Fortunately, all the accessories and furniture in the haunted house had been reduced to ashes, so there weren’t many obstacles on her road. She was getting closer to the exit.
Finally, she heard the noise of the crowd gathered outside. Charis felt her heart about to stop beating from the pain but kept running in the direction of the noise, fueled by sheer willpower.
She didn’t know how long she had run, but the sound of the crowd grew louder. Finally, it seemed as if she was surrounded by people. Charis wanted to see what was going on, but she couldn’t open her eyes. It was as if her eyelids were glued shut. At that moment, she felt a gust of icy liquid splash on her body. Unable to hold out any longer, she passed out.
Countless firefighters surrounded the haunted house, desperately trying to put out the fire. Because it was Halloween night, many tourists had flocked to the amusement park, and the fire attracted a wave of spectators.
They all craned their necks to see how the fire devoured the haunted house. Suddenly, a woman on fire ran out of the main door. It was a horrifying sight to behold.
“Oh my God! Is she still alive?!” The spectators were shocked and instinctively took a few steps back. Some even took out their phones to take pictures, while parents covered their children’s eyes to shield them from such a horrible scene.
When the firefighters saw the person on fire running out of the establishment, they immediately pointed the hose at her to extinguish the fire on her body.
Fortunately, the fire on Charis’s body went out, but she was already burned and unrecognizable. She looked like a charred object in the shape of a human.
Immediately after being sprayed with the hose, she collapsed to the ground and passed out.
Natalie was taken by helicopter to a safe distance from the haunted house. As soon as she disembarked, she rushed towards the haunted house, pushing through the crowd and heading to the fringes of the building.
She looked around but saw no sign of Brandon. Natalie grew anxious, grabbed the arm of a bystander, and urgently asked, “Did you see a tall man in a black windbreaker just now?” The passerby shook his head.
“No, but a moment ago, a woman on fire came running out of the haunted house.”
Natalie felt as if her soul had left her body. She took two steps back and looked at the burning house in front of her. She and Brandon had arranged to escape, but what about Brandon? Was he still trapped inside?
Natalie immediately dismissed the thought. She knew that Charis would never hurt Brandon. Charis must have arranged for the staff to remove Brandon immediately after they had been separated.
Natalie also knew that, given the circumstances, he would never come back for her, even if he knew that she was caught in that burning fire. Things were different now. Brandon was no longer someone that he would do something stupid for her sake. Still, Natalie couldn’t shake the feeling of apprehension hanging over her.
She took a deep breath and kept asking, “Have you seen someone get out of the haunted house just now? Please think carefully. A man, about a head taller than me, very handsome but aloof?”
“No, we didn’t see anyone like that. Go ask someone else. We were just going through here,” the person replied impatiently. Natalie didn’t press any further, but she didn’t feel defeated.
She shifted her attention to the other spectators and asked them one by one. Finally, she found a young couple who seemed to have a clue about Brandon. “I think I saw the man you described! When the staff told us to evacuate because of a fire, he hurried to enter without thinking twice. The staff couldn’t stop him, and my boyfriend even joked that he must be an idiot who couldn’t even tell where the exit is.”
The woman glanced at her boyfriend before adding, “In my opinion, he ran inside to look for someone important, maybe his wife or child. Hey! I’m not done talking.”
Natalie was already running back to the house, bewitched before the woman could finish her words. How could Brandon risk his life in such a big fire? Natalie stopped at the entrance and tried to call him first. She tried over and over, but he never responded. No one else left the burning establishment either.
Natalie was beside herself with worry. She wanted to throw herself into the fire and look for him, just as he had done for her. “Hey, young lady! Do you want to die?” the people around her screamed just as she was about to lunge forward.
They reached out and yanked her back. “Don’t you see the fire burning in front of you? You can’t even walk a few meters without getting burned!”
“No, you don’t understand. Please let me in! My husband is still inside!” Natalie struggled against their hold. They did not understand! The man she loved could be trapped there, suffocated, burning, and it was all for her. Natalie was shaking at this point. She was barely holding on to her sanity.
“Calm down, Miss. Leave this to the fire department, okay? They are working hard to put out the fire and keep everyone safe. They will definitely save your husband. Don’t worry,” a warm-hearted stranger patted her back in a gesture of consolation.
Another person chimed in, “That’s right, it’s too dangerous to get involved at this time. Just be thankful you’re safe.”
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Natalie slumped to the ground, numb to her environment. She gripped her phone tightly and stared at the screen, waiting for a call from the White family. “Call me as soon as you see him.”
The helicopter ended up making two rounds in the area, but they were still unsuccessful. Brandon got caught in the fire, and she couldn’t do anything. Natalie’s fingers trembled uncontrollably. She could barely see through the tears that flowed from her eyes. She knew she was on the verge of collapse but refused to budge before hearing news of Brandon.
At that moment, she felt a tug on her shoulder when the woman next to her yelled, “Look, look! Another person just ran out!” Natalie’s head jumped up. She saw a tall figure running out the back entrance of the house.
The man discarded the thick coat he had been covering his body with. His face was soot-stained but still looked as handsome as usual. He was coughing violently as he approached.
Natalie’s tears were finally running down her cheeks. She could feel her blood running through her veins like little lightning bolts. She stood up and met Brandon halfway, holding him before he fell to his knees.
It wasn’t until she felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat under the palm of her hand that she allowed herself a sigh of relief. And then, she let go and cried like a baby. Brandon tried to reach out to wipe away her tears.
“Don’t cry. Everything’s fine. I’m fine,” he said.
But Natalie only cried even harder. It took some time for her to calm down.
“Brandon,” she mentioned his name. “Why did you do that? Why did you go back inside?”