“H-he told me to scream...to scream until help came.”
They were almost at the door but—
A blast seemed to shake the cabin. Fire blazed inside, rushing toward them, following the trail of fuel spread throughout the cabin.
Jenny screamed.
And the fire raged.
There was only one window in that cabin. One to the left, and fire already covered it. The front door was gone. A wall of flames stood in its place.
Thomas sat Jenny down on her feet. The girl immediately fell, and Noelle ran toward her, pulling her up before the flames could lick across the girl’s skin.
Thomas shrugged out of his coat and wrapped it around Jenny’s body. His gaze lifted and met Noelle’s. “You get out first.”
Uh, how?
“Cover up with your coat. Make sure none of your flesh is vulnerable.” He coughed a bit because the smoke was rising fast. “The coat is going to ignite, so you’ll have to strip and roll in the snow as soon as you get outside.”
He wanted her to run through the fire. Right. But... “You don’t have a coat.” He’d just given his only protection to Jenny.
His jaw locked. The blaze let her see him clearly. “I’ll be right behind you.”
He’ll burn. “Thomas...”
The flames flared higher. “Go!”
Tears stung Noelle’s eyes.
“He could be waiting out there,” Thomas warned her. “Get your gun, and cover me when I come out. I need you to get out there and cover me.”
She was supposed to let him get hurt?
“Go, Noelle, go... I’ll be right behind you.”
And, over the roar of the fire, the voice from the darkness of her past spoke again. I’ll always be with you.
A long tremor shook her body. Noelle ran toward the flaming doorway, and she jumped through the fire. There was a loud whoosh of sound, which seemed to fill her ears. Heat surrounded her, so hot, so—
Her body flew through the air, and she hit the snow. She rolled because Thomas had been right. Her clothes were on fire. She pushed out of her coat and kept rolling, then hurried back up to her feet, even as she pulled out her weapon.
I’m not burned. I’m not—
Thomas flew through the fire. The flames came with him when he left the cabin. He hit the snow, too, hard, and Jenny tumbled out of his hands. The coat Jenny wore was blazing. Noelle shoved it away, even as Jenny yelled for help.
Jenny wasn’t burned, though; she was safe.
“Thomas?” Noelle whispered.
He yanked off the smoking ski mask he’d used to cover his face. He was twisting, trying to put out the fire consuming his clothes and pants.
Noelle helped him, securing her weapon and slapping at the blaze. Her gloves burned away.
The fire died.
Thomas glanced up at her.
“Are you hurt?” Noelle whispered. She didn’t see any burns, but maybe it was just too dark to notice them.