the quick flash of light. Her bedroom was at the front of the house, overlooking the street. Her eyes flew open and she realized something had sparked brightly then flickered away.
Car accident? No. She’d heard no squealing tires or engines.
Her tired mind thought lightning, but she dismissed that idea too. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky all day and what she’d heard was clearly glass breaking.
“What the hell was that?” she said to Penny. Not that the cat replied. Or even moved. When Jeannette had crawled into bed an hour earlier to read, Penny had claimed her usual spot, stretched out next to her above the covers. Jeannette referred to her as her own personal purring, electric blanket.
She was about to dismiss the flash when she smelled it.
Smoke.
A second later, one of her detectors downstairs began to beep loudly.
“Shit!”
Jeannette leapt from the bed, threw on her glasses, grabbed her cell phone, and dialed 911 as she dashed downstairs. Distressed by the amount of smoke filling her living room, she rattled off her address to the operator and begged her to send someone quickly. Racing around her house, she tried to find the source of the smoke.
Nothing appeared to be on fire, but the air was now thick and hot, clogging her lungs and burning her eyes. Her heart thudded loudly from her mad dash around the house and raced with fear.
Crossing the kitchen, she started to open the door that connected her house to the garage, but she reared back as she touched the blistering doorknob. She’d found her fire.
Sirens sounded in the distance, but they were too far away to offer much hope. She knew enough about fire to keep the door between the garage and kitchen closed, but she was filled with the need to find some way to douse the flames before her whole house was consumed.
“Oh my God,” she cried out into the empty room as the blaze started to creep beneath the door. The words cost her and she coughed. She needed to get the hell out.
She darted back through the house in a panic. Should she put on clothes? Should she try to save some of her stuff?
Both thoughts vanished when she remembered Penny.
“Penny!” she yelled out for the cat, terror racing though her. She needed to find her kitty. She recalled the cat coming downstairs with her, but she’d lost sight of her after that. Jeannette dashed around the living room, coughing, her vision blurred by tears produced by the thick smoke. Crawling on her hands and knees, she looked under a cabinet in the corner. It was one of Penny’s favorite hidey-holes and places to sleep. She thought she saw something move beneath, but it was too hard to tell in the dark.
The sirens were right outside now, but Jeannette didn’t rise. She had to get Penny first.
“Penny,” she choked out, her throat seizing, tight and sore. The bright lights of the fire truck brightened the room enough that she spotted Penny. The terrified cat burrowed deeper under the cabinet as the room was painted in an array of orange and red light from the fire. The blaze had reached the house and was spreading fast.
A loud bang distracted her as she glanced toward the front door. A firefighter in full regalia stood there. Jeannette wasn’t sure how she knew who it was, the man’s face was hidden behind the visor of his helmet, but she yelled out, “Diego!”
He spotted her in the corner and rushed over. “Goddammit, Jeannette. You have to get out of here.”
“Penny!” she cried, not rising from the floor even though her lungs felt as if they were about to burst.
“Jesus Christ. Get her out of here!”
She looked around Diego to find Luc there as well.
Diego reached down to pick her up off the floor. She put up a fight, determined she wasn’t leaving the house without Penny. “No!”
“I’ll get the cat,” Luc said. “Go!”
She stopped resisting. Her struggles hadn’t done her any good anyway. Diego was strong as an ox and focused on getting her out of the
Car accident? No. She’d heard no squealing tires or engines.
Her tired mind thought lightning, but she dismissed that idea too. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky all day and what she’d heard was clearly glass breaking.
“What the hell was that?” she said to Penny. Not that the cat replied. Or even moved. When Jeannette had crawled into bed an hour earlier to read, Penny had claimed her usual spot, stretched out next to her above the covers. Jeannette referred to her as her own personal purring, electric blanket.
She was about to dismiss the flash when she smelled it.
Smoke.
A second later, one of her detectors downstairs began to beep loudly.
“Shit!”
Jeannette leapt from the bed, threw on her glasses, grabbed her cell phone, and dialed 911 as she dashed downstairs. Distressed by the amount of smoke filling her living room, she rattled off her address to the operator and begged her to send someone quickly. Racing around her house, she tried to find the source of the smoke.
Nothing appeared to be on fire, but the air was now thick and hot, clogging her lungs and burning her eyes. Her heart thudded loudly from her mad dash around the house and raced with fear.
Crossing the kitchen, she started to open the door that connected her house to the garage, but she reared back as she touched the blistering doorknob. She’d found her fire.
Sirens sounded in the distance, but they were too far away to offer much hope. She knew enough about fire to keep the door between the garage and kitchen closed, but she was filled with the need to find some way to douse the flames before her whole house was consumed.
“Oh my God,” she cried out into the empty room as the blaze started to creep beneath the door. The words cost her and she coughed. She needed to get the hell out.
She darted back through the house in a panic. Should she put on clothes? Should she try to save some of her stuff?
Both thoughts vanished when she remembered Penny.
“Penny!” she yelled out for the cat, terror racing though her. She needed to find her kitty. She recalled the cat coming downstairs with her, but she’d lost sight of her after that. Jeannette dashed around the living room, coughing, her vision blurred by tears produced by the thick smoke. Crawling on her hands and knees, she looked under a cabinet in the corner. It was one of Penny’s favorite hidey-holes and places to sleep. She thought she saw something move beneath, but it was too hard to tell in the dark.
The sirens were right outside now, but Jeannette didn’t rise. She had to get Penny first.
“Penny,” she choked out, her throat seizing, tight and sore. The bright lights of the fire truck brightened the room enough that she spotted Penny. The terrified cat burrowed deeper under the cabinet as the room was painted in an array of orange and red light from the fire. The blaze had reached the house and was spreading fast.
A loud bang distracted her as she glanced toward the front door. A firefighter in full regalia stood there. Jeannette wasn’t sure how she knew who it was, the man’s face was hidden behind the visor of his helmet, but she yelled out, “Diego!”
He spotted her in the corner and rushed over. “Goddammit, Jeannette. You have to get out of here.”
“Penny!” she cried, not rising from the floor even though her lungs felt as if they were about to burst.
“Jesus Christ. Get her out of here!”
She looked around Diego to find Luc there as well.
Diego reached down to pick her up off the floor. She put up a fight, determined she wasn’t leaving the house without Penny. “No!”
“I’ll get the cat,” Luc said. “Go!”
She stopped resisting. Her struggles hadn’t done her any good anyway. Diego was strong as an ox and focused on getting her out of the
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