the front of the house, breathing hard, and see the brilliant red and white lights of emergency vehicles racing up the hill.
Outside, anxious neighbors gather in the street, huddling with one another as their cellphones capture the blaze. I turn back to the house only to see the entire thing engulfed by the deadly fire. A window blows out and everyone ducks as hot shards of glass shoot onto the lawn. I’m barefoot and naked beneath my robe and feel incredibly exposed.
One of the neighbors rushes up to me. “Are you okay?” He’s an older man in his mid to late-sixties. He wraps his arms around me and leads me off the lawn and into the street.
I give a shaky nod.
“Anyone else in the house?” He’s concerned, but I shake my head.
“Just me.” My heart pounds and I cough from smoke inhalation.
I’ve done this before. This is the worst déjà vu ever.
What is it with me and fire?
Videos of house fires are woefully inaccurate when compared to the real thing. I’ve seen footage on TV before: black smoke billows into the sky and flames lick along the wood. But the real thing is much different. For one thing, the heat is intense.
Even standing in the road, the heat scorches my skin. The yellow, ruddy glow fills the sky and the smell of wood and plastic dominates every breath. The flames roar, louder than I think they should, as they devour what was once a quaint, yet hideous home.
As the flames engulf my Art Deco disaster, the surrounding trees curl back from the flames, their leaves singeing in the intense heat. I take a step back, pushed further into the street by the conflagration.
The older man holding me does what he can to console me, but I need Asher and his strong arms. His reassuring words. Instead, I lean on a stranger, unable to process what’s happening.
Down the lane, sirens announce the cavalry is here to save the day. I glance down at my robe, at the scorched areas which protected me as I escaped the house and hold back the tears threatening to spill forth.
Once again, everything I own goes up in flame. The house is like a macabre bonfire chewing through my possessions with relentless hunger and the need to destroy.
The siding on the house bubbles and slides down like melted chocolate in summertime. Smoke curls into the sky and rains down dirty ash.
Sirens wail as two firetrucks scream down the street with an ambulance in tow behind them. They pull up alongside the curb and men in heavy protective gear jump out. A couple of them go to man the hoses. One heads right at me.
He places a gloved hand on my shoulder and there’s a tender voice which seems familiar. He says something, but I can’t focus on the words. All I hear is the roaring of the flames.
My house is burning.
Acrid, chemical infused smoke fills the air as the fire devours my home.
“Evelyn!” The firefighter shouts and gives me a little shake. “Is this your house?”
I tear my attention from the flames and look at the firefighter. I know that face, even if I don’t remember his name.
I nod, unable to speak.
“Is there anyone else inside? Is Ace in there?”
My head shakes the other direction. “No. Just me. I was alone.”
He’s one of Asher’s friends. One of the Malone brothers and his name begins with a G, but for the life of me, I can’t remember his name
He says something to the man standing beside me then lifts his arm to wave someone over. Two men carrying a stretcher and bright orange bags come trotting over to me.
“Treat her for smoke inhalation.”
That’s all I hear as Asher’s friend hands me off to the two men. A rush of dry oxygen hits me as they place a mask over my face.
The firefighters train their hoses on the burning house and send jets of water to douse the flames.
More sirens sound down the lane, but these flash blue and white lights. A cop car slams to a halt behind the fire engine and a man climbs out of the vehicle. He goes to the firefighters while the paramedics place me on the gurney and wheel me back to their ambulance.
There’s nothing they can do to save the house. When this is done, it’ll be reduced to nothing but ash and charcoal. My entire body shakes. I cough into the mask as the paramedics take my vitals. I can’t