Page 86 of Catch My Fall

“Fuck!” Alec bellows, looking off to the side and when my eyes follow his line of sight, my heart sinks.

The beam that fell lies only a few meters away from us, but the structure of the house is significantly weakened and a moment later, the ceiling above kitchen and the dining room caves in, everything from upstairs falling through.

Alec covers my body with his from the falling debris and once everything stills, we look up to find the front door completely blocked.

We’re trapped.

The fire eats up the debris that fell through the now gaping hole in the ceiling. The fire is so close now. It’s so hot, so unbelievably hot. I can feel the heat biting into my skin.

“Upstairs!” Alec shouts, pulling me to my feet as we climb the stairs two steps at a time. We run down the hall and into the bedroom, bypassing the body that lies motionless on the bed.

Taking hold of the chair in the corner of the room, Alec swings it towards the window, shattering it into a million pieces.

The crisp air feels like ice and I welcome it on my burning skin.

“Come on!” Alec holds out his hand for me and the two of us climb out the window onto the sloped roof of the porch.

He goes first, sliding down and landing on the ground a few meters below me. He groans in pain as he hits the ground, weakened by his injury but he composes himself quickly, reaching out for me.

“Jump, baby. I’ll catch you, I promise.”

The gap between me and the ground is a only a few meters but from up here they feel like miles.

“I don’t think I can do this, Alec,” I reply over the sound of sirens growing gradually louder.

“Trust me, princess. I’ll never let you fall.”

Letting his words carry me, I step off the roof and for a short moment, I’m weightless, flying through the air until two strong arms wrap around me, drawing me into his solid chest.

The flames billow out of the front windows and Alec carries me to a safe distance before dropping to his knees.

His chest heaves as he brings my face up to meet his. He goes to speak, but he can’t seem to form the words, so instead, he rests his forehead against mine.

We stay like that until flashing lights surround us, sirens and shouting voices fill the air.

“Are you alright? Are either of you hurt?” A male voice asks.

“She inhaled a significant amount of smoke. We both have a few scrapes and burns,” Alec replies, holding me tighter against his chest.

“Let’s get you both to the ambulance.”

Alec’s lips find my forehead. “We’re okay, princess. We’re safe.”

For now. But for how long?

32

I’m sat on the tailgate of the ambulance, my feet dangling less than an inch from the ground as the male paramedic listens closely to my lungs through the stethoscope while another bandages my forearm. I hadn’t even realised I’d cut myself until they began tending to it.

I have a few minor burns but nothing to be worried about. My body’s already a canvas of scars, what’s a couple more?

“Breathe in,” the one with the stethoscope says. “And breathe out.”

I do as he says, repeating it a couple more times before he pulls away.

“Your lungs seem fine, but I would still like you to get checked out properly at the hospital.”

“No, thank you.”