A Midnight Blaze

Expecting to find her father indulging his flights of fancy, the girl leaves the safety of her room to bring him back inside - only to run into a terror of a different sort.

Ever since I was a child, I had always feared our house would catch fire. My parents assured me, however, that the smoke detectors would catch the flames before they destroyed the house. An acceptable answer for a nine year old. Yet, waking to the acrid sting of smoke in the middle of the night birthed my fears anew. 

Coughing and sputtering, I stumbled from my bed, reaching blindly for the door. My eyes burned, hot tears rolling down my cheeks. Just as I reached up to wipe them away I became aware of something out of place. No manic beeping bled from the hallway. The house was dead silent. And my room oddly lit. Shaking from the adrenaline pumping through my blood, I inched across the room toward my only window and brushed aside the thin curtain. 

Deep orange flames leap toward the moon, absorbing every ounce of light to burn brighter, hotter. They flickered, dancing across the wooden planks of my floor, drawing the eye to their intricacies. 

I drew a sigh of relief. The house wasn't burning. Instead, the rotting barn that was scheduled to be demolished next week was collapsing in on itself, devoured by the fire. 

"Of all times of the night, you pick now to do this, Dad?" I mumble to myself as I slip on a pair of slippers. Though I was beyond dismissing his sudden point to torch the barn, I could at least coax him back inside. 

The deep pit in my chest I had been fighting to keep together opens like a wound with bad stitching, unwanted emotions pouring from the scar as life blood. My mother would have known he had left bed, but had refused to do anything. Working toward anything simply requires to much effort. 

Surprisingly, the front door was locked. I wasted a moment staring at the bolt before shrugging and stepping out onto the porch. 

Fierce cold bites at my skin, goose bumps rising on bare legs and arms. Each hand gripping an elbow, I trudge through the mound of leaves we neglected to rake up the day before. Dew frozen to the leaves melts from the heat of my ankles; I shudder, feeling the icy burn of winter in my lungs. 

"Hey, Dad." I call out, barely audible above the crackle of the fire. "Couldn't this have waited til morning? I mean..." Dread pools in the hollow of my stomache and I freeze. If Dad was out here, the bright plaid of his flannel pajamas would be easily seen. Instead, a dark jacket stood fifty yards off facing away from me, dark hair curling over their ears, hands shoved deep in jean pockets. 

Breathing deep, I jump sideways behind a large tree, the rough bark grazing my palm. A hiss of pain escapes between my teeth and I lose my balance on the roots, falling backwards. A stick snaps under my weight as I regain my footing. 

The boy turns quickly, eyes scanning where I had stood seconds before. His eyes were cast in shadows, their lightness only known by the glint they threw into the fire. The mouth was curved down and lines crease his forehead. Heavy locks of his hair rest just above his brows, curling slightly toward the ends. Shoulders bearing the heft of the thick coat are held rigid, close to his ears. Each feature, so prominent and unmistakable, speaks to me, but the meaning is garbled by the night. 

Without a second glance, he disappears into the trees, leaving the fire blazing, intense. For a full minute, I cannot bring myself to head back to the house. Half for fear he might return, half for hope he had noticed me. When I did start back to the house and the adrenaline lost its effect, a terrifying truth became clear. 

Whoever had burned down our barn - I knew him. 

Author's Note

Might become a new project, I'm not sure yet. Please leave your thoughts, all reviews are appreciated.

Reviews

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I think if you have the story line figured out you should go for it! Not only to sate my curiosity, haha, but because its something to do!
Your writing style here is very good, elaborate, poetic, but not dragging on. Perfectly succinct. The internal dialogue is good, and the character is instantly relatable.
Was captivated from start to finish. Thank you for your words,
Josh.

[Renée]

You leave us hanging ? lol We must know who him is and why ! great start Skye !

[mila]

Wow, I liked that a lot. I want to know more, keep going :D

[Skye]

Thanks for your review :) And I might write more. I have the story line figured out, but I don't know if I have the persistence to keep writing it.