Bombastic Pt 11

Serena was trying to pull a bit of rebar from the rubble, which to the Erinyes seemed like an impossible task. She ended with both feet on the pile of debris, and pulled with all of her might, landing squarely on her backside as the metal gave and broke free. “Hold on, hold on, hold on,” she told the puppy as she tried to use it like a crow bar, attempting to help pry the door open wider.

Vas coughed the black smoke billowing up and funneling out of the cracked open elevator door. The duo strain gain a few precious inches and Vas has to really fight to squeeze himself halfway through before getting stuck again.

Good lord he was glad Nate wasn't here. He would be laughing his ass off long and hard before he would get up and help him.

“Just a little more.” Vas coughed trying to encourage her as he strained to squeeze himself the rest of the way out.

Serena tried the same thing that had worked with the rebar, putting her feet on the side of the door with the metal rod, leaning her bodyweight back to try an’ force the door open wider. It budged. Slowly, a few centimeters at first, but then wider as it bowed outwards. “Can’t talk, pulling!” She grunted, as the door gave just a little more.

Vas painfully squeezed through coughed stumbling and hitting the floor gasping. He reeked of black smoke and was covered in sweat and soot.

Serena let go of the rebar, and crawled over to Vas, putting her hand on his back. “It’s okay,” she soothed. “It’s okay.”

Vas coughed and gasped until he could catch his breath again, breathing a bit easier. His throat felt raw and scratchy. “We gotta get to the roof.” He coughed getting up. “You good?”

“I’m… a … rabbit,” Serena choked, making bunny ears with her hands.

“I will take that as yes.” Vas smirked motioning for Rabbit to move along. Even with the elevator door closed black smoke leaked through curing along the ceiling. “Nate? Nate come in?” Vas tried his radio again as he padded to the, hopefully intact, stairwell.

The radio hissed and sputtered in response.

Serena hugged the wall, more for moral support than physical as they made their way to the stairwell.

Vas shoved the door open, the stairwell a foggy smoke haze, Vas took the stairs two at a time. He stopped at the landing remembering he had a rabbit with him and she may not be able to keep up with him. Vas turned to check on her.

Serena’s legs were shorter, she was about ½ way up when the hellhound reached the landing. “I’ll catch up!” she told him.

“You’ll die of smoke inhalation with how slow you're going.” Vas teased. “Hop on …” He sighed kneeling down for her to get on his back.

Serena did so, happily, hugging him tightly. “If you get tired, let me know,” she told him.

“What I tell you?” Vas tsked. “Hellhounds don't get tired.” He reminded, as he hoofed it up the flight of stairs. He moved keeping his pace steady bearing the extra weight, coughing occasionally from the smoke. It was a hell of a lot easier then climbing an elevator cable that was for sure!

“Rabbits don’t get tired neither, “ she insisted, leaning her head against his back. “They just have shorter legs.”

“Rabbits don't normally deal with exploding buildings either.” Vas chuckled. “Besides, you're not that heavy … what do they feed you here anyway, rabbit food?” He asked to keep her mind off the situation at the moment.

“Ready to eat meals and oatmeal,” she told him. “Sometimes I sneak in the kitchen an’ I get a lotta sugar to add. What do Hellhounds eat?”

“Protein Bar and Shakes. We got all the flavors.” Vas coughed picking up his pace as they wound up the stairs. The smoke was getting thicker which wasn't a good sign. At least they were almost to the top. He hoped once they got out the radio would work better, otherwise they were screwed.

“Even chocolate? Even strawberry?” Serena said, trying to stifle coughing. Her throat burned, her eyes watered, every bit of her felt battered, bruised and burned. “I like strawberry. It’s the best color.”

“Yea, all of em, mango is pretty good too.” Vas said, squinting in the stinging fog as they reached the top. He kicked at the door he assumed would lead to the roof. Vas couldn't wait to get a breath of fresh air.

“I never had a mango,” Serena said lazily, the death grip around Vas’ shoulders loosening a little.

The door lead outside to the roof of the building, which was now half collapsed in from the explosions. The fresh air felt more like an arctic wind, chilly for a spring night, but the sudden change in temperature made Serena shiver.

Vas at the moment didn't care that it was chilly; he just was grateful for a breath of fresh air. “Please work …” He said trying his radio. “... Nate? Do you copy? Nate?”

“They think you’re dead,” Serena said quietly.

“The better not! Like an explosion, on fire near a collapsed building could kill me!” Vas scoffed.

“Didn’t you hear ‘em say it on the radio?” Serena asked.

“What? What do you mean? They haven't picked up at all.” Vas protest. “DAMMIT NATE PICK UP YOU RAGING ASS!” He said shaking the radio as if threatening it like it owed him money would make it work again.

“I don’t think he can hear you,” Serena said, feeling less dizzy with the fresh air.

Vas was on the verge of crushing it or tossing it clear at rough where Nate's head might be. Instead he took a long deep breath and turned over his walk to start checking if it was busted or not. “When was the last time you heard chatter from this POS?” Vas asked as he give it a once over.

Serena looked behind her to see who he was talking to.

“You said you heard them on the radio, remember?” Vas reminded glaring at his radio.

“Yeah, I dunno if it was from that radio, but it was from a radio,” she said with a shrug. “It may have been that radio. They said you were dead an’ one of them said you weren’t, an’ they argued - you didn’t hear ‘em?”

“No. I did not. Where was this? Are you sure if it was this radio?” Vas pressed check the batteries on his radio.

“In the elevator shaft. I guess it was that radio. I don’t have a radio,” she shrugged.

Vas gave the rabbit an irritated look. It had been a day. Bit bonkers in the shaft and he had been very focused on them not falling. It wasn't outside the realm of possibilities.

Vas huffed putting the radio away. He didn't have the tools to fix it. It clearly wasn't working anymore, worse they could be out of range or there could be a ton of interference. He paced thinking.

“They thought Jai was dead too, so it wasn’t just you,” Serena soothed.

“Jai’s, to stupid to die.” Vas muttered pacing. “How did you catch that and how did I miss that!” He complained.

“Maybe…” Serena said, tapping her finger to her cheek as she thought. “Maybe your ears were still ringed up from the explosion.”

Vas gave her an oblique look and tossed her the radio. “Fine. You figure out how to get that work and I'll work on another way to get their attention …” He said grumpily and started to turn out the tools and equipment on him to see what he had to work with.

Serena frowned and looked at the radio, pressing a few keys until it made a horrible screeching sound.

Vas winced. “Or that.” He frowned. “You need help with that?”

“It’s not talking now,” she told him. “Probably on account of the helicopter left.”

“What?! What do you mean?!” Vas balked. He would have definitely heard that chatter if the radio had been on!

“It was talking before, and it’s not talking now,” Ssrena explained slower, in case his ears still weren’t working right.

“No, I mean the chopper?! It left.” Vas shouted rummaging for a colored smoke grand and a flair. “How long ago did they give direction?” He said pulling the pin, letting green smoke pour out. It was a long shot. They might not even see it among the black smoke. But the options where starting to fade and with the flair he could only hope the combination might be enough for someone to look twice.

Serena backed away from his shouting, “I dunno, I wasn’t payin’ attention to the time.”

“Kind of important … if they're too far away they won't see us and we'll have to figure out our own way down and out.” Vas grumbled tossing the flare to the side. “Fucking Dammit.”

“Before we got to the stairs,” Serena told him. “How was I supposed to know you didn’t hear same thing I heard?”

“Shit.” Vas said pacing again.