Pen in the Stone – A fictional tale

The smoke made it almost impossible to breathe. Her arms felt like the fire that burned them.

Her eyes felt impossibly worse, but maybe that was her legs. She saw a figure approaching her; and she wanted to call out, but she couldn’t, no matter how hard she tried. The figure said nothing; they simply picked her up and carried her out of the flame-ridden school.

“Female, seventeen, third-degree burns on her arms and legs! She needs oxygen!” Someone called out. The voice was harsh; and unconsciously, she shied away from its noise.

“Baby! Claudia, please!” She knew that voice as her mother’s.

“We need to get her to the hospital, now!” Harsh, as she nicknamed him, said.

She was set on something bed-like, and pain rushed through her causing her to whimper.

“Sh…” a kind voice said, “Everything will be okay. Just sleep, and all the pain will disappear.”

She shook her head, causing another wave of agony.

“Ma’am, you need to stay still.”

“Can’t you see she’s scared? She was just trapped in a chemical fire!”

“I understand that, but she could hurt herself even more.”

There was a long pause, before her mother’s voice rang out, “Go with her.”

“What?” Kind asked.

“Go with her, I already know that she feels safe with you. We’ll meet you at the hospital.”

There was no response from any voice, but she felt her body being moved. Doors were shut and an engine was started.

“We’re going to put a tube in your mouth to help you breathe, okay?” Harsh said.

She turned her head away, despite the torture of the movement.

“They have to, hon,” Kind said.

She knew there was only one option, and she spoke the word with much struggle, “Coma.”

“That’s not necessary,” Harsh said with a slight chuckle.