The deeper I get into the building, the more I feel the smoke and hot air getting into my lungs. It stings and burns like it's going to burn me from the inside, but I can't just let the guy die here, who saved me from a life of suffering. I will not let him die here.
"Shin? Shiiin?!"
I yell for his name but instead of hearing a response from him I hear the voice of a little child.
"Who are you?!"
I look around but I can't see anyone.
"Come out little one. I'm not gonna harm you. Have you seen a strange boy with white hair? Quite tall, very pale, he kinda looks like a ghost."
Instead of getting a response, a little boy steps out of the smoke. I didn't see him before, his skin is dark but it's grey and black from all the soot. He has burnings on his skin and his clothes have holes from the fire. His condition doesn't look good, but he doesn't look horrible and probably will survive if he gets out of here.
"Do you mean the prince? He looks beautiful. A bit like the moon, do you also think that?"
My eyes widen as he mentiones Shin. So he has seen him? Where is he? I need to get to him and then quickly out of here.
"Where is he?"
The boy shakes his head as if I did something wrong. Is it my attitude? I Never was good with children and he is still pretty young.
"Your skin is darker than his, your hair looks messy and too long, you have injuries all over your body. You look tired as well, are you his servant? You need to save him, as his grumpy servant!!"
Did I just get fronted by a 7 year old? What the hell Even was that??
I sigh as I bend down to the little one to tap his shoulder.
"I'm no one's servant, but I'm here to help him and the others, including you. If you want you can get on my back, but you need to bring me to your friends.. and Shin of course."
He hesitates as I say I'm not a servant, but as I say he can get on my back he immediately jumps on. It's probably not easy to walk with all those burnings on his body. I'm sorry for this little boy.
After only a few minutes of walking I can hear someone coughing. It's not the voice of a child this time, it's sounds like a rather older male voice. Is it Shin?
"Shin? Is it you?"
I yell through the room and I actually get a response this time.
"Jinsei?! What are you doing here? You should have ran away."
As I step closer to where I heard his voice I start to notice a few children lying on the ground. Are they still alive? They don't look like they are breathing.
After a few steps I see Shin. He is holding a little child in his arms and it looks like his leg got stuck under something. I can't really see what it is, but it doesn't look like he can stand up.
"What happened here?"
I ask, but he shakes his head. He lays the child on the ground and looks at me with a slightly hurtful look in his eyes.
I think he noticed the child on my back, because now he looks at me with a surprised and also kind of relieved expression.
"Has he brought you here?"
I nod as he asks that and bend down to try to help him. His leg is stuck, but he could get out if he just tries to lift up the thing. If he isn't strong enough I can help him.
"Help me to lift it up then we can go."
He shakes his head. Why is he shaking his head? I don't understand what he is doing. We could just go now, we can still make it.
"Why are you helping me?"
He asks with a slightly sad look on his face. Why am I helping him? I thought it's obvious.
I would feel guilty if that son of a bitch just dies because of a little fire. Isnt HE supposed to be the strongest? Why do I have to help an asshole like him? It's not like I'm a cruel person. I might not care about the death of a few people, but if he dies I'd feel guilty the rest of my life. He can die in another way if he wants, but not when I'm actually trying to help him.
"Felt like it."
He sighs and starts trying to lift up the thing on his foot. It's heavy, but as I try to lift it up as well it's working. He takes his foot out and stands up immediately. He doesn't directly step on his foot, it probably hurts. Maybe it's even broken?
It doesn't really matter what happened here to all the children, but I'm pretty sure they must be dead, since he is not looking back.
"Let's go."
He says and we make our way out of the building. The child on my back fell asleep, or maybe he fainted? He is still breathing at least.
As we step out of the almost fully burning building, the woman from before is running to me, crying and not being able to catch her breath.
As I shake my head, she probably gets that the children didn't make it. I take the only surviving kid from my back and give it in her arms. She cries as she holds him as if he is the last thing she can now rely on.
I look at Shin, but he just shakes his head. Probably as a sign for me to not say anything to her now. She probably needs this moment for herself.
I Never really know what to do in such emotional moments, so I just stand there, looking at her cry and clinging to the child.