I dragged myself forward. Elbows and knees scraping against the floor. The smoke was unbearable now, pressing against my skin like a physical weight, and every breath felt like inhaling razor blades.
Eight feet.
My arms buckled. I collapsed onto my stomach, cheek pressed to the floor, where the air was marginally cooler. Marginally breathable. I could taste ash on my tongue. Could feel my heartbeat slowing, each thump taking longer than the last.
Get up, I told myself.Get. To. The. Door.
The door cracked. Splintered. Knox’s voice, hoarse and desperate, cut through the roar of the flames.
“Harper!”
I’m here, I wanted to scream.I’m right here.
But my throat had stopped working. My lungs had stopped cooperating. All I could do was push myself back onto all fours, my limbs trembling like they belonged to someone else. Someone whose body was already giving up.
Six feet.
I crawled another inch. Two. The smoke was so thick now that I couldn’t see the door anymore. Could only hear Knox on the other side, still fighting, still trying to reach me.
Four feet. Maybe.
My vision started to narrow. Darkness creeping in from the edges like something patient. Something inevitable.
I thought about Knox. About the way he’d looked at me before I closed the door. The way he’d said, “Always,” like it was a promise he intended to keep for the rest of his life.
I wanted that life. I wanted it so badly.
Three feet.
My arms gave out. My face hit the floor.
And this time, I couldn’t push myself back up.
Then the darkness that had consumed my house began consuming me too. Starting at the edges. Closing in.
Until there was nothing left at all.
60
KNOX
One final kick, and the front door busted open.
Flames roared in response. Thick black smoke poured out like a fog of death, a dark veil masking everything in front of me.
Pulling my shirt over my nose and mouth, I pushed through the wall of fire into the entryway.
My eyes screamed. My throat felt like I’d swallowed molten glass. Every breath was a knife to the lungs, but I forced myself forward.
My foot caught on something. I tripped, nearly went down, and realized I was standing over her body.
“Harper!” The word came out shredded. Barely human.
The fumes invaded my lungs, and I could feel myself flirting with unconsciousness. My knees wanted to buckle. My brain wanted to shut down.
Not yet.
Bending over, I scooped her into my arms. Pain screamed up my burned feet, through my hands, but I locked it away somewhere I couldn’t feel it. She was limp. Her head lolled against my chest like a rag doll’s.
