Don Winslow - California Fire And Life

He gestures to Bentley.

Bentley raises the gas can.

"I haven't told anyone," Jack says.

Nicky smiles.

"But how can I believe you?" he asks. Turns to Bentley "Do him."

Bentley looks sick but he raises the can again.

"Goddamn it," Billy says.

Takes out his old. 44 and shoots Bentley square in the gut.

The flash ignites the fumes.

Which in turn ignite Bentley.

He's on fire so he drops the can and the gas gurgles onto the floor and he forgets everything he learns in fire school and goes running out the door.

He's a screaming, swirling ball of flame when he crumples onto the dry grass.

Which is how Accidentally Bentley sets the Great South Coast Fire.

Accidentally.

Jack doesn't know that.

He's still in the building and it's on fire. The gas pours out of the can, spreading accelerant all over the floor and fumes in the air and the fumes ignite like WHAM and a column of flame shoots upward.

Flame and smoke and darkness and Jack loses sight of Nicky Vale.

All Jack can see is Goddamn Billy heading not for the door but farther into the rec hall, in toward the old kitchen, and Jack's thinking, Get out of here but he's also thinking, Get Billy out of here, too, so he goes after him.

Which is like stupid, Jack tells himself. Which is like dumb because all the old wood is igniting, then the covers on the furniture ignite, and the fucking furniture ignites. The fire is free burning, there are flames everywhere, the place is filling up with smoke and that son of a bitch Billy was going to set you up anyway so why are you going after him?

Because you're a dog and that's what a dog does. A dog doesn't leave.

Jack drops down and stays low, down where the air is, and makes his way after Billy.

Into the kitchen.

The old kitchen where they used to cook up hamburgers and hot dogs and big pots of chili.

And there's Goddamn Billy standing by the old stainless-steel counter.

Lighting a cigarette.

"Come on!" Jack yells. "We can get out of here!"

Maybe.

The ceiling's on fire, the roof's involved.

"We can get out of here!" Jack repeats.

"No," Billy says.

Puts the stick to his lips and takes a long drag.

"Billy, I can get us out of here!" Jack shouts. "If we go now!"

His eyes are starting to tear up. Tear up and burn and he can feel the smoke scorching his throat. Looks behind him and sees the flames. Looks up and sees little tongues of flame start to lick the kitchen ceiling.

"Can't do it, Jack."

Jack starts to cry. Goddamn it, Billy. It could be seconds to flashover. Seconds till the fairies start flying and flashover happens and everything ignites.

We can't wait any longer, Billy.

"I can carry you!"

Screaming because the noise of the fire is unbelievable. The starving alligator in a feeding frenzy, crunching on the old house.

Billy shakes his head. "I can't face it, Jack!"

"I'll lie for you, Billy! I'll say you had nothing to do with it! Come on!"

Tiny balls of flame dance in the air.

The fairies flying.

"It's no good, Jack!"

To hell with arguing, Jack thinks. I'll knock the stubborn old fucker out if I have to.

He starts toward Billy.

Billy shakes his head and pulls his old. 44 from out of his jacket.

Points it at Jack.

Then says, " Goddamn it."

Puts the barrel to his head and pulls the trigger.

As the fairies fly.

Flashover.

Outside the fire spreads quickly.

The wind picks up the flame like it's been waiting for a lover and sweeps it across the dry grass.

Into the trees and onto the roofs.

The whole sky on fire.

The sun setting over the ocean a ball of fire.

The ocean ablaze in reflected flame.

On land the sky a red-and-orange glow from the fire that's spreading, blowing north from Dana headlands up toward the Ritz and Monarch Bay.

The fire sweeps across the headlands, over the grass and brush, then ignites the juicy eucalyptus trees, which crackle and pop and it sounds like a million firecrackers going off. The fire races on and ignites the trees that flank the Ritz, encircles the gates of the resort like a besieging army while another arm of the fire races across the top of Salt Creek Beach, pushing on toward Monarch Bay.

Where it doesn't stop at the gate. Doesn't wait for the guard to buzz it in. The wind pushes the flames through, into the trees, into the expensive landscaping, burning up the trees, building up the heat to ignite the roofs.

Natalie and Michael stand in their room, looking out the window and watching the fire come toward them. They can't see the flames from where they stand; what they see is an orange sky turning blood red as the sun sets. They can smell the smoke, the acrid burning sensation in their eyes and noses, and they're scared.

Mommy is all burned up.

Daddy is gone again.

Even Grandma is nowhere to be seen.

There's nobody there but the men that Daddy has around and they're busy spraying water on the roof and they're paying no attention and the sirens are screaming and people are yelling and voices from unseen loudspeakers are commanding in stern voices to "evacuate" and there's a yell from a dozen voices as a wood-shake roof ignites, and Natalie struggles to remember if she knows what "evacuate" means as Leo hops and twirls and barks. The fire crackles in the tree outside the window like a voice from a bad dream, and what Natalie is thinking is, This is how Mommy died.

Out on the street Letty tries to get in but a cop stops her at the gate and tells her no entry to civilian vehicles, and she yells, I have children in there! but they won't let her through so she gets out and leaves the car there and heads in on foot.

Toward the house.

She runs toward the house as the trees hiss and pop over her head. People in cars and on foot stream the other way past her. Here and there a house has gone up now, the smoke is thick, it would be dark but for the flames, and then she's at the house.

It's on fire.

Flames dance on the roof.

"Natalie! Michael!"

A fireman stops her from rushing in. She fights him, screaming, "There are two children in there!"

"There's no one in there!"

"There are two children in there!"

She wrests herself free and runs toward the front door.

Inside it's all smoke, heat, and darkness.

Jack's crawling through hell.

On his stomach on the floor, down where there's a little air, below where the fire's burning on the counters, he crawls. Feels his way on the walls, praying he remembers where the door is. The smoke, the noise, the heat…

Then he feels the doorway.

It has to be an exterior door.

It has to be because if it isn't, when he opens it the fire will blast back and blow him away, but there isn't a choice so he pushes it open and then he's outside.

The grass is on fire.

Shit, it seems like all of California is on fire.

Through the smoke he can just make out a figure.

Nicky running down the bluff.

Jack runs after him.

Coughing, struggling for breath, Jack chases him down to the beach, runs after him along the beach. He can feel his heart pounding, hear the surf pounding almost in rhythm. Nicky's starting to slow down and then Jack catches him.

Nicky whirls and throws a finger strike at Jack's eye.

Jack turns his head and the strike catches him off the side of his left eye, opening a gash, and for a second Jack can't see but he lunges for where Nicky's neck should be and throws Nicky down into the surf.

Lands on top of him, holds on to Nicky's throat and pushes him under.

A wave comes in, breaks close to shore and sends a rush of swirling white water into Jack but he holds on. He feels Nicky's hands around his wrists, pulling and jerking. Nicky's legs kick out and up, trying to get away, but Jack has him by the throat and isn't letting up, even as another wave breaks and smashes into him. He holds on, holds Nicky under. Nicky's bucking and thrashing as Jack thinks about the Atlas Warehouse fire and Porfirio Guzman and the two dead teenagers and George Scollins and his own fucked-up life. And he pushes Nicky down harder until he can feel Nicky's back hit the rocks rolling in the trench. The white water recedes and Jack can see Nicky's face, can see his eyes bulge, and Jack hears himself yelling, "You want a deal, Nicky?! Here's your fucking deal!"