A Fire So Wild by Sarah Ruiz-Grossman

Author:Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-12-09T00:00:00+00:00

November

The breeze coming off the bay caressed Sunny’s face as he dug his bare toes into the sand. He came here often, to the place where the city’s cement foundations were swallowed by water. He came to remember Willow, how she used to step out of their van and walk to the bay’s edge each morning, tilting her face up toward the sun, letting its warmth penetrate her skin and sear away the night’s terrors. He heard a laugh behind him, and then a soft voice: “Me and you against the world, baby.” He turned around. It couldn’t be. Willow, in her green mermaid’s dress. Alive. Sunny’s breath caught in his throat and he ran, scooping her into his arms, pressing his face into the warmth of her skin, burying his nose into the crook of her neck, inhaling her. “What! How?” Sunny stammered incoherently, his face still pressed into her. He felt his chest grow warm where it met hers. The heat spread to his fingertips as he gripped her back. A sizzling sound bubbled through the air. His nostrils filled with the sharp smell of charred flesh. He stumbled back. Willow, swallowed by flames. “No!” Sunny screamed, lunging to push her into the sand, to stamp out the fire. He landed on the ground, his mouth filled with ash. “Willow!”

Sunny woke with a start, bathed in sweat. He sat up in bed, his heart beating wildly.

It took him a moment to get his bearings: a mattress against the wall, Aso at his feet, a small window with a tiny curtain blocking out the sun.

He exhaled and lay back, placing one hand on his chest and the other on his stomach, a trick Jo had taught him for when he felt a panic attack coming on. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his breath.

He was in a trailer that Abigail had secured for him. She’d worked her connections to get him a temporary RV from FEMA. Jo let him park behind the community center. Even though he’d been reluctant to accept Abigail’s offer—the woman was clearly trying to rid herself of guilt, absolve herself of what happened to Willow—it was Aso that pushed Sunny over the edge. He needed somewhere safe to nurse the dog back to health. And figure out what the hell he was going to do next.

His boss from the construction company promised there would be work soon—a lot of it, in fact. Contracts were being signed left and right to rebuild the hills. But that was all still months away. The city had to clear debris and issue permits. Sunny’s labor wasn’t needed yet.

In the trailer, with nowhere to go, Sunny found it increasingly difficult to get out of bed each morning. He understood, in a way he never had before, all the times Willow couldn’t rise from the sheets, a shapeless weight pressing down on her limbs. How the sun’s enthusiasm hurt her eyes. Sunny had no appetite, food tasting sour in his mouth, turning to a dull paste as he reluctantly chewed the meals Jo dropped at his doorstep.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.