Up in Flames

Up in Flames


Chapter one

In the Fire


“Fire!”
“Watch out!”
“Stand back!”
Fire. It’s everywhere.
The fumes are overwhelming.
I start to cough.
People are running around frantic.
People are screaming.
People getting trapped by the flames.
“Hey!”
I look up; a man is standing over me.
“Hey, are you okay, Ma’am?” He asks.
“I suppose I am...” I reply, uncertain.
“Well then, we’ve got to get you someplace safe.” He says, extending a hand.
I take it.
“Where’s my Father?” I ask.
“Listen, Hon,” The man says rubbing his forehead, “We haven’t got time to lose, we need to hurry. Any questions you have can wait until later.”
“I won’t go unless you tell me where my Father is.” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
The man grabs me and slings me over his shoulder.
“Put me down!” I yell kicking at him.
“This would be much easier if you would be quiet. After all, I’m saving your life, or would you rather me leave you to burn in the flames?”
I look around me. The fire is spreading, and pretty soon we will have no way out at all.
I decide he’s right.
“That’s what I thought.” He says.
The man must still not trust me, because although he starts to run, he doesn’t put me down. This is a good thing though, because I’m not sure I would trust myself to follow him if I were let down.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask.
“The same place we are taking everyone.”
“Which is?”
“Anywhere but here.” He replies.

****

I wake up and feel someone patting my head.
“It’s okay, Child.” A female voice says to me.
I open my eyes, and find myself resting my head against a young women’s shoulder.
I sit up and turn to the women.
“Do you know where I can find my Father?” I ask.
“Well, you can start by getting up and looking around.” She says.
I look around me.
The men have brought us all to the cave!
I think of my house, of my village in the forest. My village that has now been burnt down by the forest fire. There’s was so few of us, hundred at most. Our village was so small... Thirty houses in all. All of which are burning as the seconds go by.
I want to know whats going on. I want to know if the men saved even part of our village, but first things first:
I have to find my father.
I look around, and towards the back of the dim lit cave, I see a man lying down. Another man is with him, a doctor perhaps. The doctor lifts the man up and pulls back his hood, which reveals a half-burned face.
This face, is my Fathers.
“Father!!” I scream as I run to him.
“There’s nothing I can do for him. I can’t save him, no one can.” The Doctor tells me, as I reach my Fathers side.
“I can see that, You Idiot!” I yell at him.
“I’m-”
I push The Doctor away.
“Go way! Leave me and my Father in peace.”
The Doctor rises quickly, and runs to tend to another patient. After all, this isn’t a big deal to him, he must see people die often but this is a very big deal to me.
“Father...” I say, grabbing his hands, “I love you.”
“I love you too, My Baby.”
“I’m not a baby Father, I’m fifteen.” I say even though I know its silly to be arguing now.
He chuckles, but his laugh turns into a cough.
“Listen, I don’t have much time, Cady.” He starts, but pauses.
“What? What is it, Father?” I ask.
I look at his face, at his usually bright eyes, that are now slowly turning back.
He uses his last bit of strength to take a doll from his pocket.
He holds the doll out to me.
“I want you to-”
He stops.
His hand, holding the doll, drops to the floor.
I hold his face in my hands.
“Father?!” I yell. “Dad!?” I ask, shaking him.
He’s gone.
“No.” I say as tears start to stream down my face. “No, no, no! You said you’d never leave me, Dad! You told me that we would always have each-other! You promised! You Promised Dad!” I yell, grabbing on to him.
The same women that I was resting my head on when I woke up, is suddenly sitting beside me.
“Honey, there’s no need to yell, he’s gone.” She says then pulls me towards her.
I don’t know why, but hearing her say it, just makes it all the more real. My Father, my only family, is dead.
I cry and cry, but the women does not stop me, she simply holds me in her arms.
Suddenly a man walks into the room.
“Walk to the front of the cave if you are able to.” He calls. “The doctors will tend to the sick and dead later, right now we must feed everyone who is well, and sure everyone gets a blanket to sleep on tonight.”
The women looks at me.
“We have to go, Darling.”
I nod. “I know.”
We stand then start to walk to the front of the room but I stop her.
“Wait.”
I run to my Father and kiss his burnt head, and its then that I see the doll.
He wanted me to have this, it must be important, I’d better keep it safe. I think.
I go to the women, and when she sees the doll, she smiles. Then she takes my hand and together we walk to the front of the cave. I don’t care if people see me crying and carrying the little doll because right now I care about nothing else except my Father, who is gone. Gone forever.