If we took a left down the corridor and headed toward the exit of the apartment, we would meet with the fire within the penthouse, yet it seemed that we couldn’t escape through the windows either without meeting with the blaze. We moved from room to room until we’d checked every single one on our side of the apartment, still untouched by fire, though becoming more and more choked with smoke each moment that passed. Each of the windows in these rooms looked out at the same flames.
I had been holding my breath as much as I could, but the fright and panic made it hard to regulate my breathing.
“We’re going to have to brave the flames,” Caleb said, his jaw set in a grimace.
The fire was encroaching both inside and outside the building, and we had to be quick. We checked the windows that we had access to once again, trying to find the window with the least amount of fire outside, but all looked just as deadly as the other. If we delayed any longer, we’d only make things worse for ourselves.
“Tie up your hair tightly,” Caleb ordered as he tore the blanket from my bed. I didn’t have a hair tie, but my hair was long and I managed to wrap it up in a tight bun. Spreading out the blanket, he began wrapping it around me, cocooning me in it. He grabbed three scarves from one of my open clothes bags and wrapped them around my legs and upper chest, securing the blanket against me, so securely that I was practically suffocating. He left enough of the blanket for me to pull over my head.
I gazed at him in alarm. All he wore was his thin robe. “What about you?”
Ignoring my question, he scooped me up and flung me over his shoulder. I felt useless, unable to move because of how tightly he was holding me. I couldn’t see where he was going either with a blanket flapping in front of my face. But I sensed him hurry out of the room and back into the corridor. He moved along until he reached the window. The smoke had become so thick, I could barely see a foot in front of me.
Glass shattered, and then came a sharp spike in temperature. I held my breath and shut my eyes tight.
“Cover your head!” Caleb hissed.
“Wait,” I gasped. “What about you—”
It was too late. I only just managed to pull up the excess cover over my face and head before he leapt onto the window ledge and then took a dive off the building.
A wave of heat permeated my skin even through the thick blanket. I was terrified to think of the damage Caleb had just endured, and my chest ached for him as he let out a groan. We lurched into a freefall, Caleb’s hold tightening around me, so tight that it felt like my ribcage would snap. My gut turned in somersaults until Caleb’s feet hit solid ground with another painful jolt to my stomach.
He immediately lowered me to the ground and gripped my sides, freeing me from the flaming blanket. I staggered to my feet, away from the blanket, and gazed at Caleb in horror. Every part of his skin that was visible was raw and blistered, and his robe was flaming. I lunged for him and ripped away the burning robe, even as I tried to be careful not to touch his skin and cause him any more pain.
He now stood badly burned and completely naked in the woods. I was still in a state of shock, part of me unsure if I was just trapped in some kind of vivid nightmare. Caleb winced as he looked over the burns marring his skin.
My eyes lifted back up toward the treetops, toward my parents’ penthouse—but I couldn’t even make out the building. The blaze surrounding it was too thick. Chunks of burning debris showered down from the treetops to the forest ground.
“Where are my parents?” I asked, my voice rising to a hysterical pitch. “What if they’re still up there?”
“We need a witch.” Caleb picked up his singed night robe and rolled it on the ground, putting out the last of the fire. He pulled it back on before reaching for my shaking hand. “To the Sanctuary.” He hurtled toward the woods, dragging me along behind him. My knees were weak and shaking, but with adrenaline urging me forward, I ran like I’d never run before.
As we whipped through the trees, I began to yell for help. I hoped that a witch would hear us before we got to Corrine’s home.
I practically cried with relief when the familiar silhouettes of my father and mother came into view along the forest path. My grandfather was walking alongside them. They must have stayed out late due to the meeting and hadn’t yet returned to the apartment. Thank God.
Their faces lit up with alarm as Caleb and I reached them. They gaped at our disheveled, burnt appearance.
“Fire!” I panted. “There’s a giant fire eating up your apartment!”
Caleb’s hold on my hand loosened. “You stay and explain,” he said as he began sprinting away. “I need to get a witch.”