Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 Their leap through the flames took just seconds. But Leo knew that for as long as he lived, he would never forget the feeling of that scorching heat. The fire seemed to pull at the blanket like a beast hungry for Leo's flesh. When they came out, Wilkie's pant leg was on fire. "Look out!" Leo called. Leo grabbed the blanket and patted out the flames.

They looked at each other in shock: They'd made it! But still, the smoke was thick, and it hurt to breathe. "Do you see him?" Leo shouted. "I can barely see anything," Wilkie said.

Leo remembered Grandpop, crawling through the brush looking for the stream. "Get down," Leo said, dropping to his knees. The air was clearer closer to the ground. But the heat was searing. The wall of fire roared behind them. People shouted from the street. "Get out!" "It's all burning!" "It's too late!" They had just a minute or two to find Morris and get out, Leo knew. Bits of glass from shattered windows cut into Leo's hands and knees as he crawled. His heart pounded with fear. He felt dizzy from the smoke. He and Wilkie screamed Morris's name. But with the shouting of the crowd and the roaring of the fires, it was almost impossible to hear anything. Until, finally, they heard a voice. "Leo! Over here!" The voice was weak. Leo moved forward… and then his heart gave a wild jump.

All he could see was Morris's head, on the ground. Only his head. His body was gone. Wilkie came up behind Leo and gasped. "What the…" Leo almost jumped up and ran in horror. But then he understood. Morris's head hadn't been cut off. He'd fallen into some kind of hole. Only his head and one arm were sticking out. "I'm stuck," Morris said. "I can't breathe." Wilkie rushed over and grabbed Morris's arm with both of his hands. He gave a mighty tug. But Morris barely budged. "It's tight in here," Morris said. "Go slow." Inch by inch, Wilkie pulled Morris from the earth, like a farmer pulling a gigantic carrot from his garden. With each second that passed, the crackling roar of the fire grew louder. Sweat poured off of Leo's body. Wilkie finally got Morris out of the hole. Leo grabbed hold of Morris, who wobbled on his feet.

He held on to Morris, even after Morris was steady. "I'm okay," Morris said. "We need to get out." Morris pointed to an open window just above a heap of garbage. "That way," he said. "That's how Fletch got out. He knew I was stuck. I kept calling him. But he just kept going." Anger rose up in Leo. But there was no time to think about Fletch now. They all climbed up the heap of garbage. Wilkie got to the top first. He clambered through the window, and then reached out to help Morris and Leo get in. They were in somebody's bedroom. A dresser had smashed down on top of the bed. It looked like it had dropped through a giant hole in the ceiling. Luckily it seemed that the person who lived here had escaped. The heat was very strong, and Leo was sure that some of the rooms of this building were burning. He prayed they could make it down in time, before the fire reached them or the building collapsed on top of them.

They found the stairs and began to make their way down. They walked lightly. But with each step, the stairway swayed. The wood groaned and creaked. One small aftershock and this whole place would tumble to the ground. Wilkie suddenly stopped short. "Hurry, Wilkie," Leo said. But then he saw it. A body was lying on the floor. At first he thought it was the person who lived here. But then came the rasping voice. "Wilkie," the body groaned. It was Fletch.