Page 74 of Grave Expectations
I opened my eyes again and peered down at the creature at my feet, its long pink tongue lolling out of its mouth. It panted and looked up at me, waiting for instruction.
"Go," I told it. "Save me from that man."
It sat on its haunches and tilted its head to the side.
"Go, imp!" I pointed in the direction of the kiln.
Its gaze followed my hand, still holding the pendant, but when I returned it to my side, the imp once again merely peered up at me like a dog waiting for its mistress to throw a stick.
Flames flared in the corner of the factory, licking at the barrels and crates. They'd caught alight quickly thanks to the newspaper, and the fire was in danger of spreading to the sacks filled with powder. It would run out of fuel soon and burn itself out without spreading.
Holloway might even now be heading to me. I had to direct the imp to stop him somehow. If only I could be sure it wouldn't kill him.
"What have you done?" Holloway's high-pitched cry came from the other side of the kiln. "This entire place will go up!"
I was about to tell him it was just a small fire when an explosion boomed. Glass shattered. Wood splintered. I fell to the floor and covered my head as another explosion ripped through the warehouse, sending shards of wood flying about. It felt as if the building itself shook.
Holloway shouted obscenities over the roar of the fire that now engulfed all the barrels and crates and danced along the beams above. "The powder is explosive!" he shouted. "We're both going to die, you stupid girl!"
Something pulled at my sleeve and for a moment I thought it was Holloway, but it was the imp, urging me to get out.
I glanced toward the kiln, only to see that one side of it had collapsed, the bricks strewn around the base. The chimney bowed, in danger of falling. I scrambled further away from it, drawing the imp with me.
Yet another explosion shook the factory. I pulled the imp against my chest, protecting it, momentarily forgetting it was supposed to protect me. I glanced up just in time to see the chimney shudder then crumple in on itself. Dust mushroomed up to the ceiling and blocked out light from the windows and flames. The almighty crash drowned out the roar of the fire, but only for a moment.
The imp and I huddled on the floor. No sound came from the other side of the chimney rubble, only the roar of the fire. It had taken hold of most of the warehouse now, filling it with black billowing smoke that smelled bitter and stung my eyes. That powder had been noxious as well as flammable.
Someone shouted from the doorway: "Anyone inside?"
Holloway didn't answer.
I opened my mouth to shout back but only managed a splutter. Smoke clogged my throat and chest. I coughed and coughed until my body hurt. I tried to breathe, but the hot, smoky air only made me cough harder.
The imp's claw grasped my collar and lifted it over my nose and mouth. I gasped in a breath. It wasn't pure air but it was enough, for now.
The imp tugged my sleeve again, trying to pull me toward the door. I pocketed the pendant and headed the other way. On hands and knees, I crawled around the pile of bricks that had formed the chimney. I couldn't see anyone through the smoky haze.
I searched the rubble, pushing aside debris. Another coughing fit overtook me, but I didn't stop. The imp kept tugging and tugging, whimpering like a puppy. But I couldn't leave yet. I had to know.
I tossed bricks aside, revealing a booted foot and a trouser leg. The rest of him was buried beneath the rubble. I shook his foot, but there was no response.
"Holloway!" The word felt like a shard of glass in my throat, and was barely audible. I shook his foot again.
He didn't respond. Didn't move. He was gone.
The imp pulled harder on my sleeve. Then its head jerked back suddenly, as if it had heard a noise on the roof. I glanced up, just in time to see the flames eat through one of the rafters. With an agonised groan, the massive black beam fell straight for me.
Chapter 15
Idived to the side, covering my face, but I knew it wouldn't be fast enough or far enough to save myself from the falling timber.
Yet the wooden beam didn't hit me. I looked up to see it land harmlessly on the pile of bricks a few feet away. The imp, now the size of a horse, stood on its hind legs. I hardly had time to consider what had happened when a creak and another monstrous groan from above signaled the imminent collapse of the ceiling. I scrambled to my feet. The imp grabbed my hand and pulled me after it. It was strong, and I couldn't have resisted even if I'd wanted to.
More beams fell. Roof tiles crashed onto the rubble. I ducked whenever a beam came close, but it wasn't necessary. The imp batted them away as if they were merely twigs, flinging them around the room. Without it, I would have been crushed.
It hauled me toward the open door. I stumbled through, coughing uncontrollably, and barreled into a man.
"Steady, miss. Blimey! Didn't know anyone was in there."
