Page 170 of Burn Like An Angel

“We can’t just go out there,” Lennox shouts over the sounds of destruction. “We’re under fire!”

“Service exit.” Warner draws the weapon from his gun holster. “Second floor. Car’s outside. Go, go!”

All clinging together, we race down the levels, passing other startled residents battling to escape. Chaos is fast unfolding. The apartment block is huge with countless lives now caught in the crosshairs.

Ripley almost trips in her hurry to get downstairs as fast as possible. I lunge to catch her before she can go flying down several flights of steps. She steadies in my arms, barely able to breathe.

“Shit,” she wheezes in panic. “Xan!”

“Keep moving, goddammit!”

My grip on her bicep doesn’t relent. We escaped the dense black smoke and flames only to run into herds of people flooding out, heeding the warning to find the nearest exit. I can’t risk losing her in the melee.

“This is insane!” Ripley shrieks. “Why attack so blatantly?”

“Figure that out when we’re secure!”

Warner darts ahead, waving for us to follow when we reach the second floor. While everyone else heads for the main exit below, we wind around the staircase to head deeper into the building.

Lennox is now hauling Raine each step, ensuring he doesn’t hit anything. We follow closely, keeping a wary eye out for anyone who decides to infiltrate the building.

“There.” Warner points towards a service door marked with a sign. “Should be steps leading down to the back of the building.”

He wrenches the door open, ducking his head outside for a cursory glance. After a beat, Warner takes a tentative step outside with his gun raised, ready to fire off a round into the first person who stops us.

“It’s clear. Follow me.”

I hold Ripley back. “Bring up the rear behind Lennox and Raine. I’ll go first.”

“So you can get shot first?” she hisses back.

“If necessary, yes! Don’t argue!”

Shoving her behind me, I step in front of them and follow Warner. Ripley has the good sense to heed my instructions, moving to the back of our group.

I step outside, surveying the concrete slab wrapped around the apartment block. It’s littered with communal bins and broken down cardboard boxes that are piled up, set to be recycled.

Not a single assailant.

For now.

Warner gestures towards his SUV, clicking the key fob. “In! Now!’

The exit steps are made from thin, inflexible metal sheets. This door is clearly only used for building maintenance. It’s a tight squeeze to fit us all as we rush to reach ground level.

“Let me help you!” Lennox insists, pulling Raine down the steep steps. “We don’t have time.”

Reaching the ground, we take a split second to check each other over before racing towards Warner’s parked car. The sound of erupting glass and raging fire is deafening.

A quick glance up reveals that the flames have spread, now consuming several apartments surrounding ours. Our attackers didn’t seem to consider the collateral damage of their firebombs. Or they simply didn’t care.

“In the back!” Ripley throws open the door for Lennox. “Hurry!”

They both help Raine into the car. I climb into the passenger seat, all my focus fixed outside. Still nothing. Distant sirens are now wailing, adding to the mayhem rattling my brain.

Warner clambers behind the wheel, stashing his weapon in the door. He throws the car into gear then takes off in a squeal of tyres, causing us all to be slammed back in our seats.

“I didn’t think Jonathan’s surveillance was that sophisticated,” he mutters to himself. “We should’ve moved you days ago, before the raid went down.”

---