The Burn of Life

Officer Johnny POV

It took the others a little while to find the secret switch but once they did, they rushed towards the door and me. “Ok I want only Johnny and I to go into the room everyone else stay in the hall and if I call out call the ambulance at once,” Robert told everyone. I’m super excited that I get to help Robert; he’s one of the higher ranked officers.

When we both walked in, we walked towards the body I found. Getting closer towards it, I start to notice how skinny and boney it is. Finally standing next to it we both notice it’s not a live body, it’s a skeleton. “Shit, do you think that it’s Blaze?” I asked Robert.

“No, it couldn’t be, since it’s been only a week she wouldn’t be that skeleton,” he responded.

“It must be Faith.” I couldn’t look at it anymore so I glanced up towards the ceiling when I saw a chain. With my flashlight following the chain, it lead to another body. This time the body is alive, its chest was moving up and down for each breath he or she is taking.

“Robert, there’s another body over here, and I think it’s Blaze,” I said as I started walking to the body. When Robert walked over we noticed the red and orange hair. It’s Blaze for sure, I thought.

“Call an ambulance right away!” Robert yelled. “We found her!”

We heard the commotion going on in the hallway, everyone is excited that we finally found Blaze and alive at that. Robert kneels down to examine her wounds to see if she can make it before the ambulance arrives. “She’s pretty beat up, I’m afraid to move her. She’s chained to the wall from her feet, we’ll need metal cutters to cut them. She has brands on both of her arms and cuts running up and down them. She’s been through a lot in the short amount of time he took her,” he explained.

“Hey Matt, you read me?” I asked in my headset so I can get wire cutters down here.

“Yeah loud and clear, did you find anything?” he asked.

“Yes we did, can you send someone down with wire cutters?” I asked.

“Yeah I can right now. Did you find her?”

“We did, we also found Faith. But Blaze is chained to the wall and we can’t get the chain undone so make it fast,” I ordered disconnecting from the call. This poor girl, we don’t even know the extent of her injuries but just looking at them is heart wrenching. “Hey Robert, when the ambulance get’s here, can I ride with her.”

“Yeah why not. I need to call her family too,” he stated.

“Can I be the one that tells them? Just tell them to get to the hospital as fast as they can,” I explained. He looked up at me and nodded his head saying yes. I felt that if I found her the least I can receive is the chance of telling her family.

“Sir, the ambulance arrived, they are bringing a stretcher down as we speak.” Sabrina said interrupting the peace.

“Thanks Sabrina, you can tell everyone we can go home now,” Robert said as an order.

“John, I’m going to go upstairs.” And that’s what he did, walked out of the room.

“Excuse me officer, where’s the body?” the first paramedic asked.

“She’s right here, but we have to wait for wire cutters,” I explained. The second paramedic had them in hand and walked towards Blaze. Cutting both the chains around her ankles they loaded her up on the stretcher and placed a breathing mask over her nose and mouth.

“Are you coming with us?” the second paramedic asked me. I just nodded and followed them up the stairs and into the ambulance. The whole ride was nerve wrecking, Blaze didn’t wake up at all and her heart rate is very low. By the time we got to the hospital she was rushed into the emergency room for immediate surgery. I walked down the hallway to the waiting room to see if I could find her family and explain what happened. Upon entering I saw many people but three stood out. A man and woman were sitting down crying, while their son kept arguing with the receptionist about his sister. I knew right then and there that, that is the Andersson family.

“Excuse me, are you the Andersson’s?” I asked when I was right in front of them.

“Yes we are. We were asked from Officer Robert to come down here immediately without saying anything. Do you know what’s happening?” the mother asked with tears still falling from her hazel eyes. It was then that her son came over once he heard I was here about his sister.

“Yes but I think we should go to another area so we can talk privately,” I suggested while we started walking towards a private waiting room. Once in the room and seated comfortably I started once again. “I’m Officer Green but you can call me Johnny. When we were searching the house today, I found a secret way to the basement. As I was searching the whole area, I came across a locked room so once I got it open I found someone in it. I’m the one who found Blaze and I wanted the chance to tell you that.”

“Is she alright? Please tell me that she’s alive?” Blaze’s brother asked.

“Yes she’s still alive, I’ll have the doctor explain the injuries but I will say that her heart rate was low when we arrived in the ambulance.” Everyone breathed out a sign of relief when I told them she is still alive. I knew it was time for me to go and leave then as a family to enjoy their relief. “I’m going to go, but once I hear she is allowed visitor I’ll be the first in line,” I told them smiling. The father and son stood up and shook my hand farewell, while the mother stood up and hugged me like no tomorrow-whispering thank you in my ear.

Hope’s POV

My baby is alive! My baby is alive! After Officer Johnny left our family to peace we all sat there in relief after the good news. Now all we need to do is wait for the doctor to come talk to us. I have a feeling it will be awhile because I have a feeling her injuries were very bad.
Seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours, hours like days, days like weeks, weeks like months, months like years, and so on. Finally the doctor came out, and is walking towards us.
“Hello Andersson family, I’m Doctor Bryant, I’m in charge of your daughter Blaze,” he told us while shaking our hands.

“Please tell me everything is ok? What happened to my baby?” I asked him while Kevin wrapped his arm around me.

“When Blaze first entered the hospital, anyone could tell she’s been to hell and back. Both her arms and back had brand marks on them, I could do nothing about them. Her back had whipping marks, I did my best and there will be no marks. And her arms had cuts all over them from a knife, again I did my best but she’s going to have scars,” he told us with a grave look on his face.

“Oh my god, when can we see her doctor?” Kevin asked the question that was running through all of our minds.

“You can see her now, but I’m warning you she’s in bad shape. So bad that we had to put her into a medical induced coma, so her body can heal and she’ll feel no pain right now. I have another patient right now but I’ll have a nurse bring you to her,” he said while walking away.

“At least we know that she’s alive and going to be doing well soon,” Nick told both of us in relief. Anyone could tell we have been through a shit load. I have mascara running down my face from my tears, Kevin is in his Pj’s, and Nick is in a messy suit.

“Hi, I’m sorry to interrupt, Dr. Bryant asked me to escort you to Blaze’s room,” a young nurse said politely. We all got up and followed her down a series of hallways, but she stopped in front of room 666. When Blaze wakes up she will love to know she was in the Devil’s room, I though with a smile on my face. “Here we are at Blaze’s room, if you need anything just call and ask for Molly, that’s me.”

Nervousness washed over us as we stared at the door leading us to our daughter at last. Mystery lies beyond this wooden slab. Kevin, being the brave young one out of us, opens the door and walks in. Nick grabs my hand in support as the white room engulfs us. New tears are shed, a tie between relief and sadness. Relief because Blaze was found alive; sadness because she’s in the position she is in.

“Blaze, baby, I don’t know if you can hear me but I just want you to know that I love you and I missed you,” I softly spoke while grabbing her ice cold hand. “I don’t know what you’ve been through but know that it’s all over now, you’re back home where you belong.”

“Sissy, I missed you so much. This experience has taught me that I need to call and visit more often. When you wake up everyone has so much to talk about and tell so many stories,” Kevin explained while kissing her forehead.

“Hey Blaze, dad here, just letting you know how much I love you and missed you during this adventure you had. Oh, and to let you know Lucky, Tiny, and Shadows are all perfectly fine. They are waiting for your return, all three of them lay in you’re bed at night crying,” Nick told Blaze then kissed her forehead like I did. We all sat around her room until the nurse came back to tell us visiting hours are over.

Blaze POV

Darkness is all I can see, I can’t move a muscle, and all I can do is hear what’s happening around me. I never want to be in the dark at all after this is over. Right now the only thing I can hear are the nurses and a doctor check my vitals and explain the situation. Once they left, silence filled the room until I heard the door open. I wonder who that could be? I thought.

“Blaze, baby, I don’t know if you can hear me but I just want you to know that I love you and I missed you.” I then felt my mom grab my right hand with both of hers, and squeezing them. “I don’t know what you’ve been through but know that it’s all over now, you’re back home where you belong.” After my mom finished speaking I felt her warm lips greet my forehead. I just wished I could yell, ‘yes mom I can here you’, but I know that I can’t. When I wake up I want to tell my family what I went through, it’s made me tougher as a person. But knowing that I’m finally home and safe really helps put my mind at rest, I don’t need to be on guard at every moment.

“Sissy, I missed you so much. This experience has taught me that I need to call and visit more often. When you wake up everyone has so much to talk about and tell so many stories.” Kevin, my dear older brother told me, and then kissed my forehead just like mom did. Giving Kevin a hug is all I want to do now; I missed him too. We now have another campfire story to share, and he can tell me what I missed for however long I’ve been gone.

“Hey Blaze, dad here, just letting you know how much I love you and missed you during this adventure you had. Oh, and to let you know Lucky, Tiny, and Shadows are all perfectly fine. They are waiting for your return, all three of them lay in you’re bed at night crying.” Just like everyone else dad kissed my forehead, then quiet entered my ears. I’m guessing they are just all in their minds thinking about me, I thought. If only I could tell my dad how lame he was for saying ‘dad here’. I’m glad he told me though about my dogs, I was always worried about them and every time he left me to my mind I thought about them. It breaks my heart knowing that they are crying all the time about me. I just hope I can wake up soon so I can see my family again, to see what the outside world looks like, and even what light looks like.