He cried out, then retched. He coughed and sputtered and spat up blood. He pushed himself up on his arms.
Fire hit the pavement all around him and sparks spattered in all directions from it.
He coughed up more blood as he tried to crawl forward.
Something landed on his back. It quickly burned through his shirt. Reznick screamed in pain and rolled over to get it off his back. He rolled on the pavement, trying to stop the burning.
A pickup truck sped by and swerved at the last second to avoid him, but not quite enough. It rolled over his legs, and Reznick screamed again.
He saw the branch coming. It was a large branch, roiling with flames, big as he was. It grew larger and larger as it fell toward him.
It was followed by a whole tree.
Reznick did not feel them fall on him. One second he was screaming at the falling branch, and the next, he was unconscious, on fire, bleeding to death, broken in the road.
He did not live much longer.
Twenty-Seven
Nine people died in the fire. Propane tanks and water heaters exploded. Trailers went up in flames.
An entire flaming oak tree fell on the trailer in unit five, and the trailer burned to a crushed black skeleton.
The Snodgrass’s barn-red house quickly burned to the ground with Hank and Muriel Snodgrass in it.
A shelter was set up in the meeting hall in Anderson River Park.
Anna and Kendra sat at a table drinking ice water. The building was crowded and noisy and hot. Dexter and Conan were on the bench beside Kendra lying side by side.
Kendra’s face screwed up and she started to cry. “I’m so sorry, Mommy. I feel like this is all my fault ‘cause I was so bad, Mommy, I’m so
Anna put an arm around her, stroked her back. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. We got a lot to forget, that’s all.”
Kendra turned to her, tears coursing down her cheeks. “What happened to Marc?”
“Don’t worry about Marc. Marc is one of the things we’re gonna forget. We’re gonna forget all about Marc, and Steven, and all that stuff, you hear me?”
Kendra flinched, stared at her mommy a moment, then nodded.
“We’re gonna forget all about ‘em,” Mommy said. “We might have to stay with Aunt Rose for a little while, but we’ll get back on our feet, and we’ll start over. We’ll start over clean. That’s what we’ll do.”
“But what about Marc? I didn’t see him when we – “
Anna turned to her with her lips pulled back, clenched teeth bared. “I said you’re to
“O-okay, Mommy.”
Anna relaxed a little, took a collecting breath. Then: “You’re to stay away from boys. And men. You understand me?”
“Yes, Mommy.”
“They’re all alike, and they’re all bad.
“Yes, Mommy, I – “
”
Kendra’s eyes widened a little. “
“Good. Now. We’re going to think new thoughts. And we’re going to start over again.”
Even at ten-forty-six at night, the wind was still hot as it whistled around the corners of the building, wailing like some pathetic creature, hungry, lost, and desperate.
Ray Garton
