When He Dumped Me in a Fire

Adalind’s P.O.V

The phone buzzed in my hand, making me glance down at it. A lazy smile tugged at my lips as I saw a notification from the Herhelp app. I was about to click on it when a sound erupted from the kitchen, a sharp, booming crack that made my heart leap into my throat. It was like a gunshot in the stillness of my house.

I swung my legs over the couch, my body reacting much faster than my mind. As I stumbled to my feet, a thick, acrid plume of smoke billowed from the kitchen doorway, obscuring everything in my line of vision. The heat was immediate, a searing wave that washed over me.

Cold fear clawed its way up my throat. My kitchen was on fire! Oh god! My mind raced as it desperately scrambled for solutions. As a doctor, I’d seen life hang by a threat, fought against the clock to save countless souls. But this was different. This was personal. My apartment, my sanctuary, was being consumed by flames!

My brain was telling me what smoke inhalation could do, the slow insidious damage it inflicted, but I was rooted to the damn spot until another glass shattered, spurring me out of my daze.

I ran across the smoke-filled room, using muscle memory to lead myself to the bathroom. There, I doused myself from head to toe with water and grabbed a damp towel, hoping against hope that it would be enough. And then I took the fire extinguisher from the spare room before running back to the kitchen.

The handle of the kitchen door was scorching hot, like a fiery barrier between life and death. Holding my breath, I pressed my face against the towel, and with a soundless shout, I kicked down the door.

The wave of heat and smoke that burst through the splintered wood, singed all the hairs on my skin, including my lashes. I bent over, my eyes stinging as a loud cough ripped through me.

When the coughs stopped racking my body, I stood up and almost choked on my breath when I saw the orange flames licking at the cabinets. Adrenaline kicked in and I began fumbling with the fire extinguisher but the fire kept spreading, growing even bigger and bigger until the can in my arms emptied. Fuck! I had to leave!

Crawl, not walk, to reduce smoke inhalation. Find an exit. But as I began crawling, I realized the panic in my bloodstream and the damned smoke had made me forget the layout of my own home! I had no idea where the doors were or if I was going deeper into the apartment!

Trembling, I fumbled for my phone. I needed to call my boyfriend! He was a firefighter and would know how to handle this. I just hoped it wouldn’t be too late before he arrived. His name appeared on the screen, but no matter how long the call rang, Nick didn’t pick up. I tried again and again, each failed attempt sending a fresh wave of despair over me. Nick was a goddam firefighter, he shouldn’t have refused to save me by ignoring my calls.

I was alone. The heat was unbearable. My skin felt like it was on fire. I crawled towards what I hoped was the living room, praying that it might offer a little respite. But the smoke was closing in. My vision blurred, my throat burned and my body ached with every breath. The fire seemed to have spread to the bedrooms and windows, making it impossible for me to touch anything without getting scorched.

As I tried to move again, something crashed over me and I let out a loud scream, screaming even more when I realized I was trapped beneath the heavy wooden bookshelf I'd gotten from an antique store last year. Books that were starting to catch fire toppled all over me, making me scream as I flailed my arms and jerked around to get them off me. But I couldn’t move. “HELP!”

At least my phone was still tightly held in my grip. Tears stung my burning eyes and I dialed Nick’s number one last time without any hope.

“Hello, who is this?” A voice suddenly echoed through the speaker and I jerked from where I lay on the floor, breathing in the horrible smoke and sweating like I was being roasted. But it was a female voice that sounded very familiar.

“This is Adalind, Nick’s girlfriend, please give him the phone! Please.” I wheezed, tears running down my cheeks.

“Hmmph, just because Nick chose to celebrate my birthday with me, you think you can just be dramatic and call him every second, blowing up his damn phone? Be productive and spend your time doing something better than being clingy to your boyfriend. Leave Nick alone and give him some breathing space! I knew I didn’t stress him out like this when we were still together.”

The voice said and I let out a nerve-wracking cough as I sputtered on my next breath. That had to be Juliette! She was Nick’s ex-girlfriend and I had no idea he was with her!

Not like that mattered anyway at this moment.

“Please, Juliette,” I begged, my voice weak and hoarse from the coughing and smoke. The living room where I was lying was now alive with roaring orange flames lapping against the couches and furniture. My hair was matted to my skin with thick sweat and no matter how much I pushed, I was stuck beneath the wooden bookcase. “My house is on fire and I’m trapped inside. Please tell Nick to come quickly. This is a matter of life and death and I need his help! Please.”

“Is that Adalind?” Nick’s voice floated through the phone and my eyes grew wetter with tears of joy. I think he must have realized Juliette was taking his calls. But what I didn’t expect was for my boyfriend to say, “Ugh please, you don’t have to engage Adalind in a discussion. My girlfriend could be such an attention seeker and a drama queen. The fire is a lie, trust me.”

My mouth fell open in shock as the dial tone followed three clicking noises that told me the call had been disconnected. Unbelieving what was happening, I pushed up on my elbow, grunting as I tried to dial his number again, but this time, an electronic voice replied.

Nick blocked me.

Black dots lined my vision and the last thing I saw was the ball of fire hurling right at me before everything went dark.