Fulfillment by Golland, M. (best large ebook reader .txt) 📕

I turned back toward the stairwell and climbed anotherlevel.

I burstthrough the doors to my second story apartment then bent down lowto avoid the thicker smoke and to get a better visual of the spaceahead of me. I scampered toward our bedroom, all the while shoutingher name.

“Alexis!” Irepeated, painfully realising that she wasn’t there. “Alexis!”

I stumbledback out of our room, my lungs straining from the lack of oxygen,and my eyes begging for relief from the smoke. The radiant heatfrom the fires scorching blaze was also starting to find its way tothe second floor, making my plans to continue to search a hell of alot harder. I headed back to the stairwell door when I ran straightinto a firefighter.

“You need toleave, Sir. It’s not safe up here—” he shouted, just as anothersmaller explosion sounded.

“Alexis!” Iyelled while trying to barge past him, fighting his aggressiverestraint. “Fucking let me go, my fiancé is up here somewhere.”

“You need toleave. We’ll find her,” he said automatically, as he led me backinto the stairwell.

Otherfirefighters were coming up the stairs in single file.

“Bryce!” Iheard one of them call.

I looked upand noticed Derek lifting his breathing apparatus from his face.“Bryce, thank fuck you’re alright, Mate.”

“I’m notalright, Alexis is in there.” I looked back at the door, ready togo right back through it.

He grabbed myarm, forcefully. “I’ll find her, Mate.” Then he pushed past me andran inside.

“Sir, you needto come down to the next level.”

Coughing, Ifollowed the firefighter down to the next level where I leaned intothe wall, trying to catch my breath. She has to be alright, theyhave to find her. And, Gareth...Fuck! I couldn’t even thinkabout what may have happened to my cousin, just the thought of itmade me feel sick.

I lifted myhead to see a few firefighters exit the stairwell and few more taketheir place, but still no sign of Alexis, Gareth, or Derek. Ican’t do this, I can’t just fucking wait here. Just as I wasabout to go back up, a firefighter came out and grabbed his radio.“Confirmation: DB found.”

It was at thatpoint that my adrenalin levels plummeted and all hope I held leftme. I stumbled back against the wall and slid down it, putting myhands in my hair as I sunk to my knees. The unbearable grief thatoverwhelmed me tore at my heart, clawing me with its vicious dread.I knew too well that DB stood for Dead Body.

I was fuckingcursed, doomed, never allowed to love and be loved. This was mypenance, and I was going to absorb it and wear it for the rest ofmy life.

Crying and inpain, I rocked back and forth against the wall, desperately wantingto hold Alexis in my arms, feel her warmth, breathe in herintoxicating scent, and taste her mouth. I wanted to press heragainst me, lock her to my soul, never being able to let her go. Icould hear her voice calling out for me to help her and it torturedme even further, but it was a torture I would endure.

I covered myears and cried harder but her cries for me only grew louder.

“Can you hearthat?” One of the firefighters said to the other.

I lifted myhead from my hands and stared at the two men with confusion“What?”

Realising whatthey were suggesting, my heart beat became frantic, and everythingturned a deathly silence. I strained to hear what I didn’t want tolet myself believe I’d heard, because if it turned out to be falseI would die another thousand deaths. Then, I heard it again,Alexis’ cries for help. I stood up, and like magnetism, foundmyself taking steps closer to her pleas.

“Bryce!Anybody! Help!”

It wasunmistakable this time, it was Alexis.

“Theelevator,” the firefighter said. “It’s coming from theelevator.”

I threw myselfat the doors, desperate to pry them open. “Alexis! Can you hearme?”

“Bryce! I’m inhere. I’m in the elevator,” she called out.

Fuck me, she’salive. Her voice was like fucking music to my ears.

I’d gone fromfeeling overbearing grief to soaring relief in the space of a fewseconds and now I was as desperate as ever to get to my fiancé.

“Hold on,Hunny. We’ll get you out.”

She coughedand moaned. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I couldn’thelp but let out a laugh. A laugh at her impeccable timing, a laughat her endearing sarcasm and a laugh because I was so fuckingrelieved.

One of thefirefighters zipped open a bag and pulled out a crow bar. “Stepaside, Sir.”

Fuckingbullshit, I’ll step aside. He wedged it in between the doorsand began to pry them open. I didn’t hesitate and helped pull themapart, then reached into the cart. Alexis’ hand touched mine, andlike every single time beforehand, I felt like I’d been struck by abolt of lightning.

“Bryce,” shecoughed, as she latched onto my arm.

The elevatorhad stopped in between the level we were situated on and the onebelow, and the gap between the top of the cart and the floor of ourlevel was only a few feet wide. I looked down and could see herinnocent, terrified but relieved eyes staring back at me.

“Hunny, hangon.”

“Please, Sir,move aside, I’m going in. Ma’am move back against the wall.”

She did whatshe was told, then the firefighter lowered himself into theelevator. He quickly assessed her then boosted her up.

I secured herunderneath her arms, then shuffling back on my knees and slowlyrising to my feet, I lifted her free from the cart. “I’ve gotyou.”

She wiggledout till she was standing on her feet, then wrapping her armsaround my neck, she squeezed me tightly —it was the best feeling inthe world.

“You’re alive.You’re fucking alive,” I exclaimed as I ran my hands all over herbody just to make sure she was really in my arms.

She startedcrying and shaking and I felt her begin to go limp.

“She needs tosee a medic,” the firefighter said.

I had toagree, but I wasn’t about to let her out of my arms. “I’ll take herdown,” I replied just as Derek walked through the door that led tothe stairwell.

He wrenchedoff his helmet and breathing mask and wiped his face with his hand,looking relieved but confused. “Thank Christ for that,” he said ashe squatted down and fetched a water bottle. “Where?”

I pointed tothe elevator. Derek just shook his head