Returning To Oltorf Street: A Short Story

“Crash!” flames were everywhere there was wreckage and debris everywhere and I realized a plane had crashed into the wall. I was on the floor and I reached for Gabbie but she wasn’t moving. I felt to see if she was breathing and fortunately she was. I looked around and saw Bill, Tammy, Ted, Charlie, Jen, and all my other co-workers and some were moving but others weren’t I crawled to Bill and he wasn’t breathing. I was coughing from the smoke in the air and was crying. The fire stung my skin. I crawled to Gabbie, I couldn’t see, she woke up and started to panic. I calmed her down and we found other co-workers but some died. I felt like the floor was gonna gave in any second so we didn’t move. Huddled together we thought we were gonna die, we sat in silence, realizing the end, thinking about the past.

My task was done so I retired to my room for a moment. The monsters were in the kitchen, most likely touching our scattered items. Just milliseconds away from placing my hand on the door knob, I heard an ear shattering scream followed by a small voice squealing “My eye! My eye!” They’re kids, they’re probably just playing. Did he hit her with something? Do I even want to go in there? Is her eye gone? My hand placed itself on the door knob. My fingertips felt like static white noise on a T.V. I worked up the courage to open the door. I ran to the scene and I witnessed my mother violently splashing water in the girl’s face. My father, the two men, and the little boy were all standing in the doorway watching and then monster number one begins hysterically laughing. I grabbed the sinister little child by the shoulder and spun him around and catechized. I asked him what happened but he kept laughing. My legs moved before my mind told them to. They stepped over to the wailing girl and my sporadic mother. My hands reached up to her head where it moved to soothe her. As my lungs were taking in slow deep breaths they began to hitch. My eyes pooled with water and my throat began to sear. Found the strong desire to cough. I announced that there was something in the air. After more investigation, the sound jingling of keys catches my attention. My father raises the lanyard, which has my car keys, and after close

It was another beautiful Sunday, dry, this young man just got out of church, and he got a page that there has been a fire. Leaving immediately he would never have prepared himself for the long night ahead of him. Arrived at the station and opened the doors this young man texted his mother telling her he was headed to a fire, things were going by so quickly. As the time progressed, all he could do is make sure the flames didn’t continue to spread, with nothing but boots, and a backpack sprayer full of water to put out the flames that were stretching for as far as the eye could see, not but knee high yet the effect it had mentally was petrifying. Through the trees and debris he could see flames as high as the trees, except there were no trees, what once was close to two hundred acres of trees has now been turned to ash by an extremely dangerous force. After all the men had left at about four in the morning, trying to sleep was impossible, he was worn, tired, couldn’t breathe because of smoke inhalation, and the images of the destruction caused by a single flame were haunting him. Silently he realized the true dangers of flames. He

I rushed out of my bedroom to greet my mom, my dad and my brother Eric when I heard the garage door open. When they entered the house my mom was talking. There was a sad tone in her voice. I ran back to the hallway and listened.

Jackie couldn't stop tossing and turning. She was dreaming, the same dream she had every night for the past year. Every time she would lay down in bed, she knew it would happen. That didn’t stop it from being horrific and have her wake up out of breath and some nights, screaming. In her dream she could see the smoke rise in the air and fan out over ceiling and form a blanket of death, next, she heard the screams. They were the worst part of her dream, they echoed in her ears, pleading her to help, to try to move. Instead she stood frozen in front of her parent’s room. She could see the flames start lick the bottom of the door. The smoke poured out the newly burned holes and filled the hallway. The screams stopped. She knew what that meant. This was the 365th dream, the 365th time she witnessed her parent’s burn to death in front of her. One year of reliving the events of

Walking inside felt depressing no talking, laughing just sniffling. The feeling of the house was weird and gloomy, like it was haunted. Usually I would feel comfortable, not so much this time. I walk to the entrance of the hallway, I look left where the bright kitchen was and the living room, where the body was still lying there with paramedics around him. I look right there were two rooms that way, my aunts room, then my cousins room. Walking past my aunts room you could hear her in a deep cry, Jordan was just in his room, on his bed in the dark. I sat next to him, tears tickled my cheek as they traveled down my face. Seeing him like this was just heartbreaking, I know telling him everything was going to be alright was just a big fat lie, so I place my hand on his back and tell him that I love him and I will always be there by his side through this dark time and for the rest of his life. It was hard for me to try and comfort him when I myself was sad and crying but, I had to think about what was

There was light flashing. Screaming and wailing mothers. There was running and panic. It seemed that everywhere I went with her, there was always an aura of fear. It wasn’t her fault. What she was told was the safest place was usually the safest to get to. It was one refugee camp to the next. Each place was the same. Nothing more than crumbling walls and linoleum floor. If you were lucky or paid more, you were given a bed raised off the floor with some blankets. We were only lucky once. I got to sleep in the bed. But we were only there for 3 months. It was a horrible three months. I couldn’t dream and she says I would say “ I’m falling. I’m taking my time on my ride.” The place was bombed. We left the day before because the food supply was

I can feel the Fire Monster spread his flames engulfing the whole house. The flames dance dangerously close, and just before they reach me arms wrap around me and pull me away. All I think to do is scream, I scream to be let go and I scream for help.

At that same moment, a knock came quickly at our door. The sound made me jump, it was as if someone was in danger. I raced downstairs till I saw our neighbor Alex at the door pleading with my mother about something. He spoke as if it was urgent, as if he needed to expel information that was of dire importance. I listened in and heard part of the conversation discussing our city, and how it was on fire. He told my mother that a man was rampaging through the city. He was on fire, and was killing all of the government officials. Father was at work in the city 's financial district. Mother cried for Alex to go with her to look for him, but Alex froze and told her that he values his own life more. Mother began interrogating Alex with questions about

Outside, the freezing night air slapped my face as I stepped out of the house, I recall the rough concrete of my driveway that scratched my bare feet. Finally I saw it, the backyard that I loved was replaced with a taunting orange hue, the kind of orange you see on the horizon when the sun is setting. My father was already outside putting the fire out since he is a firefighter and all. Julie and I were sentenced to my grandparents’ car which reeked of cigarettes just like them. While the fire died, with numb fingers and freezing legs I held Julie as my nostrils burned and my eyes stared, at what I’m still not sure.

I woke to the hysterical cries of my mother yelling “fire”, even though I slept extremely deeply. I flew out of my bed, landing in the hallway of our home. All of the sudden there was a phone in my hand and I was telling the person on the other end of the phone, our name and that our house was on fire. At that dreadful instant the phone went dead. It wasn’t actually our residence, but a separate house that we used as a bedroom, game room and sewing room. I immediately rushed out the door on to the concrete carport and to my horror; there was an enormous red-orange glow of a fire. People from 5 miles away could see the flames. My father ran towards the house, jumping a fence on his way and busted down the flaming door. The house was like an inferno; my father barely crossed the threshold and had to retreat. Our worst fears were that my brother was sleeping inside. At that moment fire trucks started to arrive. Some of the firemen tried to console us saying “No one is inside, we would know.” After what seemed like an eternity my brother appeared on the carport. He had been sleeping in his car. Who would have thought in all that excitement to look there?

Once I logged onto my computer, I smelled a heavy stench of smoke, and it was not by a cigarette being lit. I rushed back to the kitchen and there was the microwave, but I could not see it. Flames engulfed the microwave in mere seconds. I tried to cease the flame with water but it didn’t touch it. Time froze at that single moment, and so did my mind. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t even move. The water fell beside the fire, not even inching toward it. I woke up my mom as soon as possible and tried to get out everyone else but I was trapped. I was cornered and my only way is no possible way.

I woke up in a queen sized bed next to my four year old brother, completely lost as to where we were. I looked around as i saw walls, half wood, half dry wall. There were clothes covering the floor, along with many other receipts, plastic wrappers and many other pieces of garbage. The was a dark oak dresser, on top sat an old 15” tv playing Ice Age. I was a little scared and confused but i was overall distracted to the film playing on the old scratched up screen. My brother, james, was in a deep sleep, drenched in his own sweat, so i decided i would try and explore. I slowly, trying not to sink into the many piles of clothes and garbage, found my way to the door. As i opened the door i was greeted by an already familiar voice, it was my

I went inside. It smelled like a moldy onions. The lights were dim and flickering. “ Hello? Anyone in here?” There was a shadow in the back room.Yeah I have to admit I was kinda scared, but mom told me to take Lily to the bathroom, and dad told me to get food and I wanted to follow their directions. The shadow came closer and closer until I could feel someone’s presence behind us. I wanted to turn and run but for some reason I stayed put. I tried to scream but I couldn't. Lily, not knowing any better, turned around. The man quickly snached us and dragged us through the backdoor to his car parked on the other side of the building. I tried to scream to mom and dad but another man held his hand across my mouth. I tried to move and squirm free but with each jerk he squeezed harder and harder and it hurt.

The fire brigade left. We headed through to the kitchen for a coffee. We were certain they had set it off deliberately to get their money back. By this time it was 2 o’clock in the morning and I was up at six. I went back up to bed to get some sleep. When I got there all I could think about was what had just happened. It all seemed like a dream. Before I knew it the alarm was going off and it was time to get up.