Nemesis Chapter 14

Nemesis Chapter 14

Nicholas threw all caution to the wind as he sprinted toward the burning building.  It didn't even matter anymore if anyone saw him.  All he could think about was finding Shannon and getting her out safely.

The initial blast had blown the front door open.  Nicholas took a deep breath and ran through the space where the door had been.  The flames licked the curtains to the right of the doorway; he could feel the intense heat coming from them.

"Shannon!" he called out, his voice hampered by the smoke in the air. At first, he couldn't see her, and he felt himself start to panic. Then, he spotted her to his left, running away from him and toward the rear of the building.

She was running by an open window when suddenly Nicholas saw something fly through it and land right beside  her.

"Look out!"  he gasped. 

He raised his left arm to cover his head, still running toward his teammate but leaving a wide berth between himself and the object.  Seconds later a terrific explosion shook the building, and both Nicholas and Shannon were knocked to the floor.

Because Nicholas had anticipated the blast and was a further distance away, he was only briefly stunned.  He quickly got back to his feet as the flames shot higher and higher into the air.

The fire seared his lungs as he searched frantically for Shannon.  As he approached the back door, he saw her lying crumpled in a heap.  With no time to waste worrying about being careful, he quickly scooped her up and stumbled out the back door.

Nicholas' gut told him that whoever had thrown the incendiary device might be looking to see if they had survived.  He knew he had to find a temporary hiding place.  His eyes were still stinging and watering from the blaze and it was hard to see, but finally he managed to discern a small thicket of trees off to the right.  He carried Shannon into the undergrowth, laid her gently at the base of one of the trees, and collapsed beside her, his chest heaving from smoke and exertion.

After taking just a moment to catch his breath, he turned his attention to his partner, and his stomach lurched. She was still unconscious.  There were dark patches on her face - Nicholas couldn't tell if it was bruising or the soot from the fire.  Quickly he checked her vital signs and sighed with relief that she was still alive, although her pulse was rapid and thready and her breathing was labored.

Nicholas gently brushed Shannon's singed hair back away from her forehead and then laid his hand against her cheek.  It was hot to the touch.

"Shannon?"  he whispered.  "Shannon, can you hear me?"  She did not respond.

Nicholas heard something that sounded like a car door coming from the direction of the now decimated building, and his muscles tensed.  He sat still, hardly daring to breathe, until he heard an engine roar to life and then move away from them.  He let his pent-up air out in a heavy gasp and focused once again on his still-unconscious teammate.

She needs medical attention now, he thought in desperation. Shannon had been thrown to the floor in the explosion; there was no telling what kind of internal injuries she had suffered, not to mention the obvious damage to her lungs.  And Nicholas certainly had no equipment to render any first aid here in the field.

He reached in his pocket for his communicator, then cursed as he realized he didn't have it.  He must have left it in the car when he'd heard Shannon's cry and rushed after her, he mused.  Briefly, he thought about trying to carry Shannon to the car, but decided against it.  He knew that his lungs were not in great shape, either, and he'd never make it there with her.

Again he checked his friend's pulse and respiration.  God, he hated to leave her!  But there was no other choice; he had to bring the car to her - or, at least, find his communicator and call Jim.

"I'll be right back," he told her, caressing her cheek, as if she could hear him.  Then he took off running toward where he'd parked the car.

Halfway there, he had to stop to catch his breath, but despite the searing pain from his own fire-damaged lungs he kept running.  Finally he reached the car he'd used to follow Shannon.  He tried the door.

It was locked.  The keys, which he'd foolishly left dangling in the ignition, were gone, and so was his communicator. 

Nicholas cursed aloud.  He was stranded in the middle of nowhere, with a badly injured teammate, and no idea how to get out of his predicament in time to save her.