Love after Death (S1) [Completed]

Chapter 43: Ashes of a Shattered Life

Sam's POV

The blue light of the TV was the only thing in the dark room. I was sitting on the sofa, waiting for Miguel to come home so I could yell at him for being late again.

Then, the "Breaking News" flashed on the screen.

"Massive explosion at the docks. Warehouse on fire."

My heart stopped. I knew that place. Dad owned it. I called Mom. No answer. I called Dad. No answer. I called Miguel. Nothing but the sound of the wind.

"Arthur!" I screamed, running into the hall. "Arthur, get the car! Now!"

Arthur, our driver, looked worried. "Miss Samantha, your mother said-"

"I don't care! Look at the TV! They're there! I know they're there!"

The drive felt like it took forever. I stared out the window, watching the sky turn from black to a scary, glowing orange. When we got close, Arthur had to slam on the brakes because of the police cars.

I didn't even wait for the car to stop. I jumped out and started running.

"Miss Samantha, come back! It's dangerous!" Arthur shouted, but I didn't listen.

I ran past the yellow tape. I ran past the firemen. The air was so hot it hurt to breathe. It smelled like smoke and burnt metal. My white dress was covered in gray ash, like dirty snow falling from the sky.

"MOM! DAD!" I screamed until my throat hurt. The warehouse was just a skeleton of fire. Every few seconds, something inside exploded, shaking the ground. It looked like the world was ending.

Then, I saw him.

Miguel was standing near an ambulance. His face was black with soot. He looked like he had crawled out of a nightmare. Liam was holding him up.

"Miguel!" I ran to him and grabbed his shoulders. I shook him as hard as I could. "Where are they? Tell me they're okay! Tell me they got out!"

Miguel looked at me. His eyes were so sad. He didn't say a word. He just slowly turned his head and pointed at the fire.

I watched as the roof of the warehouse crashed down into the flames. A giant wave of fire shot up into the sky.

"NO!" I screamed. It was a sound I didn't know I could make. I tried to run into the fire, my hands reaching out like I could pull them out of the heat. "MOMMY! DAD! NO!" Liam caught me and held me back. I kicked and hit him, trying to get away. "Let me go! They're in there! YOU HAVE TO HELP THEM!"

I fell to my knees in the dirt. I cried until I couldn't breathe anymore. The only sound was the roar of the fire, swallowing my family whole.

ONE WEEK LATER

The silence in the house was the worst part. In the days after the fire, the mansion felt like it was holding its breath. Every time I turned a corner, I expected to see Mom sitting in the sunroom with her tea, or hear Dad's low, rhythmic humming from the study. Instead, there was just the hum of the refrigerator and the soft, muffled footsteps of the servants moving like shadows.

I haven't changed out of my pajamas in three days. I was curled up on the window seat in my room, watching the rain streak the glass. Everything smelled like lavender and expensive floor wax, but if I closed my eyes, I could still taste the grit of the smoke on my tongue.

A soft knock at the door made me flinch. "Go away," I croaked.

The door creaked open anyway. It was Miguel. He looked... wrong. He had lost weight in just a few days, his cheekbones sharp and his eyes sunken. He was wearing Dad's old cardigan, the one with the leather patches on the elbows. It hung off his frame, making him look smaller than I remembered.