Silent Knight by Damsel

He didn't say a word. He just took me in his arms and carried me away. Away from the flames that would soon take me away, they way they had taken my mother. I could feel his breath, not matching the heat of the flames, as he ran out the door. As we burst into the night air, I gulped it in, filling my lungs. The stars were barely visible as he laid me on the ground gently. The smoke clouded everything: I couldn't even see this hero's face. A scream. He ran back into the building. Minutes later he emerged back through the smoke, my younger cousin and her puppy tucked under his arm.

The fire carriage arrived soon after, taking over for the hero. I could hear him coughing, and I struggled to find him. Finally spotting him, I grabbed his arm. He groaned painfully. My hand found it's way to my mouth as I saw what had caused his pain. His right upper arm was burned, rather badly, and blisters were forming even as I watched. Taken by surprise, I quickly spun around and crawled back to my cousin.

Inside The Hero

'Where are they? I know they're in here...I heard their screams. I've got to find them. I couldn't save that woman, but I can save them. Oh! There's one! In the corner!' I groaned and lifted the child into my arms.

As I ran, I caught a glimpse of her. She didn't look that much younger then me, actually. 13 or 14, I guessed. Laying the girl safely on the ground, I ran back into the building. More screams led me to the missing child. She had a puppy with her, and I scooped both of them up. I screamed, watching as the burning wood hit my arm. Somehow, I put the fire out, my skin burning beneath my tattered shirt. Once again, I greeted the welcome blast of fresh air as I ran through the door.

I practically threw the other girl down, and collapsed to my knees. I coughed, trying to get the smoke out of my burning lungs. I felt a hand on my burning flesh, and cried out. It was the girl, the first girl. Her face twisted in confusion and she hastily crawled away from me. Lungs burning, flesh melting, I laid down on the cool ground. My eyes felt as if they had melted shut, and I let myself sleep.

"Where are we going?" My cousin whispered to me in the darkness. Her shivering hand clasped my own as her other red, freezing palm moved to push her blonde hair away from her eyes.

Funny, I hadn't noticed how cold it was until I noticed that she was shivering. My body continued to radiate from the heat of the fire that was now behind us. After the screaming neighbors and fire department had come to us, I grabbed my cousin and ran. We ran into the nearby woods, escaping the flames and fear, as Poppy, my cousin's small mutt followed us closely. I didn't care where we were going, as long as we got away from the hushed whispering and the staring eyes.

"Chloe? Chloe, didja hear me?" My cousin asked, her big brown eyes stared up at me.

"I...I dunno where we're going, Dora." I mumbled back. I didn't know what to say! How could I tell my own cousin, who was nine years younger than me, that her parents had died in the blaze that we nearly escaped? If it hadn't been for that stranger..."That boy" I said out loud.

"What boy?" her small voice asked, close to trembling.

"The boy who saved us." I stated. For the first time that night I saw a tear slowly make it's way down Dora's cheek, as if she almost realized the grave danger we were in.

"Oh." And then there was silence as we walked on down a forgotten path.

The next morning

"Honey? Honey, are you awake?" 'Uckgh, mom it's not even light outside,' I thought as I winced against the soft feminine voice. A slight throbbing ran it's way up the left side of my body- straight up to my head, and I certainly didn't feel like waking up.

"Is he awake yet?" A man's voice asked near me. Where was I?

"No, doctor, he hasn't waken, yet." Doctor? I finally opened my eyes slowly, a confused look surely on my face.

"What the...?" I breathed slowly, staring at the white walls that surrounded me. A man with glasses and a woman (who were both dressed in white) looked at me expectantly as I blinked my eyes. "Uh, hi."

The man, who I assumed was the doctor, stepped towards me and clapped a hand over my shoulder lightly. It was then that I noticed the bandage on my left arm. "Do you know where you are, son?" The doctor asked me, his green eyes flashing slightly under the glasses. I could see my weary reflection in the lenses, and the sunken, tired looking face frightened me.

"My first guess would be a hospital." I stated, resisting the urge to laugh.

"That's right, young man. There was a fire. Do you remember?" The nurse piped up.

"Fire..." I trailed off as flashbacks from the night before began to flood my mind. I was walking through the woods when I felt smoke. Heard screams.

An old farm house was on fire, people trapped inside, I couldn't breath, I could hardly think...the woman...

"My God, Doctor, he's shaking." The woman muttered softly. I took a shake breath and held it for a minute to regain control. I looked at the nurse and noticed that she was clutching a newspaper in front of her. She saw me looking at it and held it out to me. "Oh, I should probably mention to you that you made the paper." She rested the paper face up on my lap, reading the headline of The Sun to me, "Fire claims woman's life-- two young children saved by unknown hero and then vanish."

"You're someone's knight in shining armor, boy." The doctor said with a slight smile on his face. "You suffered a large burn on your arm, I'm afraid. And a few cuts on..."

"The girls," I interrupted quickly. "They disappeared?"

"Yes," The nurse replied, the creases on her face deep. "No one's been able to find them. Authorities think they may have ran to the city, but we don't know."

I sat quietly for the rest of the doctor and nurse's stay. They described in technical detail to me the burns on my arm and the smoke inhalation that I suffered. Bottom line was that they wanted to keep me in the hospital for a few days. I couldn't get the young girls off my mind. The horrified look on the older girl's face as she saw the hurt on my face after she touched my arm. The scream of the dying woman… I had to get out. I had to get out of the hospital and find those girls. And I had to do it soon, before their lives were in danger again.

"Dora, at least PRETEND you're trying to keep up." I told my cousin.

"But Chloe, I'm so tired!" She replied, rubbing her eyes. I pushed her soot- covered hand away from her eyes. Sighing loudly, I searched for a place to rest. A nearby tree seemed to be the best option.

"Alright Dora, you win. We'll sleep here tonight, okay?"

Dora nodded her head, and lifted her arms up to me expectantly. Leaning down, I lifted my tiny cousin in to my arms. Settling back against the tree, I rubbed my cousins back, concentrating on keeping her warm. Within seconds she was snoring. I breathed deeply and looked around. My thoughts drifted back to our hero, and I couldn't help but thinking about where he was. Dora shifted her head on my shoulder, and I patted her head. Humming softly, I began to sing the lullaby my aunt had sung to my cousin and I since we were babies. My mother had died of a fever when I was just two years old. I was sent by my father to live with my aunt and uncle. Seven years later, just after Dora was born, my uncle was killed in the factory where he worked. My aunt raised Dora and I by herself. Now my young cousin's life was in my hands, and the responsibility was overwhelming. I did not cry about my aunt's death. I didn't have time for emotions. For a minute, I sat staring up at the stars. Poppy jumped up and licked my face, bringing my thoughts back to Dora. Where would we go? I was only 14, how was I supposed to care for my cousin and myself without a penny to my name, or a family member to rely on? I decided to put my thoughts aside for the night, and nestled back against the tree.

I waited until the nurses and doctors had gone, and quietly stepped out of my bed. I squinted my eyes, trying to find where they had put my clothes. I tripped over a wooden chair in the corner of my room, and winced as something crashed to the floor. Praying that no one had heard, I continued the search for my clothing. My hand found a doorknob, and I twisted it, revealing a closet. Sighing with relief, I grabbed my coat and hobbled out the door. I had learned all I could about the girls from the hospital nurse. I found out they were cousins, and they both lived with the woman that had died. As I thought again about the woman, a wave of grief came over me. A crash of lightning jerked me from my thoughts. 'Great, just what I need', I thought. I headed for the closest building, walking through the door just as the first drops of rain began to fall.

"Great." I said out loud, as I shook Dora awake. "That's all we need."

Dora rubbed her eyes, yawned, and propped herself up against me. Poppy greeted her in the usual fashion- jumping up onto her lap and flopping on her back, hinting for a good belly scratch. I laughed at the duo and stood up, taking Dora's hand.

"Come on, it's starting to rain. We have to find somewhere to go."

"But Chloe, why can't we stay here? The woods aren't that bad!"

"It's not healthy to stay in the rain, Dora. Besides, you're afraid of thunder." I whispered. Dora's lower lip jutted out and she crossed her arms.

"I am not, you liar! I'm staying!"

With that, she plopped down on the ground and closed her eyes. I was not in the mood to deal with her stubbornness, so I waved a goodbye and walked away, knowing that she would follow. Sure enough, with the next boom of thunder came Dora and Poppy, grabbing my hand with fright. I smiled and put my arm around her shoulder.

"Come on now, we have to hurry." She picked Poppy up in her slender arms, and we ran into the city.

"Hello there boy. Can I help you?"

An elderly man with glasses and a bowler hat greeted me. Apparently the building I had wondered in to was a lodging house where I could pay to stay. He introduced himself as Jason Kloppman, asking me to just call him Kloppman. I told him I simply needed a place to stay for the night, out of the storm. He smiled a kind smile, and pushed a book towards me. "What's this?"

"It's our log. Our sign-in book. Just put your name down right there."

He handed me a pen. I stared at it, glancing back up at the kind man. He narrowed his eyes at me compassionately, "You know how to write, boy?"

I looked away and shook my head, catching his eyes as I looked the other way again. The sympathy in his eyes caused a pain in my stomach, and I glanced at my hand awkwardly.

"What's your name?" He asked quietly.

"Callahan." I answered, "Freddie Callahan."