Chapter 5 - The Smoke
The heavy white smoke filled the office almost instantly.
My eyes burned with intense agony.
My throat closed up in a violent coughing fit.
My mother and sister were coughing hysterically in the pitch-black darkness.
I knew we had less than a minute before the toxic smoke suffocated us completely.
I crawled desperately across the floor until I finally found Grace.
She was still completely unresponsive.
I threw her frail body carefully over my broad shoulder.
I could barely breathe, but I forced my tired legs to stand.
I blindly grabbed Vanessa's arm in the dark.
I violently ordered her to grab our mother and follow me directly to the window.
The tear gas was blinding, but I remembered exactly where the glass had shattered.
I felt the cool, refreshing night air hitting my face.
I climbed carefully through the broken window frame with Grace.
I slowly lowered her down onto the soft grass of the backyard.
Vanessa tumbled out right behind me, aggressively pulling our coughing mother with her.
The fresh air was a massive, beautiful relief.
I gasped deeply for breath and wiped the stinging tears from my eyes.
The large backyard was completely dark.
The entire neighborhood electrical grid had obviously been cut by David.
I looked back at the house.
Bright orange flames were already licking the walls of the hallway inside.
David had actually lit the devastating fire.
I checked Grace's pulse with two trembling fingers.
It was faint, but she was thankfully still alive.
I absolutely needed to get her to a hospital immediately.
I told Vanessa to help me carry Grace to my heavy truck parked in the driveway.
My mother suddenly yanked her arm away from Vanessa.
She stubbornly refused to move toward the vehicles.
She yelled frantically that her diamond jewelry was still upstairs in her bedroom safe.
I stared at her in absolute disbelief.
The house was burning to the ground, and she only cared about her stolen jewelry.
I coldly told her she was going to die if she went back inside that inferno.
My mother completely ignored me and ran toward the back patio door.
She disappeared into the smoke-filled house without looking back.
I did not have any time to stop her madness.
I lifted Grace tightly and sprinted toward the driveway.
Vanessa ran right beside me in sheer panic.
We safely reached the dark truck.
I opened the passenger door and gently placed Grace inside the cab.
I turned around to tell Vanessa to get in the back seat quickly.
Instead, I saw David standing perfectly still at the end of the driveway.
He was holding a suppressed submachine gun tightly in his hands.
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He pointed it directly at my chest.
He smiled wickedly and told me it was finally time to take a ride.
