The Fire

I rushed in after her, my daughter.

My friend Callus had just gotten Harper out of her friend's flaming house, and yet my daughter just rushed right back in there! I looked to the other firefighter who was working the fire hose, James. My hands lifted from the rough leather surrounding the water-house I was holding, my back resting from carrying its great weight.

"James, have Brody man the hose, my daughter just ran back in there."

"But River, You could get yourself killed!" I grunted and ignored his worried look as I shoved through the crowd of civilians and rushed into the blazing house. Me dying is the last of my worries, I thought, remembering the men who had cornered me an hour ago, trying to blackmail me into working in their agency... the agency that had left me for dead.

I shook my head, scattering those thoughts, my goal was to rescue Harper, I would deal with my other problems later. I threw open the charred-black door, fear wrenching in my heart, but I pushed on. I couldn't lose Harper.

I saw a glimpse of her jet-black hair, which was similar to mine. She tripped over the wall and I tried to reach out for her as she tumbled towards the yellow flames that licked her arms, but I myself tripped on the rug. I tried to open my mouth to call her to me, tell her to get to safety, but the smoke in the room robbed me of my breath.

I hunched over, coughing, and stumbled in the direction of the stairs. I leaned against the wall and pulled my vest up over my nose, trying to get the grey smoke out of my lungs. I allowed myself only a moment before rushing back up the stairs. I stopped before a room with pink walls, the flames hadn't yet clawed their way up the stairs.

I watched my daughter smile as she grabbed a tiny little kitty off of her friends, bed, then yank off the white bedsheets and tie them together. She then swung them out the already-open window and climbed down it. I ran to the window and saw her safely step to the ground, then run into my wife's arms.

I smiled and was about to follow her path, but then I saw the men from my old agency. I catch my brother John's eye, he opens his mouth to let on that he saw me, but then I pointed to the men in black looking for me. He jerked his head in their direction, then closed his eyes and gave me a small nod of understanding.

I darted away from the window and down the stairs towards the back door, but stopped. Why should I keep running from them? They'll always find me. The roof above me creaked, and I knew that if I didn't run right now it would come crashing down on me, but I couldn't bring myself to. It seems this was my fate, and I must embrace it.

I closed my eyes and kneeled to the floor, then the flaming roof came crashing down on me and sealed my fate...

Little did River Medley know, that his choice would haunt his daughters Stacy, Harper, and Caroline. After he died, Stacy blamed his death on Harper and tore her down repeatedly. Then one day Harper kicked Stacy out of the house, and she was never to be seen again... until now...