Chapter 9 - The Rescue in the Flames
The heat inside the cabin was absolutely unbearable, searing my lungs with every breath.
Ethan pulled his shirt over his mouth and signaled for me to stay low to the floor.
We crawled frantically through the burning living room, following the sounds of crying children.
I found a heavy iron fireplace poker and used it to smash the lock on the back bedroom door.
Leo and Lily were huddled together in the corner, coughing violently and clutching each other.
I scooped both of them into my arms, weeping with overwhelming relief as I felt their little hearts beating.
"Mommy's got you, we are getting out of here right now," I promised them fiercely.
Ethan grabbed blankets from the bed, wrapping them tightly around the kids to shield them from the flames.
As we turned to escape, a massive wooden support beam crashed down from the burning ceiling.
It landed heavily across the hallway, blocking our only clear path to the front door.
Trapped underneath the heavy, burning timber was Ryan.
He was coughing up blood, his legs pinned completely beneath the crushing weight of the wood.
"Maya, please help me!" Ryan begged, his eyes wide with genuine, pathetic terror.
Ethan looked at the man who had tried to steal our children, his face hardening into stone.
"We have to leave him, the roof is about to cave in entirely!" Ethan shouted over the roaring fire.
I looked at my ex-husband, remembering every cruel thing he had done to my family.
Despite the hatred burning in my heart, I could not let my children witness their father burn to death.
I handed the twins to Ethan and ordered him to get them outside to safety immediately.
I grabbed the iron poker and wedged it under the burning beam, using all my leverage to lift it.
Ryan scrambled desperately out from under the wood, his expensive clothes scorched and ruined.
I grabbed his collar and dragged him aggressively toward the shattered front door.
We tumbled out onto the cool grass just as the entire roof of the cabin collapsed in a fiery explosion.
Ryan lay gasping on the ground, pointing a shaking finger toward the dark tree line.
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"Diane didn't just lock the kids in that room," Ryan confessed, coughing violently.
"She set the fire intentionally to frame you for murder, and she just escaped into the woods."
