Authors: Jennifer Faye
“Johnny,” came a shout from outside. “Johnny, are you here?”
They ran to the porch and spotted Ella trudging up the driveway. Tony’s pent-up anxiety escaped in a relieved sigh. He observed her messed-up blond hair as well as the soot and dirt smeared over her pert nose and cheeks. But it was her slight limp and the bloodstain on her knee that gave him pause. The mountain had gotten the best of her, but she still held her shoulders in a rigid line, as though ready to conquer the world.
“Miss Morgan, are you here for Patch?”
She rushed over to the boy. “I’m here for you.”
Johnny’s brown eyes opened wide. “Really?”
Her head bobbed up and down.
Johnny wrapped his arms around her.
“Thank God, you’re safe,” she said between deep breaths. “I was so scared.”
Unable to hold back the rush of relief, Tony strode over and pulled her against him. He kissed the top of her head before resting his cheek on her silky hair. Her body slumped into him, and he welcomed her weight. He would be her support, and she would be his.
“I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you,” he murmured.
Ella pulled back and looked around. “Where’s Patch?”
“I couldn’t find him.” Johnny’s worried gaze moved from Ella to Tony.
“He has to be here.” Ella’s voice held a note of certainty. “He’s probably scared and hiding.”
A loud cracking sound in the woods caused her to jump. He looked into her fear-filled eyes.
“It’s coming!” she shrieked. “It won’t win this time.”
She pulled away from his embrace and ran to the side of the cabin. What was she doing? They needed to evacuate. Instead, she was fidgeting with something at the cabin’s foundation.
“Help me!” Desperation rang out in her voice.
Help her do what? When she grabbed a hose, he knew her intent—to make a last-ditch effort to save the cabin.
“Hurry!” She sprayed the wall with water. “If you use the hose, I can fill up a bucket inside.”
The panic edging her voice had him running to her side. When she gazed up at him, he saw the glassy look in her eyes. Hysteria had a firm grip on her. He took the hose from her. Before she could escape his grip, he wrapped his arms securely around her.
“Ella, this won’t work. We have to take Johnny and get to safety—”
“No! No! No!” Her voice reached a fever pitch. “I’m not leaving. The fire can’t have this home, too.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. They splashed onto her cheeks, streaking through the muck. His chest ached for her.
He’d do anything for her, anything at all. But this fire was too powerful, too big. Without some help from Mother Nature, nothing was going to stop it.
Ella braced her hands on his chest and pushed. He tightened his hold. All the while his heart was breaking for her. He couldn’t let go, not until she listened to reason.
“Let. Me. Go.”
“Ella, I can’t.”
She struggled, fighting his embrace. “I have to try.” Her breath came in short gasps. Her hands balled up and pounded his chest. “Don’t you understand? I can’t give up. This is my home.”
“I know, baby. I know.” He pulled her tightly against him.
“Please. Help me.”
“I am,” he murmured.
She dissolved into a string of soulful moans. Her raw anguish tore at him as her cries reverberated through his body. He blinked repeatedly against his own tears.
With Johnny standing close by, Tony held her until her sobs lessened to soft, mournful whimpers. The last thing he wanted to do was pull away from her, but they had to get to safety.
The wildfire that was blowing its hot, sticky breath down their necks wouldn’t wait for anyone.
T
ime was running out.
The fiery monster was hot on their trail.
“We have to go.” Tony held Ella at arm’s length and looked into her watery eyes. “The fire isn’t far behind us.”
With his thumbs, he attempted to swipe away the tears from her cheeks. He longed to soothe her misery, but right now he had to concentrate on getting them to safety.
“Where’s Patch?” Johnny choked out as a hot gust of wind blew smoke in their direction.
“He’s in the cabin,” Ella said in a defeated tone. When Johnny shook his head, she added, “Did you check the closet in the bedroom? It’s where he hides when he’s scared.”
“I’ll get him.” Johnny ran toward the cabin.
Tony chased after the boy, catching him on the bottom step.
“I’m not leaving without Patch,” Johnny sobbed, wiggling to get free. “He’s just a baby. We gotta save him.”
“I’ll get him. You go wait with Ella.”
Once Johnny headed back to Ella, Tony bounded up the steps. He reached for the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t budge. Someone must have bumped the lock on the way out. In the background, sap from the trees crackled and popped before exploding from the heat. He didn’t have much time. He had to get Johnny and Ella to safety.
He dropped his gear on the porch and grabbed his trusty Pulaski. With the kitchen window in front of him, he turned his face and blindly swung the single-bladed ax, which easily shattered the windowpane. He ran the metal head around the windowsill to clear the shards of glass.
“What are you doing?” Ella screamed.
He didn’t have time to explain or apologize. Not that him breaking one window mattered now that the fire held the cabin in its cross hairs. He had no doubt the place would soon be reduced to cinders.
He used his sleeve to brush aside the remaining broken glass before climbing through the window and landing in the kitchen sink. Once he made it to the floor, he strode toward Ella’s bedroom.
Hovering at the doorway, he called out, “Patch! Here, boy.”
He approached the closet, pulling the sliding door wide open. He knelt down and started to search. The pup whimpered from his place on a gray fleece top. Tony scooped up the squirming dog. It quickly became apparent that trying to carry Patch off this mountain like this wasn’t going to work. He wiggled way too much. Tony needed something to put the dog in so they could make a quick escape from the inferno. A loud crack echoed through the room, followed by the sound of a tree falling, confirming the need to make a hasty exit.
Scanning the closet, he spotted a medium-sized wicker basket with a lid. With the whining pup under one arm, he yanked the woven bin out. He flipped the lid open and tossed out the various linens and spools of thread. In an effort to make the trip more comfortable for the dog, he grabbed the fleece shirt from the floor of the closet. He stuffed the garment in the bottom and set the yipping pup on the soft material. Once the lid was shut, he latched it, ignoring the barking.
On the way out of the cabin, light reflected off something on the mantel. The picture of Ella and her brother sat next to the stuffed teddy bear. His heart clenched at the thought of her losing not only her home, but also all of her belongings. He rushed over to the fireplace and grabbed the two precious mementos. Next to them sat Patch’s red leash. He took the coiled-up strap, too. Careful not to let Patch out of the wicker basket, he placed the items beneath the fleece shirt and closed the lid.
Outside, he noticed the wind had lessened, but the temperature was still on the rise. Once he retrieved his firefighting gear, he headed over to Ella and Johnny. He turned to check the fire’s progress and caught sight of a wall of flames bearing down on them.
Using his radio, he called in to the command center. “This is Tony Granger. I’ve got two civilians with me. The fire is about to overtake us. We need to be evacuated ASAP.”
“Negative, Granger. All planes are grounded. What’s your location?”
He gave the coordinates and walked a short distance away, lowering the volume on his radio. Ella and Johnny didn’t need to hear any bad news.
“Granger, get out of there. You’re standing in the line of fire.”
“We can’t outrun it. Not with a child and puppy.”
“The map shows a small body of water to your east. Use it to gain some cover.”
“I’m on it.”
He glanced back up at the fire. If the wind picked up again, it wouldn’t take much more than a few healthy gusts to overtake them. He hoped—no, he
prayed
the command center would be able to put some planes in the air soon.
“Uncle Tony, what’re we gonna do?” In that moment, Johnny looked about three years old and scared to death. The boy started coughing.
“Pull the collar of your T-shirt up over your mouth and nose.” He removed his helmet and placed it on Johnny. It was big for the boy, but it’d help protect him. “Keep that on. It’ll help keep you safe.” Tony turned to Ella. “You need to cover your nose and mouth too.”
Tony removed his red bandanna from his neck. Adjusting the material so it covered the lower part of his face, he tied it behind his head. “Ella, do you know your way to the pond?”
She pointed over her right shoulder. “It’s about a hundred yards that way.”
“Uncle Tony, what’ll happen if the fire catches us?”
Tony didn’t want to contemplate the thought. He had his fire tent with him, but he doubted all three of them would fit inside. Their first priority was getting to safety.
He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Don’t worry, Johnny. We’ll be fine.”
Tony wished he felt as confident as he sounded.
They set off at a brisk pace toward the pond. Tony elected to take up the rear in case Ella or Johnny tripped over roots or tree limbs. He glanced back often, making sure the monster wasn’t licking at their heels. For once, Lady Luck was on his side, keeping the flames at bay.
He started to think about his plan, which at this point wasn’t really much of a plan at all. In his rush to find the safest scenario, he hadn’t stopped to consider the pond might be as dried up as the creek bed they were following. Then again, Ella would have said so if that was the case.
“There’s a clearing just ahead,” Ella called.
He didn’t breathe easily until he spotted the body of water. Due to the drought, the water level was down, but it was still plenty deep for them to swim out to the middle and wait out the firestorm.
“Johnny, do you remember your swim lessons?” When the boy nodded, he continued, “Good. I’m going to need you to paddle out into the middle.”
“All the way out there?”
Tony rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I’ll be right beside you.”
“I can try. What about Miss Morgan? Can she swim?”
Tony turned his attention to Ella, but he found she’d walked away. Now wasn’t the time to be running off. They needed to stick together so he had a better chance of protecting them.
“Ella,” he called out.
She motioned for him to follow, and then he spotted her destination—an old rowboat. He ran ahead to drag the boat into the pond, inwardly cheering when he found the thing water worthy. Once he helped them into it, he hopped in and started to row.
Trees exploded as the fire jumped from one to the next. He gauged the height of the cottonwoods circling them to be about seventy feet. The water’s circumference should be large enough to keep them safe should the timbers start to fall.
He looked up at the mountain as the fiery monster hissed and gurgled. The wildfire teased him with its strength. Tony wanted to be out there fighting the blaze, but for the moment he had to protect the people he loved from being swept up in the firestorm’s clutches.
He refused to let the fire win.
♥♥♥
Ella wrapped her arms over Johnny’s shoulders, longing to give him a sense of security while Tony worked the single oar to guide them to the center of the pond. His biceps contracted and expanded with each stroke of the oar. She couldn’t help herself. She needed to concentrate on anything but the flames, which now danced along one side of the pond.
The air thickened with heavy smoke, and Johnny began to choke.
“Dampen the cloth you’ve got over your faces,” Tony instructed. “It’ll help filter the air.”
“What about Patch?” She hadn’t heard him bark in a while, and her body grew tense. Could the smoke be too much for him?
“I’ll check on him,” Johnny volunteered.
“No, you won’t,” Tony said. “You dampen your T-shirt, and I’ll take care of the puppy.”
Ella helped Johnny dip the cloth into the water so he wouldn’t fall overboard. All the while, she kept glancing over at Tony and the wicker basket, praying her little buddy survived.
“He’s okay.” Tony’s steady gaze held hers.
She could do this. They’d get out of this mess—somehow.
Ella scooped up water and dampened her own top, while Tony unbuttoned his long-sleeved yellow shirt and then yanked off a black undershirt. His abs rippled with muscles as he leaned over to dampen the undershirt in the pond. Then he opened it up and forced the garment down over the basket.
“This should help the little fella breathe easier.” He slipped back on the yellow shirt. “If the winds get worse, we’ll have to get in the water. Even if we’re safe from the actual fire and falling trees, we’ll have to keep an eye out for blowing debris. The water will lessen our exposure.”
Ella’s line of vision moved to the ridgeline as the flames roared and lashed out at anything in their path. Had it been like this for her mother and brother? Had they known the fiery monster was coming to get them and that there was nothing they could do to stop it? She shuddered, imagining their final moments.
“Ella,” Tony called out to her, jarring her back to their present situation. “Can you put the basket between your feet?”
She glanced at Tony, seeing nothing but strength and determination in his eyes. His calmness gave her comfort. “Yes.”
“Good. I’ll work on keeping the boat positioned.”
The ever-increasing heat had her clothes drenched in perspiration. She ran the sleeve of her shirt over her damp forehead.
As heavier debris started blowing around the perimeter of the pond, Johnny asked in an unsteady voice, “What’s happening, Uncle Tony?”
Tony remained quiet as he gazed off in the distance. Ella followed his line of vision, catching sight of the fire that now surrounded them, held back only by the water lapping the shore. They were trapped. The breath caught in her throat. This couldn’t be happening. Terror clutched her heart.
“Uncle Tony, the fire’s gonna get us,” Johnny wailed before seeking comfort in Ella’s embrace.
Ella’s eyes burned from the smoke, making them water. With Tony seemingly lost in his thoughts, she patted Johnny’s back. “I’m sure your uncle has a plan for how to get us out of here. Right, Tony?”
“Of course. We’ll be down the mountain in no time.” Tony smiled, but the optimism didn’t reach his eyes.
Minutes dragged on as the flames lunged at the water’s edge. She struggled not to give in to the sobs that clawed at the back of her throat. She kept herself focused on Johnny by saying any words she could think of to try to make him feel safe.
“Granger, this is command center. Do you read me?” squawked a voice over the radio.
“I read you. Go ahead.”
“We have a break in the wind. We’re sending up a couple choppers. I’ll have one clear a path for you. What’s your location?”
“We’re trapped in the middle of a pond in quadrant C3.”
There was a long pause.
The voice on the radio came back. “Get ready. They’ll be there soon. Hopefully, it’ll give us a big enough break to get you out of there.”
Ella’s gaze rose skyward every few seconds. The black smoke grew denser, blocking out most of the daylight. She kept her shirt pulled over her nose. She shifted anxiously on the seat, straining to detect any sign of help.
A whirling sound grew increasingly louder, drowning out the hiss of the wildfire. The air rushed and swirled around them. Ella glanced upward. Squinting, she tried to locate the source of the noise, but she couldn’t see through the grayness.
“Cover your heads and hunch down,” Tony shouted, shielding Johnny with his own body.
Ella obeyed, but couldn’t help peeking up at the sky. A helicopter was transporting a huge bucket suspended by cables. Water spilled over the side. As the chopper moved closer to the shore, the water doused a portion of the fire, giving them an escape route.
Once the chopper departed, Tony worked double-time rowing them to shore. She eyed the smoldering gap in the ring of fire, and as they drew nearer, her body grew rigid with paralyzing fear.
Tony raised his voice over the crackle of burning timbers and the swoosh of the oar. “The fastest way out is to skirt the outside of the wildfire until we reach the main road. Are you up for this?”
The thought of walking through the fire made the hairs on her arms stand on end. In her mind’s eye, she was back in her childhood home, fighting her way to the bedrooms, intent on saving her family. Her breathing grew rapid as she relived the moment when the ceiling started to disintegrate and began to fall onto her outstretched arms. She rubbed the scars. Her respiration accelerated until she became dizzy.