***
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 all right. 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 all right?" 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, 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 to 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 burnt home falling on his head, her voice calling his name. He had to do something.
"You all right, 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 slid into a hole, 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 toward me through the trees, her long tail wagging. She kissed my face, licking 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, to escape. I battled to my feet, but my ankle shot lightning bolts of red pain through my leg. I couldn't put any weight on it, let alone walk. I bit my lip, trying to distract myself from the pain.
I needed a plan. "Come on, use your brain, Holly!" I yelled out into the woods. The trees absorbed the sound but it released the fear out of my mind. Inspiration struck- my old bicycle was in the garage. I had to make it back to the house. If I could just make it to the garage, I could pull out the bike and coast down the hill and not need my ankle. I knew the tires were flat, but at this point that was the least of my worries. I looked at Shadow, and she wagged her tail. I told myself she was trying to encourage me. I took a step and screamed as I collapsed on the ground.
It took a minute for the red haze of pain to lift. I had to keep moving; the fire was coming. I had to get to the garage and to my pink bicycle. I could do it. I had to do it. I started crawling on my hands and knees, the pine needles and dried grass poking and sticking to my skin. Pine bark and rocks scraped my knees, but at least I was moving forward. All I had to do was get to the garage.
***
Ray skidded to a halt in Holly's driveway, and Andrew ran up to the front door. He froze as he saw it was ajar, a duffel bag and dog food sitting on the front porch. He pushed it the rest of the way open, calling out her name. The house was deathly quiet. Andrew's hair stood on end. Where was she?
"I'll throw her stuff in the truck. Where is she? Could she have gotten a ride from someone?" Ray asked, picking up the bag and throwing it over his shoulder. Concern flooded his voice. Andrew shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. This felt wrong.
"We had to blow through that barricade—I doubt anyone is left up here. I'm going to check the back. She is probably just getting Shadow," Andrew said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. Ray nodded and started putting the bag in the back of the truck. Andrew ran through the house, calling her name just to make sure she wasn't inside before heading out on the back porch.
The swing creaked as a gust of wind caught it. It smelled like fire up her; the sky was turning pitch black. He looked down into the yard, hoping to see Holly walking up with Shadow, but there was nothing. A sickly yellow sunshine broke through and fell on the empty yard; it made Andrew's blood run cold.
"Power's out," Ray said, joining him on the porch. Andrew's head turned quickly toward him.
"That means Shadow's fence is out. Holly must be looking for her." Andrew felt a slight sense of pride that his voice didn't quake. He felt like every word should have come out with vibrato.
"Would she have gone after her dog? The fire is going to get here any minute." Ray shifted on his feet, his eyes scanning down the hill for any trace of flames.
"She would have gone for her dog. She didn't know how close the fire was." Andrew glanced at him.
"We look then," said Ray with a nod. "We won't leave here without her."
"If Shadow got loose, then she probably went to the fort. We'll check there first," Andrew said.
"We better hurry," Ray's voice filled with urgency. Andrew looked out, and from the vantage point of the porch, could see embers starting to float up from the trees in the valley.
Andrew sprinted down the hill toward the old fort, Ray close behind him. He had to find her. He had to save her. He could never forgive himself if he lost her this way, without telling her he was sorry. Without telling her that he loved her.
***
It was easier to breathe down low to the ground, but the smoke still made my lungs hurt. I pulled my shirt up over my nose, but I still had to concentrate on not coughing, breathing only through my nose. My eyes watered with the soot, and I could feel tears tracking down my face. Shadow kept with me, whining gently and pulling me toward the house. I just had to get to the garage.
I was so tired. It didn't seem like crawling would be that much more effort, but the incline, the rocks, the slip of the pine needles and the pain in my ankle were taking their toll. I pulled myself to a tree and leaned my back against it. It hurt to breathe, but my lungs begged for oxygen.
Shadow whimpered and pulled softly, her eyes looking past me. I followed her line of sight to the edge of our property. A faint glow was starting to creep into the trees. The fire was coming. I felt a surge of adrenaline push through me, my ankle and the pain forgotten. I had to get to the garage. My pink bicycle. If I could just get there, everything would be fine.
I started moving again, pushing forward on sheer will. I could hear a crackling noise behind me. I didn't know if the heat was the fire or just my imagination, but I knew I was sweating. Shadow pulled me by her leash, the house a stones throw away. I didn't know I could be this tired; I didn't know I could hurt this much. The adrenaline was wearing off, but I still had a ways to go. My hand slipped on a pile of pine needles, causing me to nose-dive into the ground. I tasted dirt and pine sap. The garage seemed so far away. I looked behind me and I could see orange beginning to dance in the trees.
Flames skittered like sprites across the branches, while orange and red imps frolicked on the dry grasses below. The smoke was black and heavy, waving into the sky like the hair of a demon. It was beautiful in a destructive way. I wondered if I was going to die of suffocation or burns.
Shadow barked, a high pitched yelp that made me look back toward the house. The sky was almost blue compared to the demon crawling up the backside of the hill. She whined and pulled on the leash. All I had to do was make it to the garage. Shadow would never let me live it down if I didn't at least try. I forced my body to move up the hill again.
I barely made it the length of my body up the hill before sliding back down the incline again. I didn't remember this hill ever being so steep. I started to cry, tears running down my face. I could hear a noise that reminded me of bonfires and camping, knowing the flames were coming closer.
Shadow cried, tugging on the leash. I let her go. Maybe she could make it out. I wondered if Andrew would feed her for me. I just wanted to give up. Just to rest for a moment. A small voice started screaming in my head, screaming that I didn't have a moment. I had to get up and move. It coaxed and pleaded with me to keep going. It finally resorted to wondering what people would think when they found my body, what Andrew would think.
"Fine, I'll move. They will find my body clawing up this damn hillside," I growled and grabbed the earth, forcing myself up. There was no way I was going down without a fight. My hands were bleeding, covered in tiny scratches from broken pine branches and rocks. I couldn't feel my knees anymore, but I was sure they were nothing but hamburger meat by now. I knew I wasn't imagining the heat anymore; my sweat was evaporating as fast as I could make it. I could barely breathe. My eyes were full of dirt and smoke, I could barely see and I didn't dare wipe my eyes. Shadow began barking, but the noise seemed hazy and far away.
"I am coming you damn dog! I am going as fast as I can! I am not as good on four legs as you are," I snarled, digging my fingers into the ground and pushing forward. I just had to make it to the garage.
"Holly?" I thought I heard Andrew's voice. It couldn't be Andrew. Andrew was mad at me. I loved him, though. Didn't people always say they heard the voices of their loved ones when they were dying? A hallucination. I knew I had to be imagining his voice. I loved him, and my brain was letting me hear him one last time.
"Shadow, come here, girl! Where is she? Where is Holly?" That seemed a strange thing for my imagination to say. But, I was going to die, so who knew what my imagination might come up with? I reached for another handful of earth. Shadow kept barking.
"Holly! Ray, I found her!" Andrew's voice seemed closer, but still far away. I held onto the ground, my fingers pulling at the grass to keep moving forward. I felt hands on my shoulders. I looked up and saw a shirtless Andrew picking me up. Now I knew I was hallucinating.
"I've got you Holly—I've got you," Andrew whispered into my ear. "Can you walk?"
I felt my lips make the motion but no sound came out, so I just shook my head. Andrew picked me up like I was a child, cradling me in his arms. He was so handsome in the firelight. I wished Shadow would stop barking; she was ruining the moment.
***
The smoke was getting thicker, and Andrew pulled off his shirt and held it up over his nose. The acrid fumes burned the inside of his nostrils. It was hard to see, the fire's smoke blocking out the sunshine and filling the air with ash. He started calling out her name, his voice frantic.