Jacob把手从脚踝上移开。他的脚踝有至少半英寸深的烧伤，跟Cleo的手一样宽。

Cleo你能站起来吗？

Jacob点点头。Cleo帮他站起来。

Cleo我们需要离开这里。

她试着帮Jacob走路，但很明显，Jacob不能对脚踝施加任何压力。

Cleo搂着Jacob，支撑着他大部分的体重，但他们走出房间，走到走廊，因为烟雾咳嗽。

他们的进展很慢，但最终，Cleo和Jacob到了一楼。门在走廊的尽头。

火在他们身边燃烧，一切闪着红光。烟雾很浓，他们都看不到他们前面三英尺。

学校建筑被大火吞没了。他们在这里待的时间太长了。火已经太大了。

Cleo和Jacob慢慢地走下走廊。墙壁开始在它们后面坍塌，在空气里添加灰尘。Cleo的肺部因为烟雾疼。她眯起眼睛以避免更多的灰尘。

门只有几米远。Jacob瘫倒，把Cleo也一起拉下了。Cleo落在Jacob旁边，她一半腿在火中。在她脑海中的某个地方，Cleo感到一种微弱的拉扯感觉，好像让她更接近火。

Cleo的货物裤子着火了，烧了她的小腿。Cleo尖叫了。

她滚了起来，所以火会灭，但她无法对她的小腿上的烧伤做任何事情。这比Jacob脚踝的烧伤大两倍，还有深三倍。

痛苦无法忍受。尽管她已经扑灭了火焰，但感觉她的整条腿都着火了。

Cleo咬紧牙关，将自己拉起来，也把Jacob拉起来。这次，是Jacob在支撑她的大部分体重。

他们跑向入口，虽然看起来更像是变形的跳跃。

还有六米。他们现在可以看出双门的形状。

还有五米。他们现在可以看到外面的人群。

还有四米。老师看到了他们。

还有三米。他们可能会活着。

两米了。Cleo绊了一下。

Cleo绊倒了。她抬起头，Cleo在入口处看到了裂缝。它会崩溃。

Cleo走！

他开始争辩，但Cleo摇了头。

Cleo我会在你身后。去吧！

Jacob回头看了Cleo一眼，然后他跌跌撞撞地走出校舍，走进了学生们的怀抱，而老师检查他脚踝上的烧伤。Jacob转身看看Cleo是不是在他身后，但她还在校舍里。

他向她跑去，试图帮助她出去，但是老师们把他拉了回去。

墙壁坍塌，将Cleo困在燃烧的校舍内。

Cleo会死的。

她被困在一座燃烧的建筑物中，看不到出口，她的小腿烧伤了。Cleo准备放弃了，但她必须至少试试生存下。

火在她周围燃烧。它靠近了，将她困在一圈火中。

不，她不会活下来。

火焰越来越近了。

Cleo现在可以感觉到火焰碰到她的皮肤。

她脑海里的拉扯感越来越强烈。

火焰和Cleo的军靴之间只有两厘米。

拯救了一个人的生命之后死在了火中不错的方式去死。

Cleo沉到了地上。她脑海中的拉扯感觉变得越来越强。

火焰吞噬了她。

英文翻译:

Groot covered his pale face and dark hair. His face was contorted in pain as he clutched his ankle.

Hearing the door open, Jacob looked up. He looked young, maybe a freshman. Cleo ran over and crouched before him. “What’s wrong with your ankle?” she asked.

Jacob removed his hand from his ankle. Cleo gasped. There was a burn on his ankle at least half an inch deep and as wide as her hand.

“Can you stand?” Cleo asked.

Jacob nodded, though it looked more like a grimace. Cleo helped him stand. “We need to get out,” Cleo said. She tried to help Jacob walk, but it became clear that Jacob couldn’t put any pressure on his ankle.

Cleo but an arm around Jacob, supporting most of his weight as they hobbled out of the room and down the hall, coughing from the smoke.

Their progress was slow, but eventually, Cleo and Jacob got to the first floor. The door was at the end of the hallway.

Fire burned around her, casting a red glow over everything. The smoke was so thick they could barely see three feet in front of them.

The building was engulfed by fire. They’d been in here far too long.

Cleo and Jacob stumbled down the hallway. Walls were starting to crumble behind them, adding dust to the smoke in the air. Cleo’s lungs burned from the smoke. Her eyes squinted, to avoid getting more dust in them.

They were so close to the entrance just a couple more yards. Jacob choked and collapsed, dragging Cleo with him. She landed next to him, half her leg in the fire. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Cleo felt a faint pulling sensation. As if it wanted to draw her closer into the fire.

Her cargo pants caught on fire, scorching the fabric up to her knees and burning her calf. Cleo screamed.

She rolled to put out the fire, but she couldn’t do anything about the burn on her calf. It was twice as long as the burn on Jacob’s ankle, and nearly three times as deep.

The burn was like nothing Cleo ever felt. It felt like her whole leg was on fire, though she put out the flames already.

Clenching her teeth, Cleo pulled herself to her feet, pulling Jacob up with her. This time, it was Jacob who was supporting most of her weight.

They ran towards the entrance, though it looked more like deformed hopping.

There were six more yards. They could make out the shape of the double doors now.

Five more yards. They could see the crowd of people outside.

Four more yards. The teachers spotted them.

Three more yards. They might actually make it out alive.

Two more yards. Cleo stumbled.

One more yard. Cleo fell. Glancing up, Cleo saw cracks forming on the entrance wall. It was going to collapse.

“Go!” Cleo yelled at Jacob. He started to argue, but Cleo cut him off. “I’ll be right behind you. Just go.”

Jacob stumbled out of the building and into the arms of the students, while the teachers gasped at the burn on his ankle. Jacob turned to see if Cleo was behind him, but she was still in the building.

He ran back towards her, trying to help her get out, but the teachers held him back.

The walls crumbled, trapping Cleo inside the flaming building.

Cleo was going to die.

She was trapped in a burning building with no exit in sight and a severe burn on her calf. Cleo was ready to give up, but she had to at least try to survive.

The fire was burning all around her. It drew closer, trapping her in a circle of fire.

Nope, she wasn’t going to survive.

The flames drew closer.

Cleo could now feel the flames tickling her skin.

The pulling sensation in the back of her mind grew stronger.

The flames were an inch from Cleo’s military boots.

Dying in a fire, after saving someone’s life. Not a bad way to die, she thought.

Cleo crumbled to the floor. The pulling in the back of her mind grew intense.

The flames engulfed her.

第三章