The smoke was billowing into the room and Jack felt lightheaded. He knew that the door wasn't breaking; that was now obvious, but, weirdly enough, he couldn't seem to figure out an alternative. He drove his fist into the wood, coughing as his mind wandered. "Avice," he said brightly, "Avice - can I call you Avice? - Avice, my employer is very anxious to see you."
He grinned before reaching forward, his hand closing around her wrist. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Let's hurry on, now."
She blinked before remembering the knife. Sharply pulling her hand back, she took it in her free hand, plunging it at him.
The man cried out, his face contorting with pain as he swore. He swayed dangerously and Aubrey screamed, sobbing in Avice's neck as the flames grew higher and higher. The man fell on his back, the knife still in his chest.
Avice took deep breaths, looking into the flames before bolting to the front of the house to open the door.
It was difficult to see through all the smoke and Aubrey wailed, her hands curled in Avice's shirt. Jack collapsed on the floor of the bedroom, his hands battered and bruised. He gasped for breath, his efforts growing weaker.
Avice hesitated, setting Aubrey far from the door. "I'll be fast, baby. Don't cry." With that she ran into the house, the heat overwhelming as she searched, looking first in the bedroom.
The smoke whipped past her as the flames roared. The bedroom door was jammed shut, with several chairs under the doorknob. There was silence on the other side of the door.
The door burst open after a couple tries, and she would open the door to find Jack on the floor, unconscious, his face smeared with soot and his hands bleeding.
She gasped, but coughed immediately after, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him back towards the entrance.
He was thin, but heavy and so moving him required effort. They managed to escape the building without too much incident, although in the light of the outdoors, she would be able to see a large burn on his side.
His heart was beating very slowly, but he was alive. His breaths escaped his chest through a very raspy throat.
She looked around before sitting him upright on a tree and taking Aubrey. "A-A doctor. We need a doctor." She kissed his forehead, before speaking quietly in his ear. "I'll be fast. I love you." And she quickly retrieved Mack, taking Aubrey as she went to fetch the doctor.
The horse seemed to sense her urgency and trotted quickly down the road. Aubrey seemed to have had too much excitement for the day, and her face was buried in Avice's neck as she slept, taking small gasps of breath.
