The smell was what Cali sensed first. That think, heavy smell of burning wood. Then the sound of leaves crinkling in the inferno. She forced open her eyelids and watched her vision dance in front of her focusing and slowly forming more than a confused blur. Twitching her fingertips she felt heat lick them and noticed he feet had begun to heat up, suddenly realising the reality of her situation she tried to push herself up from her elbows, the pain was excruciating. Letting out a short yelp she fell back down shuddering to her very essence from the minor thud hitting her spine. The heat was spreading up her legs and intensifying. Cali's painful breaths shortened trying to take in anything but smoke, her chest convulsing with the distaste of the fumes. Trying to scream her voice came harsh and weak. She forced the little air she had out of her lungs trying to produce some noise, any noise. Nothing. Again nothing. It seemed her whole was grasped by smoke and heat and she began to smell a new fear, burning rubber, her boots where singing around her feet. Suddenly she let out a torrent of noise, as if all her attempts had suddenly been unleashed. There where rustlings nearby; voices of panic then suddenly hands grasped her by the waist and pulled he upwards; dragging her across the cool grass away from the nightmare. Cali's vision continued to bounce around refusing to focus on any single point, her head pounded and her throat rasped. But she was there in one piece, alive. Looking up at her saviour she saw red hair, painted face, Captain's stripes. Her lid fell closed and she drifted off away from the flames.
It was revealed that the cart had been carrying explosives of some sort and a stray bullet had set it off. Three men had died and two where wounded. Cali woke in the back of a truck that had just pulled to an abrupt stop. She was shaken, looking around she saw familiar faces who slowly noticed her weary eyes and pounced upon here with a thousand "hey there you are", and "'bout time you woke up isn't it hey." Great. Shaking off the stiffness Cali put weight on her legs and attempted to scramble out of the truck, bad idea. She would have fallen flat on her face if familiar hands hadn't grabbed her just in time.
" Thanks sir but I'm fine,"
"Yeah and you look a million dollars," the sarcasm was sharp but not harshly intended. Winters surveyed the soldier's swaying stance, blinking she looked almost drunk. How was she ok? Why was she ok? Questions swam round Cali's head deluding her senses.
"Why don't you just come and sit over here for a while?" the sweet inviting voice of Richard Winters made it impossible to protest and Cali was gently coaxed into the awaiting arms of an abandoned café chair. So there she sat staring blissfully into safe green eyes.