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Fire Bug © March 07





The sickening smell of burning woke me in the early hours of the morning. It took me a moment or two to gather my thoughts and put the smell together with my deep sense of dread and actually react. The old wooden floorboards where like ice beneath my bare feet as I scrambled from the four-poster bed and snatched up my dressing gown as I flicked on the light.



There wasn’t any smoke in the bedroom but the smell was quite strong. Enough that I but the back of my hand against the bedroom door to see if it was hot, before I opened it. A quick glance up and down the corridor and I still couldn’t see any smoke.



This was a disaster! I’d been trusted to look after the hundred-year-old house for my girlfriends’ parents while she and they spent a year touring the world. I’d bearly been there a week and the house was on fire!



Now, normally I’m not the kind to panic but a house fire was my own deep, personal fear. I was always uneasy when I left my own home. Checking and rechecking everything was off before leaving and would be tensed up as I drove home. Uneasy until I actually saw the house was still standing. But the funny thing is, I love a good fire. I adore a huge open fireplace with leaping flames and I’m always the first one to get a fire going whenever I go camping. So why was I so afraid of a house fire? I had no idea. But just the thought of it made me feel sick.



Running from room to room, turning on every light as I went proved fruitless. There wasn’t a trace of smoke or a flicker of flame anywhere. In a panic, I grabbed the phone and franticly dialled the local fire department. All the emergency numbers had been thoughtfully taped to the wall beside the phone. I gave them my name and all the details and then just had to wait for their arrival.



But waiting calmly was unthinkable, I had to find the fire. I raced back to my room, where the smell of smoke had first woken me. Quickly I changed into jeans and a t-shirt before beginning another search. Checking cupboards and under furniture as I went.



I’d been through every room twice before I heard the distinctive wail of the fire engines approaching. I almost sobbing in relief, I ran to greet them on the front drive.



Two young, burly firemen jumped from the first of two trucks that had responded to my call as others began running out hoses and kitting up in breathing apparatus.



“Where is it?” The first said.



“I can’t find it. I’ve looked everywhere!”



“False alarm?” The second fireman said frowning at me.



“No! I can smell smoke through the whole house!”



They glanced at the house then back at me. Frightened they didn’t believe me I turned and ran back to the house.



“Hey! Stop! What are you doing?” One yelled out to me and I heard heavy boots crunching over the gravel drive as he began to chase me. I raced up the front steps and into the main hall before a heavily gloved hand latched onto my upper arm. He spun me around to face him. “Are you crazy?” He shook me roughly.



“You’ve got to stop it!” I tried to pull free of his grip. “I’m not lying, there is a fire. Can’t you smell it?” The smell was so strong now he had to smell it too!



Still holding onto me he sniffed the air before turning to yell out the open front door.

“Get in here! Bring the heat sensors.” Before turning back to me. “You! Outside now!” He ordered and shoved me toward the door.



I shook my head. “There’s hidden passages all over this place. If the fires in one of those you’ll never find it.”



He stared at me considering my words and as another fireman arrived carrying a device that looked like some sort of space-age gun, he made a decision.



“Karl, this young lady is going to give you a quick tour of this place. Any section of wall she points out to you, scan it and radio me immediately if you find anything.” He turned to me. “Start upstairs and work as quickly as possible. That heat sensor is highly sensitive. If there’s a fire in any of those hidden corridors of your, it will detect it.” He gave me a little shake as he spoke. “Do you understand? No doubling back to check again. One sweep of each room and get out!” He let go of my arm as I nodded in agreement, then I turned and bolted up the main staircase, Karl hot on my heels.



The smoke smell was getting stronger, it reminded me of something left in the oven too long or burnt hair. It was making me feel sick. We scanned the first floor and raced down the rear staircase to the servants’ quartes and kitchen. The smell was getting stronger by the minuet.



“Dam it!” Karl was getting frustrated. We could hear firemen rushing around as they systematically searched the building, could hear the radio chatter as they looked high and low for the fire. They could all smell it, stronger in some rooms than others, but simply couldn’t find it.



With the final room scanned and still no trace of the source of the smoke, Karl grabbed hold of my hand and dragged me from the house. We’d ended up at the rear of the house, outside the kitchen. With the sun still just below the horizon at the front of the old mansion we were in relative darkness.



What was I going to tell my friend and her family, I thought as I looked up at the grand old building? Such a beautiful thing it was, full of hand carved and painted decorations and antique furniture. It had been in their family for generations. I was in total despair. “Have they checked the attic?” I asked as I spotted the outline of several windows against the brightening skyline. “Can that scanner of yours reach that far?”



The fireman simply pointed the heat gun at the roof and slowly swung it back and forth, watching the dials intently. I held my breath as he did it, praying the thing would beep and put me out of my misery. Muttering to himself, Karl dropped the gun to his side and turned to say something to me but his mouth stopped moving and he gasped aloud as his eyes grew wide, a look of horror crossing his face. He lunged at me, grabbing my right shoulder in one hand and my right wrist in the other, he rushed me back toward the house.



Alarmed by his actions I instinctively tried to escape as he pushed and man-handled me into one of the old servant bedrooms. “What are you doing?” I screamed at him. “Let me go!”



Ignoring my cries he kicked open the bathroom door and shoved me inside the shower recess. Letting me go briefly to turn the shower on full blast before grabbing my wrist and pulling me into the icy torrent of water. He held my wrist twisted tightly backwards so I couldn’t move away without hurting myself. He held me pinned, my back toward him as he called for back-up.



“Sergent!” Karl yelled into his radio. “I’ve found it! Downstairs bathroom off the first room from the kitchen. I need a medic, immediately!”



“Roger, we’re on the way.” Came the reply.



“There’s no fire in here! What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded through my chattering teeth. He had only turned on the cold tap and I was freezing as I kept trying to pull myself free.



“Please, stop fighting me, I’m trying to help you.”



“Let me go!” I tried again to pull free as I heard two more firemen enter the tiny bathroom.



“Jesus!” I heard one say as he moved up besides Karl.



“It’s getting worse!” I heard him say. “The waters not putting it out!” Karl was beginning to sound panicky.



“Please, what the hells going on?” I pleaded, frightened now by their behaviour.



“Ok, you have to keep you arm in the water.” One said as he moved into the recess with me. “Don’t panic, you’ll be fine OK. Just do what I say and you’ll be fine.” He waited for me to agree before nodding at Karl who released his grip. The Medic took over, gently holding my arm, keeping it in the flow of water as I was finally able to turn around to face them and see what was wrong with my arm.



I couldn’t understand what I was seeing at first. Couldn’t understand at all. That couldn’t be real, I thought to myself as I stared at my right arm. There’s no pain!



Three gapping holes greeted my eyes. Two on my lower arm and one on my upper arm. Three, charcoal coloured holes that caused the water to turn to steam as it hit the open wounds. I recoiled in shock, Karl and the Medic steaded me, stopping me from pulling my arm clear of the water.



I couldn’t take my eyes off the damaged flesh. My flesh. My arm! Burning! The smell hit me fully. It was my own burning flesh that I had been able to smell this whole time. The house wasn’t on fire, it was me.



As I watched in horror the holes continued to grow. The skin darkening at the edges and then turning black. As the holes grew wider, they also grew deeper. I suddenly found myself sitting on the floor of the shower, screaming as the Medic tried to pack crushed ice into the wounds. Another fireman was bringing in buckets of the stuff from the kitchen I noted to myself and a second Medic was preparing a needle.



The sleeve of my t-shirt began to smoulder and a small hole appeared on my shoulder, rapidly growing larger as the synthetic material shrivelled away from the heat of my burning flesh.



I looked away, unable to take the sight in, looking to my rescuers who stood gaping in shock at what they were witnessing. One suddenly turned and ran from the bathroom and I could hear him throwing up in the next room.



I jumped as the second medic injected me with something. The needle stinging like crazy and I began to laugh. Here I was, holes burnt to the bone on my arm and I was flinching away from a needle prick.



The laughter turned to sobs as I saw more holes appearing on my left arm and on my legs and I was suddenly very tired, I just wanted to sleep now. As I closed my eyes and leant back against the cool tiled wall I was thankful there wasn’t any pain. But, God! I wish the smell of burning flesh hadn’t been my last memory.











THE END.