Page 48 of Embers of Love

“We need to get out!” she told Farcy. If they stayed in their seats they would drown when the truck sunk completely. She got no response in return. She glanced in his direction. His head bobbed around, with the movement of the car. He’s unconscious, Ember told herself. Another, more pessimistic voice said, most likely dead from the impact. She ignored the latter.

She needed to get him out. Most of the cab of the truck was already flooded. She tried to move quickly, a sharp pain on the entire right side of her torso discouraged her. She hissed, trying to power through the agony. She was certain something was broken.

“Have to keep moving,” Ember told herself. She reached, unhooked her seat with her left hand, and pushed her way across to Farcy. The old man was unmoving. She didn’t want to check if he was breathing. It took a couple of tries to get his seatbelt off. By then, half the cab was already filled with water.

She tried to shake him awake but got no response. Have to get him out. That’s not going to be easy. Even with both her arms fully functional, it would have been a difficult task.

Ember bunched her feet under, bracing herself against the passenger side door. She heaved Farcy up, holding him against her body while she allowed the water to do most of the lifting. Then, she shoved both of them out the driver’s side window, nearly crying out as the rapid movement caused fiery agony to light across her arm and body. The current took him instantly, eager to carry him to its depths. Ember held him as tightly as she could and kicked her feet to keep their heads above the water. If she let go, he would drown.

The water got into her eyes, blinding her. Each breath felt like she was inhaling ample amounts of water with the air. She coughed and sputtered. Her legs were beginning to burn with the effort of keeping them afloat. She needed to get them to the bank, but she didn’t have the strength to fight the river.

The irony of it struck Ember. She was going to drown while fighting wildfire. She would have laughed but that would have gotten her nothing but a mouthful of water.

Hold on to Farcy. Stay on your back. Kick your feet. Stay afloat. Live.

The last word continued to ring in her thoughts, even when she reached the point where she wasn’t certain if she was conscious or not.

Live.

A few months ago, this would have been enough. A glorious death while saving another life. That would have been the peak of it all. There would have been statues built in her honor, she would have finally left her mother’s shadow. She would give her life gloriously in service to the people she cared about.

Now that’s no longer enough for me.

She could see Josephine’s face. Her beautiful, dimpled smile. Her warm, amber-flecked eyes. Her lovely, honeyed silk hair. Ember didn’t want to give that up forever. If she died, it would be the end. She would never kiss her again. The memory she would make with Josephine would be of her walking away after ending their relationship.

Live.

She wanted more out of life now. Ember wanted her lover with her. She wanted a family of her own. She wanted to live a long, happy life with Josephine. She wanted them to watch their children grow and flourish together.

She was blacking out intermittently. Sometimes she would forget to kick her feet and both their heads would sink below the water. That was usually enough to jolt her back action. She was exhausted. There was no hope in sight. Nobody around to offer them aid, but she held on stubbornly. Help would come. Her sisters would find her. She was confident that they would.

The water swallowed them both.

Kick your feet.

She tried to move but her legs were not listening. The muscles were locked in place. No matter how hard she tried, they refused to respond.

Is this it? she wondered as darkness crept around the edges of her eyes. The surface of the water looked so far away now. She could not reach it no matter how hard she tried.

Please. Help.

A powerful force wrenched her forward. She gasped, sweet air filling her lungs.

“Ember!”

She recognized that voice. It was Josephine. Was she hearing things in her last moments? She felt so cold.

“Ember!”

Her eyes snapped open. Josephine’s face hovered above her. She gaped in shock.

“Let go!” Josephine said. “Let go of him!”

Ember looked down and realized she was still holding on to Farcy. She forced her arm to relax and they pulled him away from her. She frowned in worry.

“He’s fine,” Josephine assured her, flashing one of her dimpled smiles. “He’s alive. You did good.”

Other firefighters crowded around her. Her sisters had come for her. She felt herself being moved on to a stretcher. The pain was enough to rip most of the haze away. She remained focused on Josephine.

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