smoke and flame because I couldn't find her.
I headed deeper into the pine trees, down towards the tree fort Andrew and I had made as kids. Luke's dad had given us scrap wood and we had made a fort one summer long ago. Shadow loved it in the trees by the fort. There was a family of squirrels that lived in the fort now and whenever the fence went down, Shadow would try and escape to the fort like it was her own secret base. I hoped I would find her there, but I knew if I didn't I was going to have to head back alone.
The smoke was darker in the trees, the dry needles crunching under my shoes as I headed down the steep slope. I couldn't see Shadow anywhere and my voice hurt from the smoke and screaming. I turned to head back, hoping the dog was smarter than me and waiting back at the house. A flash of golden fur caught my attention in the trees up ahead, and I called out to her and ran forward.
▪▪▪
He hit the speed dial. Holly's phone rang and went to voice mail. He was going to be furious if she was just somewhere else and doing this to make him worry. He started pacing, chewing on the inside of his lip. Something was wrong and it was making his whole world feel off balance.
Bing. Home. Can we talk?
He barely read the message before replying, Why aren't you evacuated? Why aren't you here? He glanced at the TV, where the image of fire danced on the screen. He didn't wait for her to type back. He hit the call button, anxious to hear she was alright. She couldn't possibly be at home- why would she ignore the evacuation call?
"Holly? Why aren't you at the evacuation site? Are you alright?" He wanted to scream into the phone.
"I haven't gotten a call yet- I didn't think it was that close," her voice crackled over the line. He was glad to hear her voice, but her answer terrified him as he looked at the fire map.
"Holly, you have to get out of there- they are saying that whole mountain is about to go up once the wind shifts. You have get out of there now, Holly!" His hand was shaking as he pressed the phone to his ear. He could barely hear her as she told him she didn't have a car.
"Holly, I can't hear you- you're breaking up. Holly? HOLLY!" he yelled into the phone, hearing only static on the other end. He tried to dial her again, but it went straight to voice-mail.
A cold doom settled around his shoulders. In his mind he heard her screams as the fire engulfed her. The ash from her burned home falling on his head, her voice calling his name. He had to do something.
"You alright, Andrew? You look like you saw a ghost," Ray put his hand on Andrew's shoulder, shocking him out of his morbid daydream.
"Holly didn't get the evacuation call. She's still at home," he whispered, his eyes big as saucers. Ray paled and swallowed hard. The two men's eyes met.
"I'll get my truck," Ray said. Andrew nodded and followed him out to the parking lot.
▪▪▪
I heard the crack before I felt it, my foot sliding into a hole and twisting as I fell. The pain was immediate, and I struggled to pull my foot free. Small branches and sticky sap caught in my shoelaces, as I pulled it out of the hole. It flopped on the ground, bending the wrong direction. Tears filled my eyes, burning against the smoke. It didn't hurt as much as I expected, but I had a feeling that would quickly change.
I struggled to my knees, tears running down my face. I looked up and saw Shadow coming towards me through the trees, her long tail wagging. She licked my face, taking tears and soot as I held onto her soft fur. She whined softly as I hooked her leash to her collar, and prepared to stand.
It was so quiet. The birds had stopped singing. I heard the wind in the trees, the pine needles rustling together in fear of the flame. A primal panic started to grow in my belly, a need to run, to flee and escape. I battled to my feet, but my ankle shot lightning bolts of red pain through my leg. I couldn't put any weight, let alone walk on it. I