8 Through the Flames

Charles quickly put on some sweatpants and jacket and grabbed an unused backpack from the closet. He dashed out of his room and stormed down the stairs, shouting,"Mom, I'm going out to meet some friends!"

"Alright, don't stay out too late though!"

"Yeah, I know"

Charles ran towards the garage and looked around for anything that would help him.

The garage was relatively clean for a garage. In addition to the BMW outside, there were two other vehicles in the middle of the garage: a black 2010 Audi A6 and a black 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

The Audi was in top condition, the windows were tinted well, the headlights were clear, and the car itself had no scratches or bumps. Charles's father, Curtis, used it on a regular basis to drive to his company, Summit Softwares, after they had released the car.

On the other hand, the Highlander had lost its shine. The Raylans purchased the SUV to use for when they go on road trips or when they travel with more than the four of them. However, due to to busy schedules, the travel plans slowly disappeared from their minds.

Ignoring the cars, Charles scoured the garage for something else, but first, he opened a new pack of Aquafina and filled his backpack with water bottles. After that, he returned to his search for a mean of transport and, in the corner of the room, Charles discovered a bike. It was his sister's bike when she was in elementary school; it looked way too small for Charles's six foot body.

Charles grimly stared at the bike before reluctantly opening the garage and taking it outside.

'Fuck it'

Charles manually closed the garage and walked to the middle of the street. He looked into the sky, looking for signs of smoke, and spotted rising smoke coming from the west of his position.

He got on the bike and started pedaling. But, the seat is so low that his knees would hit his chest every time he pedaled.

[HA HA! Yo, dude, what happened?]

'Shut up, man. I didn't have any other option. My running speed is still average; it can't even match a bike.'

'Just tell me where to go. You can at least help me with that, right?'

[Alright, alright. Take the second left and then a right. You'll see the house straight in front of you]

***

Charles followed the System's directions and pedaled for 10 minutes before arriving at the burning house.

Flames overran the entire front of the house. Tiles fell from the roof of the house and large cracks appeared. Windows were shattered and glass littered the front yard. Some bushes were too close to the house and also caught on fire. Fumes of smoke were spat out from the house, encompassing the house in a gray fog. Worst of all, the smell of something burning permeated the air.

When he arrived, Charles saw two women laying on the driveway, hugging each other. Their clothes were partially burnt and their shoes were no where to be seen. The two women looked up and spotted Charles approaching them.

"water...please give us some water..."

Charles rummaged through his backpack and hurriedly opened two water bottles, before handing it to them. They snatched the water bottles from his hands and stuck them into their mouths. The women took large gulps of water, finishing them in a matter of seconds.

"Is there anyone else inside the house?"

"Yes...the young lady and her grandmother, along with the young master and butler."

"Have you guys called 911 yet?"

The women shook their heads weakly.

Charles took out his phone from his pocket and quickly dialed 911.

"Hello, this is 911. What is your emergency?"

"Send help immediately. There's a fire, a large one, and there are people stuck inside the house and can't get out. We need an ambulance and firetrucks."

"Please state your location."

"The house is located on XX Dr. XX, CA XXXXX. Please hurry, people's lives are at risk here."

Charles ended the call, and started to look for an opening that would allow him to enter the house.

After frantically looking for a few minutes, Charles found a door on the side of the house. The fire had affected that area, but the opening looked stable, making it a perfect entrance for Charles to go through.

Charles entered the house and found a chaotic scene in front of him.

Parts of the ceiling had fallen on top of tables and furniture. The fire had spread onto everything that was flammable: tables, chairs, cushions, paper, plants. It had spread everywhere and left nothing untouched.

"Hello?! Is there anyone there?!"

Charles repeated that phrase as he walked deeper into the house and eventually heard faint cries for help coming from the second floor. He ran up the stairs and focused on the voices to pinpoint which room they were in.

Charles followed the direction of the voices and ended up in front of the master bedroom. He tried to touch the door handle, but the moment he placed his hand on it, a burning sensation jolted throughout his body. He quickly took back his hand and blew on it to cool it down.

Charles looked at his surroundings, hoping to find something that would help him break the door, but he found nothing.

He took a few steps back and took on a running position. Charles sprinted towards the door and used his shoulder to crash into it. The door easily broke down and Charles stumbled into the room. Charles observed the room and noticed three people huddled in the corner.

A middle aged man was protecting an elderly woman from the fire. She held a young boy in her arms, who was crying into her bosom.

"Hey guys. I'm over here!"

The elderly man skeptically looked at me, his eyes filled with caution.

"Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm just a passerby that decided to help rescue you from the fire."

The man looked relieved by that statement and looked at Charles with a bit more trust.

"Alright, what do I have to do?"

"Carry that elderly woman and the child. I found an exit on the right side of the house. Go through there and you should find two ladies. They have some water as well. The ambulance should be here soon."

"Thank you. Thank you very much for your help."

"No problem. By the way, the two woman said that their young lady was stuck inside as well. Do you know where she is?"

The man looked horrified by that statement and an expression of genuine concern appeared on his face.

"The young lady? She's still here?"

"Could you hurry up? I don't want to waste anymore time."

"She must be in her room, then. Her room is on the other end of the hallway."

Charles nodded his head and turned to exit the room. He carefully made his way across the hallway and ended up in front of another bedroom door.

He yelled,"Hello?! Is there anyone in there?!"

There was no response.

Charles grew alarmed and repeated what he did to the previous door. He broke down the door and looked around the room.

He saw a girl, laying unconscious on her bed. Large flames surrounded her bed, making it impossible for anyone to reach her.

Charles clenched his fists and decided to jump over the fire. He got a running start and then leapt across the flames, covering his face with his arms.

Charles swiftly got to the bed and carried the girl, wrapping her with his hoodie. With the girl in his arms, Charles ran out of the door he came in through. He arrived at the front yard and saw an ambulance and firetrucks.

The firemen took out the firehoses from their trucks and were spraying the fire with water. The medical team were giving first-aid to the wounded and putting the middle-aged man onto a stretcher.

Charles handed the unconscious girl to the medical team, who then carried her inside the ambulance.

Charles let out a sigh of relief and sprawled onto the ground, letting the adrenaline fade away.

Little did he know that there was a crowd of people on the streets with their phones out.

All Charles heard was

[Ding!]

[Mission Complete]

before passing out.