Bombastic pt 13

Vas climbed down slowly, mindful to take a path the Rabbit could follow. It was a relief when the finally hit a ledge big enough to stand on where they could take a breath. “Almost there rabbit, a little further and you can take a breather.”

“Like a hellhound,” she wheezed, concentrating. “But a breather would be good.”

“You earned it. Take a breath I'm going to check around the corner … see if we might cheat a bit and if it's safe we walk a few floors down eh?” Vas suggested.

“You’ll come back, right?” Serena asked with a bit of uncertainty. “Promise, honest n swear?”

“Duh. I'm just taking a look, not even going ahead. I'll be back before you know.” Vas snorted. He shook his head at the silly way of the Rabbit walking along the ledge and around the corner. They could climb the whole way down and Vas could imagine all the things that could go wrong so if there was a safe way to skip a few stories down he was going to take. That and he wasn't sure Rabbit could make the entire trip on her own, the poor kid wasn't complaining but this was hard on her. He admired her moxy.

Vas rounded the corner looking for a broken window or an opening now billowing smoke and fire.

To his left was a half destroyed window, but for the most part, the floor was clear of smoke. It sloped, but was still relatively in tact.

Vas shimmed along the crumbling edge to peer inside. Look for any obvious dangers. He did want a cartoon moment of going in through the window only to find a Hellhound size hole where the floor should be.

“Is it safe?” Serena called.

“Safe is a kind of relative term …” Vas said using an elbow will break the glass and widen the opening to safely be able to get in. “ … are we ever really safe? What is it to be actually safe? There's no smoke or fire … might only be the upper floors burning.” He called back.

Serena nodded, anything had to be better than climbing down the outside and falling to certain death. “Safe is when you have someone to watch over you, an’ you watch them back.” Serena said. That’s what it is to be actually safe on account of then you’re not by yourself.”

Vas gave the girl a quick look. “Okay I admit. I like your logic. Let me help you in, watch oru the edges …” He motioned for her shimmy on over extending a hand to help he through.

Serena was going to touch one with a fingertip to see how sharp the edges actually were, but decided against it, taking the hellhound’s hand to wriggle through. “Not the elevator again, right?” She asked, heading towards the stairs.

Vas laughed. “Naw, last time it started to fill with smoke and tore up my gloves. So I got nothing protecting my hand. We would have to be pretty desperate to try that again.” He said as he carefully climbed through the broken window.

Serena put her hand on top of his head, even though he wore a helmet as he climbed through. “Desperate or scared?” She asked.

‘Desperate. Your weight and mine together? That cable would cut my hands up the bone.” He explained.

“I do eat a lotta sugar,” Serena said apologetically.

“What’s sugar got to do with it?” Vas paused his head slightly tilted.

“On account of the mess hall lady said I’m gonna get fat from all that sugar,” she said matter of fact.

Vas snorted. “Yea well she's still alive?”

Serena gave him an oblique look. “Hopefully? I think they were only taking Erinyes, and shootin’ the staff.”

“Well definitely wasn't the sugar that got her then eh?” Vas chuckled. “You ain't fat but extra weight is extra weight no matter how light you are.” He pointed out.

“Well…. I can make the rest on my own,” she promised. “Just in case.”

“Rest of what?” Vas said as he started to scope the room out. It was a painfully plain cubicle office so at the moment he was interested in two things: water and the exit.

“Rest of the way,” Serena explained. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“How do you know there won't be more climbing.” Vas snickered. “Don’t you worry so much, you just listen to me and you’ll make it out alive … mostly.” He said and tugged gently at a slightly lopsided pigtail. “For luck.”

“Mostly is good enough for me,” she told him.

Vas laughed. “Yea, mostly is better then not at all right?” He said, leading the way to find an exit. He wondered how far down the fire was and if the stairwell was usable.

“Yeah huh,” Serena told him. “That’s what’s called a bright side.” She played a game of hopscotch with a board that wasn’t drawn as she trailed behind. “Where we gonna go once we’re out?”

“Find a phone … call an emergency line. Get home. Shower. Dinner. Sleep.” Vas said absently. And he felt the edges of the door and the doorknob to the stairs for heat.

The door felt hot to the touch. Not just warm, but hot.

Vas frowned, taking his hand away from the door. “Damn. Couldn't be easy, could it?” He grumbled looking for a floor map. There had to be more than one exit? Hell there had to be something for people who were trapped higher up to get out!

“What’s a matter?” Serena asked, near crashing into him.

“The fires crawled down the stairs. I can feel the heat through the door.” Vas explained. “We'll need another way down or it's back outside and down the hard way.”

“There’s another stairwell, if you wanna check it… only we need a key code to get to it.” Serena offered.

“You think it's locked like … normal locked or mag locked?” Vas asked curiously.

“Mag locked,” Serena replied. “On account of we’re not allowed to go there. I know the code though.”

Vas stopped short. “How do you know a code for a place you're not supposed to know?” He asked, not quite sure he should believe her claim.

“Are you going to tattle?” She asked in response to his question.

“Tattle to who? Who left?” Vas snorted.

“I know it on account of I snooped,” Serena confessed.

“Oh.” Vas said thinking and then nodded. “Nice.” He said his tone impressed. “Ain't your fault they suck at their job, carry on soldier.” He motioned. “Just … don't open the door right away, you gotta feel for heat, otherwise you get a backdraft and you'll flash fry us in a heartbeat and I like living.” Vas advised.

“Like a hellhound,” she said proudly, covering the keypad. She looked back at Vas, then moved to cover the keypad more, and typed in the code.