A frantic rescue
Chapter 1
Alex rushed as quickly as she could. The building being cleared out in a frenzy out of nowhere on what was supposed to be a mundane and boring day. The pushing and shoving of people was getting ridiculous. So ridiculous that she preferred to wait as long as possible for the hallways to clear out. She's honestly glad she did, because she's not sure the woman in her arms was going to see another day, because of that.
She was absolutely livid that people would just leave this bloodied woman on the floor like that. The woman seemed to be bleeding from a wound on her head, but Alex hadn’t had enough time to find the wound somewhere in the woman’s long mane of hair so she just hoisted the woman in her arms with her suit jacket placed at the back of her head in hopes that that would help stop the bleeding, before rushing towards the exit of the building.
Her high heeled feet protesting in pain from her brisk movements. She was thanking her lucky stars that she decided to forego her pumps for the day. She wanted to slow her pace, but the building fire was spreading far too quickly to worry about that. She felt the woman shift and release a small groan of pain. She felt sympathetic to the woman and the pain she was feeling.
"It's okay. We're almost there." Alex murmured. She could feel her arms burning from exertion and she's absolutely sure that if it weren't for her gym regimen and the fact that she found this woman on the ground floor that her arms would’ve given up on her and she would've dropped this woman from pure exhaustion alone.
Her adrenaline having long worn off in her hassle to leave the high floor she was on before the evacuation. Having been called in to bring coffee to one of her company’s directors. An asshole named Maxwell Lord.
She felt immense relief that she finally could see the building's entrance. They'd be far away from the fire and –
Alex could hear and see commotion where a few people still seemed to be loitering around the reception hall. A woman cradling a small child were being pulled towards the entrance by a man in black, but seemed to be struggling to get out of his grip to stay here and oh-
She must know the woman Alex was cradling.
They both seemed to be in hysterics.
"Lena?! Lena?!!! "
Alex was headed towards her direction and –
Wait...
That was her boss Sam and her daughter ruby. The male with them was someone Alex had never seen before. Now Alex was in a very low position compared to most others. As a PA in this company she was used to being overlooked and unnoticed by everyone, but Alex was okay with that. As long as she could pay the bills and have stable income then she couldn't complain. So it was no surprise that there was no recognition in her bosses eyes when she turned to face her, but the was immediate recognition and immense relief she expressed when she turned her gaze to the woman in her arms.
"Lena, thank God!” It was the first time Alex had ever seen her boss so distressed. She was always cool and composed. Now she seemed vulnerable and raw. Most people would be put off by the lack of concern, but Alex felt indifferent to it. Too many things in her life had made her used to the lack of concern for her well-being. Sam’s gaze was focused on her friend (Lena apparently) before her gaze shifted towards Alex.
Sam opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
"Ma'am!!! You need to evacuate the immediate area right now! The fire's out of control!!! "
Sam turned to the man in pure frustration and exasperation. “Don’t just stand here with me! Go help her!" She ordered him and pointed towards Alex.
"Right away ma'am." The man (who seemed to be a young, handsome firefighter) came up to Alex.
"I'll handle things from here ma'am."
Alex was reluctant to hand him the woman she was holding, but there was nothing else she could do. Her arms were shaking from exhaustion and the only reason she was still holding on to this woman was through pure will power alone. She also didn’t want to cause a scene in front of one her company’s higher ups.
Once the woman (Alex will think of her as Lena now) was placed in the man’s much more muscular arms (not like they did anything for Alex anyway) they all then rushed out of the building where the flames where apparent. Much, much more apparent.
Outside is just as chaotic as the inside was. People being rushed all over the place. Large crowds forming on the street and the fire department (that had seemed to have just recently arrived) seemed to be having the most difficult time battling against both the chaos the crowds were causing and the flames that were being spread by the company’s building. Sirens could be heard from where they were, meaning the local authorities were on their way.
Alex exhaled a heavy sigh. Feeling so exhausted at that very moment that it felt like she could fall asleep right where she was standing. She was starting to feel light headed and maybe she needed to sit down and –
“Hey! Can you hear me?” She turned towards the voice. That was right beside her and – oh it was Sam. What was she doing here? How long has she been standing there? Wasn’t there another woman that was supposed to be with her? What were they doing outside?
“I think you’re in shock. We need to get you…”
Alex could tell Sam was talking to her, but she couldn’t make out anything she was saying. She tried to speak, but it was at that very moment that she felt the whole world slip from right under her feet and the last thing she remembers seeing before complete darkness took over her was Sam’s concerned expression.