My heart pounded as I navigated the smoke-filled hallways, my body moving almost on autopilot. The muffled screams and distant sounds of crumbling debris seemed to fade into the background as I focused solely on one thing—survival.
As I stumbled out into the open air, the sight before me was staggering. A thick crowd of people had already gathered, some coughing violently, others crying as firefighters and rescue teams arrived in a flurry of shouts and flashing lights.
The flames painted the sky in shades of orange and black, their hungry roar echoing through the chaos as people stumbled over each other, desperate to escape. I managed to stumble out into the open air, lungs searing as I took in the fresh breeze.
My vision was blurred, my mind a haze, but I spotted Lirian through the thick, frantic crowd. He was standing a short distance away, his eyes darting desperately across the flood of people.
The moment he saw me, a look of intense relief washed over his face, and he pushed through the mob, rushing toward me.
“Sophia!” he cried, his voice cracking with emotion as he reached my side. “Thank god, you’re okay.” His hands reached out, gently gripping my shoulders, as though he couldn’t believe I was really there.
“I thought… I thought I’d lost you.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but the raw fear in his words made my heart ache.
“I’m here, Lirian,” I managed, though my voice trembled. “I made it out.”
He almost cried..
And then his gaze was already drawn back to the blazing inferno behind me. His eyes were wide with terror as he took in the sight of the building collapsing in on itself, every scream and crash reverberating in his mind as if each one was the last cry of someone he loved.
“I… I thought you…” His voice wavered, his hand reaching up to touch my face gently, as if needing proof that I was real and standing in front of him.
Without warning, he pulled me into a tight embrace, his arms wrapping around me with desperate urgency. I felt him shiver as he buried his face against my shoulder, gripping me as if he feared I might vanish any moment. “I thought I had lost you Sophia” he whispered, his voice a broken murmur.
The vulnerability in his tone made my heart twist as he held me, clinging on with an intensity that left no space between us. His words came out in a rush, barely audible yet filled with raw emotion,
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