Smoldering Nights Read Online Free Page A

him limb from limb to protect Nike.
    The other guy, whoever he was, jumped in. The three of us rolled on the ground, punching one another, slamming one another into the concrete and gnashing one another’s flesh with our teeth.
     
    Nike
    I took a moment to assess the madness of the scene around me. When I had left the room not so long ago, people were relaxed with drinks or letting loose on the dance floor. Now they were pushing one another, screaming, panicking from the effects of the blast.
    The back wall was blown out and a fire had swallowed up a small bar in the back, feeding and fueling off the alcohol.
    “Everybody stay calm and make your way to the exits,” I said.
    If anyone heard me, they didn’t take notice.
    “Don’t push. Just move,” I said.
    The frantic crowd just bumbled over one another, not knowing where to go.
    I jumped on the bar near where I had met Michel not too much earlier. Then I gave an ear-piercing whistle such as I haven’t done since I was a teenager.
    This caught the attention of a few people closest to me.
    “Listen up. The safest exits are that way,” I said, pointing to the exits closest to the front of the club. “Move quickly, but don’t push and don’t panic.”
    While a few of the clubgoers started moving toward the exits, I guided them by pointing in the right direction. The more people who followed in the direction, the more the crowd seemed to move with them rather than in freakish circles that got them nowhere.
    Maya appeared in the crowd below me.
    “We need to hustle,” she said. “The fire’s spreading quickly in the back and there are a few people who are unconscious. We have to get them out.”
    I followed Maya closer to the fire, staying low and holding my breath to avoid the smoke. Though I’d entered buildings to fight fires many times in the past, I always had my mask and gear. Here I was baring an awful lot of skin in a little dress. I felt naked. Although not so exposed as when I first spoke to Michel earlier that evening. It had only been a short while ago, yet now it seemed like ages.
    Michel. Was he okay? Who were those guys and what did they want?
    I worked with Maya to pull the first woman away from the flames. We had worked together for so long we didn’t need words to communicate.
    I couldn’t tell if she was just unconscious or worse, but I focused on getting the woman away from the immediate danger.
    The heat from the growing flames reminded me of the sensation in a sauna when you’re in there too long and suddenly want out. Although in a sauna, you’re meant to relax, now I was focused on survival. I thought again of Michel facing those two men on the other side of the flames. A big part of me wanted to forget about these strangers and run out to make sure Michel was okay, but I’d been a firefighter for seven years now and all the years of training and experience won out. I’d have to get these people out and then go find Michel.
    We went back for the second woman, and finally, the man. Once the three were away from the flames, I put one woman over my shoulder while Maya put the other woman over her shoulder and we carried them out the front exit to safety.
    Although we’d practiced this carry dozens of times, we never had in constricting clothing and spiked heels. Adrenaline provided the kick to move quickly and overcome the problem of the balancing act.
    Luckily, most of the crowd had moved out that way and there were only a dozen or so people left impatiently trying to file out the exit. But they created a bottleneck as they tried to push through at the same time.
    “Don’t push, people, or we’ll never get out of here,” I said.
    “One at a time, quickly, let’s go,” Maya said.
    Just as I made my way through the front door and out to safety, I inhaled a giant whiff of fresh air. I placed the woman safely away from the building and resisted the urge to run to Michel. I willed myself against the survival instincts to rush back