Ten minutes ago...

April jolted in her assigned bunk. Her head snapped in each direction. When the object of her imagination didn't present itself, the tension in her shoulders drained away.

"Whew. You know, I've been expecting a hazing ritual by now. To be woken up with a bucket of ice water or be screamed at while alarms assault my eardrums. I read all about it, but they're surely not as bad as you might think. It's just a bunch of scary stuff to scare cadets and criticize their readiness. It won't be a problem for me, since I've been expecting it ahead of time. I haven't gotten a wink of sleep all night!"

April's laughter staggered awkwardly, punctuated by the groans of half-asleep cadets.

"There's no reason to be scared. None at all."

*BOOM*

The ceiling caved in, and the room caught on fire. As cadets sprung from their beds, April remained seated, examining the destruction with blinking skepticism.

"Those aren't real flames."

Her blankie caught fire.

"I stand corrected."

Sucking in air through her teeth...

"Beethoven!"

Leaping to her feet, April stamped on her special blanket.

"Die, fire! I'm so sorry. Die, die, die! You mean the world to me, Beethoven."

Her cries of distress alternated drastically and dramatically. The Mini-Aprils ran in circles with no idea how to process this situation. Cadets crowded around the collapsed entrance, pushing and shoving, digging for freedom until they realized their effort was wasted. Flames slithered into their way, hazarding the blocked entrance further.

Someone organized a group to toss over the bunks and gather up all the possible fabric. A nosey woman ran up to April and held out a hand.

"Quick, hand me your blanket."

April hissed.

"Don't you dare touch him."

Frightened by the wild minx, the cadet scurried away. The next person to approach was a more familiar face.

"You named your blanket?"

April put Blankie Beethoven out and cradled it protectively. She answered Beth like the room wasn't on fire.

"Beethoven was the name of the donkey at the Carnival's petting zoo. Mom stitched him on this blanket and enchanted it to sing me lullabies."

Beth suddenly felt like she should have visited more often.

"I don't hear any singing."

"The enchantment didn't stick. By the way, are we going to die? I'm too emotionally distraught to die right now."

The words were emphasized by a nearby nightstand catching fire.

"The common area collapsed, and a boulder blocks the entrance. I had everyone gather the blankets and soak them in the water that we stored under our beds.

April recoiled harshly.

"You're going to make me drown Beethoven."

"April."

"Fine! I'm so sorry about this."

Distraught, she kicked the small tub of water out from under her bunk. She begged for forgiveness and dunked Beethoven. The stitched donkey's smile seemed to droop.

Beth took a headcount. There were only twelve cadets present. Four were missing, plus their Sergeant and at least one woman died from the impact of the boulder. Beth could see through a hole in the wall that the men's side had fared worse. They were too busy putting someone out to worry about making an exit.

The woman's side threw the remaining water on the collapsed entrance and tried to clear the wreckage once more. With the wooden pieces extricated and the common area revealed, they could direct the men to retreat to their less exposed side. The men were eager to retreat from the flames that already ate through half of their sleeping quarters. Only two stayed behind to search for injured or unconscious survivors.

"What now? There are no windows."

With the flames growing and the exit blocked, there was little they could do except make a new hole in the wall, which was likely to collapse the entire roof. Only one option remained.

Beth pulled April to the center of the room.

"I think I just got an idea."

April's response was too muffled to make out. Something about a book she once read.

Beth had no difficulty making herself known as the tallest woman present. Her voice was calm but strict.

"To the center! Pull out the floorboards. Start digging here."

Not hearing any better ideas, the woman rallied. They were all from military families and used to taking orders. Since they were all fourth, fifth, and sixth daughters, none received any leadership training. Being a first-born daughter made Beth the most suitable person to rally behind. It only took the men a few extra seconds to realize the desparity of the situation to join in.

April loosed the damp cloth around her mouth to ask a question.

"What about the others? People are missing. Becky. Sam. Camille. I forget the others."

"They were in the showers; that whole section is gone."

April hopped on her toes. If the section was gone, it stood to reason that there could be a new way out? And what if someone survived and needed help?

"I'm going to go check."

"Wait, April!"

It was too late. The plucky girl bounced away, deeper into the fire.

=

April was shorter than the other girls, not greatly so, but when compared to her friend Beth she was practically a mouse. Crouching under a fallen beam, she called out.

"Sam? Becky! Camille? Is there anyone back here?"

Coughing, April realized shouting like that was damaging to her lungs. She whispered through the cloth instead. The futility of which she knew all too well, but it helped put her mind at ease.

The door to the supply closet was hot to the touch. The adjacent Sergeant's office was replaced with what must have been a fiery meteor. That left the precarious entrance to the changing room and crawling into the remnants of the showers. Ugh. She hated that place. Showers? Instead of baths? What has the world come to...

Getting on hands and knees, she found it much easier to breathe. April credited it to Beethoven working extra hard. Army crawling underneath the wreckage, she found the changing room broken. Most of it was gone and open to an orange sky, leaving the slate floor battling off the fire. The glow directed an eerie spotlight on two figures in the wreckage.

"Becky, is that you?"

A weak voice responded.

"Becky's dead."

"That's not good. Who are you? Oh Lordie, your arm is gone. That's definitely not good."

The maimed girl coughed twice, eyes blinking rapidly.

"I wondered why I couldn't feel it. I'm Camille, by the way. We met in the stalls."

"I remember, I won our bubble-blowing contest."

April examined Camille wondering how to move her when she had only one arm to drag.

"Not fair."

"What's not fair?"

Camille shook her head.

"I never played with soap bubbles before."

That's the spirit. April knew she liked Camille for a reason. It is a real drag about the arm, though. Looking away, April saw the second girl pinned under a fallen beam.

"Sam?"

The pinned woman croaked.

"Leave me."

"Nope. Request denied. I'm getting you both out of here."

The burning entryway collapsed entirely, flames roaring.

"I stand by my words. Watch this."

Pulling a piece of paper from her pocket April aimed it at the bonfire. A gust of wind blew the flames out like a candle.

"Hah! See that. And I was going to save it for the one-legged race. Here, up you go."

April pulled Camille up by the good arm.

Her only arm.

April apologized.

"Look, we can squeeze through sideways instead of crawling. You go ahead; I'll get Sam."

Camille swayed awkwardly, off-balance, but she found the gap and squeezed through near effortlessly. April watched her disappear into the smoke. That girl deserved a medal.

Turning away, April crouched down near Sam. A fallen beam pinned the girl's lower half.

"Alright, your turn. Hrmph!"

April lifted with her legs.

"Hrrm!"

With her shoulders.

"Aargh!"

And then with her back.

"Oh hey, that's a lot easier. Alright, you can crawl out now."

The prone girl managed to exude annoyance in her half-disoriented state.

"I can't move."

"Why not?"

"My leg is broken."

Apri wanted to throw her arms up in exasperation. They are busy at the moment, so she settled for throwing her head back.

"All this weight is making me lose sympathy. Please use your arms. Do you still have both?"

There wasn't a worded response. HB was writing one-liners to get the girl to move, but they proved unneeded.

The sound of bones crackling like pop rocks caused the Mini April collective to shiver. Shockingly, there was no cry of pain.

Looking down, April nearly gagged all over Beethoven. The mutilated appendage made her insides stir. Seeing something so disfigured was 10x worse than seeing the entire thing missing.

"Oh, my, hurl. I am so sorry I made you do that. "

April dropped the beam with a thud. She shied away, concerned as it too caught fire. The ceiling started creaking from strain, which brought back shivers as it reminded her of the leg. Realizing moving Sam by herself might be impossible, April decided to retreat and get help.

"Just sit tight. I'll get some help to move you. Maybe Beth has a gurney."

Making sure that Sam wouldn't burn, April moved for the gap. April attempted to squeeze through sideways as Camille did. There was an unforeseen problem.

"Girls, you've betrayed me."

No matter which way April oriented herself, she couldn't fit through. If she did a headstand and hopped through the gap, there was a small chance.

"Beth! Beth Boates! Help!"

Holding the damp blanket over her mouth, she shouted for help, doubtful that her voice could be heard. Blinking away involuntary tears, she sighted the obstruction blocking her path. The wreckage didn't look as heavy as the beam that pinned Sam, so she bent her back and grabbed hold.

"Ouch! You were hot all along."

Sucking on her singed fingers, she looked around desperately.

"If only I lost a little weight. An arm would do. I can't believe I just said that. Is it getting hot in here? I'm feeling faint. Is this what smoke inhalation does. *cough-cough* I forgot talking *Cough* makes it worse."

Beethoven wasn't helping anymore, and the smoke was making her eyes leak. Dizzy, April's legs gave out, and she flopped to the floor. There was little left to try. No saving graces left. No more talismans up her sleeves.

April crawled over to Sam. Unsure of why. Seeing the way the girl shivered bothered April. Unwrapping Beethoven from around her neck, she shared the blanket with Sam's. There wasn't any recognition of the act, proving the girl had fallen unconscious.

Black and grey smoke gathered above them like an hourglass filling in reverse.

Head down, April let herself become frustrated. For what reason was she going to die? Was it just? Was it worthy enough to make her parents proud? She mourned for Bellavarn. He was still healing from his friends' deaths. How would he react to hers?

Rubbing her eyes, April heard the wood at the entrance get thrown to the side. The charred pieces collapsed into a pile of ash and tinder. In their place were two individuals. Beth, and more surprisingly, Camille. The girl had returned with help.

Beth waved a hand to disperse the smoke. Kneeling down, she scolded April.

"Don't play a hero."

April's dazedly smiled. Struggling to get up, she gestured to Sam. Getting the idea, Beth and Camille each grabbed an arm. April nearly gagged at the leg she was about to touch, but she hoisted both legs like one would handle a wheelbarrow. Feeling the bone shift in her grip caused her addled brain to wonder if there was a better way to extract the wounded, but the walls were literally burning down around them, so there was no time to slow.

On the plus side, Sam remained knocked out throughout the whole procedure.

Weaving through the wreckage and rounding a corner, they returned to the bunks. There was more debris to maneuver around, but there was a safe haven in the center of the room. The rest of the cadets pried away the floorboards and tossed them to the far corners of the room. They dug up the dirt beneath the building and used it to buffer themselves against the flames. They deesperately continued to dig more and more, getting as far down as they could with what little time remained.

Better to be crushed than burned.

"Pull that mattress closer; we've got injured."

One of the men snagged said mattress and stamped out the little fire that had caught. Beth, Camille, and April dragged, flopped, and released the injured Sam. She bounced once, woke up, and proceeded to scream in agony.

"Honestly, I am so sorry. "

April apologized profusely to the screaming woman, unsure if her sincerity was getting through the speedily slurred words. The frequency of her recent apologies was also watering them down.

"Are we digging our way to freedom?"

Beth had everyone salvage whatever bedding remained intact. There were barely enough for her plan.

"There's no chance. We'll form a shield wall using the mattresses to ward off the eventual collapse. Like a turtle ship."

"Or maybe just a turtle?"

"Grab a mattress, April."

April let it go and hefted the mattress; It was much easier than the fallen beam. They felt sturdy enough not to crumble under pressure but soft enough to cushion any damage.

"And the fire?"

"The blankets. Only the dampest ones. We have to hope we'll last long enough to be dug out.."

That was the end of the talking as everyone played their role. Those left without a mattress to support kept digging a while longer under the false hope of tunneling to safety or hitting an underground reservoir. It was mainly to keep their hands busy and shake off the impending doom.

The roar of the fire drowned out their thoughts as the creaking wood overshadowed the whimpers of pain and fear. It was a waiting game as they peered through the gaps in their shield wall, orange light shimmering off their sweaty skin. Hearing the dying wails of a man man who was trapped somewhere in the bulding did nothing to ease tension.

They had signed up for guard duty! All of them were expected to train and gain prestige. To forge connections and gain friends in high places with subtle hopes of a better life away from their families. Escorting snooty visitors should have been the most worrisome outcome. There was the miniscule chance that they would have ever seen battle. Even still, none of them expected to die in a fire before their first day of training.

"What's that sound?"

"Death. That is the sound of death."

"No, listen. It is the sounds like rocks being rubbed together. Are you guys still digging?"

Those in the center of the pit shook their heads.

"We stopped a minute ago."

The sound was getting louder and more localized.

The stone boulder rooted in the entrance was vibrating. More eyes peeked through the gaps. They all got a good look as the center portion of the rock became white-hot. A beam broke through, creating an oval archway, searingly smooth. From the new opening, a figure waltz out.

First Princess Lecil strutted casually into the room. The entire building hissed as water extingusiehd the flames from the outside. The steam gave way to the two dozen Royal Guards who filed in with buckets and splashed the remaining conflagration. The slack-jawed recruits let their shield wall collapse outward.

They watched in awe as Princess Lecil stepped forward elegantly and pointed a finger in their direction.

"Arrest them."