There's hope

"No!!" Andrew's voice echoed in the building that Thea actually sat up in alert.

The timer that was facing her began it's count. She tried to move away but the layers and layers of fuel making it harder than it was. Her muffled voice screamed out for Andrew but it couldn't get anywhere.

Her eyes locked on the timer again as it click 9 mins.

"Help... anybody!" Her muffled voice wanted to scream but everything looked like she wasn't saying anything. Her body full of sweat and her heart pumping with so much intensity. Panic sets it when she finally drew a conclusion.

She was gonna die!

"Ashton! Andrew! Anybody...let me out of here!" At least that was what she tried to say.

---

Ashton gripped the hand of the nurse that had been treating him for the past 5mins now. He had found the strength to say something at least.

"Thea, I have to get to Thea," he lifted himself to a sitting position.

"Mr. Ryder sir, we are on the way to see her, you are unwell-" Ashton pulled the drip out of his hands.

"Why is the car so God damned slow?!" He growled at no one in particular.

"Mr. Ryder sir, you don't need to-" Zachary gripped Ash's hand as he attempted to take his foot off the bed.

"Lay for a minute, you can barely stand. I came with the police and we are on our way to that site you formally you wanted to take down months ago. Mr. Peterson says he has an intuition she will be there,"

"And if she isn't?" Ashton asked and for a minute there, Zachary thought.

"If she isn't there...." He started. "Let's not come to that Ashton," the man frowned. "She will be there,"

"He isn't even sure...arghhh!" He gripped his head wincing in pain.

"See, it's all you, you worry alot, Peterson is in the car we came, ahead of us with police men, they'll stop him before something bad happens."

---

"No Thea," the man winced in pain as he found the strength to pull out whatever was stuck in his thigh. Jace through the remote control down the unprotected space that fell all the way down.

"We will all die Andrew, you, me and the girl up the floor."

Growling angrily, he ran into Jace knocking him off his stance and sending him flying all the way down the tall building. Only then, did he realize what he had just done.

He looked down to catch a portrait of the corpse of Jace, stretched against the ground.

He leaped to his feet in search of Thea. That was when he heard the muffled voice. Walking as quickly as he could with a badly injured leg, a fractured rib and probably broken back. He finally came to the last room where he saw her.

"Thea?"

Her cries didn't stop for a minute and he came to her in an instant. His eyes darted to the timer that just click four. 

"Andrew hurry," she said and once more his attention went back to her. He dragged his right leg after him, limping as fast as he could.

"Keys, where are the keys?" She pointed to the small iron container molded next to the chair he formally sat. In a second he was back for her, fighting with the cuffs. She was relieved when it landed on the ground with a thud. She reached for the cloth to free herself of the cause of her muffled voice.

"We need to leave now, Andrew." He groaned in pain leaning on the wall to support himself. He stared at her for few seconds as if coming to a conclusion, he nodded and started after her as fast as his badly injured leg could carry him. She saw his condition and supported him, taking his hand over her shoulders.

When he couldn't hold on any longer, he clenched unto his stomach, leaning against the wall of his stomach.

Thea stopped immediately when she heard his cry of pain.

"Andrew you are hurt," he quickly pushed her away as far as he could, it barely made impact but the signal was there.

"Go, get away from here!"

"Are you out of your mind?! I can't leave you here, you saved my life-"

"I want you to let me go, get out of the building, you're boyfriend is probably downstairs waiting for you." Andrew said.

"Andrew i-"

"I said you should go Thea, get out if here, we can't both make it both alive."

"Andrew we will make it out together. I just can't....I can't leave you here." She said, her voice breaking.

"You don't need me anyways-"

"How dare you say that?! You are my friend Andrew and I won't let you die like this,"

"So you're going to carry me all the way down stairs cause I basically can't walk." He retorted.

"No, I don't have the strength but-"

"Then hurry and go get someone for me," she hesitated.

"Hurry!" He hissed at her and her feet got to work easily, running as fast as she could down the flight if stairs.

Andrew sank to the floor weakly. He was hurt to the extent that his whole body ached badly.

He cursed at himself for being so love sick and saving the same girl that had probably made his life intoxicating.

Times like this, made him remember the first time they met in school. He had always been Ashton Ryder's rival from day one and the first time he set his eyes on Thea, he fell in love, only that the feelings weren't mutual. She had her eyes out for someone else, someone that wasn't him.

She was always so naive. Never knowing that he actually had feelings for her. It was better that way anyways, he was still going to die. The best part of it all is that, he had been the one to risk his life for the woman he loved and his brother wasn't even here. For once, she depended on him and he felt happy.

Again, she was so naive. Naive as not to know that he actually wanted her to get away from the building without him. There was no need calling for help, she would barely make it across the street in time.

Thea finally got outside the gate and the first thing that she noticed where the white lights that was coming in that direction. She increased her pace as if her life depended on it. Her life did depend on it still.

"It's her!" Mr. Peterson was out of the car in an instant and Ashton dropped out of the ambulance that had caught up with them easily.

Sirens fled up loudly blocking from their ears what she was shouting at them. She decreased her pace inching closer and with every step she took.

"Miss Kennedy are you alright?"

"He's still in there! You need to help him."

"You can't help a criminal he's-"

But before he could even complete the statement, the building exploded. Peterson was quick to drag her further away and the both of them came rolling over.

When Thea's eyes shot opened, she found out, she was still alive. She blinked as the smoke covered their whole being from being seen. She could hear someone yell her name.

"Mr. Ryder, no you can't leave the vehicle. You need to stay in bed-"

The man above her peeled his lids opened and they locked with hers.

Ashton couldn't get further away from the group of police men that swore to keep him safe.

"If you don't get out of my way right now, consider yourself fired!" He growled at all of them but they didn't love an inch. He growled in frustration.

"I see something," one of the policemen said and they all turned to see the figures move amidst the smoke.

"Get out of my-" the figures finally emerged from the smoke to reveal a limping Thea and Mr. Peterson. Ashton was forced to find a space amidst the distracted policemen. He embraced her immediately when he got to her.

"You're alright," Ashton whispered into her ears as Thea hugged him back tightly. "You are alive," he barely made out. "You are not dead," he sobbed.  "I... thought, I thought I lost you for good."

She pulled away slightly, away from his embrace to caress his cheeks affectionately.

"I'm alive," she stated softly. "I'm not dead," she said again. "He saved my life Ashton, Andrew saved my life. He came for me and saved me, but I lost him." Tears gathered in her eyes now and she secured with him another of her embrace.

He took the hair that fell to her face behind her ear and leaned closer to her. Placing his forehead against her and gulping noticeably. His hands still shook in fear of losing her. She was safe, that was all that mattered.