I Am Piper [FINISHED]

Chaper 11

I opened my eyes what seemed like only seconds later as the sun beat through the window and a foul smell filled the attic as I found it hard to see anything, even in the middle of the day. Something was in the air that burned my lungs and eyes and made it hard to see anything clearly. Noise slowly came into contact with my ears as I could hear sirens, many loud voices, and my name being called.

"Piper! Piper, where are you?"

I tried lifting my head to look around, but my head was too weak, and hardly being able to breathe only made it more difficult.
I heard my name being called again, as I finally came to, wide awake, my head throbbing in pain, as I realized what was going on: the awful stench filling the attic burning my eyes and lungs was smoke. It was coming from the little cracks from the attic entrance, and holding my head in pain, finding the strength to stand, I realized someone was trying to help me.

I tried yelling, but my smoke-filled lungs were too weak.

"I'm here! I'm up here!" I tried yelling over and over, coughing in between every sentence.

"Help me! I'm in the attic!"

I tried thumping the floor with my hands, getting low, so maybe whoever was downstairs could hear me clearer.

My heart pounded, and the heat from the day and smoke in the air was almost unbearable. I wiped my eyes on instincts, as they felt dry, yet teared up, but it didn't help, and it only seemed to be making them worse. Without meaning too, I started sobbing like a child, hyperventilating at the same time. Only making me breathe on more smoke faster. Great, I thought. I was going to die a horrible death of either burning or suffocating to death in an attic. One more person Mr. Clearance could check off his list.

I thought it was too good to be true, when a firefighter busted through the attic door at that moment. Him and two other firefighters helped me up, and carried me, talking through their masks loudly, one hundred miles per hour, asking me every five seconds if I was okay, and telling me they were going to get me somewhere safe. They put a breathing mask to my face, as they busted open the attic window, carefully helping me out, crawling down a ladder, with many other firemen, police officers, and health professionals at the bottom. There were other people too. It seemed everyone from the neighborhood was crammed in Mr. Clearance's small yard, and I caught a glimpse of Bridgette, the girl I had met the other day from a few blocks away, sobbing into her hands as I was carried down the ladder safely, and lifted onto a stretcher.

Everything seemed so surreal. Like it was a strange, bad dream or something.

To my relief, I saw Levi in the crowd, trying to get close, but being held back by professionals, crying, and yelling my name.

I had no idea where Mr. Clearance was and at this point I assumed he had escaped and was hiding, was in the burning house, or luckily, had been arrested.

"Where's the man who lives here?" I mumbled, as they lifted me into the ambulance.

"What?" one of the firemen huffed, trying to understand me.

I tried saying it more clearly.

"Where is the man who lives here? My father."

One of the other firemen who must have overheard and chuckled, but not like it was funny, almost in anger, "Sweetie, your daddy won't be seeing you or getting near you for a long time!"

The words were like a hallelujah chorus. He had finally been caught! He had been arrested, and I would definitely be a witness. He was a serial killer and I hoped he got what he deserved.

And even as I could hear the ambulance sirens from outside, and I was being rushed at high speed to the hospital, nearly dying in a burning house, I felt relief. Something told me my hellish days would turn around, and I'd finally see the sun.