Fire On Main Street
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP…
I wake up to this awfully loud beeping. My eyes are still groggy, and it’s hard to see. I turn over, my sheets turning with me, and look at my alarm clock. 3:06 AM. What the hell? I rub my eyes… and see smoke. And smell smoke. And hear screaming. The house is on fire.
My house isn’t small, but isn’t very large either. It’s a nice two-story house, with a balcony in the master bedroom. My room is on the second story, along with my parent’s, but my identical twin siblings, Samantha and Ian, have a shared room downstairs. It’s a nice, sunny day, with no chance of rain, so I ask my friends to go to the movies.
Zuzu
Sorry! My parents are taking me on a road trip. Wish I could be there!
Reese
…And now I feel extra bad. I can’t come either! I have a shift in an hour.
Zuzu
Oh gosh, you have shifts 24/7.
Reese
Yeah, it’s really tiring. Kate, can you go?
Kate
I’ll ask, but you know how my parents are.
Zuzu
I hope she can go!
???
If not, it’s alright, guys.
Kate
Dangit! I’m sorry ???, I just can’t go. They never give me a reason.
???
It’s alright! I’ll find something else to do.
I didn’t. I laid in bed all day trying to think of what to do, but couldn’t think of anything. Whatever, guess I can try some other day. My stomach grumbles, telling me that I need to go eat. It’s just past noon, and I haven’t eaten breakfast. So, I force myself out of bed, and drag my feet down the stairs and to the kitchen.
“Morning honey!” says a bright, cheerful voice.
“Morning dad…”
“Just woke up?”
“Something like that.”
“Alright. I need to go run some errands, so watch Ian and Samantha for me, alright?”
“Yup.” I start to look in the cabinents for something to eat, and all I can find is some bread to make PB&J. One of those errands better be the grocery store. I think, grouchily, to myself. I, very sloppily, make my sandwich and eat it quickly. I then go back to bed, leave my door cracked a bit, and go back to watching videos on my phone for the rest of the day. At least, until dinner.
7:46 PM
“Dinner!” I hear my mom yell across the house.
I jump out of bed, with a bit more energy than I had this morning, and walk down the stairs to the kitchen.
“What is that?” I see a cheesy sort of casserole.
“Homemade Mac N’ Cheese, silly.”
“Smells good.” I grab a plate and scoop out some. I get a fork out of a drawer, and sit down at the table to eat. I finish quickly, and leave the table without anyone really noticing. I check my phone to see what time it is.
7:56 PM
I lay back down in bed, and, surprisingly, end up falling asleep pretty early. The last time I checked the time it was 8:06 PM.
The house is on fire?! I jump out of bed, and, knowing this and that about fires, I run to the bathroom and get a wet rag to go over my mouth and nose. I hear distant sirens. I sprint out of the bathroom and meet my parents. We make eye contact, and it’s obvious they just want me to get out. I try to catch up with them to make sure nothing happens, but then a huge wave of smoke comes between us and the next thing I know, they’re gone. I rush downstairs to see my parents grabbing my siblings, but they don’t notice me. I try to make it for the front door, however, right after my parents and siblings get outside, a beam collapses. I immediately make a 180 and desperately run to the back door. Just in time, too. As soon as I’m outside, another beam comes down behind me. I must’ve dropped the rag in the rush, but luckily, I didn’t inhale too much smoke. I try to gather myself, and realize that my parents are probably looking for me. I start to walk around the house, when I overhear a rescuer talking to my family.
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do. The beam collapsed right on top of her…”
What are they talking about? Who are they talking about?
“No… no. No! She’s still alive, and I know it!” My mother’s voice is cracking.
It can’t be. They’re saying I’m dead? But I’m right here. There has to be something else. It all clicks. From their prospective, the beam fell right on top of me. Luckily, I was still about a foot away, but in their mind, I’m dead. I’m dead.
If I walk out there… who knows what they might do? Pretend I’m not there, claim that I’m not their daughter…
So, I won’t. I wasn’t accounted for. I was pronounced dead. I’ve accidentally faked my own death, and decided to roll with it.
