“You son of a bitch,” she growled under her breath, then yelled, “Nate! Santana! Wake up!” She couldn’t take the time to pound on his door, not with the flames already spreading through the buildings where the animals were penned, trapped. She saw Travis head into the stable as she flung open the door to the kennel.
The dogs were wild. Barking, yipping, panic gripping them. But the fire was contained at the far end of the building. She grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and started spraying, releasing the dogs as she passed. “It’s all right,” she soothed, knowing in her heart she was lying. She unlatched Atlas’s gate and he tore past, shooting for the open door. At the next kennel, Cissy was quiet, patient. But the instant Shannon opened the door, the border collie took off for the open door just as an explosion rocked through the building and Shannon was flung to the floor, her head cracking against the cement.
Travis! The horses!
Through the window she saw flames skyrocket through the roof of the stable.
Travis threw open the door of the horse barn. Fire, smoke and intense heat radiated toward him from the far side, the paddock side of the building. The horses, trapped in their stalls were panicked, shrieking. Smoke lay thick and black, stinging his eyes, blinding him as it billowed toward him. Coughing, spraying retardant in front of him, Travis started with the first stall, unlatching the gate, inching forward.
A buckskin horse hurtled past him, hooves clattering on the cement as she headed at full gallop toward the open door to the parking lot.
He moved six feet to his left and found another stall and quickly unlocked the gate. Again a huge animal raced past him, nearly knocking him down.
Shit, he couldn’t see anything, but so far, there was more smoke than flames. He moved forward, one stall at a time, horses racing toward him and at the far end, when the smoke cleared he saw her.
His daughter. Bound and gagged, standing just inside the door to the paddock.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. She was alive! And so close. She was shaking her head violently, terror in her eyes as he stepped forward. A heartbeat later he knew his mistake as a thin line at his ankle level broke.
He threw himself forward.
An explosion rocked the building.
He was blasted from his feet.
He landed against a stall door and stunned, saw fireballs shoot through the building.
Dani! Where was she?
“No!” Shannon screamed. Not Travis! She ran from the kennels to the stable, seeing the horses flying out of the burning building. “Travis!” she screamed frantically, coughing, the smoke stinging her nose and eyes. “Travis!”
Far in the distance, she heard sirens.
“Hurry, damn it,” she thought, racing into the burning building. “Travis!” The smoke was so thick and black, she couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe. Flames crawled up the walls and one lone horse screamed in terror.
Pushing herself forward, feeling the heat, she saw the final stall. The horse, a bay gelding, was terror-stricken, running in circles, rearing and whistling. “Hang on,” Shannon said, spraying retardant, choking and forcing herself forward. “Travis!” she cried as a window shattered. Glass sprayed wildly. Shards rained on her hair, scratched her face. The horse screamed in terror. “Travis!” Where was he? Jesus, please let him be safe. “Travis!”
The gelding was out of his mind. His eyes were wide with terror, rimmed in white. Lather, now red with blood from the flying shards of glass, stained his dark, wet coat. “It’s okay, boy,” she said soothingly, all the while searching for Travis. “Shan…. Calm down.”
Her lungs were scorched, on fire. Her fingers fumbled with the latch. Come on, come on! Where the hell was Travis? Where?
Finally the latch gave way, she pulled the gate open and the horse shot through, running wildly, careening down the hallway. “Travis!” she called again as she sprayed at the flames, watched in horror as they climbed up the walls.
BAM!
Another explosion sent her feet out from under her. She saw the roof, aflame, start to collapse.
“Oh, God, no!” Scrambling, crawling backward, she tried to escape. Her boots slid as splinters of glass drove deep into her palms. She had to get out. “Travis!” she cried. She couldn’t lose him. Couldn’t! With a groan a burning beam listed, started to fall.
Shooting to her feet, Shannon ran after the horses, hearing the sirens wailing. Closer. Oh, please! Hurry, hurry, hurry!
She flung herself through the doorway, gasping and choking, tears streaming from her eyes as she searched for Travis. The horses and dogs were running down the road, in jeopardy of being hit by fire engines racing toward the inferno.
What had happened? What?
She looked to the corner of the woods and she spied a girl. Standing alone, shivering and shaking, her hands and feet bound, her mouth gagged, visible because of the hideous orange light climbing skyward.
Dani!