[No explanation was needed. Kit caught the jacket and draped it over his head at once, but before he could throw one end over the other boy, Vincent was disappearing down the nearest aisle. Kit understood that to mean one thing. They didn't have much time, and if they searched separately, they would increase their odds of finding anyone. But he didn't like seeing the other boy duck out of sight...
It was a thought he had to swallow for now, along with the urge to cough. Raising one arm to cover his face, he proceeded deeper into the store and called out, hoping anyone still inside would hear the voice and respond. If they were conscious.
How had the blaze gotten so big so fast? The fire had to have been set deliberately, Kit realized. And if that was the case, there really was no telling how much time they had left before the blaze reached the pumps. If the culprits had set this up...
He cleared one aisle, and then another, working from the far side of the store and back towards Vincent. If they met in the middle and neither of them found anyone, he wasn't quite sure how he would apologize for this...
...and he wasn't given time to consider, either. Not as the flames had finally reached the cashier's counter and the lighters on display there. It started with a single pop, then another, but soon enough the stock was erupting into loud and dangerous balls of fire, pieces of metal and plastic shrapnel fired off in different directions through the store. Not deadly, not by any means, but sharp. And coupled with the rest of the flames and the smoke, very hard to see.]
no subject
It was a thought he had to swallow for now, along with the urge to cough. Raising one arm to cover his face, he proceeded deeper into the store and called out, hoping anyone still inside would hear the voice and respond. If they were conscious.
How had the blaze gotten so big so fast? The fire had to have been set deliberately, Kit realized. And if that was the case, there really was no telling how much time they had left before the blaze reached the pumps. If the culprits had set this up...
He cleared one aisle, and then another, working from the far side of the store and back towards Vincent. If they met in the middle and neither of them found anyone, he wasn't quite sure how he would apologize for this...
...and he wasn't given time to consider, either. Not as the flames had finally reached the cashier's counter and the lighters on display there. It started with a single pop, then another, but soon enough the stock was erupting into loud and dangerous balls of fire, pieces of metal and plastic shrapnel fired off in different directions through the store. Not deadly, not by any means, but sharp. And coupled with the rest of the flames and the smoke, very hard to see.]