______________________________________________________
"But I have to warn them!"
Amy's face looked almost manic as she shouted. She couldn't believe what he'd just told her. Everyone at the newspaper office dead? Her mind made up, she bolted up and ran for the door to exit the restaurant.
Adam felt his heart leap into his throat. Yanking out some bills he didn't even look at first, he tossed the money on the table and ran after her.
"Amy!" he shouted. "You can't do this!"
She looked back at him for a nanosecond, then kept running up the street.
"I have to!"
He didn't let her go too far, as he effortlessly caught up to her thanks to his long legs. He tackled her to the ground, groaning at his actions. He knew she would be angry for doing that, but he had no choice.
"Amy, you don't have to be a hero!"
She glared up at him from her position on the ground.
"Oh, but you do?" she countered. She swatted him to get his much greater weight off of her.
"That's different," he said calmly. "With my visions, if I did nothing to help people I would be no better than a murderer." He stood up and held out a hand, helping her up when she accepted it.
"These people are my friends, my coworkers," she said, a sad expression on her face. There was desperation present in her hazel eyes. "How can I, now knowing what's going to happen, live with myself if I do nothing?"
Adam stared at her for a moment. Then, "Call someone. Warn them."
She nodded, hastily reaching for her cell phone. But why would anyone believe her if she told them there was going to be a fire? They would think she was crazy, especially if she revealed that everyone but one person was going to get killed.
In the long run, it really didn't matter. It was a chance she had to take.
She pressed buttons on her cell phone, getting to her supervisor's number. His was, stupidly enough, the only one she had in her phone's memory, and she'd never gotten friendly enough with anyone else to have memorized their extensions.
"Come on, come on!" she muttered, her gaze on the blond man before her as she listened to the ringing on the other end. She had gone to lunch a tad earlier than she usually did, but had Mark done the same?
"Hi, you have reached the desk of Mark Calloway..."
She cursed under her breath as the voicemail picked up. What if it was already too late? Should she even bother leaving a message? Of course she should - it was better than nothing... and even if the worst did end up happening, at least she tried.
"Mark, it's Amy," she let out in a breathless tone. "Look, I'm calling to warn you - there's going to be a fire. Get everyone out ASAP!" She knew she sounded like a lunatic, and she hung up. What would happen? Would Mark even get the message? Dear God... Her heart was pounding so impossibly fast, she thought she might be having a heart attack.
"Are you okay?" Adam knew the question was a pretty stupid one as he placed his hands on the redhead's shoulders, peering down into her ashen face. She was beginning to hyperventilate, and he sensed she was in the middle of or about to have a panic attack.
She shook her head. They were standing beside his Lexus in the small parking lot of the restaurant.
"I need... I need to get to my office - quick."
The tall blond man shook his head forcefully. That was the last place she needed to be, as he sensed it was already too late, that the fire had started.
"Please!" she shouted, begging. "I don't have to go inside, just... please."
He stared at her, considering it for a beat. Then, he nodded and unlocked the passenger's side door for her before going around to the driver's side. Amy got in first, and he followed suit, starting the ignition in a hurry. He pulled out of the lot, driving a little faster than the allotted speed limit.
The distraught redhead brought her hands to her head. She was a nervous wreck as she chanted in a mantra.
"Oh, my God... Oh, my God..." How could this be happening? Maybe it wasn't... It was possible for the man to be wrong once in awhile - wasn't it? After all, he was human. But she reminded herself that, so far, in the relatively short time she'd known him, he had always been dead-on.
The redhead saw the smoke curling up into the sky when they were still a few miles away.
"No," she murmured, almost to herself. She didn't want to believe it. But as they neared, she saw that it was indeed true.
The building where she worked was engulfed by flames. And she didn't see a soul around. Everyone was trapped inside. In the distance, the sirens of fire engines roared.
Amy began to cry.