Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound of a heart monitor echoed through his mind. The brightness that invaded his vision was almost blinding. Nothing was clear; everything was just made from blurry blobs. Only pieces of information registered in his mind.
"He's...responding... It's...worse, now. His...condition...not...close..." His head was pounding, making it even harder to concentrate. "...awake! Can...Ross? ...you...anything?" With every moment, Ross' eyes felt heavier. The pounding grew worse. Soon he was unconscious again, muffled voices becoming agitated and urgent as the monitor began to slow. There was only one thought that lingered in his mind; the whole cause of this that had happened merely yesterday...but he couldn't remember that.
"Ross! Ross, get up!" The man blinked open his eyes and saw his two friends standing over him. At first he was confused. Why were the two so nervous and on edge? The stench of smoke suddenly filled his lungs, causing him to cough heavily. His friends pulled his out of his bed quickly. The three made their way towards the door that lead to the stairs, but they were quickly blocked off by rubble and debris. The green man to his left peered past the debris, down at the ground; he was calculating the distance. He shook his head; apparently it was too far to jump, especially in their weakened state. Ross could feel the heat from the debris in front of them, lightly singeing his skin. His throat was burning as much as the raging fire he could see before them, the smoke causing him breathing troubles. The three moved away from the fire, standing nervously in the room.
"Alex? Can...hear us?" The voices awoke Smith from his slumber. He sluggishly moved his hand to his face, and that's when he noticed the wires. "...responding. He's...than Ross." He wasn't paying attention to everything they were saying until they mentioned his friend. The man tried to sit up, but pain shot through his body, rendering him unable to move.
"Chris...Ross..." Smith couldn't do anything, except from hoping and wishing that they are safe. He completely blocked everything else out – the doctors, the voices, the light, everything. All he could think about was his two best friends and their well being.
Smith, knowing a hell of a lot about fire, ran through his thoughts. The problem was he only knew how to start them. However, his will to protect the others made him think faster. Ross' almost constant coughing worried him; it had been getting worse with every moment. He took out a handkerchief and tied it around the architect's face. He noticed the gratitude flash in Ross' ever dulling eyes. It wouldn't be long before he'd lose consciousness, Smith thought. He caught Trott's gaze as he scanned the room. They needed to do something. Otherwise they'd just be left to the mercy of the flames. He watched as Trott moved over to the balcony, keeping Ross upright. It was lucky Trott had spent a few hours working on the building when the two were away. The walrus hybrid called over to the two, who moved quickly towards him. The flames almost licked at their fleeing forms, soon taking over the room they had just previously been in. Smith pulled the doors shut, trapping the fire inside...for now. He looked at his friends, and noticed Ross was kneeling on the ground. He almost sounded like he would cough all his organs out at this rate. Smith ripped the handkerchief away from his face, allowing him to breathe fresh air. The mage sat beside his coughing friend, glancing up at Trott.
Trott stared blankly at the doctors in front of him. He was in a lot better state than his other two friends; he was already sitting up and conscious. He didn't feel the need to fall back to sleep, either. However, it didn't mean he was completely with it. Instead of answering the doctors when they asked questions, he would either go on about his friends, asking how they were, or he would ramble on about their home. Even though he had no physical injuries, it seemed it would take some time to repair himself mentally and emotionally.
"Chris, you need to answer the questions." A doctor sat beside his bed, trying to get his attention. Nothing had worked – clicking fingers, clapping, waving in front of his eyes, physical contact, saying his name...nothing seemed to break him from this little trance he had gotten himself into. He only reacted to one thing – hearing his friend's names. This brought a blink, a twitch, a gasp from the traumatised man. Then he would return to silence or rambling.
The walrus hybrid was busy trying to find a way to get down. It would take too long to mine down through their home, and there was no way to jump down safely. It would end up with them dead or permanently injured – most likely in Ross' case dead. They didn't have anything from their storage system or any useful tools. Nobody really knew how the fire started either. Neither Smith nor Trott had been there when it started, and Ross was asleep in his room. It just seemed to appear from nowhere, claiming rooms with ease. The heat was already beginning to burn through the doors that had attempted to contain it. Trott quickly turned to his friend when he heard the green man swear. It seemed he hadn't realised how close the flames were getting, allowing his back to be licked by said flames. Smith helped Ross onto his feet who, although his coughing fits had slowed, was in no fit condition. Ross felt lightheaded, using Smiffy for support constantly. Trott closed his eyes, trying to think. How would they get out of this? What could they do? A sudden idea struck the walrus, just as the flames burst through the doors. In the front area of their base was a water source. If they could build over to it, then they would be able to jump in and reduce much of the damage. He conveyed this plan to Smith - Ross was too lightheaded and confused to be paying much attention - who nodded and agreed. There wasn't much else they could do, and it was the best chance they had.
Trott and Smith gathered all the blocks they had together, and began building a bridge. Smiffy held Ross close to him, making sure he wouldn't stumble and fall off the edge; one small slip and he'd be dead. The bridge stopped just a few blocks out of reach of the water. Trott turned back to Ross, trying to find out if he had any blocks. It took many attempts to even get a response, before finally he gave him some of his marble. Trott made a platform above the water, glancing back at their base. Almost all of it was aflame now; only the highest peak was yet to be claimed. In any other situation, Smiffy would've loved watching the chaos. But it was their own base, their home. Now they had nothing. Trott turned back to the water, suddenly feeling nervous. A slight bit of vertigo hit him as he realised how far he would fall. He heard Smiffy urge him on, glancing back at the two. Ross was extremely pale, even looking like he would be unconscious any second. There were a few burn marks on his face and hands – the areas that had been facing the fire before. Trott blinked, remembering that he couldn't just stand around. He counted himself down, stepping off of the platform. For a split second he thought he would die. The sudden impact in the water winded him slightly, causing a little struggle to reach the surface. However, he soon got out, glancing up at his friends. Both he and Smith knew that Ross wouldn't survive the fall alone. Smith told Ross to hold tight to him, as tight as he could, while he neared the edge. Smith could feel his heart racing. It was probably adrenalin. His arms were wrapped closely around the architect's weak figure. He had to jump; Ross needed medical attention and he certainly wouldn't get it up here. He'd soften the fall, using his own body to take the impact. Smith nodded, praying to whatever God there were that they would be ok. Then he dropped.
"...condition had been worsening since he got in." Trott felt an arm around his shoulders as he sat outside the emergency room. Even though he wasn't mentally fit to be discharged, the doctors had allowed him and Smith out to sit by Ross' room. Smith's arm was comfortingly around the smaller man's shoulders. The two feared for the worse, especially after hearing the doctor's diagnosis of their friend. It seemed like the worst would happen. When Trott began thinking about this, he couldn't stop the tears that formed. Smith gently pulled his friend closer, his hand gently squeezing the other's arm. "He's alive, for now. But unconscious. It's...doubtful he will recover fully...if he recovers at all." Trott squeezed his eyes shut, never wanting to open them to see the truth. He missed part of what the doctor said, trying to forget everything and imagine them home. "...now, if you like." He opened his eyes when Smith stood up. Trott stood up too, assuming they could see their friend. The doctor opened the door, and the two immediately walked in.
Beep...
Beep...
...Beep...
...Beep...
The impact was sudden and painful; Smith's back taking the full force of the fall. Trott dived in to retrieve the two, pulling them onto the shore. Ross just lay beside the lake, almost dead. His body wasn't moving; he wasn't even coughing anymore. Nothing. He wasn't responding as his friends called his name, he didn't even move or react to them touching him. Smith's hands were around one of his, while Trott had the other grasped in his. They were scared. Nothing would be more painful than losing their friend, after everything they've been through together. Trott pressed his ear against the architect's chest, faintly hearing his heart. He glanced at Smith, whose eyes looked slightly shinier than before. The mage squeezed Ross' hand tighter, wishing that he would give some kind of response. Trott suddenly had an idea, again, cupping his hands as he retrieved some water from the lake they just jumped into. It should be safe enough to drink. He gently poured some into Ross' mouth, which moved slightly. Soon after, Ross' coughing fits began again, but only for a while. The two glanced at each other, smiling slightly as they saw their friend was a little better.
As before, Smith took one of Ross' hands while Trott took the other. They sat either side of the bed, listening to the ever slowing heart monitor. Trott almost wished he could just destroy it; it didn't help with their feelings in the slightest. Ross barely responded to their touch, but his eyes did open a crack.
"Mate? You alright?" Of course he wasn't. Smith was just trying to get him to speak. Ross made undistinguishable noises, mostly quiet groans or mumbles. "We're both here. You'll be ok." The weak man's lips moved slightly, trying to form words. It just seemed like too much effort. Trott rest his head against the architect's body, his face pressed against the bed. His face was wet with tears; why did it have to be like this? His body was shaking from sadness, his hands holding onto Ross' tightly. The life was leaving him. This was the end.
...Beep...
...Beep...
...Be-...
The monitor flat lined. And Chris screamed.
A/N: [2,009 words] o.o Wow. Just...wow. I also wish the '...' would carry on for longer, but it wasn't allowed. The '...' was supposed to represent the time between beeps. But, seems like I couldn't xP And the gaps between the doctor's words to indicate how much they lost. Oh well. Also, heads up, I might be doing some more Hat Films fanfics for a while. I'll continue writing Tainted Revenge/YogFics, but I've got an urge after reading so many Hatfics to write my own. So, just heads up if you don't particularly want to read them. They'll all be in one place (hopefully) anyway.