The house was dark when I got there, and I ran into the place blindly looking for any place to hide as long as I didn't have to face what had happened tonight.
"Jude, are you alright?" Dad asked suddenly as he materialized out of the dim living room—grabbing me by the shoulders as my body shook with sobs. I just shook my head as I let him pull me into him—resting my cheek against his chest like I had when I was a little girl—reveling in the fatherly protection I still felt even now. He didn't ask me what was wrong. He just held me until I cried myself to sleep, and I vaguely felt him carry me up the stairs to my room and lay me gently onto my bed before shutting my bedroom door with a click.
I awoke a few hours later confused and suddenly on alert. An odor permeated the house, and I sat up in alarm as I realized it was smoke. What the hell? I dropped quickly to the floor, ran over to my door, and pulled the entrance open in horror as I realized the house was on fire. Running down the stairs I yelled for dad and Sadie in terror as I noticed a small candle laying on it's side on the living room table. That must have been what had started it. When nobody answered, I ran outside assuming that dad and Sadie had escaped into the yard.
I looked around the dark night in despair—desperately seeking the two faces that would cause my heart to slow its beat considerably despite the horror behind me. There was nothing—no familiar visages standing outside on the grass and I turned on my heels and ran like a mad woman back into the steaming house both in fear and determination.
"Dad…Sadie!" I yelled as I ran—entering each room one at a time while coughing around the billowing smoke. My eyes watered, and I could feel the moisture bead up along my cheeks as I rubbed at the condensation pointlessly. Where were they?
"Dad…Sadie!" I yelled again and again as I marched up the stairs grabbing at the warm banister as I went, stumbling here and there as I weaved in and out of the rooms positioned on the upper floors. Empty. They were empty. I felt my shoulders slump in relief as I turned to run back down the stairs—screaming in horror as I watched the staircase crumble to the ground as the fire crackled and burned around me, and I cried tears of soot as I wondered if this was it for me—was I going to die in here?
Tom slammed his car door forcefully—looking at the Harrison home in horror as the flames spread like a phantom epidemic, eating up each piece of timber as if it were nothing more than an easy snack. What the hell was going on? Where was Jude? Tom ran into the yard frantically tearing through the hedges that lined its side until he saw Stuart gasping on the manicured lawn.
"Where's Jude?" Tom asked desperately as Stuart's eyes widened in alarm.
"I thought she was already out here. Her bed was empty." Stuart cried mournfully as Tom looked around and spotted Sadie before dashing toward the house. There was no way he was losing Jude now!
My body wracked with coughs as I fell to my knees in despair, standing up suddenly as I thought I heard someone yelling myname from down below. I heard it again, and I knew without even looking that it was Tom.
"Jude?" I heard him scream again, and I almost cried as my body sagged in relief.
"I'm here!" I yelled forcefully as I looked over the remaining balcony to the inflamed wood and tile that made up the ground floor beneath. Vaguely, I saw him shoving through the debris—appearing almost like a mystical phoenix out of legend immune to fire. He looked up at me in relief as he perused the situation grimly. There was no way I could get down there to him. He seemed to come to some kind of firm realization as he looked up at me with wide eyes.
"You're going to have to jump, Jude." He said matter-of-factly as I shook my head vehemently.
"I'm not doing it, Tom!" I shouted desperately as I backed away from the edge of the balcony. I had never been very fond of heights.
"You're going to have to, Jude. I'll catch you okay. Just trust me, damn it! Please!" He cried above the crackling of the flames and I looked back at my burning bedroom before glancing once more down at Tom's frightened face. The look in his eyes seemed to make up my mind for me as I closed my eyes and counted to three before stepping over to the edge of the balcony and leaping. Hot air whirled around me as I fell, and I almost sobbed in relief as I felt Tom's arms wrap around me as he cushioned my fall. Pushing himself off of the floor where he had stumbled, he pulled me desperately toward the entrance of the house—half carrying me as my lungs struggled for fresh air, and my head started spinning dizzily.
"I'm going to get you out of here!" He shouted reassuringly as cool air suddenly brushed my cheeks, and I smiled up at him gratefully as my lungs just decided to quit, and I fell into his arms limply. A paramedic rushed up towards us, and I gasped in welcome air as he wrapped an oxygen mask around my face before turning to look back in dismay at my burning house—my childhood home.