Hemlock Clan: What I Am

~ Prologue ~

Blake

I could smell it.

Smoke.

It was in the air. Firstly, it was faint, like the camp fires we sometimes noticed in the woods surrounding our house.

But, as I walked along the dark streets of the quiet human neighbourhood, I noticed the smell was getting stronger.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

The woods were a long way from here.

There would be no reason for the smell of smoke to be so strong here in the suburbs. Or at this time of night.

Maybe some idiot had a fire going in their backyard.

A thought I may have believed until I rounded the corner and saw the fire.

The huge fire.

The fire that had engulfed an entire house.

Hot flames licked up the side of the house, burning everything they touched. The heat from the blaze pulsed through the air. Sparks prickled against the night sky.

I squinted at the inferno in front of me, shielding my face with my hands to protect it from the intense heat.

Fuck. It was hot.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Someone had called for help.

No need for me to hang about then.

Let the humans sort it out for themselves.

Just as I was turning my back to the burning house, movement in the upstairs window caught my eye.

Squinting, I tried to get a good look at it.

It looked like ...

A kid.

Fuck.

A kid was there.

In that house.

That burning house.

Shit.

Running both hands through my hair, I spun around, looking for ... help?

Anyone?

There were some people hanging around outside their houses, dressed in their night clothes, watching the house burn.

The sirens were getting louder, but they wouldn't make it here in time to save the kid.

I raised my eyes to the window again and saw him, leaning over the windowsill of the open window.

Too far.

He was leaning too far.

He was going to fall.

Without thinking too much further, I took a deep breath and raced towards the broken and burnt front door.

I'm coming, kid.