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Rosemary was standing at the top of a hill, surrounded by flames.
Sage was searching for something, anything to put out the fire but there was nothing she could do. There was no water, nothing around her but barren land. Rosemary’s cries grew louder and then suddenly she disappeared, only a cloud of smoke remaining…
She was gone.
Gone forever and Sage was alone.
Sage woke up suddenly, sweating and shivering despite the warm duvet covering her. She turned on her bedside lamp, the room flooding with a golden glow.
It was only a nightmare, a horrible, horrible dream.
Oddly enough, Sage could still smell smoke and she wondered if she was still dreaming.
Until she glanced out her window.
She had a full view of the town from up here and all she saw a wall of fire in the distance and thick clouds of smoke.
Running over to the window, she pushed it up and heard the echo of sirens. The acrid smell was strong, making her cough.
A building – or buildings – in the town were on fire. Holy shit.
Longford had a small volunteer fire department but that consisted of six people and one truck.
Without thinking, Sage closed the window, slipped on her jeans and a sweater and grabbed her phone and keys. It was three AM, but she was wide awake.
She threw on her cowboy boots and headed outside.
Jumping in her SUV, she hightailed it down the driveway and out onto the country road.
The closer she got to town, the stronger the smell of the fire. She reached into the console between the seats and pulled out a medical mask. She often kept them on hand when she was dealing with sick animals on the farm. Steering the car with one hand, she placed the fabric mask over her face with the other.
Once she turned on to the main road that led into town, she noticed other cars, trucks, and motorcycles driving by. Residents who likely had the same instinct she did.
The diner wasn’t damaged, but the buildings near the edge of town were engulfed in flames. Including the Devil’s Wrench and Bikes & Brews, the local bar.
Places owned and operated by the Hellraisers & Hellions MC.
Sage told herself to do the smart thing. Turn around and drive home. But she was never one to turn her back on a neighbor, no matter who they might be.
She spotted the fire truck parked in front of the body shop. The volunteer firefighters were hosing down as best they could, but one truck was no match for two fires that raged out of control and threatened to spill over to nearby businesses.
A provincial police car and two ambulances were also on site. It looked like the regional emergency response team was here but where were the other firefighters?
Parking the SUV, Sage got out and headed for the firetruck, only to spot Dante’s bike.
She looked around and noticed that he was one of the guys on the ground. With his face covered in a proper breathing mask, he was holding on to one of the fire hoses to help direct the spray.
“Dante!” Sage yelled as she ran over.
Dante turned and waved her back with one hand.
“Get out of here, the fire’s spreading!”
“What can I do to help?” Sage asked, ignoring his order.
“I said, get back!”
One of the volunteer firefighters wandered out from the alleyway behind the body shop, his uniform black with soot. He took a few steps forward, shook his head, and then collapsed.
