***
You know thatfeeling when you wake up in a tent in the dead of summer, the airwrenched from your lungs, the heat trapped within the tent slowlycooking you from the inside out. That’s what it’s like to wake upin a fire. A real, live house-on-fire.
I coughedhard, the smoke tearing the skin of my esophagus as I fell to myfeet from the side of the bed. My legs weak, I crumpled to thefloor. Down there, the smoke wasn’t as thick, and I sucked in adeep breath of air as I realized where it was coming from. Underthe door.
“H-Henry!” Icalled, my voice hoarse. But he didn’t respond. I coughed andtugged at the blankets that hung down over the side. “Henry!”
I felt themattress jostle with his startled movements, and he jumped down tothe floor. “What’s going on?” he asked and grabbed my hands as heblinked the remaining sleep from his eyes. “A fire?”
“Yes, I thinkso.” I coughed with every word,the smoke getting denser as it seeped into the room.
“We need toget out of here.”
He grabbed apiece of loose clothing from the floor and wrapped around thebottom half of my face before pulling me by the hands toward thedoor. He flung it open and a burst of flames shot through thehallway. The stairway just outside the room was collapsing, and wewere trapped. Panic pushed harder, and harder through my body and Icried for the baby inside me. But Henry wouldn’t give up.
“This way!” heyelled over the noise of billowing flames and cracking wood.
We went to theother side of the room, to the window, and Henry heaved it open. Igasped for the slight bit of fresh air that seeped in, but it wasgone in an instant. He poked his head out and searched the groundbelow.
“It kills me,but I’m going to jump first,” he told me.
“Yes! Go!” Itold him, only considering his life. To put him before myself.
“Only so I cancatch you!” he called to me, even though I was at his side. “Youmust jump, Dianna. You swear?”
I nodded.
“Dianna!”
“Yes! I swear,I’ll jump. Just go!”
Like a wildanimal, Henry grabbed hold of the sill and slipped through thewindow with such ease. I immediately went to the opening and peereddown, hoping he was alright. He stood on the ground, arms stretchedup and open. Waiting to catch me.
“Jump, Dianna!I swear to catch you!”
It was onlyone story. I knew I could do itwith as much ease as Henry. But now I carried a life inside me, andI panicked at the thought of missing my aim and meeting the ground.My body smacking against the hard dirt alley behind The Kraken’sDen.
“Dianna!” Hisvoice was drenched in desperation and helplessness.
Ipromised.
So... Ijumped. I had to trust that Henry would catch me. And when I feltthe hard smack of his strong arms underneath my body, a relievedcry sprang from my throat and I wrapped my hands around his necklike a vice.
“Shh, it’sokay,” he said against my ear as I helplessly sobbed. “I’ve gotyou. I’ve got you.”
With me stillin his arms, Henry took quick strides out of the alley and aroundto the front of The Kraken’s Den. I heard the cries of people inthe street, howling through the early morning fog. And then thesound of my name.
“JesusChrist!” Lottie yelled and ran toward us. “Is she alright?”
“Yes, she’sfine. Just shook up,” Henry replied and then set me down. “Diannaare you alright to stand?”
I hadn’t evenrealized my eyes were clenched shut until then. I pried them opento see my friend, her alabaster face smudged with soot. My armsfound her, and Lottie hugged me back.
“Where are theothers?” I asked her.
“Helping toput the fire out,” she replied and pointed to where the remainderof my crew, clad in nothing more than undergarments and shirtless torsos, tossed large woodenbuckets of water at The Den.
But it didnothing.
Like the beastof its namesake, The Kraken’s Den became tangled in flames andthreatened to take the adjoining building. Tentacles of smokewrapped in and out of windows as they smashed from the heat. Aloud, thunderous boom shook the air as the second-floor ceilingfinally gave way and collapsed. Mister Cresley nervously walkedthrough the crowd of shaking guests as locals brought blankets towrap them in. He seemed to be counting.
“MisterCresley!” I called and ran toward him. “Is everyone accountedfor?”
He appearedsolemn. “Without my ledger, I’m not certain, but I believe everyoneis here. He shook his head, seemingly disappointed in himself.“Perhaps I’ll count again. I feel as if I’m off.”
“Whathappened?” Henry asked him. “How did such a fire start?”
“No oneknows,” the sweet old man told us. “Often, it’s a chimney fire.” Heglanced toward what remained of the brick stack on the side of thetavern. “But I don’t think that’s the case. We just had themcleaned. The source of the flames seemed to have come fromupstairs.”
Just then,something in the first-floor picture window caught my eye. Ashadow. A movement that passed over the light of the flames inside.I strained to see, as well as hear for anyone inside. And then theshadow moved again, closer to the window. It was a person.
“There’s stillsomeone inside!” I called and pointed to the window. “Look! Nearthe front desk!”
“Oh, dearheavens,” a trembling Mister Cresley said. He took a step towardthe tavern, but Henry grabbed his arm, holding him back.
“Don’t,” hetold the man. “I’ll go. Stay with Dianna.”
Theinnkeeper hesitated, but only fora moment. He knew that Henry, a strong, able-bodied young man was far more capable of getting inand out safer than he. But I wouldn’t have it.
“No!” Iscreamed and gripped the sleeve of his shirt. He peered back at meover his shoulder. “Please! Don’t leave me. Don’t go in there.Y-you’ll be killed.”
With a deepsigh, Henry took me in his arms and kissed me quick and hard.
“I can’tbear the thought of losing youagain,” I whispered.
“You won’t,”he assured me. “I’ll come back.”
Before I couldanswer, Henry was gone. My eyes, unblinking, followed his figure asit busted through the once beautiful front door and ran through theground floor of
