Chapter 2 – The Fire
Chapter 2 – The Fire
The first thing Caitlyn noticed was the smell.
Not smoke.
Gasoline.
The sharp, unmistakable scent cut through the haze filling the bedroom. Someone hadn't merely locked the door—they wanted the fire to spread quickly.
She threw herself against the handle again.
Nothing.
Outside, Jessica laughed.
"She's still trying."
Deborah answered calmly, "Eventually she'll stop."
Caitlyn's heartbeat pounded in her ears.
Then she remembered.
The boot.
Hidden beneath the old cedar bench sat the worn leather boot she had left behind years ago. Inside the left boot, beneath the insole, rested the prepaid phone she had forgotten after moving away.
With trembling hands she ripped the sole free.
The phone was still there.
Battery: 18%.
No signal...
Then one bar appeared.
She dialed 911.
"My mother and sister locked me in a burning bedroom," she coughed. "Please... Bennett Street... second floor..."
The dispatcher kept talking, telling her to stay low.
She wrapped a wet blanket around herself and crawled beneath the smoke.
Outside, sirens echoed faintly.
Jessica's laughter suddenly stopped.
"They're here."
Deborah's voice turned cold.
"Impossible."
Blue lights flashed through the bedroom window.
May you like
For the first time in her life...
Caitlyn heard fear in her mother's voice.
