The Distance

by Alexa Land

  “There’s plenty of privacy back here, though,” Kai said as he led me into the dark kitchen.

  I chuckled and said, “This looks exactly like the set of a horror movie. The two dumb kids sneak off to have sex in the creepy, abandoned kitchen, and then blammo! Ice pick to the cranium.”

  Kai laughed at that as he picked me up and sat me on a stainless steel counter. “You should write romance novels,” he told me. “You’re so good at setting the mood. Make sure to watch over my shoulder while I’m sucking you to make sure nobody ice picks me.”

  I grinned at him and said, “I’ll always keep you safe, Kai. I even finally got you to lock up your shop when you’re working at night, which I consider a major personal safety victory.”

  Kai kissed me, then corrected, “Our shop.”

  “What? No. Kit’s is your baby.”

  “You’ve brought in so much business, even before you started working with me.”

  “By sleeping with you outside and attracting the attention of Ash and his friends?” I gave him a teasing smile.

  “I meant when you gave up a whole weekend to paint the building, then told me about the bulletin board at the community center and designed a flyer to put up. You’ve been a part of this business since we first got together, and the fact that it’s actually profitable for once is totally due to you.”

  “You give me too much credit. I’m glad it’s turning a profit, though.”

  “It is, and I really believe it’s just going to keep improving. It’s the snowball effect, we gain a new customer and do a good job for them, and in turn they refer a couple friends. At this rate, I think we can start construction on that upstairs apartment we’ve been talking about next month, assuming we can get some blueprints drawn up and obtain all the permits.”

  “It’d be great if that could happen.”

  “It really would. Just think, a bedroom where I can walk from wall to wall without hitting my head, what a luxury! And Izzy’s bedroom can be twice as big as the one she has now, so she can build an entire stuffed animal empire,” he said. “You and I will have room for a king-size bed, but I hope we only ever use two feet of it.” Even in the faint, blue light of the exit sign, I could tell his eyes were sparkling.

  “You and I….”

  “I’ll be building this as a home for all three of us, Jessie, you and me and Iz.”

  “Living together is a big step. You sure we’re ready?”

  “When was the last time you and I slept apart? I can’t even remember. The whole living together thing already happened automatically, no discussion required. You probably have as much stuff at Gran’s house as you do at Nana’s right now, don’t you?” I nodded, and he said, “We’re ready, Jessie.”

  I thought about it for a few moments, and then I said, “Okay.”

  “Really?”

  “I want this too. God I want this. But if I’m moving in, then I plan to help pay for the construction of that second-story apartment.”

  He pulled me close and kissed me, then said, “This is awesome. You and I can plan it out together. But we’ll do that later. For now, less talking, more sucking.” I chuckled and kissed him deeply as he massaged the bulge in my jeans.

  After a moment, a faint rustling sound to my left caught my attention, and a few seconds after that I heard the door connecting the kitchen to the club swing on its hinges. “Okay, that’s creepy,” I said, turning my head to peer into the darkness. “I don’t think we were alone back here.”

  “Figures. Some of the go-go dancers were getting pretty friendly with each other out on the dance floor. A couple of them probably snuck off to do exactly what we’re doing.” Kai kissed my neck, but then an odd, crackling sound made both of us pause. After a moment, as we both listened intently, he asked, “What do you suppose that was?”

  “It almost sounded electrical.”

  “It did, didn’t it?”

  We stayed still for another moment, and I said, “Is it my imagination, or do you smell smoke?”

  “Oh shit, I think you’re right.” I slid off the counter and Kai took my hand. “It’s faint, but I definitely smell it. We’d better get everyone outside.”

  We hurried into the club and found that Nana and forty of her friends had arrived. She was sitting on Ollie’s lap, and waved when she saw us and called, “Hi boys! We’ve crashed the stag party! Did you two sneak out for a little nookie?”

  I jogged to her and yelled over the music, “Come with me, Nana. You too, Ollie. Dante, start directing everyone to the door. Get Vincent to help. There’s smoke in the kitchen. It’s faint, but everyone needs to get outside.”

  I took Nana’s hand and hurried to the exit with her, just to make sure she got out safely. But when I grabbed the door handle, it wouldn’t budge. I shook it, hard, then stepped aside and let Kai try to open it. “It’s locked,” he said after giving it his all for a minute. The smoke smell was more noticeable, and a murmur went through the crowd.

  “We need the key.” I ran over to the bar and looked around as I asked, “Where did the bartender go?”

  One of the waiters, a young, red-haired guy, was behind the bar and told me, “He left about five minutes ago and told me to cover for him. He said he needed a cigarette break. The only keys I know of are on his key chain and on the club owner’s, and the owner hasn’t been in all night.”

  “Look behind the bar,” I said. “Look everywhere for a spare set, including in the register. Does the club owner have an office? Maybe he keeps an extra set of keys in there.”

  “Not on site.” The red-haired guy grabbed another waiter by the arm and the two of them searched for a key.

  “What about the back door?” Dante asked.

  “We were just there, it’s locked too.”

  Everyone was starting to get nervous, and a buzz went around the room. The smell of smoke was still subtle but more pronounced, and I could see worry on many people’s faces. Across the room, Vincent ran to the DJ booth and cut the music, then grabbed the mic and said, “Everyone, stay calm. We have a bit of a situation, but we’re handling it.”

  Dante and I ran back to the door and he tried kicking it a few times, but it was solid metal and didn’t budge. As he bent to examine the lock, Kai held up his phone and said, “I’ve called nine-one-one. The fire department is on the way.”

  Another buzz went through the crowd, and Nana exclaimed, “Everyone just keep calm! My boys are going to get us out of here!”

  “There are no keys,” the redhead yelled.

  I shouted, “Keep searching,” and looked around, trying to think. The crowd was getting louder and louder. I could hear panic in their voices.

  The club had no windows, and only the two doors. I looked up at the high ceiling. It was painted black, just like the walls and every other surface in the club. Someone had brought up the lights, and I noticed a black, framed rectangle above the doorway that was slicker than the textured walls. I grabbed Kai’s arm and said, “I think that might be a transom. If it is, I can try to squeeze through. Do you have a crowbar in your trunk? If so, I can try to pry the door open from the outside.”

  “There are a few tools in there, but I have no idea if there’s a crowbar. It’s worth a look, though.”

  He laced his fingers together to boost me up, and I stepped onto his hand. The painted surface above the door felt like glass when I ran my palm over it. The transom was nearly the width of the doorway but less than a foot high. I shoved on the frame and felt it give, just a little.

  With a loud ‘whoosh’, an orange sheet of flames suddenly shot up the far wall behind the DJ booth, then rolled across the ceiling like a burning tide. My heart leapt as fear jolted me, and someone screamed. An oppressive wall of heat radiated down from above and I cowered, even though there were eight feet between me and the fire.

  Below me, people were screaming and trying to rush away from the burning wall. There were way too many people in that small space, and some of them started pu
shing and shoving as panic took control. In the center of it all, Dante had one arm around his husband Charlie and one around Nana, trying to shield them both from the crushing throng. Ollie embraced her too, and Nana clung to him. Several more layers of loved ones formed rings of protection around their beloved Nana in a desperate attempt to keep her safe. It wouldn’t be enough at the rate the fire was spreading.

  My heart pounded in my ears as fear made the hair on my arms stand on end. I was terrified, more than I’d ever been in my life. I looked down at Kai. There was fear in his eyes, but he was trying not to let it show.

  He couldn’t die here. He just couldn’t. I had to get him out of here, and Jed and Nana and all of these people, all of my family.

  I straightened up and put my fist through the glass. Pain shot through my hand, but that didn’t matter. I used the hole I’d made to grasp the edge of the window frame with both hands, and blood ran between my fingers as I sliced my palms on the rim of broken glass. Kai clutched me with his arms around my legs, trying to steady me as I threw everything I had into wrenching that frame. The heat of the fire was bearing down on me, and I was coughing from the smoke, which had begun to fill the room. Below me, Vincent was telling everyone to get low, down to the fresher air near the floor. I yelled as I tore at the frame.

  Finally, it swung open from the top as countless layers of paint gave way, but I needed more room to get through. Somehow, I found the strength to wrench it off its rusty hinges and threw it out into the street. I slipped my head and shoulders through the narrow opening and looked around. The industrial neighborhood was deserted, there was no one I could ask for help.

  I pushed my torso through, my body bruising and my skin and clothes tearing on the remains of the rusty hinges. It was an incredibly tight fit, and for a nightmarish moment, I was sure I was stuck. I cried out and grasped the opening, using my arms for leverage, pushing with all my strength as I tried to wriggle myself free. By sheer force of will, I somehow managed to force my butt and thighs through.

  I tried to twist around as I fell so I wouldn’t land head-first, and when I hit the sidewalk, excruciating pain shot up my leg. I pushed myself to my feet, gritting my teeth through the pain, and tried the door from the outside, shaking the handle. The screams of terror from inside the building were the most horrible thing I’d ever heard. I pulled at the handle with all my strength. Inside, I could hear someone trying to bust through it, probably kicking it. That door was never going to give.

  I bent down to look at the handle, trying to figure out what was wrong. A twisted piece of metal was broken off inside the lock, jamming it. A fresh shock of fear, cold and terrible, ran through me as some pieces fell into place. There had been no fire alarm. The sprinkler system hadn’t gone off.

  This had been intentional.

  I turned and limp-ran down the middle of the street. Pain radiated up my right leg with each step. I ignored it.

  When I finally reached the Impala, half a block away, I unlocked the trunk and searched it frantically. There was no crowbar, nothing I could use to get the door open. Oh God. I looked around me, trying to think, trying not to panic, as my heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest.

  Suddenly, I had an idea. I grabbed my phone and speed-dialed Kai, and when he answered I yelled, “I need you to get everyone away from the front of the building. Hurry, Kai. I’m coming to save you, but I need everyone away from the wall beside the door because I’m about to come through it!”

  “Oh God. Okay, Jessie.” He had his phone on speaker, and he yelled over the noise, “Vincent and Trevor, help me! You too, Jed and Skye. We need to get everyone away from this wall. Make a line, join hands and push everyone back!” He erupted into a coughing fit.

  “I love you so much, Kai,” I told him as I got the door unlocked and dove behind the wheel of the Impala. I didn’t think he’d heard me over the yelling. I dropped the phone and fumbled with his keys.

  I finally heard sirens in the distance. What the fuck was taking them so long? My hands were bleeding and shaking, but somehow I got the key in the ignition and took a deep breath as the big engine roared to life. I fastened my seatbelt, threw the car in gear and floored it. Thank God that the front of the club was a fire lane, and for once, people had actually obeyed the red zone and left the opening I needed.

  An odd calm settled over me, and time seemed to slow down in the few seconds it took me to reach the building. I became focused, trying to judge my speed and the weight of the Impala in relation to the brick wall I was about to smash into. If I overshot, I’d run people down. Not enough force and the wall wouldn’t give. It might also knock out the engine, so I potentially only had one shot at this.

  I flung the wheel to the left and gunned the engine as the big car hopped the curb. Immediately, I hit the brakes and braced myself as the front fender smashed into the wall. The impact was jarring, even worse than I’d expected. I slammed against the seatbelt and my head bounced off the steering wheel. It took me a moment to recover. When I looked up, I was overcome with relief, because there was a huge hole in the wall.

  I threw the car into reverse and backed it out of the opening. Immediately, people began running from the building. I kept backing down the street to get out of the way and ended up swinging the car back into its original parking space at an odd angle.

  When I tried to get out of the car, I cried out and collapsed onto the pavement. My right leg wouldn’t hold me up, and the pain was unbearable. I leaned against the door for a moment, catching my breath, and patted the Impala as I whispered, “Good girl. You did great.”

  I had to know if my family was safe, so after a moment I began crawling down the street toward the burning building. Flames shot from the roof, lighting up the night. People were running. I saw Dante carrying Nana. Ollie and Jed were right beside them. There was one person I didn’t see though, and I called out, “Kai?” My voice sounded weak.

  Finally, a big fire truck and an ambulance pulled onto the street, lights flashing and sirens shrieking. Rescue workers spilled from the vehicles and went to work immediately. As they pulled hoses from the truck and flung open the bay doors of the ambulance, I almost cried with relief. They’d help my family. It was out of my hands.

  Jed spotted me crawling down the roadway and ran to me. When he reached me, my brother scooped me up in his arms and I asked, “Where’s Kai? Is he okay?”

  “I think so,” he stammered. “Oh God, Jessie, you’re covered in blood.”

  “Did I hit anyone with the car? Did I kill anyone?” I kept blinking and couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t make my left eye focus.

  “No, Jessie, no one got hurt. We got everyone back from the wall, just like you said. Then we all ran to safety.”

  “Where’s Kai?” I asked again. My voice sounded hollow and it was hard to keep my eyes open. An odd prickling sensation ran through my body.

  “I’m right here, sweetheart.” I felt Kai pick me up and tried to grasp his shirt. I couldn’t move my arm.

  “I love you, Kai,” I murmured. “I didn’t know if you heard me.”

  “I love you, too, Jessie. You need to stay with me, baby. Can you hear me?”

  I forced my eyes open and tried to nod. I wasn’t sure if my head actually moved. It felt like we were running. Everything was swirling around me. It got harder and harder to make sense of what was happening, so I let my eyes slide shut again.

  “This man needs medical attention!”

  Kai was yelling that. He put me down and I wanted to protest. I missed the warmth of his body. It was so incredibly cold without his arms around me.

  I felt pressure on my forehead. I forced my eyes open and dropped my head to the right. Nana was on a stretcher beside me. She looked so little and pale. There was an oxygen mask on her face, and she wasn’t moving. Oh God.

  I tried to call to her. I wasn’t sure if I made a sound. I felt a tear spill down my cheek.

  Blackness closed in on me from all
sides, narrowing my field of vision further and further until there was nothing left. Please God, please help Nana. Don’t let her die. I sent that prayer into the universe.

  I realized I wasn’t cold anymore.

  I wasn’t anything at all.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I felt like I was swimming up through cloudy water. I didn’t know where I was, but it was bright. Too bright. My eyelids fluttered, but I didn’t want to open them.

  “Jessie?” I heard Nana right beside me and felt her hand on my cheek.

  “Shit,” I murmured. “Are we both dead? I love you, Nana. I didn’t want you to die.”

  “I tell you what, that’s no way to go. When I eventually get to heaven, I plan to slide in sideways on the back of a motorcycle. What I don’t plan to do is keel over like one of those fainting goats and then wake up at the pearly gates. Have you ever seen those things? You say ‘boo’ to them and over they go, legs stiff and sticking straight up in the air.”

  I grinned a little. “I’m sorry you’re dead, but I’m glad I’m not alone in heaven. I think it’d probably be really boring without you.”

  She chuckled at that. “Oh honey, you’re not dead. You’re just on a shitload of narcotic pain killers. You probably won’t even remember this conversation when you sober up a bit.”

  “I’m going to miss Kai,” I slurred. “And Izzy. I love them so much. I finally got my own family. He was so pretty, too. Wasn’t Kai pretty, Nana?”

  “He’s very pretty, Jessie.”

  “I didn’t just love him because he was so pretty. He was such a good guy. The best. He was just the best guy. He was so kind and considerate. And sexy. Gawd, those tight jeans he wore would drive me nuts. I’d take one look at him and get an instaboner. Should I be saying instaboner in heaven? Am I going to get kicked out for that?”