Bound by Hellfire

Chapter 14

My eyes shot open as a foreign smell slipped into my nostrils. I was still bundled beneath the mound of blankets on my bed. The thought of leaving its warm embrace sent a wrinkle through my forehead. I turned back to my side, burying myself deeper into my comforter, trying to mask the smell with my pillowcase, but the scent was getting stronger.

I sat up, unraveling myself from the twisted weave of blankets and sheets. The cold air sent goosebumps across my skin. It was the middle of January, the coldest month of the year and my parents were all about saving money. I don't mind the cold, especially when it's being blocked by the Fortress of Solitude that I have created on my bed, which includes three blankets, two sheets, a comforter, and my huggable dragon plush. However, I hate waking up in the middle of the night, during prime freezing hours, because of some strange stench.

"Don't do it Diana," I thought to myself. 

"Just ignore it—Just— ignore it"

I rubbed the sand from the corners of my eyes as I squinted into the darkness of my room. My nose flared, trying to decide what exactly had woken me up. It wasn't a smell I was familiar with, yet my mind presented ideas that could have matched.

Melted plastic? Burnt cookies? 

Was Dad trying to cook again?

A faint glow of light was coming from underneath my door. I rubbed my eyes one final time before swinging my feet to the edge of my bed. The clock on my nightstand read 3:44 AM. It was too early for anyone to be up. My younger sister Jamie probably had another one of her nightmares.

That must be it. Jamie probably got scared and woke my Dad up and now he's baking her cookies. That sounds logical, right?

The soles of my feet floated over the frozen wood paneling. I didn't want to get up. I wanted to be content with my belief and sink back into my bed, but another waft of crude air sent my nose hairs shriveling, and with that, my feet thudded to the ground.

My knees popped as my legs bounced toward my slippers. The floor was colder than I could have imagined.

"Shit... SHit... SHIT..." I cursed under my breath.

Finally, my toes felt the warming relief of my faux fur slippers. A sigh escaped my mouth and my body uncontrollably shivered. My shoes clapped against the floor as I approached the door. The smell was stronger now and I could tell it was definitely something burning. I knew my Dad was bad at cooking, but that was just a thought to keep myself in bed. I was awake now, full of concern as I swung open the door to the upstairs hallway.

Clouds of smoke lingered above my head confirming my suspicion that something had caught fire. My hand clung to my face, doing what it could to mask the pungent aroma. This was more than just a little cooking mishap.

"Mom! Dad!" I yelled down the hall.

Orange light streamed in from downstairs, leaving a faint glow along the hallway walls. Jamie's room was at the end of the hallway upstairs. Mine was next to hers and my parent's room was downstairs on the opposite side of the house, but they should have heard me.

"Mom!--- Dad!---" I yelled again.

Still no response.

I made my way down the hallway. Shivering with each step as the light reflected off the patterned stars on my pajamas. My hands gripped fistfuls of my hair, twisting and pulling anxiously at as many strands as I could. Finally, I reached the top of the stairs. The light from below cast long flickering shadows of the guardrails onto the steps.