Don't mess with fire

Part 1, chapter 4

I used the key under the mat to let myself in and went straight to the kitchen.
That's where my mum spent most of her time, by the window, painting. Sometimes she painted me and my brother but mostly she painted the ocean. Not the calm ocean, stormy, ship wrecks, that kinda stuff.
Have I mentioned that my mum sometimes scares me?
Weirdly tho, she wasn't there.
I then went to the living room in search of my brother, he was always on his Xbox.
Also, not there.
Slightly panicked, I went downstairs to the basement where my stepdad was usually working. (He's an architect for schools).
The basement lights were on but to my horror all of his work was ripped and scattered on the floor.
I stared in silent horror.
Des would never do such a thing. His work was his passion, his dream job.
Someone had broken in.
My amazingly detective thoughts however were interrupted by a spine chilling voice.
"Fissshhh poo"
I barely had time to recognise what a terrible insult that was before my surroundings turned to black and  I felt myself falling to cold, hard ground.
                                                *
I came around to the overwhelming stench of smoke and gasoline.
I opened my eyes, almost passing out from the effort, and screamed at what I saw.
Lars was carrying me, firemen's lift style, running away from what could only be my home. On fire.
Lars took me far enough away for the smoke to be less overpowering, giving me my sense of smell back, Lars smelt like doughnuts, before setting me down on the grass.
I coughed and gagged, trying to make my mouth for words other than screams, but nothing came out.
Eventually I gave up and broke down in tears. Not calm, silent tears. Loud, choking ones that took away what little breath I had left.
Lars was obviously uncomfortable watching me cry so he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me towards his chest.
At first he felt bony and rigid, but soon loosened up, letting me cry into his shirt.
We stayed that way, arms wrapped tightly around each other by the side of the road, so close I could hear his heart, while the sound of sirens grew louder and louder, drowning out the roar of the flames as they destroyed what used to be my home.