flame

fire can be dangerous,...

 

       I hadn’t noticed it at first, the acrid smell of smoke that drifted up through the floorboards. I was too embroiled in the ongoing soccer match on the television. Just as Drogba tapped the soccer ball in, the television blanked. The screen shut down with a hiss and a snap. I leapt up, and grabbed the socket, thinking that it was a malfunction in the switch. A second later, I withdrew my hand, and shook the scorched digits thoroughly. And then I became aware of the stench. The sulfurous fumes had slowly been leaking into the room, and I had been so engrossed in the match that I had not noticed the burning smell entering the room. I rushed forward and grabbed the uncooperative doorknob, wrestling it for a few seconds, and then it gave way to a sight that I would never forget.

 

       The modestly furnished house had raven black smoke pouring out of the windows. Thick, oily yellow flames licked at the Venetian blinds, and the garbage bin, full of disused ideas and blueprints had ignited. The bottle of Thomas gin on the window sill exploded from the intense heat. My eyes had started to water painfully, as the smoke seared them. I barely remembered the procedure of how to escape a house that was on fire. Quickly, I dropped to my hands and knees, the wet cloth draped over my face. At least that precaution kept the smoke out of my system. Already, my lungs were starting to feel burned. What sort of fire was it? My mind raced. Though I was but a tenant in the apartment, the landlady had been my mother figure while studying overseas. Her house was now burning down, and there was no sign of her. My roommate, a chronic chain smoker, was coughing severely in his room. He was screaming in pain, and I wrapped the cloth around my hand, pulled in a deep breath and turned the knob.

 

       My friend was lying on the floor with alight wooden chips scattered all around, as the fake ceiling continued to burn. His leg was twisted at an agonizing angle. I knew it was broken. He whimpered as the fire continued to rage around him. His trouser leg caught fire, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the fire would burn through the fake ceiling and into the timber. “Hold on!” I croaked, my burned throat sounding like crackling toast. My friend was in so much pain that all he could do was whimper and flinch violently, as I pulled him backwards over the wooden parquet. His eyes were rolling back in his head from the heat and I felt as though my arms were on fire. The flames licked at the fire resistant door, repelled by the fire proofing of the door, but the flames would not be denied. The fire gathered itself at the base of the door, feeding hungrily off the shaggy carpet. As the door caught fire, the support of the roof began to lose the fight against fire. “My… fault…” muttered my half conscious load. I pretended not to hear him, but we definitely would have words later. My brain was sluggish in the heat, and I felt darkness creeping in around the edges of my vision. I willed it away, and shook my head violently. Smoke and sparks leapt from a small wooden dresser that looked expensive. Fire licked at the legs of the drawer, rubbing against it like an overly fond cat. The drawer caught fire, and the blood red flames ate away at the charred black furniture.

 

       The front door was barely meters away, and the marble tiled floor was beginning to heat up. True to the Singaporean custom, I wore no shoes in the house, and the heat was beginning to become unbearable. Every step I took scorched my callused soles, and I wondered if, after all, I should have left my friend behind. The agony of walking on fire suddenly became known to me as I struggled on painstakingly towards the door. My brain began to slow, as my lungs cried out for oxygen. The inferno surrounding me did nothing to ease my predicament, as the flames competed with me for oxygen and I was losing. The doorknob was scorching hot and I felt it burn my fingers. A scream of agony escaped my blackened lips. I was sure that I had burns all over me. Every single muscle ached, and my fingers screamed for relief from the burning doorknob. I pressed down with all my might, and with a howl that was barely human, gathered my last vestiges of strength, hurling my friend onto the ground, and began to move away from the house. Somehow, my oxygen-deprived brain realized that the house had a gas supply system, and that my landlady rarely turned it off. I felt the almighty explosion behind me, and I was thrown to the road, the gravel scraping painfully against my raw flesh. I nearly screamed in agony, but I had no energy to do so. Pain was coursing through every nerve in by body. The breath was knocked out of my chest from the impact, and I gasped. My mind seemed to be working on overdrive. There were so many things that I wanted to tell so many people. My family, the love of my life, Helen, my best friend Johnny, all of them. I realized that I had lived my life without telling anyone how much I had treasured them. My thoughts began to grow even vaguer. Death was supposed to be scary, but all I felt was a deep contentment that I had run a good race. I heard the chatter of the newscasters, and saw the garish yellow suits of the firemen rushing towards the house. My mind was filled with an agonizing assortment of pains and aches, and then, all was black…

 

       The hospital smelt of antiseptic and detergent. As I woke, I felt cotton bandages swathing my head. A gentle pressure was applied on my hand. My neck was in a brace, and my leg was suspended up in the air. I shifted to a sitting position, and whimpered meekly as bolts of pain shot through my chest and body. I sat up, and was surrounded by a host of angels. Helena, my family, and even my friend was there. I felt a dull ache, and tears began to well up in my eyes.

Reviews

[The_Dreamer]

Really good! It was so action packed! I liked the way the main character was thinking of their family just before he blacked out

[Undying Glory]

nice work man, good write here. just love that second last paragraph to pieces. on the whole awesome stuff