Through the thick, suffocating smoke, Ivana saw Ernest carrying Sydney as they rushed toward the exit. Everyone else surged toward the door, leaving Ivana to be completely surrounded by the fire.
She gritted her teeth, pushing forward through the terror, hoping to escape. But the flames were too strong. She had no choice but to carefully dodge the flickering flames.
Her arms, legs and feet were all burnt, but she didn't have time to care. The smoke choked her, tears streaming from her eyes, her breathing becoming labored. She stumbled, searching for a bathroom, hoping to soak her clothes with water to cover her mouth and nose.
Everywhere she turned was fire, smoke and heat and she couldn't tell which direction to go in.
"I won't die. I will survive. Why? Just seven more days. Just seven more days and I can go to France. My visa has already been approved. Mom, Dad, are you coming to pick me up?" Her consciousness began to fade, the black, choking smoke enveloping her as she saw what seemed to be her parents' faces.
Her parents had died in a fire when she was younger, too. It was the same, the fire and the smoke everywhere.
Ivana remembered her dad, holding her and her mom as they ran out of the kitchen. Then, her dad disappeared. Later, her mom had hugged her tightly, placing her into a firefighter's arms. After that, her mom also disappeared.
She sat surrounded by flames, hoping her parents would come out to hold her, stroke her head and say, "Ivana, don't be afraid."
But they never came back. She could no longer distinguish between their ashes and the ruins. For a long time, she had a great psychological trauma toward open flames.
Even every night, she dreamed of the fire that took her parents. She wandered in the fire, lost, unable to find her dad, her mom, or an exit.
When she woke up, she was already in the hospital. After Sydney returning to the country, somehow Ivana practically lived in the hospital.
The nurse saw her wake up, "Miss Millian, you're awake."
Ivana asked, "Is it serious? Will I need to stay in the hospital a few more days?"
"It's not serious. Just some superficial burns, they might leave scars, but after observation, you can leave soon," A male voice spoke up and Ivana turned her head. It was a young firefighter.
"Your boyfriend is really good to you. He's been waiting for you to wake up." said the nurse.