CHAPTER 29 LOSERS

Staring at the lighter in Matt’s trembling hand, Jessica snickered, her eyes glowing triumphantly. “You’re both losers,” she sneered.

Tossing her hair behind one shoulder, she turned back to April.

Losers, Matt repeated to himself, squeezing the lighter.

And now we’re going to lose our lives.

In frustration, he flicked the lighter one more time.

This time it caught. A bright yellow flame shot up.

Jessica screamed as the flame caught her hair.

Slapping frantically at her head as the flames spread, Jessica leapt back, away from April, who scrambled, dazed, from the window.

“Aaaiiiiiii!” Jessica’s scream filled the air as the flames ringed her head. Her wild cry faded only when her face began to melt, rivulets of skin dripping down like a burning wax candle.

The air in the room filled with smoke and a sour, sulfuric smell.

Matt and April stared in horrified disbelief as the flames raged over Jessica’s head, as she slowly melted, her skin sagging, dripping, wet chunks dropping off under the heat of the flames.

Jessica’s outraged expression disappeared as her face caved in. Her skull was aflame, melting as her face had, and the fire spread to her shoulders, crackling loudly.

Headless, she slumped to the floor in a fiery puddle. The fire consumed her body in less than a minute.

And then the floor was on fire.

And the fire had spread to the walls.

And the coffin was burning, the rising red and yellow flames performing a sprightly dance over the smooth wooden lid.

Matt stared at the flames as if hypnotized. In the flickering, orange glare he could see that April was frozen there too, her eyes wide, catching the darting, leaping light, her mouth locked in a tight O of terror and astonishment.

The walls, the ceiling, the furniture, the coffin—all burned under the leaping red flames, so bright, so exciting, crackling so loudly; the fluttering sound, the sound of the hundreds of bat wings overhead, had finally disappeared.

“April?” Matt called as the flames encircled them.

Staring into the red and yellow glare, she didn’t respond.

“April. We have to get out of here!”

He leapt over a line of low flames on the floor and grabbed her hand. His touch seemed to snap her out of her spell.

“Huh? Matt? We’re okay?”

“Yes, we’re okay!” he cried, pulling her through the open doorway.

And now they were in the cool, fresh air.

And now the house, consumed in flames, collapsed behind them.

And now April was rushing into Matt’s arms, throwing her arms around him tightly, pressing her hot cheek against his.

“Matt,” she sighed, holding him close, “I’ll never make fun of your horror movies again!”

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 596