Dominic stopped moving, too, slamming his claws on a trunk and almost breaking it all the way. He stood perfectly still as he watched the figure running fast, coming closer and closer, until I recognized the bat in his hand.
Derek.
I sat back down on the cold ground, releasing a long breath.
What the h—
All my thoughts were cut off when the ground shook and the explosion turned the night into day.
I fell back on the ground and kept my arms in front of me as the heat of the fire burning down the mountain reached all the way to me. The shock had my whole body shaking. I held onto the trunk to pull myself up again, only to see that the entire building below us was engulfed in bright orange flames, burning like it meant to light up the whole world.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered, while Derek screamed his guts out.
“Woohoo! Yeah!” he called, his bat and his fist raised to the sky. He jumped up and down as he watched the fire consuming every bit of the building right in front of our eyes.
Dominic turned his head to look at me, his golden eyes almost orange from the light of the fire. I nodded to tell him that I was okay, before my attention slipped back to the building. It was horrible, yes, but the way those flames danced in the night sky was beautiful, too. And Derek couldn’t stop cheering, jumping, patting Dominic’s back. He only grunted and growled in return.
I rested my head on the tree trunk and tried to relax as much as I could. It occurred to me that I had been literally in front of death’s door just minutes ago, but somehow, I’d survived.
Dominic had, too.
And that was the only thing that truly mattered.