Shit.
I back away from the door a few feet and then – with every ounce of my strength – I run and hurl my body against it. The door bursts open with a loud splitting sound and I find myself in the most bizarre of situations.
In the living room, there’s a blaze that’s spiraling out of control. Part of a nearby chair and part of the carpet is on fire too. And standing next to the roaring inferno is Cora, nude save for some lacy lingerie, trying to douse the fire with a pot of water.
For a split second, the sight of the busty brunette standing nearly naked in front of me distracts me from the fire. Her skimpy lace panties leave little to the imagination while her thin bra is barely able to contain her full breasts. Cora’s face is flushed with the heat of the fire and obvious exertion, while her skin glistens with sweat. Almost immediately I feel my pants get tight at the intoxicating and unexpected site of so much woman before me.
She’s as sexy as hell.
But just as quickly, I snap out of my trance and shift my focus to the problem at hand: a raging fire that’s threatening to burn down the cabin. I spring into action. The blaze has covered enough of the room to where it doesn’t look like I can get Cora out the same way I just came in. In fact, it looks as though she’s directly in the path of the next lick of fire, but she doesn’t appear to realize that.
“Cora, back away from the fire. Go to the kitchen – or find a room where you can climb out a window if necessary.”
Cora looks over at me, her deep brown eyes wide with shock and confusion.
“Matt? What are you doing here?”
“No time, just go, get away from the blaze. That next flame might jump right to where you’re standing.” She still hesitates. “Go!” I tell her harshly, trying to snap her out of her confused state.
Cora finally obeys and I run back outside, searching for something, anything to help me fight the blazing beast inside. Next to the house, I spot an old garden hose, curled up in a tidy pile and still attached to its spigot. Deftly, I unwind the hose and turn on the water, dragging the hose back with me into the house.
Please be long enough, please.
Fortunately, the old hose extends all the way into the house and through to the living room. Braving the intense heat, I breach the wall of fire that’s made its way toward the entryway and jump into the living room. I turn the hose on full blast and, as I feel the water pump into it, I aim it at the worst parts of the blaze first. I don’t hesitate to spray the rug, chairs, and couch. Within moments the entire living room is soaked but the fire is sizzling out. Ash flies around the room, but the sparks are slowly losing their vigor. They float about, bright sparks of orange amid the wreckage of the doused room.
It takes several more minutes, but finally, the whole fire is done. I breathe hard, doing my best not to inhale the smoky air. My clothes are drenched with sweat, but to my relief, I don’t have any burn marks or obvious breathing trouble.
The room is nearly pitch black save for a kerosene lantern emitting light from its spot on the kitchen counter. I look around as best I can for Cora, but she’s nowhere to be found.
“Holy shit.” I can’t help but express my relief out loud, tired from my short battle with the blaze. “Cora, are you okay?” I call out to her, unable to see her in the dark room.
“Yeah, yeah, I think so.” She steps from the kitchen slowly, as if in a daze.
Quickly, I walk over to Cora and take the lamp from her hands and set it back on the counter. Without thinking, I grab her and hold her tightly in my arms.
It’s pure instinct, but I don’t care. She hugs me back, softly crying with what I imagine is relief now that the fire is extinguished. We stand this way for a moment, her nearly nude body pressed against my clothed one, each of us spending a moment feeling grateful that everything is okay.
I stroke her damp brown hair while she leans her face into my chest. Cora hugs me tighter, her fear finally catching up with her. My hands wander to her naked back and I stroke her smooth skin, careful to keep the gesture soothing. But inside, I’m seething mad and scared because something horrible could have happened to the pretty brunette I’m currently comforting.
What the hell happened here?
After a few more moments, Cora finally pulls back and looks up at me with her big brown eyes. They’re still misty, but most of her tears seemed to have stopped.