Page 3 of Burning Obsession

The inconsiderate asshole continues barreling through people, and for a second I envision him falling and being trampled. Fitting ending, if you ask me. Who knew a disaster would bring out the darkness in me.

Lynn buries her face in my neck as her arms wrap around me tighter. Melissa’s coughing so hard she nearly drops Kim again. I should just take her from her.

"We’re almost out. One more floor to go,” I tell her, encouraging her to keep moving. “Just keep taking one step at a time and hold on to your baby. We’re going to make it.”

My lungs are on fire by the time we shove our way through the lobby doors into the cool night air. But we made it. Once we’re safely away from the building, I set Lynn down on the ground.

I bend over, hands on my knees, coughing until I think I'm going to throw up. Once I’m able to breathe without hacking up a lung, I take a deep breath. The fresh oxygen hits my lungs, clearing out the smoke I’ve been inhaling for God knows how long.

Fire trucks scream as they pull into the parking lot. Red lights paint the front of the apartment building, adding a contrast to the blazing red flames. People stand barefoot in the grass, all woken from their slumber in a frenzy like I was, I assume because some are wrapped in blankets while others are barely dressed. All are crying, staring at the building in front of them, their home, burning before their eyes. Tears are shed for them being alive, for the precious items within the flames that are going to be lost.

Melissa sinks to the ground with both daughters wrapped around her. She reaches out with a shaky hand and takes hold of my wrist. “Thank you.”

I just nod, not having any other response for her.

Lynn pulls away from her mother, turning in circles, frantically scanning the area as she screams for her cat. “Cooper. Cooper.”

But the cat doesn’t come, and she screams louder.

"My kitty,” she sobs, and my fucking heart breaks.

Lynn moves quickly, and starts to sprint toward the building, but Melissa’s arm shoots out, grasping her small arm and stops her. "No, sweetheart, you can’t go back in there. It’s dangerous!"

"But Cooper hasn’t come out, Mommy,” she whispers. Her lips are trembling as she points a shaky finger toward the building. The little pistol stomps her foot and crosses her arms over her chest as she pouts in frustration.

Then she starts crying. Not the scared crying from before, but the pain-filled cry of someone who’s lost someone they care about.

The sound punches straight through my chest. And I look toward the building, a plan forming in my head. A fucking stupid plan. But one none the less.

I take it all in as smoke pours out from broken windows, from slivers and cracks. Flames dance like ribbons along the upper floor. Firefighters are heading in groups into the building, while others on the ground are manning the hoses. I look back at Lynn, this broken girl, her eyes red from crying, and I know I have to do it. My feet are moving toward the building before I even finish the thought.

"What are you doing?" Melissa calls out to me, but I don’t answer.

Someone yells at me to stop, but I keep moving, keep running. I have a damn cat to rescue. I push the front door of the lobby with more force than I should, running back into the burning building. Every instinct inside ‌me screams that I'm an idiot, and every logical part of my brain agrees.

It's a cat. Not even my cat. I’m doing something foolishly stupid, and for what, exactly? I don’t know. All I know is that this is something I have to do, whether I understand it or not.

Heat slams into me; the air is much thicker now as I make my way up the stairs. I move faster when there’s no one in my way, and I’m not carrying a tiny body out of the smoke.

I grasp my shirt collar and pull it up over my mouth, trying to keep from inhaling the raging smoke. It does very little to help, but at least it’s something.

When I step onto the landing of the fifth floor, I head straight for Melissa’s apartment. The door’s still open. I hear voices shouting from above. Firefighters. They must be working from the top floor down.

I rush inside.

"Cooper!” I yell out like the damn cat’s going to answer.

The living room and kitchen are empty. I move through the apartment, checking the bathroom and bedrooms. Not a detailed check, but I’m still calling for their stupid cat.

The smoke burns my eyes until tears stream down my face. I can barely see my hand in front of me. And I’ve come to realize this is a lost cause. Either Cooper is out of the building and has fled somewhere else, or he’s hiding somewhere and refusing to come when I call for him.

The sirens outside are muffled now; a muted alarm that sounds more like a ghost than a warning.

Something crashes upstairs, and I hear the muffled groaning of the building as the structure gives itself over to the heat of the fire.

The cat's gone. This place isn't going to last, and I need to get out of here before I’m a goner.

I stumble back into the hallway, my legs already feeling strangely heavy as my head becomes dizzy. There’s too much smoke. Too much heat….