'Could be as far away as the mountains, but I don't think so . . . the
light's too close. Could be down the street . . . Ah, God, the
boardinghouse . . . You don't think . . . ' Cole shouted as he raced
down the stairs.
Daniel was right behind him. The night manager was sound asleep in his
chair behind the front desk, with his head and arms resting on the
countertop, when Daniel leapt over the railing and shouted to him to
ring the fire bell. Startled by the abrupt noise, the manager struck
his head on a lamp and overturned his chair when he jumped to his
feet.
'What . . . What did you say? ' he cried out.
'The fire bell, ' Daniel roared as he crossed the lobby and burst
through the door in Cole's wake. 'Ring the fire bell.' He caught up
with Cole at the corner. Side-by-side the two men ran, the only sounds
the pounding of their boots against the ground and their harsh
breathing as each pushed himself to his limit. They were halfway down
the block when they smelled smoke. Running as though the fire were
licking at their heels, they sprinted around the curve in the road and
saw the flames. The first floor of the house was a blazing inferno.
Glowing red embers, like demon eyes, spewed out the open windows and
floated up into the night sky. Tattered remnants of lace curtains,
blackened with soot, billowed outward with each burst of dense smoke,
and the freshly painted white wood blistered and boiled from the
intensity of the heat.
No one was outside.
Cole and Daniel leapt over the fence at the same time and raced across
the lawn. Daniel headed for the back of the house, hoping he could
find a way inside through the flames, while Cole circled around the
opposite side.
The front door crashed open, and they saw Jessica slowly backing out.
she was bent at the waist, dragging Grace to safety.
Her friend wasn't moving. Daniel reached the porch before Cole did and
lifted the unconscious woman into his arms. In the firelight, he could
see the blood trickling down her left temple. Something had struck her
hard, and considering the amount of swelling, he thought she was damned
lucky to be alive. He held her close against his chest and ran down
the steps and out into the yard, where he gently laid her in the
grass.
Jessica followed him down the steps, then stopped. Screaming Caleb's
