Deep Ocean Black

Chapter 4 - Ablaze

Jeremy shot up in his bed, reality hitting him like a train and the stench of gasoline hit his nose. Glancing around his darkened room, the kitten noticed smoke covering his ceiling like a black blanket. His blood ran cold at the sound of faint roaring in his ears. Fire...

With panic urging him on, Jeremy grabbed Mago and a picture frame, swinging his door open and avoiding the blazes around him. Despite the hot atmosphere making it difficult to breathe, he knew that he had to make sure that his mother was okay. He couldn't leave her behind, not again.

Pulling his shirt over his nose, Jeremy dashed down the hallway, stopping to glance into every room, which to his relief, were all empty. With a small wheeze, the feline began thundering down the stairs, avoiding falling pieces of wood and ash. Hazily tugging at the door, more coughs began pouring from him, the smoke beginning to burn at his lungs...

"Jeremy!"

His ears perked and he turned around, wincing as the searing hot air burned at his nose and whiskers. Narrowing his eyes against the blaze, Jeremy was able to make out a silhouette behind the flames. Wait... Mom?!

"Mom!" The cat shouted, abandoning his plans to kick down the door and dashing straight to his mother, who had been protecting her burnt arm with a paw.

"Mom, let's go, I can hear sirens outside!" Jeremy exclaimed, anxiously tugging at his mother's good paw.

Lilly however, didn't reply, but instead perked her ears at the sounds of shouting outside. Shakily rising to her feet, the pink she-cat gently picked up he son, avoiding his gaze as she limped to the burning living room. As she set her confused child back onto the ground, Lilly finally looked straight into his eyes, holding a heavy book in one paw and her son's hand in the other.

"No matter what happens, what you do or how things turn out, just remember that I'll always love you and that you'll always be my son," She choked out, her eyes beginning to tear up as Jeremy simply stared on in both fear and confusion.

"Wait! What do you mean mom? Aren't we gonna go outside together?" Jeremy began, but was cut off by Lilly throwing the book at the window, causing it to shatter and for the flames to worsen in return/

Stepping closer to his mother, the kitten clung onto her, the hellfire further surrounding them and constantly threatening to engulf the pair in any second given. Despite this however, Lilly forced herself to rise once more, picking up Jeremy once again. Gently placing the doll into Jeremy's arms, she stepped closer to the window and tossed him out like a Frisbee. Wait, what?

His world spun and a massive headache attacked him. Jeremy didn't have time to let out a groan of pain before landing on the icy cold grass. Droplets of water and a sudden cold breeze hit him, making his wounds ache tremendously and he instinctively curled up into a ball.

Just as he felt someone grasp his tiny body, the cat heard a deafening crash come from inside of his home, followed by shouting. Then for a few moments, everything was hazy, before he finally began regaining consciousness. The feline's gaze slowly came into focus as a bright white light blinded him for a moment. Blinking, Jeremy glanced around and came face to face with his uncle.

"Grace...? Where am I? Where's mom?" The kitten groaned, coughing as he tried to sit up, only to be gently pushed down by Grace.

"You're in the ambulance. Your mother saved your life by throwing you out the window. And she's currently being rushed to the hospital in another ambulance due to her condition," Grace sighed, picking up something off of the ground and handing it to him. It's.... Mago!

Taking the doll into his arms, Jeremy remembered the haunting words Lilly told him before tossing him. His throat tightened as he met his uncle's grief-stricken gaze again, flattening his ears.