CYOA Friday: "Reluctant - Chapter 16"

With excruciating pain, you haul yourself out of the sitting position. A little bid of vertigo keeps you from moving to the front door swiftly, but you make it. The raging fire now brilliantly illuminates the dining room as it roars and screams outside the house. It must have spread from the church to the parched lawn along with the hedgerow. You see that the deadbolt is engaged and as you turn the lock, a thunderous roar shakes the house, sending shards of glass from the staircase and dining room windows. You wince and shelter your face with your good arm. Behind your shield, you sense a blinding flash and intense heat. Whatever the source of the blast, it punches you against the wall, disorientating you for a few seconds.

When it subsides, you lower your arm and find smoke and flames pouring through the windows and walls. It is eerie though as there is no sound. The explosion must have deafened you. Looking around, you spot a few pieces of painted metal poking through the wall. The fire reached Michelle's car. It appears that your only option now is to walk. You open the door and holding the gun in front of you, begin crossing the threshold.

The following pain delivers daggers up your arm, making you bite your tongue. Instinctively, you retract your arm and find the gun missing. So is your hand. You collapse to the floor. When you see a hand reach in, you immediately kick the door, slamming it shut on Dennis' arm. He retreats momentarily before he rams the door. By now, you have bolstered it shut with both legs. He continues ramming, harder each time. You have to reach the lock between them.

During rams, you swing your body around to brace it with your back. Slowly, you manage to get your injured arm up to the dead bolt and turn it. The pain from your left shoulder seems like a mosquito bite compared to that of your right arm. You crawl to the playpen, knowing there are blankets inside you can use for a tourniquet, but reluctant to disturb what rests inside. You grimace as you reach for the blanket, half from the pain, half from what you catch sight of as you pull the blanket out. Placing one end in your mouth, you wrap it around your arm and tie a tight knot.

You can tell he is still battering on the front door as it bulges every few moments. The fire is tearing through the east wall of the house, creeping over the dining room toward you. You panic. It is difficult to breathe as more smoke floods your airspace. THUD! You need to move, but where? THUD! Your hearing returns a little bit and you think you can hear him screaming at you. THUD! The upstairs is out of the question. THUD! Downstairs? THUD! There is the window that someone obviously crawled through. THUD! THUD! However, can you pull yourself up to it, let alone through? THUD! On the other hand, there is the back of the house. THUD! THUD! THUD! Surely there is a back door or window. THUD! PLINK.

You look to your side and on the floor spy a screw. Quickly inspecting the door, you see one hinge has popped loose. THUD! PLINK! The second screw just popped out. THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

If you head for basement, turn to page 94.

If you make your move for the back of the house, turn to page 98.

If you give up and wait for Dennis to break the door down, turn to page 92.