None of them knew the heat that rose up through the floorboards as they slept. Flames spilled forth from just beside the fireplace, where the errant spark took root in an armchair without anyone’s notice some thirty minutes earlier. Memories that had taken twenty years to build, as the fire grew and raged on, were consumed in mere seconds by a sea of glowing orange waves shrouded in thick smoke.
Joel was the first to wake from his deep slumber, startled by the sound of creaking timber. He bolted through the bedroom door when he heard the beam fall and crash into the china cabinet ten seconds later.
Anna was still in her crib, sleeping soundly. Joel lifted her gently. He whispered to her softly, rousing her from a peaceful infant’s dream. “There, there sweetie, it’s okay, we’re gonna go outside for a bit.”
Maura stood in Anna’s doorway holding Aden on her hip with one arm, leaning against the door frame for support. It was hot.
They’d have to leave through the window, but they would leave no one behind.