14 Chapter 13

I waited in my room and looked through old things from when mom was still here.

What would she think? What would she do?

I read through old letters she sent to me for fun. I looked around my windowless room at the nightmare I live in. I continued to wait patiently in my room. Then I smelt something burning.

Is my dad cooking?

No, the smell was too strong and so was the heat. I went to open my door, when smoke came piling into my room through the cracks of rotting wood. I quickly opened my door to a wall of fire. Orange crimson fire. My eyes met my father's body, dead. Lying by a gasoline canister and holding a burnt matchbox in his hand. I covered my mouth as smoke and tears stained my eyes. I coughed and tried to breathe clean air, but there wasn't any. The escape was engulfed in flames so I couldn't leave. I collapsed to the floor as the smoke filled air flooded into my lungs.

I was set up. Was he planning to do this? Hunter… Can you hear me? Can you hear my thoughts?

I screamed for help, even though I knew no one was going to hear my cries. The fire was getting closer to me, and I backed all the way to the edge of the wall. Farthest away from the fire.

I'm going to die here, aren't I?

I coughed more as smoke surrounded me. This is real. It's very real. The fire's heat was so warm that I began to sweat. My arms weren't fully healed yet, but the bandages were off.

I'm still too weak. I can't do anything.

I kept screaming and choking. My throat was parched, and my body was hurting from the flames. A few more minutes and I'm cooked flesh. My eyes stung so badly I had to shut them, which made things all the harder. If I do survive, I'm going to have nightmares about this.

Where would I even stay? How much can Hunter handle? What's going to happen to us after this? If I die, will he move on? If my burns were so bad, would he leave? He told me he couldn't but how faithful is he to his word?

Using the last breath I had, I screamed for him. "Hunter!" My body started to burn and my coughing turned to harsh breaths of air.

I have to fight.

I laid on the floor in pain, eyes still closed, almost giving up.

But I'm still fighting, I'll fight until I'm burnt to a crisp.

It was so painful, I started to give up.

Hunter

Her house was in flames. I could hear her screams but how do I get in? She's being burned alive and I'm just standing here, watching.

"Do any of you have a hatchet or anything?" I ask in desperation.

Sam looked in his bag to see if he grabbed one before we left.

"Here!" Jake said, giving me one. I quickly started cutting a wall that wasn't on fire. I slashed the rotten wood hoping it wouldn't take long to break the barrier. I heard her scream my name in pure agony. I chopped faster and finally crashed through the wall. We all tore apart the wood and looked inside. I looked around frantically for her, and finally saw her lying helplessly on the ground.

"Emily!"I ran to her in the heat and picked her up. I quickly left her house with my friends and horses until we were at a safe distance. She was burning hot. I had to place her down in something cool, but I didn't want to let her go. We called an ambulance before we left and it was waiting for us in my driveway. They took action quickly and professionally. So many emotions flooded me as I watched. Rage, concern, sadness, uselessness, and others took over my senses. One of the doctors came over to us.

"She is severely burned, and her lungs are unstable."

I opened my mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"She will survive, and will be okay soon enough. We're taking her to the hospital to run more tests. Do you want to come with her? There's only room for one."

There was nothing to discuss. I climbed in and my friends said they would meet me there. I took her hand in mine as she lay there. An oxygen mask over her face, she looked like she was in so much pain, but she was alive. I started to cry over her burned body. After I calmed down, the paramedic asked me several questions about the incident and how Emily was injured. When we got to the hospital they took her away to tend to her and my friends came soon after to talk and comfort me. I hate this place. I can't be by her side.

"I was too late."

"You were just in time. Any longer and she would have been dead." Will said.

"Just be glad you saved her man." Sam complimented me.

"Yeah, the docs said she's gonna be okay sooner than later." Jake supported.

"I want to see her."

Well, you're going to have to wait another hour for her surgery to be finished. Let's get something to eat to calm your nerves." Will suggested.

"Yeah my treat." Sam said.

"Well how could I say no if you're paying?" I said, standing and leaving the hospital.

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