Page 57 of Zenith
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Iwatchedin open-mouthed horror as Bertha fell through the air.
For a long moment, it seemed as if time slowed down, then, all at once, it sped up. She collided with the ground, her limbs flopping like a rag doll, her head smacking the gravel with acrackthat could be heard over the roar of the flames.
There were cries of horror all around me as I stared at the broken body of Bertha Mason. She’d just split apart like a soft fruit… I swallowed hard as my stomach rolled, then my gaze went back to the roof.
Edward was gone, but he wasn’t emerging from the house. I waited a full minute, blocking out everything else around me, but still, he did not appear.
He’d rushed into that house to save the woman who was the cause of so much pain to him. He wanted to save her despite the things her affliction had caused her to do. He could not leave her. I wasn’t sure if it was his own kind of madness that caused him to go in there, but I knew I had a duty to him, as well.
I ran after the failed wedding when I should have stayed. I cast him aside when he said he might not be able to love me completely. I was a fool. I allowed my own self-righteousness to tear us apart. He was my one true love…
He was my one true love, and I could not leave him.
Without a second thought, I ran forward, my boots thudding heavily on the ground as I sprinted toward Thornfield, driven by some unknown force. I’d always felt spirits haunted this place long past, and perhaps that was what gave me the energy to face my fear when I most needed it. I’d acknowledged their presence and paid homage to them time and time again, and now they were helping me. Or perhaps it was just my love for Edward that drove me to rush headlong into what could only be described as certain death.
Or perhaps we were all a little mad deep down.
“Jane!” Alice shrieked behind me. “Jane!”
I didn’t listen. I was beyond it, my feet driven by a supernatural force I hardly understood.
I burst into the main gallery, ducking low as I entered. Smoke was everywhere, obscuring my vision and clogging my lungs. I coughed even as I drew in breath attempting to fill my lungs with pure, clean air, but I could not find any.
“Edward!” I yelled. “Edward!”
All around was orange, the heat unbearable as the flames bore down on me.
“Jane!”
My heart soared as I saw Edward at the top of the stairs, but my hope was short-lived as I realized half the structure had collapsed, cutting him off from his escape.
“Edward!” I cried. “You must jump!”
“Get outside,” he pleaded. “Please, Jane, I cannot lose you.”
“And I cannot lose you!” I almost stamped my foot in a temper. “Now, for goodness sake, jump!”
He eased himself off the edge, dipping under the broken banister. Grasping the edge, he lowered his body gently toward the ground floor, but it would still be a fair drop. He dangled, steeling himself, then let go.
His feet hit the ground hard, and his knees buckled. Overhead, a burning beam began to splinter, and he glanced up in a panic, attempting to right himself before it came down upon him, but it was too late.
The beam cracked, and in a shower of sparks, it fell. It struck Edward, causing him to fall heavily on his back.
I cried out, my heart thudding painfully in my chest, and moved further into the flames to find him. We were so close to freedom…
As the smoke billowed and cleared some, I saw him on the floor. He wasn’t pinned by the structure, but he seemed to be either dazed or unconscious. Either way, he wasn’t moving.
At that moment, I didn’t think. I couldn’t lest I crumble in fear and burn beside my love. In a burst of fear-induced adrenaline, I rushed forward and grasped his legs, using all my strength to drag him clear of the flames. I couldn’t wait for help as no one was coming inside the building now, not even the firefighters. It was up to me to get us out of here. Plain, little Jane Eyre.
Smoke filled my lungs, burning them from the inside, and I fell beside him, coughing uncontrollably. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have enough strength to get him outside.
“Edward!” I yelled, shaking him. “You must get up! Please!”
He moaned, and when his head lolled to the side, I saw the extent of the damage the beam had done when it had struck him.
The left side of his face was blistered, his eye half open and red…
