Touching Smoke by Airicka Phoenix Read Free Book Online

“They’re still after us!”
    “I know, but they won’t stop unless I make them,” he replied, not a hint of breathlessness in sight — I wasn’t exactly a basket of feathers despite my small stature… and I still had my duffle! “When I put you down, I want you to get as low to the ground as you can and find a safe place until I come get you.”
    That was so easy for him to say; I had a hard time remembering my own name. But I was willing to try at the mention of safe place .
    He didn’t even give me a warning before slamming to a halt with jarring force. I was set down with reasonable gentleness. “Down!” he growled when I swayed on my feet a moment too long and narrowly missed being hit.
    The spongy ground took my weight like a sack of potatoes, knocking the wind out of me. I army-crawled, digging my elbows and sneakers into the dirt and dragging my body towards the black silhouette I recognized as the track and field bleachers. Orbs of fire exploded around me like missiles. I suddenly had a clear understanding of how a soldier felt under attack, only I wasn’t trained for this! My bag kept snagging on things, adding thirty pounds to my already clumsy escape attempt.
    I squeezed myself beneath the bleachers, ignoring the rip of flesh and fabric as I dragged my body between gravel and platform. Safely in place, I twisted around, peering through the narrow gashes at the all-out war raging in the middle of the football field. It was like watching some crazy paranormal TV show in person with my mystery guy, being the good guy, sent out to kill the fire-throwing demons terrorizing the town. I couldn’t even fathom where the guns appeared from, because suddenly they were in his hands, banging in rapid succession like canons while he nimbly dodged the downpour of fireballs. The grass around him sizzled and burned, forming a thick, gray cloud in the already dark skies. A plume of wind blew the stench downward, in my direction, engulfing me with the blinding stench of burnt grass and sulfur. I choked on the fumes, gagging even as I clamped both hands over my mouth and nose. The shield did nothing to protect my eyes, leaving them open for the cloud of ash that blew in with the breeze. I coughed, stuffing my fists into the backs of my eyelids, grinding out tears and grit. It was because of my temporary distraction that I wasn’t quick enough to duck when a blazing orb hit the bar inches from my face, exploding in a shower of sparks. I screamed, sucking cinders into the back of my esophagus. I scampered backwards, choking and coughing. Heat from the assault clawed at my face and arms, forcing me deeper beneath the seats. My lungs burned as I wheezed through smothering smoke. My heart cracked between my ears, an erratic tempo of desperation. A speck of glowing ember, a butterfly of fire, landed delicately on my arm. For a fraction of a second, it was so beautiful against the pallor of my skin that I wasn’t quick enough when bit through the skin, filling the air with the foul odor of burnt flesh and singed hair that made my stomach churn. I yelped, slapping at my arm. 
    “This can’t be happening!” I moaned out loud to myself, practically in tears as I rubbed the forming blister.
    But the sting on my arm was a sick reminder that it was happening. I really was crammed beneath the bleachers. I really was watching the three unusual characters fighting it out a few feet away. I really was seeing balls of fire appear out of thin air. This was not a dream.
    Maybe I was dead. Maybe I died in that earthquake, the earthquake that had mysteriously stopped now that we were away from the school. This new bit of information only further convinced me I was either dead or losing my mind. Earthquakes didn’t just stop. People didn’t throw fireballs, and I really wasn’t about to get barbequed. Yet, when the second ball of flames crashed mere inches from where I was hiding, it was impossible not to see everything for what it