Beyond The Light

Chapter 1

                                  

        Dedicated to my bestfriend Bri becuase without her I wouldn't have the courage to post :)

    The last thing a remembered before I died was the excruciating pain the relief. It was June 10, 2011 at 3:48 A.M. I was wrenched out of my dreamless sleep that night by the  dense, black smoke that came from under my door. Even though my brain was slow from fatigue it only took me seconds to figure out my house was on fire. In an instant all my knowledge of fire rushed into my head. I dropped out of bed and strait onto the floor. I crawled over to the door and reached for the handle. The moment my hand came into contact with the knob I scream out in pain. I lifted my hand to my face and saw that the beautiful design on the handle was burnt into my flesh. The smell of burnt flesh wafted to me. I fought to keep my dinner down. When the door is that hot there’s only one conclusion. The fire was right outside my door. I backed away from the door looking for another way out. The window you idiot! I mentally slapped myself for not thinking of that earlier. I spun around and swung open my window. I carefully edged myself onto the small ledge of the window and hosted myself up onto the roof.I must have been out of my mind. There was no sane reason for me to be on the roof in the first place. But I guess if I hadn’t been up there Ashton wouldn’t be alive.

         I was only half way across our steep red roof when I remembered my twin brother. If the fire had gotten to my room it had gotten to his. Ashton was crazy athletic. He even went as rock climbing and white river rafting with our dad. If I had gotten out there was a great chance that he was already safe on the front lawn waiting for the fire department. I scrambled towards the edge preparing to climb down when my gut clenched. I needed to at least look in his room. I quickly changed directions and headed for the window I knew was his. I dropped down to the window seal and put all my strength into prying open the window. My brain clouded with confusion when the window didn’t even budge. I remembered that my parents had put a lock on my brother’s window. He had a bad habit of sneaking out and into the house at late hours. I pulled a bobby pin out of my long, honey blonde hair and rent to work on the lock. There is something you don’t tell you parents and this was one of them. The lock snapped open and I ripped it off.

        “Ashton!” I yelled franticly. After several seconds I called out again with the same results.

     “Ashton! Are you here?”  I counted to 15 and when there was no answer I turned back towards the window.

     “Here” A voice said hoarsely.

      My brother was lying flat on his stomach. His short, light brown hair clung to his sweat soaked forehead. Relief flooded through me. I wanted to drop down on my knees and thank god he was alive.

    “Come on Ash, we have to get out of here. The roof could give at any moment.” I tried to pry him off the floor.

 “I can’t”

  “What! Why?”

“I was stabbed."

I gently rolled him over, what I saw horrified me. The slash was deep and started from his right hip went directly over his heart and all the way to his left shoulder. He was losing lots of blood…..and fast.

“I’m going to get you out of here.” I promised him.

I was aware of the fire quickly running up Asher’s door. I took one look around the room and knew how I was going to do it. I found two rocks climbing ropes and pulled the top sheet off his mattress. The whole door was engulfed in flames. I folded the sheet and tied it around the wound. My fingers fumbled as I attempted to create a knot with the rope under Ashton’s arms. I carefully lifted him out the window and let the rope slowly slip through my hands. I braced my feet against the wall and started letting the rope go bit by bit. About half way down my knees gave out and i was sent flailing across the floor hitting the wall hard. The rope flew across my palms and I tightened my grip. I continued to lower him until the weight on the other side disappeared.  I’m not sure how but I managed to get Asher to the ground safely. I pushed myself up and exhaled in relief. I did it. I took a step backwards and fell through air. I felt hot adrenaline dump into my veins. Time slowed and my mind flipped to high. I put my arms out to catch myself automatically and braced myself. My arms hit the floor with a thunk and it took all my will power not to scream out in anguish. The floor had given out when I stepped on it. I was wedged in the floor boards. I pushed up on the board, afraid of breaking anymore. As soon as I started moving siring pain went up my spine. I shoved myself out of the hole and back onto the floor. Breathing heavily I looked down and saw what hurt so much. Three pieces of wood had gotten lodged in body. Blood was dripping out of each wound. I let out a small groan remembering my brother was laying out side most likely dyeing. I went to the window and looked down. When I had fallen through the floor I dropped the rope. There was no way I was getting down…….except to jump. I took one look at the ground and then looked back at the room. The fire had taken more than half of the room and was closing in on me. I did the only logical thing. I jumped. The free fall felt amazing. The ground rushed toward me. I bent my knees preparing for contact. I landed on the ground with a soft umpf and a creak as my left ankle and shin broke and the bone tore through the skin. The adrenaline from the fall blocked out the pain. I crawled over to Aston and started to scream for help.

The sheets were already soaking with his blood and the fire engulfed the whole house. I knew I had to get us to the front of the house. The fire truck and ambulance would the there.  I heard one woman scream when she saw me. Blood dripping from the wooden pieces that stuck out of my gut and the bone of my ankle showing threw my skin. My parents shoved their way through the crowd to get to us. My mom collapsed near my brother and started to bawl. My dad hugged me and lowered me to the ground. I blinked twice willing my eyes to clear but the fog surrounding me go thicker and thicker. Soon I saw nothing.

Pain shot threw me. I was in an ambulance. Blood gushed out of me still. I remember wondering when I was going to die. I was already studying to be a doctor. I was only a junior in high school but I knew what I wanted to do. I also knew I had lot way to much blood. The odds of me making it were horrible. Isn’t it funny how the mind seems so calm went faced with death? My eyes lids got heavy and I found my eyes closing slowly.

It was June 10, 2011 that I died. My name is Destiny Sage. I’m seventeen years old and this is my story.