We pile into my truck, and I drive toward the northern edge of town where my mom lives, the streets are chaotic. There’re cars everywhere, people are shouting, there’s red and blue lights flashing from emergency vehicles. The smell of smoke is thick in the air, and I can see the orange glow on the horizon growing brighter.
My hands grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. This is exactly what I was afraid of. This is the nightmareI've been running from for three years. I try to breathe normally, in and out, in and out.
"Dylan," Piper says softly, placing her hand on my arm. "Breathe. We’re going to be okay."
I want to believe her, I want to believe that this time will be different, that this time I'll not lose someone I love to smoke and fire and chaos. But fear is a slippery thing, and it wraps around my chest like a vise.
We make it to my mom's house just as the evacuation sirens start wailing through town. My mom meets us at the door, her face tight with worry.
"Get inside," she says. "Quickly."
We do, and she immediately takes Maddie from my arms, hugging her tight.
"You’re staying here," she tells me. "All of you until this is over."
I nod, too shaken to argue.
Piper sets our bags down and turns to me. "Dylan, look at me."
I do.
"We made it," she says firmly. "We’re all safe. Everyone we love is safe."
I want to believe her, I want to let go of the fear that has been clawing at me since the alerts started, but my body is still vibrating with adrenaline, and my mind is still replaying the night I lost Sarah.
Piper steps closer and takes my face in her hands. "You did it you got us out. You kept us safe. That’s what matters."
Her words break something open inside me.
I pull her into my arms and hold her like she is the only thing keeping me tethered to the ground. She holds me back just as tightly, and I feel the tension slowly start to drain from my body.
"I love you," I say against her hair. "I love you, and I'm so damn grateful you are here."
She pulls back just enough to look up at me, tears shining in her eyes. "I love you too."
I kiss her, deep and desperate and full of relief. And for the first time since the alerts started, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, we’re going to be okay.
Chapter 8
Piper
The nightat Linda's house stretches long and restless. Dylan paces between the living room window and the kitchen, checking his phone every few minutes for updates on the fire. Maddie falls asleep on the couch, wrapped in a blanket Linda pulled from the hall closet, her small hand curled around the stuffed bear I won for her at the school fair.
I watch Dylan wear a path in Linda's carpet, and my chest aches for him.
He is reliving the worst night of his life in real time, and there is nothing I can do except be here. Be present. Be steady when everything around us feels like it's falling apart.
Linda makes tea that none of us drink. She sits in her armchair with her hands folded in her lap, watching her son with the kind of quiet understanding that only comes from years of knowing someone's pain.
Around three in the morning, Dylan's phone buzzes. He snatches it up so fast he nearly drops it.
I hold my breath.
He reads the alert, and I watch his entire body sag with relief. "The wind shifted. fire crews got a containment line established.They’re lifting the evacuation order for the northern half of town."
Linda closes her eyes and exhales slowly. "Thank God."
Dylan sets his phone down and runs both hands through his hair. For a moment, he just stands there in the middle of the living room, looking lost.
