Striding forward into the danger zone's bright glare, sirens howling urgently around him, Reggie felt long dormant instincts reawakening. Adrenaline pumped strength into sinews, senses heightening exponentially. Nearby voices and chaotic background noise faded until only throbbing heartbeats echoed clearly.
Like following familiar song lyrics, Reggie tuned his supernatural hearing towards a particular beloved rhythm - Blake's, drumming slower and fainter than normal but undeniably present floors above. This was it, he reminded himself that he had to do everything to rescue Blake else he would hate to find out what Rose would do. Right then, his senses were on overdrive. Reggie was in his element.
"I got a lock on you, my friend. Now to bypass these obstacles between us before smoke extinguishes your fading beacon,"
Approaching the imposing tower entrance, another thought struck Reggie. All human attempts at breaching inside had failed so far against raging pressurized heat melting door handles. But perhaps an alternate route existed for one immune to such frailties...
With no witnesses nearby, Reggie embraced his vampire gifts fully at last. Form blurring abruptly to shadow, he gained entrance through side ventilation ducts instead. Swiftly navigating the burning labyrinth now, Reggie's vaporous aspect flowed past licking flames unfazed. Patrols combing lower emergency stairwells went past him equally unnoticed.
He simply drifted higher following Blake's distressed heartbeat tugging him forward unerringly.
But even preternatural endurance waned against intensifying inferno conditions. Bloody sweat beaded Reggie's forehead reconstituting solid halfway up the central executive wing. He knelt gasping amidst searing waves, clawing back slippery mortal consciousness.
"What is this heat? It's not normal fire!" Reggie coughed himself as the heat intensified. For someone of his nature, very few things could bring him to his knees like this. It was basically going to take a miracle or magic to have him struggling the way he was which made him think, perhaps this fire wasn't normal to begin with because even Rose's shock said it all.
He couldn't remain there though. He urged himself, just a little farther now.
"Blake!" Reggie shouted desperately past scalded lungs. Only garbled coughing echoed back, the office suite mere feet away but key coded against all entry. Staggering closer, Reggie braced to rip the stubborn doors open through brute force alone.
Until sudden blessed recollection saved crucial seconds - Rose always shared access passwords "in case of emergency." Cracking the too simple sequence immediately, he tried to push it open but the doors wouldn't bulge.
What then was keeping the doors locked?
Reggie pushed with all his might but still couldn't open the door.
Just then in the steering heat, beads of sweat pouring down his face with precious time ticking away, he noticed something on the door handle.
"A spider string?"
It was then, amidst the oppressive heat, that Reggie's perspiration-soaked brow caught sight of something unusual on the door handle.A spider string, almost ethereally tiny and seemingly invincible, danced in the stifling air. . It was imbued with an ancient power designed to repel force and remain virtually undetectable.
Finally, impossibly - open night air greeted them. Reggie could have wept with relief stumbling past exhausted firefighters, Blake clutched safely against his chest. Shadows mercifully swallowed the haunted tower fading behind as medical teams swarmed.
Collapsing together on cool asphalt, a breathless litany tumbled from Reggie's scorched lips. "We did it my friend...I promised you would return to Rose...we did it, we did it..."
Reggie hardly registered Blake staring up at him in stunned disbelief. Ragged coughing gave way to urgent whispers instead as strength slowly returned to Blake's smoke-ravaged body.
"Reggie, how? ...How did you...the doors, the flamesl..." Blake stuttered as he began to slowly come to.
Reggie froze, adrenaline fading to dread as Blake gripped his arm with sudden fierce strength. In all the harrowing chaos, his vampiric abilities had surfaced uncontrollably at last before an all too coherent witness in form of Blake.
"Talk to me. How are you not dead?" Blake asked, more curious than hurt. He was mainly taken out by the heat and smoke. Luckily, the fire hadn't gotten to him before Reggie arrived.
His violent coughing was interrupted, drawing medics over in concern to treat his severe smoke inhalation. They eased oxygen tubes over his smoke covered face, patiently waiting to transport him to intensive care for recovery. But Blake's gaze remained locked unnervingly with Reggie's throughout, burning for answers to what supernatural feats rescued him from the inferno's jaws tonight.
Icy certainty gripped Reggie then, the truth dawning at last. No more concealing his secret and perhaps Rose's nature from those sworn into perilous confidence.
'Rose sheltered my existence in kind faith decades now. And Blake loves her with a heart to rival my own fierce loyalty,' The time for transparency stood inevitably before him.
Grasping Blake's hand tightly through the ambulance doors, he held his questioning eyes with grave promise. "I will explain everything soon, my friend. For now, rest easy knowing that Rose awaits your safe return into her care once more."
Those seemed to be the magic words of reassurance Blake required. With a weary but peaceful sigh, he collapsed against gurney straps finally surrendering to total exhaustion. As emergency vehicles peeled off into the night, Reggie raised haunted eyes towards Shelley Tech one last time. What fresh schemes had ignited this nearly tragic disaster tonight?
****
*Author note*
Please guys support in any way you can.
Gifts will be very appreciated
Golden tickets as well will be welcomed
Power stones would be great!