Page 209 of Wreck Me

He stalked to me, telling me, “That was Plan B. I warned you that you wouldn’t like it. You left me no choice. I’ve gotta take everything from you, cut all the ties holding you here to this life, and keeping you from me. Burn it all to ash.” He smirked. “Literally, in this case.”

I lurched up and fisted my hand in his tank, then jerked him to me as I rolled backward, sending him over my head. He grunted as he smacked face-first into a tree trunk.

I reacted quickly while he was reeling, bolting back toward the house.

Two figures in black sweats came running from around the other sides of the house, but I paid it little mind, nothing more than background noise, because all that mattered was getting to my mom and getting her out.

I leapt over what was left of the kitchen door, then pushed my way through into the corridor.

I spun to the left to see flames licking up the stairs and heavy smoke filling the space that would make it hard to see the further up I went.

I had to try.

I tugged the bust of my tank up over my mouth and just above my nostrils to minimize at least some of the smoke inhalation.

And then I bolted up the steps.

I was halfway up, having to dodge the flames every couple of steps, when an awful creaking sounded.

The integrity of the staircase was compromised and it started to give way under the assault of the raging flames. I lunged forward, bypassing the rest of the steps, and ducked and rolled onto the landing, then came up to my feet with the rolling momentum.

It pulled my tank from my face and I started choking in seconds as the heavy smoke burned my throat and lungs.

I staggered to my parents’ bedroom, then shoved open the door.

And then I was forced to jump back as raging flames greeted me at the threshold.

I could just about make out my mom prone on the bed, fire inching closer and closer to her. The smoke must’ve had her passing out.

“Mom!” I screamed. “Mom, wake up! Please!” She could still get out through the bedroom window. Even though it was on the second floor, her love of trellises would make it possible. They led down from both of our bedrooms.

A crash sounded and I strained to see something bright-red and metal being used to break the bedroom window glass.

A fire extinguisher.

A moment later, my dad came into view, climbing the trellis.

Oh my God. Thank you! Thank you!

As he made it into the room and finagled the fire extinguisher, he caught sight of me.

“Go! Go, Sky!” he yelled, his naked fear for me clear.

As he started to put out the flames barring his way to my mom, the ones at the threshold raged higher, forcing me back.

And then my arm was snagged and I was being tossed down the stairs.

I landed on my back and looked up to see Jett vaulting over them, then landing just a few feet from me.

“Gonna get yourself killed, sugar.”

Tears were streaming down my face, a pain so acute that I could barely endure it at the sight of the house being ripped apart with my mom asleep and defenseless within and now my dad inside too and risking his life as well.

But as I took in Jett standing over me looking so viciously victorious and I saw the absolute insanity bleeding from him, something else so pure and raw transcended everything.

White-hot rage.

I couldn’t contain in.

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