Chapter 24 - Miles
As soon as we arrived at the museum, I turned to Laura, who was gripping her seat like her life depended on it. I could see the pure terror in her eyes, and I could only imagine what was going through her head as we parked.
There were classes of students flooding the parking lot. I scanned, trying to see if I could find Michael, but I didn't know what class he would be in, let alone what his teacher would look like.
I looked at the museum, watching smoke rising from the west side. The museum windows on that side were shattered, and you could see the flames. Something about it didn't feel right. Just like when we pulled up to the apartment fire a month ago, something felt off.
The fire truck came to a stop, and Laura unclipped with a speed I didn't even know existed. She was up and jumping out of the truck before I had even unbuckled.
"Laura!" Wesley called after her, but she didn't listen. She rushed towards the classes, looking as she moved.
"Tell me he's out here," Lucas said, standing by the door, now looking at me with a serious expression.
I could feel the pull, but it wasn't for out here. Which meant he was still inside the museum. "He's not," I said, hopping out. I ground my teeth together, trying to remain calm. "Which means my son is inside."
"I don't see him," Laura said, turning to us, tears rolling down her face. "Do you guys see him? I don't see his class."
When we all remained quiet, she turned to the museum. I saw the spark in her eye and grabbed her, pulling her against me. "Do not," I growled into her ear.
"He's inside," she said, a sob breaking free as she tried to push herself free from my grasp. "He's inside. He could be hurt!"
I felt her knees give out, and I held her against me. I took in her scent, feeling her body shake against me. I allowed it to ground me, keeping me from running inside without a plan. After a moment, I pushed everything away and turned her.
"Laura, look at me."
Her eyes snapped to me, and I cupped her face. "You have to stay here. You can't come in."
"He needs me," she whispered.
I shook my head. "I am going inside. You will remain here."
She swallowed, slowly nodding her head. "Tell me you'll bring him out alive. Tell me you can feel him. Tell me he's okay."
I could feel him, but I couldn't promise her he wasn't hurt. Michael made it almost impossible to sense what he was feeling, but I wasn't going to tell her that. "He's okay," I said, kissing her forehead. "I'll bring him back."
I turned, looking for the guys as they pulled out the hose. I spotted Ayden standing with the sheriff, and Owen was standing next to the fire truck. I started back over.
"We have no idea how this happened," the sheriff said. The kids are stuck. We evacuated what we could, but the smoke became too much, and we had to get out. There is a classroom still in there."
Owen spotted me, holding out my helmet. "You are in charge. Owen and I were out of town when we got the call."
I nodded, pulling on my helmet. Owen placed his hand on my helmet, his eyes narrowing. "You keep this blasted thing on, you hear me."
"My son is inside," I snapped. "Trust me, I'm doing whatever is keeping him alive."
I could see a flash of irritation cross his face, but Owen didn't argue. We both knew he would feel the same way if roles were reversed. He turned to Wesley and Lucas. "Go, all of you."
We all hurried inside, taking a left from the door towards the fire. I turned my speaker on and scanned the hall. "Where is the fire?"
"Dinosaur exhibit," Ayden said, sounding off.
I scowled. "That's a huge space. How do we know which part?"
"We are going to have to break up. Whoever finds them first will let the others know," Lucas said, looking at me.
I could feel the heat as we hurried down the hallway. Glass was shattered everywhere, and bags and papers scattered everywhere from people ran out quickly. It was eerie as we walked, taking in the state of the museum.
"Do we know how this started?" Lucas asked, peeking into an open door and then heading inside, looking around quickly before stepping back outside.
"No," Wesley said. "Does anyone else think this is…off? The timing of it, considering Ayden and Owen were both just leaving town."
My stomach tensed up, and we all knew who he was referring to.
I could hear the voices of kids and then the snap of the bond. I could feel Michael's panic, and it knocked the wind right out of me.
I paused at the door, and the guys turned to me. "Miles."
I shook my head, feeling my heartbeat quicken. "He's in here."
There was a loud groaning sound, and we paused as it came above us. "We need to move quickly," Lucas said. "The ceilings are going to cave."
We were running faster than our jog. We entered the dinosaur area, and a huge T-rex stood in the center of the large space.
"Lucas, you go right, Wesley, you go left. I'll go straight."
"Copy," they both said in unison.
I hurried down the hallway, walking past the shattered glass. I could hear it crunch, and I felt the tug once more, taking my breath away. I took slow, deep breaths in, trying to focus.
I felt more heat, and I swallowed. "I think I found them."
I pulled a hand up, finding the door in front of me was hot. I took a step back and turned to the one next to it. I could hear the pounding on the other end.
"Get us out! Help!" The pounding only intensified.
"I found them," I said, reaching for the door handle. I tugged on the door, finding it wasn't going to give. I looked around for anything to get to the door, but nothing was usable.
"We're coming," Lucas said back.
"The door is stuck!" I growl, pulling on the doors once more. "Something is keeping it closed."
"We're coming."
I continued to pull, tugging with everything I had. Just then, Lucas and Wesley came around the corner and hurried to help me. Even with all of us, the doors refused.
"We're running out of time," Wesley said. "That room is filling with smoke."
I could hear the kids screaming growing louder, and I shook my head, yanking my helmet off.
Lucas scowled. "What are you doing? Put that back on!"
"What needs to be done!" I snapped back, holding my helmet out to him. "Put this on Michael when we find him!" I promised Laura her son would be alive, and I was making sure of it.
I quickly shifted into my wolf form and took a step back. I then charge forward, finally busting the door open.
Screams erupted, and smoke poured out into the hallway. Kids ran forward coughing, and Wesley quickly started guiding them, telling them to run down the hallway we came.
I looked at each of the kids, looking for Michael. But I didn't see him, and Lucas looked at me in confusion.
"Help!" Screaming came from the other side of the room, where another door was. I could see a statue had fallen, holding the door shut. I moved, shoving the statue out of the way. The door fell open, and a couple more kids fumbled forward out of another room. Michael instantly looked at me, and I felt relief.
He was alive and okay. He looked pale, but he wasn't hurt otherwise.
He looked away, hurrying after the guys. I moved to follow them when I heard the sound of cracking. I glanced up and could hear Lucas yell.
"Miles!"
A large pillow from the ceiling came tumbling down and slammed right into me. I felt pain radiate all over me, and I could hear Michael yelling before everything went black.
I dreamed of Laura. She smiled at me in the kitchen, and Michael sat across from her in a chair. He was eating a sandwich and smiled. "Come on, Dad," he patted the seat next to him.
It was warm as I moved, wanting nothing more than to be with them.
"Miles!" I could hear someone calling my name, almost sounding worried, but I didn't care. I was with them. We were at home. Everything was okay.
I tried to open my eyes and found my head was pounding. I groaned, pulling a hand up, feeling a sharp pain radiate through my entire right side.
"Fuck," I groaned, peeling my eyes open. I was in an all-white room; the curtains were pulled back, letting in little light. The only light was coming from the door to the left of me with a little window.
I could hear beeping and turned my head to find I was attached to an IV. I looked at my right side, finding my arm and shoulder were wrapped up.
I tried to move my other hand and found someone was holding it. I turned my head and found Laura clutching my hand.
She was asleep, her head rested against my knees, her eyes looked puffy, and her hair was a mess, but she was here.
I squeezed her hand slightly, and her eyes snapped open. They went to me, and she sat up quickly. Tears broke free. "Oh my god, Miles."
"Shh.." I said, wincing under the noise. "Not too loud."
"Sorry," she whispered, reaching a hand up and cupping my face. "You've been out for hours."
I tried to remember what happened, but my mind just traveled to the dream I had instead. I suddenly ached for it to be the truth. "What happened?"
"You got hit with a pillar, and it knocked you out. It burned your right side. The guys were frantic. Ayden about lost his cool when he found out."
I could imagine.
"How's Michael?" I asked, leaning into her touch.
"Shaken up, but he's okay. The doctor said he inhaled some smoke, but he's young." She wiped at her eyes with her other hand. "Why did you do this? You know you're supposed to be safe in there."
I frowned, wondering if the guys hadn't told her what happened. "The classroom was stuck. I wasn't leaving him behind. We didn't have time to wait, so I did what I had to."
Fresh tears broke free, and I pulled my left hand up, resting it on her cheek. "I promised you I was getting him out, and I did. I don't break my promises."
She sobbed as she held onto my hand, resting her head against my chest. "I can't lose you, Miles. I can't. We need you."
I wiped her eyes as she leaned back. She gripped my shirt hard. Her eyes swirled with different emotions as she spoke. "You asked me what I wanted. It was us. I want you. I need you. So, you have to heal up."
I gave her a soft smile as she leaned forward and kissed me. "Promise me you're okay."
"I mean, I feel awful, but I'm okay."
She softly smiled, pressing her forehead against mine. "Thank you. For everything. I don't want to imagine life without you in it, Miles."
I smiled, "You won't have to."