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Isaac
“Ginger,” Emma says.
She’s able to move on her own, but I’m holding her tight. I know she’ll try to use all her strength convincing everyone she’s fine, even though her voice is gravely and weak. It’s painful to hear. She presses her lips to my ear and repeats the harsh whisper.
“Ginger.”
“I hear you, Emma. Ginger.”
I don’t want her to strain by repeating herself. Luke looks at me, confused, while I repeat her words, confirming that I hear everything she’s saying.
A large crowd has formed beyond the police and fire barricades, but my eye is drawn to one single person. While everyone stands, they have movement, pointing and gasping. Looks of concern or sadness or even anger cross their faces, except for one. Her motionless form stands in front of them all, gazing at the fire with a twisted, satisfied smirk.
I recognize her, but my mind can’t find the memory. Luke follows my gaze with his bright blue eyes and when he looks back at me, his expression says, ‘something’s fishy.’
“Ginger?”
Emma lifts her weak head off my shoulder. Both of us can see when her gaze lands on the woman, not because she bursts with the anger or strength of her usual self, but because she does the opposite. Emma’s stare lingers for a moment, like her inner monologue is figuring out if she’s hallucinating and her body tightens when she realizes she’s not.
“She’s real,” I whisper.
Goosebumps run along Emma’s quivering body; despite the incredible heat we’re still feeling from the fire.
“It’s okay.”
Luke's voice is the rock that anchors us both. He runs his soot covered hand along Emma’s hair and I see the potential of Luke’s ability to lead. He may be a total goofball, but he always shows up in the way you need him to.
“Come on, babe. Let’s get you to that ambulance over there. Can you walk?”
The ambulance is just past Ginger. Emma shakes her head so hard it might fall off her shoulders and a wild cough explodes from within her.
“Hey, Emma, take a deep breath. We need to get you over there because you might have serious injuries, okay?”
“We’ll be with you the entire time. We’re not leaving your side, not for a single second. She can’t hurt you,” I say.
Luke and I prop Emma up and surround her before we move. No one is getting past us and together, we keep a silent eye on Ginger. As we move closer, she sees us and that satisfied smirk twists into a full grimace. I can feel her heated rage and can see the whites of her eyes, even from a short distance. A sudden, stomach-turning cackle erupts from Ginger.
“Should have guessed thatbitchwould be involved here!”
Ginger points up at the warehouse flames, still cascading over its remains.
“Shedeservesto die in there! I mean, look at her! She needs to be punished for all that she’s done! All these fires? What kind of sick freak would do this?”
Instead of the crowd feeding Ginger’s fire, they back away. Mumbles bounce around the group like a beach ball. We try to keep our pace moving, but Emma slows in front of Ginger, holding onto Luke and I for dear life.
“Trust me,” Ginger says.
She seems to be talking directly to Emma and Emma only.
“You havenoidea what she’sreallylike. When you think she’ll be there for you, her greed is what shows up instead! She haseverything,but it’s never enough! She even prevented me from becoming a firefighter, probably so she could keep up her sick little arson game! She knew I was onto her. Isn’t that right, Emma?”
Everything pauses and any firefighters, cops and EMT’s are standing, staring at the weak blonde between us.
“Ginger, right?” Luke yells.
“Who the hell are you?”
The wind blows and a sick combination of fresh perfume and gas overwhelms us.
