Chapter 27
27
CONNOR
Another day, another fire.
This time, we get called out to the far end of town. It’s some dingy motel. I’ve been past this place a few times, never stopping outside its dilapidated exterior, always wondering who would stay in such a motel - but here we are. We have a job to do. We pull up alongside the place and can already see the flames from inside the building.
A few people are lingering around on the street as we stop - inquisitive neighbors and patrons of the motel gathering outside the inferno. It seems that the fire started quickly, but there’s apparently no one hurt. There’s no panic from this crowd, unlike that other house fire with the mother, just bored curiosity.
So far, so standard.
I hop out of the engine and make a beeline straight for the motel manager standing on the sidewalk. I can tell who she is from her uniform and name tag. I don’t have to get far - she runs up to me.
“What happened?” I ask her as my colleagues start doing their job behind me. I don’t need to worry about them – they’re operating like clockwork. We can already tell this job is simply about procedure. We’ll kill the fire and make sure no other property is damaged. We’ll make it quick and tidy. I’m sure there’s insurance that’ll cover any destruction here.
“The oven in the kitchen just... exploded ,” the woman tells me. “And everything lit up so fast. It was unbelievable.”
I nod, taking it in.
“Fires spread faster than you’d think,” I remark.
The motel manager shakes her head.
“It was nothing like the movies...”
“Fires usually aren’t,” I reply. “You said it started in the kitchen, right?”
“Yes.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“No one that I know of.”
Yep, this job, although risky like any other, will certainly not be as hard as that house the other day. This one should be easier to manage, as long as everyone is okay...
“Is everyone accounted for?” I ask the motel manager. “Are all your guests out of the building?”
The woman shakes her head vigorously. I can tell she’s panicking over losing her business. Hmm , maybe she doesn’t have insurance to cover her ass. A rundown motel like this with tight-ass owners might not have any kind of insurance. A fire will surely bankrupt her if she’s been that reckless.
“I think... I think I’m missing someone,” she says.
I freeze.
“What?”
I wasn’t expecting this.
Someone’s in danger.
“Yeah... room thirty-six,” the manager stutters, glancing around at the other bystanders. “I can’t see her here. She’s some reporter from out of town, I think. Her name is Ember... something ... I can’t remember...”
No.
I immediately start running toward the burning motel.
Not her. Anyone but her.
Eric is calling my name behind me. He’s asking me to wait.
But I can’t wait.
Ember’s here? Yes, this must be where she’s staying...
I should’ve known. I should’ve found out where she was. I should’ve made sure she was okay.
And now she’s in trouble. She’s in here. She’s in the flames.
And I’m the only one with the ability to save her.
I dash through an open doorway. I’m running down a motel hallway. There’s so much smoke – much more than can be expected from the sight outside. I can barely breathe.
I can hear the cackling of flames.
I can feel the heat.
Ember is in here somewhere.
I call her name.
“Ember!”
It takes the rest of the air out of my lungs.
I continue running through the place.
“Ember! Ember! Ember!”
And I can hear her.
“ Help !”
It’s definitely her... that same voice that has been pestering me for days. She’s calling for me.
I keep running toward the voice, but I can’t find her.
“Ember!”
“Connor!”
She’s calling my own name now. She knows I’m nearby.
I head around a corner, and there are flames. Burning fires that choke the hallway in front of me.
And there’s Ember...
She’s trapped in the fire on the other side of the hallway. Flames flicker violently like an impossible wall to cross.
She’s close, but she feels so far away. The fire is caught between us.
There’s no way I can get to her... unless I burn...
She’s in pain. I can see it. She’s hurt.
And she looks up at me. She’s looking at me with hope. She’s looking at me as if I am the only person on this goddamn planet that can save her.
“Connor...”
Bang!
The roof above her collapses, burning down on top of her with a heavy crash.
And she’s instantly gone.
I don’t save her.
I wake up. My body jerks upright.
Just a dream, Connor. Just a dream.
I’m panting. My lungs are empty. Ember’s face as the roof collapses is imprinted on my mind. She was there, then she was gone...
It was just a dream, man. Wake the fuck up.
It wasn’t real. It was all in my imagination. Ember is still alive. All of that never happened.
It felt so real, though. Mind trickery.
Fuck.
I don’t usually dream, and I never dream about a girl. Dreams only ever come to me when they mean something.
Does Ember mean something, then?
Nothing seems to make sense anymore. Up until a few weeks ago, my life seemed so ordered, so... logical . But Ember stormed in and changed everything .
I get out of bed and head into my kitchen. I pour myself a glass of water.
She’s okay, Connor. Don’t worry. Don’t fucking freak out.
There’s no fire. There’s no collapsing roof over her head.
I can rest easy.
I gulp down the water and try to calm my beating heart.
As I go back to bed, I can’t shake one thought no matter how hard I try - if dreams really mean something to me, then why the hell am I dreaming about Ember Mortensen?