“Mark,” she said through a cough, finally getting her body to work as she turned toward him.
He was asleep on the bed next to where she had been. Out like a light as if the fire around them wasn’t roaring.
As if the voice from outside wasn’t yelling.
If she hadn’t heard the yelling, they would have slept right through their deaths.
She tried to get her brain to work, her limbs to move, but it was like moving through mud. The fog clouding her mind, growing by the second, the coughing racking her chest.
The glass shattered, a piece of wood flying through it and the yelling got louder. Her brain struggled to keep up, even with the adrenaline pumping through her system as she watched the piece of wood roll across the floor.
Move!
More glass crinkling drew her attention to where she could just make out Branson at the window. He had a towel wrapped around his hand as he beat at the glass in the window frame.
“Get up! Fuck!” He jumped back as the flames from outside flickered at him.
They were being surrounded!
His words finally jolted her enough to move, sending her mind in to over drive, as she scrambled across the bed to Mark.
“Mark!” She pushed at him, shoving his big body with everything she had. His hand came up to bat at her and she hit it back, making him frown.
“Whaaa …” His words slurred together as his eyes slowly slid open. The blue in them murky, showing his confusion.
“Mark, now! The cabin is on fire!” She tried to yell again, her throat protesting, and she coughed as she shoved at him again.
“Winter?” His voice came across worse than hers.
God!
“Mark! The cabin!” she yelled, a cough rattling her body with it.
“Fuck!” He shot off the bed and pulled her to the floor with him. He wrapped his arms around her as his head turned in every direction.
She started coughing again, and she couldn’t seem to stop. It was like fire in her throat.
“Mark?” she whispered, as panic started to consume her, and his eyes came to hers before flying to the window.
Were they going to die here?
“Fuck man get out of there!” Branson yelled, using a stick to push out more of the glass.
“Come on!” Mark stood and dragged her across the room to the window, handing her to Branson.
“I’ve got her. Get the fuck out! It’s headed to the propane tanks!” Branson yelled, grabbing her around the waist and quickly turning away from where Mark was trying to climb out the window.
“Mark!” she screamed, looking back over her shoulder as Branson made a dash across the yard.
Sirens rang out in the distance as the fire trucks clamored their way up the mountain, but she only had eyes for her Mark.
Out of the corner of her eye she watched as a line of fire quickly crossed the deck to where the propane tank was.
No!
“Mark!” Branson yelled stopping at the edge of the trees, to look back toward the house. She tried to wrench her arm free as soon as he set her down, but Branson kept holding tight keeping her from running back.
Her heart in her throat she could do nothing but watch as Mark finally made it over the edge and tumbled to the ground. She felt as if she would pass out, every movement moving in slow motion as he stumbled once, then righted himself before he started running.
