Releasing myselfâeven with the key in my possessionâis easier said than done, because the shackle is holding my elbow up behind me, which forces me to contort my body in a strange acrobatic feat while dangling from the chain, in order to reach the key lock. But somehow, the urgent need to escape the blaze sends a charge of adrenaline through me. I twist around despite the spinal pain, catch the lock, and push the key into it.
It unlocks.
Iâm free.
And blocked by fire.
Until now, itâs been playful, flaring, leaping into a shower of sparks in the center of the room, where itâs consumed the heap of papers. Nothing remains of them but glittering ash. At this point, the flames blaze into a hungry inferno, chasing me as I leap out from under the closet rod and run around the room along the array of targets, all of which are riddled by bullet holes.
Through the gathering smoke, I hurl myself down the spiral staircase with a speed I never thought was in me. I slip down, swinging around the central industrial pole that holds the treads. It feels hot to the touch, but I ignore my scorched skin and pay little attention to the burnt smell of my hair.
I must act fast, or Timmy will not make it.
At the bottom step, I stumble over Mrs. Goreâs body. She is crumpled in a strange, unnatural position. No breath, no pulse. By the flicker of light, I see my cellphone lying next to her mangled legs. Iâm not sure if it still works, after being banged, kicked about and thrown down here by my captor.
I grab it anyway and climb through the hole, out of the broken wall and into my living room. As I roll across the floor, trying to extinguish the fire that has caught my hair, I hear three things: my dog, barking in the backyard. Sirens, coming closer. And my cellphone, buzzing.
Itâs the sheriff officer, Joe Miller. With shaking hands, I answer.
âThank God,â he says. âWhere were you? Iâve been callingââ
âDidnât you get my distress call?â I ask, choked by the bitter smell of burnt things.
âDistress call?â he repeats, in astonishment. âNo, never got it. Why, what happened?â
âPaul.â
âWhat dâyou mean? What about him?â
âPaul, he took Timmy,â I stammer, âand heâs heading to Clearwater High School, and he has a gunââ
âYou sure?â says Joe. âIâm asking becauseâthis is what Iâve been calling to tell youâwe already have the school shooter in custodyââ
âNo!â I scream. âYou donât!â
âWhat dâyou mean, I donât?â
âWhoever you have in custody is a fake. Listen, listen to me! Paul is about to start another shooting spree if you donât stop him. Heâs just killed my landlady, tooââ
âOkay,â says the officer. âGot it. Weâre coming, right now.â
âAnd,â I stress, âTimmy is with him. So you be careful. You must make sure the child is not hurt, in any wayââ
âUnderstood. Itâs an emergency.â
âYes, it is.â
âWeâre on the way.â
Meanwhile, the sirens outside rise to an alarming peak. Through the window, I see the tires of three firetrucks grind to a halt near the curb. Within seconds, my entrance door pops openâbut to get out, Iâll have to push my way through the firefighters, who are pouring into the place in helmets fitted with heat resistant eye-shields and goggles, extrication gloves, and boots.
They break open the entire wall, because the hole in it is too small for them. There, under the black puff of smoke, they discover Mrs. Goreâs body. By now, it is already charred. A couple of them load her remains on a stretcher, then carry it out. The rest start climbing up with thick hoses to douse the fire.
I donât stay to watch it being extinguished, nor do I wait for first aid. I must get to school, must find the child, must save him.
Before itâs too late.