Chapter 5 - The Burning Truth
The front porch of my childhood home was already engulfed in violent orange flames.
"They set the fire to cover their tracks!" I yelled over the sound of the roaring blaze.
The officer slammed on the brakes, and we skidded to a halt on the front lawn.
I kicked my door open and sprinted toward the burning structure without a second thought.
"Commander, wait, the roof is unstable!" he shouted behind me.
I ignored his warning and kicked the burning front door off its metal hinges.
The interior was thick with toxic smoke, burning my lungs with every single breath.
I crawled on my hands and knees toward my father's home office at the back of the house.
The heat was absolutely agonizing, but the words my father whispered kept pushing me forward.
I reached the office and frantically tore the heavy Persian rug away from the center of the room.
I coughed violently as I searched the wooden floorboards for any hidden seams.
My fingers brushed against a small metal latch completely concealed in the wood grain.
I pulled it open, revealing a hidden fireproof lockbox buried in the foundation.
The heavy wooden ceiling beams above me groaned dangerously as the fire consumed the support pillars.
I grabbed the heavy metal box and hugged it tightly to my chest.
A massive burning plank crashed down just inches from my feet, blocking the doorway entirely.
I was completely trapped inside the burning room with no obvious way to escape.
"Andrea, grab my hand!" a voice roared through the smoke.
The Navy officer smashed through the side window with a heavy wooden chair.
He reached his arm through the shattered glass, his white uniform covered in black soot.
I tossed the lockbox through the window before grabbing his outstretched hand.
He yanked me out into the cool night air just as the entire roof collapsed into the office.
May you like
We rolled across the grass, coughing and gasping for oxygen as the house burned to the ground.
Then I heard the distinct sound of a gun cocking directly behind us.
