Page 6 of Burning Desire

“Shit. Hold on.” I hear the siren go off in the background alerting all available firefighters that they are needed. “Where?” Arlene asks when she returns to our call.

“I’m not sure yet but I’m driving in that direction,” I reply as I take a right turn much faster than I should and my tires squeal loudly. “I’m going to put you on speaker. I’ll shout the address, but I might need to move quickly.”

Tossing the phone on the dash I silently pray that Harmony is fine, but I have a bad feeling about this. When I see the front of the bakery in flames, I curse my gut instinct for always being right.

“It’s Cake My Life,” I say loudly before rushing from my truck.

I know every bit of protocol and I know I should never enter a burning building alone. But I also know that Harmony lives in the apartment above the bakery and she was waiting for me. She is inside and I have to get to her.

From the bed of my truck, I grab the old axe I used to chop some wood yesterday and swing it at the glass door. The glass shatters and the flames press forward. I wait a moment after it breaks, praying the fire will recede and grant me entrance. I hear the siren of my approaching firefighter brothers, but I don’t know how long the fire has been blazing and I am not willing to take the chance.

I should wait for them, but I don’t.

I shouldn’t go into the building, but I do.

I see a gap in the flames and run headfirst into the burning building, praying she is okay.

“Harmony!” I yell as I take the stairs two at a time. Luckily the fire hasn’t spread too far to this side and the structure is still stable. “Harmony!” I can hear the panic in my voice.

“Draven,” I hear her yell back softly through a cough.

“Where are you?” I call as I kick in the door to her apartment. She doesn’t answer and fear threatens to strangle me. “Harmony!”

“I’m in the bathroom.” Her voice is soft and hoarse, and I know it’s from inhaling too much smoke.

I push the door open to find her fully dressed but submerged in a tub full of water. She has a wet towel pressed to her face and if I wasn’t so scared right now, I would be proud. I taught her this when she was in high school and I was still a probate.

“We need to get out of here,” I say as I lift her out of the water, pulling her form tightly against me.

“But the fire!” Terror laces her every word.

“Do you trust me?” She stares at me for a moment before nodding. “I got you.”

Cradling her to my chest I cover as much of her as I can with the wet towel before moving out of the bathroom, down the stairs, and back outside. Firefighters are everywhere, trying to get the blaze under control. A paramedic is parked beside the curb, and I head directly to him, needing to make sure Harmony is okay.

****

Harmony

I smelled the smoke while I was doing my makeup. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but the smell just kept getting stronger, and I was afraid Darla may have forgotten to switch off one of the ovens. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find my bakery engulfed in flames.

I quickly shut the door and backtracked to the bathroom. When I was in high school, an old woman a town over died in a house fire because she hid under her bed. I was so sad that she died in such a terrible way and for her family and friends who would never have a chance to say goodbye. A few days later, Draven explained that she probably hadn’t died from beingburnt alive but from inhaling all the smoke. He told me exactly what to do if I was ever trapped inside a burning building so I would have the best chance of survival.

At the time I had thought he was insane, but now I couldn’t be more grateful that he had made sure I had this knowledge. I quickly open the faucet to fill the tub and grab all the towels I can find, shoving some into the crack at the bottom of the door. Grabbing my cell phone, I lower my body into the water. Unlocking the screen, I scroll through my contacts until I find Draven’s number. But just as I am about to hit the call button, my trembling hands lose their grip, and the device disappears beneath the water.

“Fuck!” I curse. “What the hell do I do now?”

I’m talking to myself, but I don’t care. If I die tonight, at least the last conversation I have will be an intelligent one. “Don’t panic. Draven is on his way.”

Tears stream down my face as the reality hits me that not only could I die here tonight but I have lost everything—my bakery, my home, my belongings. I have nothing left. Hell, I don’t even own a car.

“Harmony!”

I hear Draven’s voice, and I remove the wet towel from my face.

“Draven!” I call back as hard as I can but my throat hurts.

“Where are you?” he calls but I am struggling to catch my breath. “Harmony!”

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