Chapter 8 - The Smoke and the Ashes
Sarah slammed the siren on her unmarked cruiser, weaving recklessly through the morning traffic.
We could see the thick, black pillar of smoke rising into the sky from miles away.
When we turned onto Reena's street, the heat of the blaze could be felt through the closed windows of the car.
The house was completely engulfed in roaring orange flames, the roof already beginning to cave in on itself.
Firefighters were fighting the blaze from the perimeter, shouting orders over the deafening roar of the fire.
I jumped out of the moving car before Sarah even put it in park.
I scanned the chaotic crowd of neighbors and emergency responders, frantically searching for my niece and nephew.
Standing near an ambulance, wrapped in a foil blanket and sobbing hysterically, was Reena.
She was perfectly safe, completely unharmed, and acting out the role of the grieving mother once again.
I sprinted toward her, ignoring the police officers who tried to hold me back.
"Where are they?" I screamed, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her violently.
"Where are the kids, Reena?"
She looked at me, tears streaming down her soot-stained face, but her voice was a venomous whisper meant only for my ears.
"They're in the hidden room, Calder," she sneered, her eyes gleaming with pure evil.
"I locked the steel door from the outside and broke the keypad, just like you showed me."
The fire was going to consume the evidence, the children, and all of her problems in one horrific event.
I let go of her and turned toward the blazing inferno of my brother's house.
Two firefighters yelled at me to stop, but I shoved past them and charged blindly through the front door.
The heat was agonizing, searing my lungs with every breath as I navigated the burning hallway.
Flaming debris fell from the ceiling, catching my jacket on fire, but I batted the flames out without slowing down.
I reached the melted ruins of the antique mirror and found the heavy steel door glowing red hot in the smoke.
I grabbed the iron handle, ignoring the smell of my own burning flesh, and pulled with every ounce of strength I had left.
The door wouldn't budge.
I heard a faint, muffled scream coming from the other side of the steel.
"Drew!" I roared, kicking the locking mechanism with my heavy boots.
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Through a small ventilation grate at the bottom of the door, a tiny, terrified voice called back.
"Uncle Calder, it's getting really hot in here!"
