NICOLE
The smell of gasoline reached Nicole, making her heart race faster as she spurred everyone into action.
The doorframe finally splintered under Jared’s assault and gave in, causing a huge crash as the door fell inward. A short silence followed, and then they heard Jared bellow in frustration. “I know you’re still here, somewhere!” he screamed from the bedroom. “I watched you all fucking day!”
They had slept in the “hard way” room, knowing that if Jared decided to make his move, the bedroom would be his first stop.
Nicole took advantage of the noise Jared was making to open the back window and throw out the emergency ladder. She hoped there were no mudmen down there, drawn in by Jared’s noise. The fence would protect them, though it had been badly buckled when David had been used as bait when they rescued the girls.
If she’d had time, Nicole would have checked for danger, but she didn’t. Now, Kaitlyn had already carried Hannah down; hope was all Nicole had as David headed out next. She would hand Ryan to him, then Alex would go, carrying Shadow. Nicole would be last. She owed them that at least.
She heard Jared’s footsteps approaching when she noticed the glow of the the flashlight they had left on the floor. The only other light in the building. Their secret escape was over.
“Go!” she ordered, shoving Ryan toward David.
ALEX
Jared must have seen the light by now, Alex thought. He looked at Nicole, contemplating exactly what he should do. No. He knew what he should do, but he wasn’t sure if he actually could.
Nicole looked at him, a confused expression on her face—something he wasn’t used to seeing from her. She was about to lift Ryan into David’s waiting arms.
Alex bolted for the flashlight and then for the door, turning back just long enough to say, “Make sure Shadow gets out safe!” He ran into the hallway.
“Stop!” Nicole yelled, but it was too late.
Alex was already in the hall, waving the light to get Jared’s attention.
“You are so fucking stupid, Alec-SUH!” Jared yelled, the warm, flickering light from his torch surrounding him. “You’re so fucking dead!” He threw the gas can toward Alex, but it landed short in a clattering roll. He pulled a knife out of his pocket, this one much bigger than the one he had taken from Steve. He lifted his torch over his head and tossed it behind him.
The gas caught. Flames quickly blanketed everything as Jared advanced on Alex.
This didn’t work. Now he’s just going to chase me back out the same window he would have, only sooner. We’ll have less time to get away. I’m dead, and so is everyone else.
He backed away a few steps, keeping his eyes on Jared. The crazed boy wasn’t running, just casually walking toward him. Behind him, Alex could see the possibility of an exit. The walls, the ceiling, the floor were all aflame, but there was a path through the middle.
I’m dead either way.
NICOLE
Nicole watched Alex as he stood in the hall, framed by the doorway just a few feet away. Behind her, Ryan had a grip on Shadow, who tugged against the small boy’s arm. Jared was just steps away from seeing them.
Alex turned his head and mouthed at her, “Go!” He looked away, back toward Jared.
Nicole called out, trying to get him to come back. She would have gone after him—dragged him back to the window and berated him for his stupidity—but she had Ryan to worry about.
And maybe she had to let him do this.
Alex would distract Jared long enough for her to get Ryan down the ladder. Maybe long enough for all of them to make their escape completely.
ALEX
As Alex ran toward Jared, the world moved in slow motion.
He remembered the same thing happening two summers before when he fell off his bike into a fifteen-foot pit. Each bounce—each time his body hit the gravel—happened at half speed. It had happened plenty of times when he played soccer. The ball coming at his face took forever to make contact. He had experienced many slow-motion experiences. They all had one thing in common.
They always ended with him getting badly hurt.
The closer Alex got to Jared, the more he realized just how much he and his knife would hurt him.
“Stop! Come back!” he heard Nicole yell behind him, quickly followed by an anguished “No!”
He tried to sidestep Jared, but the older boy anticipated it and grabbed him by the arm. He glared at Alex, sweat pouring down his face.
As Alex looked into Jared’s eyes, he realized that he would much rather face the fire than the intensity that Jared had bottled up and was about to unleash on him. Before the knife made contact, he kicked Jared in the shin, disorienting the larger boy long enough for Alex to twist out of his grip.
Before bolting into the growing inferno, he realized that antagonizing Jared even more would ensure he would follow him, and not continue to the back room where the others were making their escape. He struck Jared on the side of the head with the large flashlight he still held with a death grip. The top of it shattered, but the blow brought Jared to his knees—a worthwhile sacrifice. As he headed toward the flames, he hoped Jared might not be able to follow him at all.
The hole in the flames was bigger than he had thought. The walls, floor, and ceiling were engulfed in a waving cover of fire, but the space in between was just smoky and hot—the hottest thing he had ever experienced. If he hadn’t just struck someone he knew to be a killer, he would not have dared to go through it.
The stairs were completely free of fire, but the smoke made it difficult to see and breathe. His eyes stung as he headed down. Faint light from the smashed-open door gave him a goal. He only had one
