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Without thought to her safety, she sprinted through the lanai. Nancy continued to rail at her to come back. Not a chance until she ensured Ray and the others were safe.
As soon as she reached the screen door leading to the backyard, she saw it. Or smelled it. Maybe she heard it first.
“No,” she whispered as her chest seized.
She’d never remember what came first, but the acrid stench of smoke filled her nostrils, and an orange glow flickered from her kennel, and the panicked wails of terrified dogs tormented her ears.
“Fire!” she screamed as she tore out the door at top speed.
“Brooke! No!” Nancy shouted so loud her voice cracked. “It’s too dangerous.”
“The dogs! I have to get the dogs.” Her feet crunched over the stiff Florida grass and something stabbed into her foot, but she ignored the pain.
“Brooke!”
Nancy’s voice sounded a million miles away over the roar of pumping blood in her ears.
She glanced over her shoulder at her friend’s stricken expression. “Call nine-one-one! I’m going to get the dogs.” Then she whipped back around, stumbling from the momentum.
“Shit,” she yelled as she landed on all fours. Then, without assessing if she’d cut herself, she scrambled to her feet and pressed on. She trusted Nancy to get help, so she focused all her attention on saving her babies before the fire consumed them. The thought of them perishing in a fire had her stomach cramping so hard she nearly doubled over, but there wasn’t time for fear. There wasn’t even time to make it across the yard, but she pumped her arms and legs as hard as possible as she charged.
Heat radiated off the kennel, scorching her skin when she drew near. She recoiled, gaping with her jaw open at the mesmerizing horror show.
It seemed as though the fire was contained to the roof for now, but that could change at any moment, and the ravenous flames could consume the entire structure.
How long until the roof caved in, trapping anyone in the kennel under a fiery blanket of death?
Minutes?
Seconds?
Even less time?
It didn’t matter. If there was a fraction of a chance of saving the dogs, Brooke would take it. Her heart pounded, and she panted from the sprint, making her dizzy. Or maybe it was the smoke, which already burned her lungs. God, she wished she wasn’t alone. Wished Curly was there to help her. Wished he could lend her his strength to accomplish this herculean task.
Quickly as possible, she tapped her hand against the door handle. Thank God it wasn’t hot yet. She wrenched the kennel door open only to be bombarded by a hot cloud of smoke. With a choked gasp, Brooke held her arms up to shield her face, but the blistering smoke was no match for her. Her eyes stung. Her lungs ached. She coughed violently. The roar of the fire couldn’t drown out the terrified shrieks of the trapped dogs. Behind her, Ray continued to bark.
With each passing second, thick plumes of black smoke flooded her yard. If she didn’t release the dogs soon, she’d have a full-on tragedy on her hands. How would she look at herself in the mirror if she failed to save the dogs?
Coughing as though she had a brutal case of pneumonia, Brooke yanked her sweatshirt off then dropped to her knees. As best she could, she covered her nose and mouth with the fabric then tied the sleeves around the back of her head. Left only in a T-shirt and yoga pants, she crawled on all fours into the nightmare that used to be her pride and joy.
You can do this.
Despite the blazing orange of the fire, inside the kennel was dark as night. Her eyes stung as though she’d poured chemicals directly into them. Tears washed down her face, trying to expel the toxins. Her vision blurred, making it that much harder to find her way around.
You’ve been in here a million times. You can find the kennels by feel. Move your ass.
Hot ash riddled the floor. Brooke ignored the searing pain in her palms and knees as she blindly crawled to the first kennel. Muffin made a pitiful, high-pitched whine of panic behind the metal bars.
She wanted to reassure the puppy she was there to help, but every time she opened her mouth, smoke rushed in despite her makeshift mask.
Slapping her hands against the heated cage, she worked her way up toward the latch. The second she had the door open, something brushed against her leg. All she could do was hope Muffin made it outside and far enough away as she moved onto the next dog.
How much time did she have before the building collapsed? Was the fire department on the way? She had to be running out of time at a perilous pace.
God, it seemed like hours had passed since Ray woke her when in reality, it’d been only a few minutes.
