Left in the Ashes

The flames soared into the sky.

Behind me, the fire roared like a rabid beast, its fiery tongues chasing me down.

Gasping for breath, I dragged my broken leg and struggled to crawl forward.

Suddenly, familiar knocks resounded from the door.

“Is anyone still in there?”

It was him. My childhood friend.

Austin Xerri.

My eyes burned with tears, and my voice trembled so badly I could barely speak.

“I... A-Austin, I'm in here!”

The closet door had crushed my leg, and even every breath carried the heavy taste of blood.

The moment Austin heard my voice, he visibly panicked.

“Tammy, don't be afraid. I'm coming to get you!”

But heavy debris had already blocked the inside of the room.

There was no way he could move it on his own.

His expression changed dramatically. He immediately grabbed his radio.

“Calling the command center! There's still a trapped person inside, and her condition is critical. Requesting immediate backup from the forcible-entry team!”

My mother Agnes Smyth's tense, stern voice came through at once.

“Command center copies. Report the trapped person's identity.”

“Room 501! Tamara Smyth!” Austin shouted urgently.

The moment he finished speaking, my mother changed her tune.

“Request denied. The forcible-entry team must prioritize public areas.”

“Austin, return to the perimeter immediately.”

Austin froze.

“Ma'am! The fire inside is about to get out of control, and Tammy—”

“Enough!”

Mom cut him off impatiently.

“Austin, Tammy is being unreasonable. Why are you indulging her and losing your judgment, too?

“Her husband is right there at the scene, serving as a fire captain.”

She let out a helpless sigh, as though scolding a child who didn't know any better.

“Tammy, I know you're listening. How many times have I told you not to use your status as a rescue worker's family member to demand special treatment or call in emergency personnel without authorization?

“I taught you so many emergency response procedures. Why can't you save yourself? Why do you insist on competing with Amelia Thorn? That girl has had a hard life since childhood. You need to be more understanding.”

Save myself.

A wave of despair washed over me.

Wasn't that exactly what I was trying to do right now?

Thick smoke poured into my lungs with every breath.

It felt as though a fire were burning in my throat.

The pain was so intense that I couldn't even force out a single word in protest.

When I remained silent for too long, Austin grew frantic.

“Ma'am, this is an emergency. We're not joking around!

“If we wait any longer, something terrible will happen to Tammy!”

Before he could finish, Mom decisively switched channels again.

Not long afterward, my phone lit up with a text message.

“Tamara, grow up! Stop making Austin help you put on this pathetic act of suffering.

“Amelia has asthma, and she's been frightened. I have to divert personnel to escort her to the hospital first. If you can't save yourself, then stay in the safe zone and stop running around. Once the main rescue team has time to spare, they'll naturally come for you.

“And another thing, tell Austin to leave immediately. He's on an active rescue mission right now. If someone photographs him getting all tangled up with you, his former fiancée, at a fire scene and posts it online, do you have any idea how damaging that would be? Do you want to ruin our family's reputation?”

I gave a bitter smile.

I cried until there were no tears left.

Ever since I was a child, my mother had always said the same things to me.

Even back when Austin and I had grown up together, loved each other, and wanted to be together, she had threatened to take her own life unless I broke up with him.

All because Austin had excelled academically.

She was afraid people would accuse him of nepotism with his future mother-in-law, the head of the emergency dispatch center.