Page 1 of Heart of a Hero

Chapter One

Nora

Acrid smoke filled my nostrils, jolting me awake. My heart thudded against my ribcage as I leapt out of bed, realizing with sickening dread the apartment was on fire.

“Taylor!” I screamed, flying down the hall to her room, panic clawing up my throat.Oh God, not my little girl. Please let her be okay.

I burst into her bedroom, the smoke thickening, choking the air from my lungs. Taylor lay curled up in her pink princess bed, blonde curls splayed across the pillow, slumbering peacefully as danger loomed.

“Taylor, baby, wake up! We have to get out of here!” My voice cracked with desperation as I shook her small shoulders. She stirred, blue eyes fluttering open in sleepy confusion.

“Mommy? What’s wrong?” Her words came out in a drowsy mumble.

“There’s a fire, sweetie. We need to go now.” I scooped her up, thin arms circling my neck as she clung to me. The pop and crackle of flames echoed from somewhere below, every second precious as the inferno raged.

Sweat dripped down my face, plastering my dark hair to my forehead. I had to get us out. Had to save my daughter, the only light in my bleak world. After everything we’d been through, I refused to let it end like this.

I raced into the living room, Taylor’s trembling body pressed tightly against my chest. My frantic eyes darted around, searching for an escape route, any way to flee the encroaching flames. The front door -- I lunged for it, hope flaring in my heart, only to recoil as scorching heat seared my palm. The fire raged just beyond.

“Mommy, I’m scared,” Taylor whimpered, her face buried in the crook of my neck. Hot tears dampened my skin as she clung to me, her small frame shaking with terror.

“I know, baby. But we’re going to be okay. I promise.” My words sounded hollow even to my own ears, fear twisting my gut into knots.Think, Nora, think. There had to be another way out.

I scanned the room, smoke stinging my eyes, making them water. I glanced back at the door, the hungry flames licking at the edges, taunting me with their deadly dance. The acrid stench of burning plastic and wood filled my nostrils, making me gag. We were trapped, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut.

Taylor lifted her head, her blue eyes wide with fear and trust. “What are we going to do, Mommy?”

I swallowed hard, mind racing as I sought a solution, any glimmer of hope in this nightmare. “We’re going to get out of here, sweetie. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

But as the smoke thickened, the heat intensifying, I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling I might not be able to keep my promise. We were running out of time, and I had no idea how to save us both.

Panic threatening to overwhelm me, I stumbled to the window overlooking the street, Taylor clinging to my side. With a shaking hand, I fumbled with the latch, my lungs burning as I gulped in the blistering air. Finally, the window swung open, and I thrust my head out into the night, the distant wail of sirens barely audible over the roar of the flames.

“Help!” I screamed, my voice raw and desperate. “Please, someone help us!”

But the street below was in chaos, and no one looked up. Hot tears streamed down my face as I pounded on the windowsill, splinters biting into my palms. “We’re trapped up here! My baby…”

Taylor whimpered, burying her face in my shirt. “I’m scared, Mommy.”

I hugged her fiercely, my heart shattering. “I know, baby.”

The smoke was growing thicker by the second, the temperature rising to an unbearable level. My eyes stung and watered, my throat raw from the heat and fumes. How much longer could we last like this?

Despair threatened to engulf me, and I started praying for a miracle. The fire was closing in, its hungry flames devouring everything in its path. We were running out of time.

“Please,” I whispered, my voice barely a croak. “Someone help us. We need a hero.”

My mind raced as I scanned the room, desperate for any way out of this nightmare. Suddenly, a memory flashed through my panic-stricken thoughts: the fire escape outside the living room window. It was old and rusted, but it might be our only chance.

“Taylor, sweetie, I need you to be brave for me, okay?” I pulled back, looking into her wide, frightened eyes. “We’re going to climb out the window and down the fire escape. Just like in the movies, remember?”

She sniffled, her lower lip trembling. “But, Mommy, I’m scared of heights.”

“I know, baby, but I’ll be right there with you. I won’t let you fall.” I forced a smile, trying to project a confidence I didn’t feel. “We can do this together.”

Galvanized into action, I rushed to the living room, dragging a chair to the window. The smoke was even thicker here, making it hard to see. I fumbled with the latch, my fingers clumsy and shaking. Finally, the window creaked open, a gust of cooler air hitting my face.

I leaned out, peering through the haze at the narrow metal platform below. It seemed miles away, the ladder descending into darkness. Fear gnawed at my stomach, but I pushed it down. There was no other choice.

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