We made our way outside, and I could see that in the distance an orange fire was blazing. It looked too big to be a bonfire. Smoke was billowing into the sky.
Becca was up ahead; she’d ran to meet up with the young female, who was crying and out of breath.
By the time we reached her side, I could hear her asking, “What is it? What happened, Lupita?” She had already taken the girl into her arms.
“The barn is on fire! Mama and the others are in town late, cleaning a house. Papa’s still in there. He’s too heavy for me to lift.” She trailed off as her tears overwhelmed her.
That was it. The one sentence was all it took and Ryder and I were sprinting toward the flames. The other enforcers had fanned off around us earlier, checking the perimeter, so I wasn’t sure if any of them followed.
How fast could I run two miles? Maybe seven minutes? Ryder was faster than me. He could get there in five.
The snow was kicking up in my face as Ryder booked it in front of me. I tapped into that special place I went when I ran, striving for the most speed, trying not to worry about how I was ass-deep in some snowy wilderness, hoping I wouldn’t fall and break my neck, hoping that a little girl’s father wasn’t possibly burning alive right now.
Shit, it was impossible to navigate this route in near pitch darkness, across these snowy plains. Even with advanced senses, I kept stumbling into large piles of snow. If Ryder hadn’t been close enough to yank me free, I’d probably have frozen to death by now.
I tried following his path directly. He seemed to have a sixth sense about where to step. Dammit! This was too slow. I needed a snowmobile or something. My frustration must have ignited some of my energy, and as heat unfurled in my center I remembered a very important point. I was no longer a human who needed a snowmobile. Nope. I was Charlie, the ashpire, and I could tap into my levitation abilities.
Flinging free the burning energy, I jumped. I rose off the ground, and unlike the last few times it was relatively smooth. I was getting better, more comfortable with the power. I was starting to learn how to place my feet, rotate arms to keep balance, and tuck my body up for maximum speed.
“Charlie!” Ryder looked pissed as I passed by him; his speed seemed to increase crazily. I also noticed Jayden was sprinting after us, tapping into his house’s power of speed, to make it to the fire. Oliver was close by, the two of them helping each other stay out of the massive snowdrifts.
The view was really great from up here. “See you there,” I yelled as my power sent me gliding across the sky toward the huge blaze. It was so large I could already feel the heat. The snow was slush in a hundred-foot radius around the place, the silence of the wilderness broken by the roaring inferno. Fire, in all its deadly glory, was not silent. It was big, and powerful and absolutely mesmerizing. If only there wasn’t a man’s life at stake, I’d have made Becca find me some marshmallows. Or make some. She could probably whip anything up in her lab.
The distance passed by in a rush, and with a bit of a panic I had to halt myself before I ended up face-planting against the burning barn. Okay, so stopping was harder than starting. Just when I was sure that I wouldn’t stop in time, my feet lowered and I came to a running halt about twenty feet from the house.
I didn’t stop though, sprinting again, past the small, dome-shaped house, moving toward the large, rundown looking barn. The blaze was thick and heavy as I tried to figure out how to get inside.
“Hello? Can you hear me? Hang on, help is on its way.”
I had to shout, offer some reassurance, even though my gut was telling me he was at minimum unconscious. That thick smoke was making it hard for me to breathe, and I’d only just gotten here. I closed in on the front, but it was completely cut off; there was no way to enter there. It looked like this was the thickest part of the flames. Dashing around the corner I found another sliding door, and there were far fewer flames here.
Grabbing a handful of slush, I pressed it against the burning metal latch, trying to cool it enough to touch. I didn’t have gloves on, which was a real pain, so this was my best chance.
Luckily it worked, and I was able to nudge the rusted door about three feet across. Black smoke poured out of the opening as soon as it appeared, and I knew that this influx of oxygen was going to give this baby more power. I needed to find him and get him out now.
I ducked my head down low, and pulling my jacket off used it as a shield above me. I wasn’t sure how flammable the material was, and it was better to not have it attached to my body if some embers caught. I had to stay very low to the ground; visibility was terrible, and it was almost impossible to breathe. I could see that some beams had fallen down near the front entrance and were fueling the majority of the fire. There was a strange scent in the air, strong and chemical. I wondered what was in this barn, and what the chance of it blowing up was. Moving as fast as was safe to do, I kept scanning the place, hoping to see something.
“Hello! Can … can you hear me?” The smoke was killing my ability to shout, but I continued calling for the girl’s father.
A sizzle landed on my arm and I fought back the cry of pain. Yep, that burn hurt like a bitch, but I would heal, the human wouldn’t. I needed to find him now. I was halfway through the large barn when I caught sight of a boot and yellow snow pants. Thank the gods this guy liked his gear hi-vis. I scurried over to him, practically on the floor. More of the still form came into view. It looked as if someone had drug him into the corner, away from the worst of the fire. His daughter had done everything she could to save him before coming for us. Poor kid.
Dropping my jacket over the top of his body, I grabbed two handfuls of his thick pants and pulled him out toward me. The fire was blazing harder behind us and I knew time was running out. A cough suddenly seized my lungs; the back of my throat burned. The guy was big and heavy, but not fat. He was someone who worked hard, I could tell.
I would not let him and his family down. He was out far enough now that I could wrap my hands around his shoulders, threading into the top of his clothing, and lift his head up to drag him. It was so hard to breathe, which made the physical stuff almost impossible. Trying to find moisture in my dry mouth, I swallowed a few times, and knowing it was my only choice, tapped into the heat at my center again. Holding on as tightly as I could, my upper body leaning over his body to protect us both, I managed to get us out of the middle and to the side door. I was thanking the gods for my ash genetics, because this man was heavy and my muscles were crying.
My energy gave out then; the man’s weight coupled with the smoke inhalation had completely exhausted me. I was unable to breathe as another coughing fit hit me. I was about two seconds from collapsing. Strong hands latched onto me then and someone drug us both out of the barn and into the cool, clean air.
My vision was a little fuzzy, and it took me more than a few moments to cough my guts up and try and bring air into my starving lungs. My throat and chest hurt like hell, and everything tasted like death.
“Charlie, are you okay?” Ryder yelled at me, and in my scattered attention I noticed someone was performing CPR on the guy.
“I got him, but…” Coughing racked me again, and I sighed when Ryder pressed a water bottle to my lips.
The cool liquid was painful and wonderful as it wet the inside of my mouth. He wouldn’t let me drink too much. I needed to get the smoke out of my lungs.
“You really need some pure oxygen,” Oliver said. “But your healing capabilities should kick in soon.” I tried to focus on him, but everything was still blurry and muffled.
“Is the … dad … okay?”
