Page 61 of Don't Regret Me
“Liz,” he yelled. No answer.
Fear spurred him into action, kicking a chair out of the way. He knew his way around this house like he knew his way around his own mind. Completely and not at all. Something toward the back of the house crashed and someone screamed. He couldn’t tell who, but he hurried that way, trying to keep his footing as he grew dizzy from the smoke.
That was when he saw them. Evelyn and Owen clutched each other in the doorway of a bedroom, a wooden beam blocking their path.
“Mom!” Evelyn screamed, tears racing down her soot-covered face. “Momma.”
Nick reached where the beam had fallen, but there was no way he’d be able to move it in time.
“I’m here,” he yelled as a cough wracked his body. “Guys, I’m here.”
“Nick,” Evelyn cried. Her brother was silent beside her. No tears ran down his face, but he looked no less terrified.
“I’m going to get you guys out of there.” Nick looked down the length of the beam, studying it. “I need you guys to calm down, okay?” He tried to sound as comforting as he could despite the flames growing closer, licking across the ceiling. Another beam overhead cracked but didn’t fall. “Slow your breathing and get low.” He showed them what he meant, bending down.
And he saw it. An opening. It was just small enough he couldn’t get to them, but they might be able to get through. “Can you guys crawl through here?”
Evelyn looked through the gap, shaking her head. “We can’t.” The words shook on her lips.
“Try.”
She backed up. “We’re trapped.” She wiped a hand across her eyes, smearing her dirty face. “Are we going to die, Nick?”
“No.” It was a promise he intended to keep.
“Owen, Evie!” Liz’s voice filtered through the smoke. “I’m coming.”
“No,” Nick yelled. “Liz, get out of here.” He couldn’t let her stay in this house any longer than necessary. Hoisting himself up, he touched the wood. It was splintered but not charred. He didn’t know if it would hold his weight, but he had no choice.
Liz’s coughs came closer, followed by the sounds of heavy footsteps that must have been the firefighters. In this little town, they were mostly untested.
As was Nick. He’d played a firefighter in a movie twice, but the real thing was so much different. The only similarity was the need to act, for quick and decisive decisions. So, he didn’t wait for help. Instead, he heaved his entire body onto the beam that crossed the doorway and dropped down on the other side in a crouch.
The kids crawled toward him, struggling to breathe.
“Come on.” He hugged them to his sides as he stood. “You’re going to be okay. I need you to believe me.”
Both of them gave him weak nods. He searched the room for something usable, finding a stool in front of the vanity. It would do. Releasing the kids, he grabbed a blanket off the bed. “Cover yourselves.”
Without wasting time, Nick slammed the stool as hard as he could into the window, shattering the thick glass. A sharp pain cut into his shoulder, but he ignored it. There was no time for pain. When he pulled the blanket off the kids, he spared a moment to make sure they were okay before lifting each one in turn and practically throwing them out the window. It wasn’t a far drop to the grass below. With one final look behind him, he climbed out the window, trying to push away the agony as the metal burned his palms. The entire house was alight now, hot even where the flames hadn’t yet reached.
When his feet hit the spongy grass, his knees buckled, and he collapsed in a fit of coughs.
Mr. Ross rushed over with two firefighters, who lifted the kids into their arms. A third descended on him, asking question after question to ascertain his well-being.
But he didn’t care how he was. He barely noticed the roughness with each breath, or how tight his chest felt. Because as he looked at those gathered, there was one person missing.
“Where’s Liz?”
* * *
Nick searchedthe night lit up by flashing lights and the reflective yellow fireman’s jackets. He tried to take everything in, not to miss anything. The kids clung to their grandfather. Booker sat at the back of an ambulance with an oxygen mask, Jasmine beside him.
But still, there was no Liz.
“I didn’t see anyone else inside,” one of the firefighters said to the man who looked like he was in charge.
Pushing through another coughing fit, Nick ran up to them. “No, there’s one more. Liz. She’s not super tall, blond.” The most intense eyes he’d ever seen. Though that wouldn’t help the search.
