Chapter Text
The loud ringing woke you up from your nap, your eyes cracking open at the familiar ring tone. Your phone’s brightness was on max, your mom’s contact picture appearing after every ring.
You quickly wiped the drool off your chin, “Hello?” You answer, your voice cracking at the end, the fact that you just woke up obvious with how deep and confused your voice sounded.
On the other side of the phone, your mom giggled nervously. “Sorry to disturb your daily nap, sweetie! But I was hoping you could take care of your little brother for me again today?”
“Sure, sure,” you yawn, “what’s the occasion this time?” There was shuffling noises from your mom, before she began to rant about having a date with her current boyfriend who she believed was the love of her life.
You simply smiled while she yapped - your smile reflecting your amusement and content - amusement for the squeals your mom emitted in between rants and content knowing that she found someone who actually loved her for her personality and not for her ‘young’ and pretty looks.
Growing up, your mom had difficult taking care of you. She was a teen mom, a young, confused girl who was left to bear the burden without the presence of her parents or her boyfriend. Despite this, she learned how to become more of a responsible mom as you grew older, and was much more prepared after giving birth to your baby brother.
“Enough about me,” your mom’s tone of voice suddenly dropped to serious, “I’ve seen news on Facebook that there’s a group of rebels setting houses and trees on fire nearby your apartment,”
she inquired, and a brief picture of her sitting on her queen sized bed with her hair wrapped with towel and her fluffy robe tightly secured flashed in your mind. You held back a chuckle, “Ma, there has been no reports of fires near my area, my friends or neighbours would’ve informed me if there were.” You assured, earning a hum of disapproval from your mom.
“If I find out you’re lying.. you will be dealt with, young lady,” she jokingly threatened, but you could hear the concern and worry in her voice, making you smile softly.
“Mhm, Sure. And when are you dropping off Ezra?”
Your mom groaned in the background. “Maybe in about an hour or so? I’ll be using your bathroom to add some finishing touches to my make-up,” she added.
“Okayyy..” you reply sleepily, already used to her antics and last minute make-up touches. Your mom ended the call after wishing you a goodbye, leaving you in your room to sleep for another hour before your baby brother arrives.
A faint burnt smell entered your nostrils, but you quickly dismissed it the same time you registered it. Probably your neighbour burning their dinner again.
~~~
You sat on the floor of your apartment’s living room, your cute chubby baby brother, Ezra, giggling on your lap as you playfully tickled his belly, "Your Princess won’t be able to save you now," you whispered, your eyes crinkling with fondness when your baby brother screamed with laughter.
His laugh was a pure, joyful sound, and he was basically a blessing to you. That was one of the main reasons you loved being in charger when your parents went out at work.
You got to play games with your brother - whether they were games of dragons and knights, or hide and seek - they were always filled with giggles and laughter.
"Y/n, don't forget the baby monitor," Your mom hurriedly rushed, tripping on her way to the door, "And don't let Ezra eat the crayons!"
You let out a weary, but loving, sigh. "I know, Ma. I've got this, just go get your man.” You playfully quipped.
Your mom offered a grateful smile, “Thank you Hun. I love you and your brother, and don’t have too much fun without me!” She blew you a kiss before slamming the door shut.
You weren’t lying to your mom when you said you had the upper hand of the situation. You were practically a natural with your brother, even after moving away for college.
You knew how to make him laugh, how to soothe him when he cried, and how to get him to eat his vegetables by making airplane noises. He was your responsibility, and your absolute favourite person in the whole world.
After a while of playing, Ezra’s eyelids began to droop. He nestled into your side, his thumb finding its way into his mouth. You gently lifted him into your arms, carrying him down the hallway and into a room specifically decorated for him.
You laid him in his crib and pulled the blanket up to his chest. “Goodnight, my little knight,” you whispered, kissing his forehead.
Since Ezra had a habit of waking up at a random time, you decided to stay by him to put him back to sleep if he ever woke up, but your phone was out of battery due to playing nursery rhythms in the background for your brother.
Quietly, you tiptoed out of the room, leaving the door ajar. You walked to the living room, your head looking back and forth, only for there to be no charger in sight.
You grumbled under your breath, turning around to check your room. Your bare feet silently padded on the floor as you approached your room. A smile made its way onto your face when you spotted your charger lying on top of your bed.
That was when you heard it. The deafening roar of the explosion rattled the windows, making you freeze on the spot.
A wave of panic pierced through your heart, and your feet moved before you could even let the situation sink in, your charger long forgotten on top of your bed.
Your first thought was Ezra. Ezra, Get Ezra to safety. You raced down the hallway with the thought repeating in your mind again and again, your heart hammering against your ribs as the sound of the smoke alarm shrieked through your chaotic mind.
You ignored your ragged breathing, instead bursting into the room, your eyes instantly landing on Ezra’s trembling figure. He was sitting up in his crib, wide-eyed and terrified at the loud piercing sound of the smoke alarm.
“Ezra!” you cried, scooping him up into your arms. He immediately latched onto you, a small noise of fear escaping his mouth.
"It’s okay, bub, it’s okay," you reassured, your voice merely a whisper compared to the loud roar of the fire. Barely sending a glance to the smoke while running to fetch your brother, you know that the fire had started in the living room, swallowing your furnitures in one big, greedy gulp.
This was supposed to be a normal day, with your mom dropping off your baby brother at your apartment, whether it was because of work, a meeting, or for a date. Either way, it was a responsibility you had always worn with pride.
But now? It felt like a crushing weight - the responsibility of your brother’s small life resting entirely in your hands.
Not only was your phone dead, the flames also reached the front door by the time you managed to make your way through the smoke. Your only escape was blocked.
You hoped for a moment of peace, a chance to think to calm your panicking, but there was none. The room continuously echoed with cackles, the smoke nearly filling the whole apartment at an alarming speed.
You close your eyes, trying to remember what your teacher taught you back in Highschool. Never did you think you would have to use that information in your life.
(“Stay low, don’t breathe the smoke, and find an exit out.” Your teacher firmly repeated.)
You reopened your eyes. Your lips pulled into a frown, it was basically impossible for you to see through the thick wall of black smoke.
To sum it up, you can't see, nor can you you breathe properly. You’re most definitely fucked.
At this point, the instinct and need to protect your brother was the only reason you remained standing. But you knew you couldn’t just stand there. You had to move.
(Your brother’s tiny body isn’t able to withstand the amount of smoke entering his lungs. You failed to prove yourself as a responsible older sister.)
You retreated to the hallway, blindly following the path you knew by heart into an area that wasn’t entirely engulfed by the fire’s smoke. Seeing the current condition of your home only teared at your heart, your eyes welling with tears despite the dry environment.
Your apartment was practically unrecognizable. Your furnitures were now just burnt remains, and the once familiar, comforting scent of home was long replaced by the stench of smoke.
Suddenly, a terrifying groan echoed through the room - It didn’t sound like the fire’s cackle - but a deep, heavy sound of something huge collapsing. You look up, your eyes stinging from the rising smoke, and you’re met with the horrifying conditions of the ceiling above you.
The fire had left the ceiling deformed and covered in soot. A web of cracks suddenly formed across the ceiling, and in the blink of an eye, dust and black particles rained down on you.
Without another thought, you curled your body around Ezra, your arms a tight shield and your back a desperate wall against the falling debris. You covered his head with your hands, a final, futile gesture of protection.
A single, final roar tore through the air as the ceiling gave way. Then came a quick, burning pain right before the world went dark.
The last thing you felt was the soft flutter of Ezra’s breath against your neck, and in the darkness, a single, silent thought: He’s safe. Your little knight is safe.