The Boy Next Door

Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Honey.

So here I lay on my back while panting deeply for air. My asthma pump. Yes that's what I need. I got off the bed groggily and walked towards the stairs. While I was walking my foot made contact with two items. One was my book and the second I had no idea, but really at this moment I couldn't care less. I stumbled blindly down the stairs. The sky was getting darker and soon it would be pitch black. I walked to the closet under the stairs and got out my school bag. I opened up the main section and fumbled carefully through the bag until my fingertips touched the cold plastic. I stretched out relieved and walked to the kitchen. I walked to the tap and was already feeling better when I heard the sound of the fresh water flowing through the nozzle. After scooping up a few mouthfuls, I sat down on the hard, cold wood. I was feeling better already all I needed was some rest and I would be as good as new , well not new but way better. 5 minutes past. Then 10. Then 30. Yet i was feeling worse. Could that even be possible ? I think I had food posioning...not cool(N). Well this gets better and better doesn't it? (note my sarcasm) I trudged upstairs annoyed but sickly. As i finished getting to the top the third landing a smokey scent hit me hard. What the hell was that? I moved quickly up the rest of the stairs taking 2 at a time, there was no time to waste. I had reached the middle of the stairs when i saw the bright orange flames licking the wall right out side of my room. I felt a overwhelming panic rush through me. I raced up the rest of the steps but had to stop when my head felt sickly light. Stupid ass beans ! I scrambled into the room waafting as much smoke away from my burning eyes as i could. It was so cloudy and the room was sweltering with heat. I worked my way and pulled open my closest reaching for the thing that mattered to me most, i tucked it in my socks and turned back towards the door but as i took a few steps forward, the ceiling came crashing down in front of me, blocking the only way to eacape...except of course my boarded windows. I ran gingerly towards the windows and started pulling the underside. It was no use, chris had drilled the nails in securely, probably thinking about the day this was going to happen ( not the fire of course but me trying to escape). However i did not lose faith, i ran back to my one desk drawer and pulled out the draw shaking out all the conents in the process. I ran back to the window and banged the wood repeatedly until it cracked in half. Meanwhile the fire was getting hotter, bigger it seemed asif the fire was set in destroying everything in it path...including me. It spread angrily like a bush fire lighting up the curtains on either side of the windows. This only made me faster. I ripped the curtains off the iron rod, scalding my hands aswell. I screamed out a cry of pain and fustration. I was going to get out no matter what, dead or alive, i would not die in the same god forsaken house as my mother ! I pulled up the stiff windows and breathed in deep fresh air. i hadnt realised how deathly the smoke was. The sudden rush of cold night air made my throat burn in relief. I inhaled deeply coughing and spluttering at the same time. I looked down and quickly looked up again. 4 storeys up, how could i forget. Either way i would die. All my sense of energy seemed to vanish, after all that work for.. for nothing. I started to weep and scream, but there wasnt a light in sight. The whole road was dark and quiet i screamed a few more helpless times until I gave up. So this was how it was going to end...Slow and painful as had the rest of my life had been. I stared unfocused out of the window only faintly aware of the increasing flames threating to engulf me. I saw a quick movement to the right in my peripheral vision and as my eyes focused better on the figure i relised it was Lamar.

"LAMAR!"

"What the-" he looked utterly confused.

"No time for profanity GET HELP YOU IDIOT"

I was desperate at this point and i had started sobbing with relief. However instead of running towards his house, he ran around it. That relief soo turned into annoyance and hopelessness. That fool actually ran past his front door and into the backgarden I was definately done for. As i was about to turn away from the window he came back dragging a big steel ladder behind him. What was he doing.