Quasim II: King Inferno (Season Four: Inferno Gods #2)

3. Quasim

Quasim

I sped down my block and could see the smoke and flames from a few blocks over. Havoc’s bike was knocked over on the lawn, and I spotted Elijah standing on the grass with items in his hands. He was crying and pointing toward the house. I couldn’t put the truck in park quick enough as I hopped out and took off running toward the house.

“Sim, she’s in the house! Havoc is in the house!” he pointed to my bedroom window that was broken.

My heart felt like fucking marshmallow as I rushed toward the window, seeing Havoc was climbing out the window with Blair in his arms, unconscious. I took her from him and carried her far away from the house, laying her on the lawn and checking her breathing.

She was breathing; however, she wasn’t conscious. I put her into a position I learned at the senior center, on her side, making sure her airways were clear in case she vomited. It was called the recovery position.

I positioned her the best I could as my hands started to shake, tears falling down my face, looking at her almost lifeless. It was something that I swore and prayed I never had to see. I would rather have God take me before her.

“Harley, wake up… come on, baby, come on,” I administered CPR the way I had learned. It was different when it came to kids, you couldn’t apply that much pressure onto them. “No, you gotta wake up now… you gotta eat breakfast and take your medicine, mamas.”

The flashback of the way I found my own daughter, lifeless in her bed, haunted me. Having her in my arms was breaking my heart, as she continued to lay there. I gave her some of my air, fuck, I would give her all of my air if that meant she would wake up. Anjo started to choke, however, her eyes remained closed.

Elijah was screaming in the background, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll take it from here, Sir.”

I don’t know how long I had been there, but the ambulance had come along with firetrucks and police cars. The EMT’s got right to work, putting oxygen on her and getting her up on a stretcher to rush her in the back of the ambulance.

Elijah ripped away from Havoc and ran into my arms. I kneeled down and hugged him, tears falling from both of our eyes. “Go with Havoc, okay… I promise I’m coming for you.”

“Is Ms. Blair going to be okay?” Tears continued to pour down his face as he looked to me for the answer.

I never lied to him.

He wanted me to make everything alright, and as I looked at my home burning to the ground, I couldn’t give that to him right now. I couldn’t pretend that everything was alright because Blair was in the back of an ambulance and my home was gone.

Memories were gone.

Everything was gone.

“I will call and let you know as soon as I know something, alright?”

One of the things I had told myself when it came to Elijah was that I wouldn’t lie to him. He would always know the truth when it came to me, and even if I wanted to, I didn’t have it in me to lie to him tonight.

Havoc had his phone to his mouth. “I fucking 9…” he yelled into the phone, something I rarely had witnessed.

He held Elijah close to him, as he looked back at my house. “Get fucking Pyro.”

“Nigga, who?”

“My fucking cat… get her.”

Elijah sprang into action. “I know where she is…I’ll get her.” He shoved the stuff in his hand into Havoc’s arms and took off toward the house next door.

“Bring him to the Lakehouse, Hav… now.”

He saluted and went to follow behind Elijah, who was coming back from the side of the house with a fighting Pyro in his arms.

I turned and headed into the back of the ambulance as I watched them hook her up to different shit.

I failed her.

She came to my house because I invited her, and she could lose her life because of me. It was my fault she was in this situation. I wished it had been me in the house, because I would have let the shit burn to the ground with me inside of it.

“Sir, can we get her name?” One of the paramedics asked.

“Blair.” I looked up from my hands. “Blair Inferno.”