Page 1 of Knox

Chapter One

Evelyn

Fire.

Smoke.

I clung to Luke and Aneshya, trying my best to shield them from the chaos around us. We coughed as we tried to make our way down the hall, but the smoke was so thick, it was pitch-black inside the cramped space.

“We’ve gotta get out of here!” Mr. Knoxville from across the hall was the children’s grandfather. The man always looked out for us, even when his son couldn’t. “Evelyn!”

“We’re over here!” I clutched my children close. We had a damp bed sheet over the three of us, but it wouldn’t do much for long. The smoke was getting thicker and there was no way a bed sheet was going to protect us from fire. “I can’t find Danny! He was just here!” I coughed and coughed as I sucked in a lungful of smoke with every breath. Luke tried to push me down, but I resisted. I needed to get my family to safety and that included Danny.

“Mommy, we need to go!” Aneshya sounded frantic, a round of coughing taking her as well. Luke stopped shoving at me and blanketed his sister, taking her to the floor.

“Crawl, Aneshya! Mom! Come on! Now!” Luke was only twelve, but he was protective of both me and his sister. “Grandpa! Make Mom follow us!” He tried to take charge and I knew he was right. But my long-term boyfriend and the kids’ father, Danny, had been beside me only a moment before. I couldn’t just leave him.

Mr. Knoxville suddenly appeared in front of me. He was in his late seventies, but the man was fit and strong as an ox. And protective as they came. I thought it might be where Luke learned it from. If Danny had inherited the trait from his father, he never showed it to me. Or the kids, really. As evidenced by the fact that it was his father and son trying to take care of me and Aneshya instead of Danny.

“Don’t worry about him, Evelyn.” Mr. Knoxville looked hard and almost dangerous. When he looked like this, it made me want to do anything he said without question. “He’s a grown man. You’ve got to get the children out. Now!”

“But Danny --”

“Will be fine. Or he won’t. Your first priority -- my first priority -- is you and the children.” I’d never heard Mr. Knoxville speak so harshly to me. He was always the one to help me when Danny didn’t come home. Or when Danny got mean. The kids were older, but I didn’t like leaving them alone. Mr. Knoxville was always so sweet and kind. But then, this situation didn’t call for sweet and kind. “Now get them and yourself out of here, Evelyn! Now!”

Luke and Aneshya were crawling on the floor down the hallway of our apartment building. Mr. Knoxville pushed me to my belly and urged me to crawl after the kids. The smoke was more tolerable low to the ground but still surrounding us. I choked with every breath. The fire was mostly behind us, but it was spreading. I thought I could hear sirens off in the distance.

“Keep movin’, girl! Don’t stop!”

“Luke!” I called out to my son, the smoke so thick and dark I’d lost sight of him and Aneshya as I lagged behind.

“We’re at the stairs!” Luke coughed again, his voice faint in the distance separating us. I could hear Aneshya coughing too. I hated that they had trouble breathing but was also grateful they were on the move. “Hurry, Mom!”

“I’m coming, Luke!” I crawled faster. Mr. Knoxville touched my ankle, urging me forward each time I hesitated. “Keep going! Get your sister out!”

“You keep goin’ too, girl. We’re gonna get outta here!” Mr. Knoxville’s voice was tight, and he coughed several times as he continually shoved me along.

The roar of the flames was growing louder. Heat billowed in a great rush from the flames I was certain were ready to bear down on us.

I heard the children cry out. Pain? Were they hurt?

“Luke! Aneshya!” When I sucked in another breath to scream again, I breathed in smoke which started a coughing fit. My lungs burned and spasmed, making it nearly impossible to take in another breath. I tried to keep moving, but it was all I could do to breathe. Panic tightened around my neck. With the smoke suffocating me, it really felt as if someone were actually strangling me.

I stumbled to my feet, needing to get to my kids as fast as I could and crawling wasn’t getting it done. I called out to them with every breath I could suck in. Then strong hands grabbed my shoulders. In the blackness of the smoke all around me, those hands were the first indication I had there was someone in front of me.

“Get down.” The gruff voice was muffled, and I realized he had on a mask. Firefighter? Then he shoved me back to the floor and pushed me to give me direction. “Keep crawling that way. The stairs are a few yards in front of you.”

“My children! Did you see --”

“They’re on the way out.”

“Mr. Knoxville’s behind me --”

“I’ll get him.”

“Danny --”

“I said go, woman! We’ll be right behind you.” He urged me onward, and all I could do was crawl in the direction he said. I hoped, since he’d sent me in that direction, he knew the way was clear. I trusted that my children were in that direction.

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