Page 103 of Burn With Me

“I couldn’t. I love you. I couldn’t let him take my brother,” I yelled back as I blocked the next hit.

“Love? You call this love?” Derek pointed to his face. “I’m a monster! I was made into a thing to be stared at and feared.” He gripped the front of my T-shirt and shook me hard.

“No one can love this. No one could ever love me, not even you. Even you were scared of what I’d become!”

Thrusting my hips up, I managed to move him enough to roll us over, but before I could say anything, I was knocked to the side and off his body. I shook my head as Derek stood, and I expected to get a boot in the ribs. I dabbed at my face and blinked as I stared at the red blood.

Derek’s sudden scream had my head jerking up. He was wielding the tire iron that I’d brought in, and with each swing, one of the lanterns he had set up went sailing through the air and crashed against the wood.

“Derek, stop!” I yelled as one after the other fires began to ignite all over the barn.

He was beyond hearing as he screamed and yelled out profanities about someone dying. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I had to get Vi out of here. I ran to Vi and grabbed my discarded knife.

“My hands are tied to the post,” she said as I dropped down behind the post and proceeded to saw at the rope.

“Fuck, he had to use the thick shit,” I swore as a lantern sailed passed my head and smashed into the old pile of hay. The glass shattered on impact and as if setting what was housed inside free, the little flame began to devour the hay and sending flames shooting into the air.

The smoke was thickening, and we were both coughing as the rope finally broke free. My eyes burned as I picked Vi up in my arms and ran for the door coated in bright orange flames like a decorative arch.

I stopped just before we were outside and looked over my shoulder at Derek, who was still raging and smashing the tire iron off everything he could.

“Derek! We have to go,” I yelled, but he didn’t hear me.

The high beams began to groan as embers fell from above like rain. I bolted out the large barn doorway, knowing I’d go back in for him.

“I’m so sorry. I’ll be right back,” I said, setting Vi down. I couldn’t take the time to cut her free.

“Go. You have to stop him from killing himself,” Vi said.

“Asher, don’t leave me again,” Derek yelled for me.

I ran full speed for the barn that was now almost fully engulfed in flames. I skidded to a stop and had to dive away from the door as the main beam crashed to the ground.

“Ash, help me. I love you, Brother. I’m sorry,” Derek screamed. “Don’t leave me like this.”

“Derek, I can’t get in.” I ran around the side of the barn as more groaning and crashing came from inside. “Derek!” I lapped the building looking for another way in, and my chest constricted. I couldn’t breathe. No, this wasn’t happening. My brother couldn’t die like this. “Derek, answer me!”

I was a firefighter. I knew that no one could survive the smoke, let alone the heat, without protection, and yet I still tried to peer through the raging flames to find my brother.

“No!” I screamed and went to my knees as the walls caved in and, one by one, folded in on themselves.

“Derek,” I whispered, rocking forward and grabbing the dirt as the pain gripped me. Nothing had felt real, seeing his face, knowing he was alive. It all became real as the fire roared, sending flames and smoke into the air. I could hear the distant call of a fire engine and knew someone had called for help, but it was too late. Getting up, I walked toward Vi, she had tears streaming down her face, and once more, I collapsed to my knees.

“Asher, I’m so sorry,” she said, and I felt like I was on autopilot as I cut the bindings on her hands and feet. As soon as she was free, she hugged me tight, and I buried my head into the side of her neck and let it all out. The tears wracked my body as I physically experienced the loss of my brother for the second time.

She gripped me hard as I rocked against her like it was the only thing keeping me from drowning in the sorrow that wanted to swallow me whole.

“Is going to be okay,” Vi said. “I’ve got you.”

Violet

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I jerked out of the memory of the barn burning to stare at Beck. Her eyes were shrouded with worry. They had been since Asher and I made it back from the farm, and I called her on the way.

“Yeah, I will be. It still seems like a dream that turned into a nightmare. I mean, Asher and I went from strangers to lovers, to wonderful Christmas holiday, and then having to save one another. I mean…I don’t even know what to call that.” I turned my head to look at Asher, sitting by the water with his mom.

It had been a week, and he’d barely spoken. I’d catch him crying when he thought I wasn’t looking. I knew his pain. I understood that loss, yet I felt lost as to how to help him.

“Yeah, when I said you needed to add more excitement to your life, this was not what I had in mind,” Beck teased but reached out and gripped my arm as she smiled at me.