Page 105 of Fighting Conviction
Ellie laughed again, and part of her wondered if she was getting hysterical, while the other part of her told her to shut up and keep going. She looked in the dark abyss below and couldn’t see a dang thing.
“Oh!” She stood up and turned on the light she’d been afraid to turn on while the Russian was there. A wooden ladder showed their escape.
“Come on, V. We gotta go.”
Her friend’s eyes opened a fraction and she held her right hand open for Ellie. Ellie went into a squat and scooped her friend up by the armpits to drag her the few feet to the opening. It was only big enough for one of them at a time and she knew Virginia wouldn’t be able to do it herself.
“V? I’m gonna do my best, but whatever strength you’ve got, I need you to use it now, okay?”
“‘Kay,” Virginia whispered.
Ellie got behind Virginia’s back and started to drop her into the darkness, hoping it wasn’t too far of a drop. Fire licked through the crack in the doors and her skin felt tight from the heat, but she focused on the cool sheen of sweat trying to protect her body.
Inch by inch, she dropped Virginia until Ellie was half in the hole herself. “Okay, I’m gonna drop you!” She let go and there wasn’t a big thump, so Ellie counted that as a win.
A loud creaking moved the walls around her.
“Gotta go, gotta go,” she repeated and swiveled her butt around to descend legs first.
The ladder whined from age and Ellie reached for the pantry wall to gain balance. The drywall burned her fingertips and Ellie yelped, pulling them back. Her momentum slid her down the ladder all the way, and she hung on with one hand until she was able to regain her footing, somehow not rolling her ankle on her heels. Ellie righted herself and followed the ladder down four more rungs before feeling the ground beneath her.
“Whew that was—”
A loud crash above her shook the world, and dust fell in a cloud from the ceiling. Ellie jumped over Virginia and protected her in case anything fell. She stayed huddled over her friend until the dust literally settled and the debris stopped collapsing around her.
Heat scratched at the thin fabric of the back of her dress and Ellie hissed at the sting. She felt the urge to turn around, but knew it would only slow her down. Still, in her mind’s eye, she imagined fire falling down the ladder, chasing her. The floor was cement, so at least there wasn’t anything for the fire to catch on and escalate.
Except for them. Ellie had to work fast to keep from becoming tinder.
“Keep movin’.” Ellie pushed her hair back. She stood and breathed through her nose, trying hard to ignore the bitter burned plastic odor.
The only good thing about the fire being inches away from her was that it put everything else around her in stark relief and she found her escape. The cellar doors.
Ellie dodged a falling ember and pulled Virginia by her waist until they were both underneath the cellar door. She turned to the doors above her and pushed. Only to meet resistance.
“You gotta be kidding me.”
The ceiling was low where the door was flat with the ground, so Ellie stooped to get into a modified squat lift. When she was in position, she used her feet to push with all her might against the ground with her back against the door.
Nothing.
She thought about screaming for help, but the fire behind and above her was so loud, she was sure if anyone was dumb enough to be in or around the house, they wouldn’t be able to hear her.
Better to use all my energy where it counts.
Ellie pushed her back against the door again, groaning with the effort but showing nothing for it.
“One more Ellie, you got this. Just one more.” She moved back to the best position and counted. “One… two…” On three, she pushed and screamed with the effort. The weight of the door disappeared, throwing half her body out of the cellar. But she was on the ground. Free.
Hands scooped under Ellie’s armpits and she yelped. She fought and screamed against the arms until she realized they were broken wings wrapping her in an embrace. Soft lips crushed against her forehead.
“Dev?”
“Angel, oh thank God.”
Dev’s hold tightened and she swung her arms around his neck. She looked up from his tattooed wings to see a figure in the smoke.
Ellie whispered against Dev’s neck, not entirely sure who she was talking to. “You found me.”
