Chapter 7 - Trial by Fire
"Get down!" Daniel roared, diving across the kitchen table to shield Claire and Mason as the glass shattered across the floor.
Thick crimson flames erupted from the living room rug where the flare had ignited a puddle of gasoline poured through the broken window. The smoke detector wailed in an ear-piercing scream as toxic black smoke began choking the small hallway.
Mason coughed violently, feeling the intense heat searing his skin. But instead of freezing in fear, something ancient and resolute stirred within his veins—the instinct of his father.
"The back door is blocked by the patio fence!" Claire cried out in panic.
"Mason, grab the tape and your father's logs!" Daniel ordered, stripping off his heavy flannel jacket and soaking it in the kitchen sink. He wrapped the wet cloth around Claire's face. "Stay low, follow the baseboards! We're going through the side laundry window!"
Mason grabbed the manila folder and cassette tape, stuffing them securely inside his waterproof inner jacket. He snatched the kitchen fire extinguisher from the wall mount, pulled the safety pin, and sprayed a high-pressure cloud of dry chemical directly at the flaming doorway, carving a temporary pathway through the roaring fire.
"Move now!" Mason shouted.
Daniel kicked open the laundry room window and lifted Claire effortlessly through the frame onto the soft lawn outside. Mason leaped through right behind them just as the living room ceiling gave way in a cascade of burning timber.
They collapsed onto the wet grass, coughing and gasping for fresh air. In the distance, the wailing sirens of Station Four's Engine 4 echoed through the night.
Down the block, a dark SUV accelerated away from the curb, its tires smoking as it fled into the shadows.
Within minutes, Engine 4 screeched to a halt in front of the blazing house. Firefighters deployed attack hoses, battling the flames with fierce determination. Daniel stood in the front yard, soot covering his face once again, holding Mason and Claire close.
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"They tried to destroy the evidence," Mason whispered, clutching the folder tightly against his chest. "And they tried to kill us."
"They failed," Daniel said, his eyes burning with cold fury. "And now Vance Sterling has committed arson and attempted murder against my family. He just sealed his own fate."
