Luke
“Iknow she’s here, Isaac!”
My voice hardly penetrates the sound of the flames, but I can see him nod in response.
As many fires as I’ve been in, my eyes and lungs will never get used to the thick strings of the suffocating smoke. It’s not just the smell of fire that shoots up your nostrils and plugs up your throat, it’s everything that the fire is taking with it. Furniture, clothes, carpets, wallpaper… Memories.
I’ve never been to this warehouse in my life, so the smoke cascading around me is blocking any sense of direction I have left. Everything stings, even with my gear on, but it’s hard to notice the physical pain past the adrenaline.
“Stay close!”
I can hear him struggling to get his voice up.
“I don’t know how much longer we have ‘til the support beams go!”
I nod, protecting my breath like a dragon protects its hordes of gold.
If we’re struggling, I know Emma must be too. The fire is one of the hottest I’ve been in, and under the already scorching summer heat, I know we’re losing liquids faster than we can replace them.
My heart beats hard with minimal movements, while my eyes scan past the smoke. We’re running out of places to look and still haven’t found her. The walls begin to creak above us.
“Luke!”
Isaac's face is both determined and fearful. His emotions blaze as hot as the fire.
“We’re running out of time! We’ve got to find her,fast!” Isaac says.
“I know! I know - wait!”
Our movements through the thick waves of heat open the clouds and a small, indistinct door catches my eye. I save my words for emergencies, but point and head toward it, knowing Isaac is hot on my heels.
Crates topple over as we crash into them. They’re stacked in front of the door and thrown all over the walkway leading up to it. It’s like someone doesn’t want the door to be found.
My heart thumps so fast it becomes a light hum, moving to the music of the whirs, snaps, and booms of the flames. I kick at the door with my heavy boot, then Isaac. We take turns until the entrance crashes open with a boom.
My eyes are in scan mode. Office chair. File cabinets. Smoke. So much smoke.
“Forget it, man! She’s not here!”
“Wait!”
Again, as if by divine intervention, the smoke parts, giving me a glimpse of what looks like a mannequin on the ground.
“Holy shit,Emma!”
Her hands and feet are bound, holding her unconscious body together like a sick gift someone made for themselves. Beads of sweat drench us and another blood curdling creak moans.
Another follows it, but instead, this one is a roar. We’re surrounded now. The smoke in the office matches the rest of the warehouse - that’s a bad sign. The fire is moving faster than we are.
Isaac begins working at the rope around Emma’s hands while I work at the rope around her feet.
“Forget it, Luke! We’ve got to go!”
A boom from the front of the warehouse sends fear straight to my gut. We’ve had close calls, but notthisclose. If the support beams go, we go with them, and it sounds like they’re ready to head out.
I turn to Isaac, who already has Emma safely wrapped in his arms. We give each other one last knowing nod.
I’m at the front, clearing a path through smoke and obstructions while Isaac follows. He holds the back of my jacket as I kick objects off our path. The smoke is thicker and finding our way back to the door feels almost impossible until I stick my hands out, magically finding a wall.