Salem's Civil War (Book Five of The Silver Society)

Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

Arnie struggled to remain in the present. This was not his parents' house. He was not nine years old. He was now a fully trained slayer, nearly a legal adult, and people were in danger. He had to get inside the house, and he had to hurry.

Fire, Arnie sent to Aideen quickly. The Berlins. I need your help.

He attempted to get in through the front door, but it was already burning. He went around the back and saw that the back door was also on fire.

"Help!" A tiny voice screamed. It was coming from the basement, where an extra bedroom had been built only six months before with Lindsey in mind. Lindsey found the basement creepy, but Gracie had fallen in love with the room, so her parents let her have it. Now it appeared to have kept the youngest Berlin safe from the flames that were raging out of control upstairs. "Someone help me!"

"Gracie!" Arnie shouted through the small crack in the window. "Stand back, okay? I'm gonna break the window and get you out."

Gracie retreated to a corner of her room and curled up in a ball with her favorite stuffed animal, terror finally fully hitting her. Arnie broke the window, kicked away all of the remaining shards of glass, and jumped down into the basement. He quickly wrapped Gracie and her stuffed teddybear in a blanket, covering her mouse and nose, and scooped her up in his arms.

"Hold onto me," he said urgently. She wrapped her arms around him as he climbed back out of the window as fast as he could.

Placing Gracie on the ground far enough away from the house that the smoke shouldn't be an issue for her, Arnie said, "Stay right here, okay? And keep your mouth and nose covered with the blanket. It'll keep the smoke out of your lungs."

"Arnie, they're all still inside," Gracie said between coughs. "They're all upstairs sleeping."

"I'm going to go get them out, but you have to stay here, alright? I need to know that you're safe." She nodded. Arnie turned and climbed back into the basement. Smoke was pouring into the basement through the door in the kitchen, but he knew that there was a chance it wasn't actually on fire yet. If he could get into the main floor of the house through that door, he might still be able to save the rest of the Berlins.

He ran up the stairs, pulling his jacket off to cover his mouth and nose, and touched the door. It was hot, but not hot enough to indicate flames. He pushed the door open and was relieved to see that the kitchen had not been fully engulfed yet. He made his way through the house to the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Can anyone hear me?" He called, not sure which room to start with. How could he choose which people to save and who to leave to fend for themselves? Everyone that was still in the house was an adult except for Harry and Will. He decided he needed to get to them first, and he could try to get to the others after.

The boys had locked their bedroom door. Arnie broke it down with very little effort and was horrified to see Will lying in a bed that was already covered in flames. His body was badly charred and he looked as if he'd never woken up. Harry's bed was just starting to catch on fire, but the boy wasn't moving.

"Harry!" He shouted. "Harry, can you hear me?" He raced to Harry's side, but he realized immediately that it was too late. The smoke must have gotten him. Arnie picked Harry up and carried him out of the room anyway. He hadn't burned. Maybe CPR would be able to save Harry's life.

Arnie was devastated but knew there was no time to dwell on Will's death at the moment. He tried CPR on Harry, but the boy didn't respond. He left him in the hallway, planning to try again after checking on Lindsey. She shared a wall with Will and Harry, and he'd seen that the wall was in bad shape, but he hoped Lindsey was still alive. As soon as he entered the room, he knew that wasn't the case. Her body was already burned beyond recognition. He didn't have to get near her to know that she was dead. Roger had collapsed on the floor beside her bed, apparently succumbing to smoke inhalation while trying to rescue her. He hadn't stood a chance.