Page 67 of Burn Like An Angel

He accepts the thick coat, quickly looping it around himself. Xander hoists the backpack higher on his shoulder then begins to deftly hoist himself up, link by link, causing the fence to groan.

At the top, he drops the backpack over the other side. It lands with a hollow thunk. Xander braces himself in place to spread the parka over the spikes, offering some minor protection.

“Alright,” he calls down. “Nox.”

Stepping up, Lennox follows his lead. It’s a torturously slow process, heaving himself up each inch with his bad hand curled into his chest. I internally panic each time he falters, almost losing his grip.

Halfway up, Xander stretches out a hand, intending to grab him. Lennox tentatively raises his injured limb, allowing Xander to snag his wrist above the bandage and pull.

“What’s happening?” Raine asks anxiously.

“Xander has him. They’re almost over.”

The pair tackle the top together, Xander guiding Lennox over the spiked barbed wire, now hidden beneath feather-filledfabric. Lennox grunts when a sharp tip pierces through the coat and catches his inner leg.

“A few steps down then jump,” Xander advises from his perch. “I’ve got Raine.”

Knowing that’s my cue, I nudge Raine forward. “You’re up.”

He folds his guide stick then tucks it into his waistband, taking small steps forward. I help him hook his fingers into the criss-crossed metal and locate his first foothold.

“Go slow. Xander will grab you, alright?”

“Sure,” Raine chirps. “Fucking brilliant.”

“I’ll catch you if you fall.”

“I’d crush you, guava girl.”

“I’d let you do that too.”

With a tiny, forced smile, he starts to move. The process of feeling out each slot to nudge his foot into is painstaking. Raine has to blindly locate each metal link all while finding where to put his hands.

“Higher,” I call to him. “Left foot.”

“Almost there,” Xander adds, still teetering up high.

When Raine’s foot slips and he begins to fall, the scream trapped in my chest surges to the forefront. My vision narrows to the sight of him plummeting.

“Not so fast!”

Grabbing a covered spike for better balance, Xander swoops his top half low to reach Raine. I watch his mouth contort in an agonised grimace. He just manages to grab the scruff of Raine’s t-shirt to steady him.

“Raine!” Lennox bellows.

He dangles for a horrifying split-second until his feet miraculously find a hold. Raine flattens himself against the security fence, gulping down air.

“Move,” Xander shouts in a strained voice. “Now!”

I can see blood pouring from Xander’s palm from here, the bright-red spill trailing down his forearm and elbow in swirling ribbons. He’s clutching a spike to stop Raine from falling.

Lennox’s face drains of colour as he watches in clear horror, unable to intervene. We can only stand and fret as Raine resumes climbing, step by treacherous step.

“Are you bleeding?” I hear him exclaim.

“Climb over, dammit.”

“I can smell your blood, Xan!”

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