Bitter.
Chemical.
Like something electrical had become too hot.
But Emma was asleep.
Her brain registered the smell without fully waking her.
She shifted beneath the blanket.
The room remained dark.
Then the smell became stronger.
And somewhere beside her, heat began to build.
When the Darkness Suddenly Turned Orange
Emma opened her eyes.
For a moment, she couldn't understand what she was seeing.
There was an orange glow beside her.
She blinked.
The room looked unfamiliar.
Smoke was already moving through the air.
Then she saw it.
Fire.
Her pillow was burning.
For one frozen second, Emma simply stared.
Her brain refused to connect what her eyes were seeing with reality.
A fire belonged in a fireplace.
A kitchen.
A garage.
Somewhere else.
Not here.
Not in her bed.
Not beside her.
Then instinct took over.
Emma threw herself backward.
She ripped the blanket away.
The flames moved quickly.
The heat was intense.
The charger and the fabric around it had become dangerously hot, and the fire was spreading into the bedding.
Emma tried to smother it.
She grabbed at the blanket.
She tried to push the burning material away.
But the situation had already changed from something she might control to something much larger.
Within moments, smoke was filling the room.
She coughed.
Her eyes burned.
She could barely see.
And then came the realization that would stay with her for years:
This wasn't a small problem anymore.
She needed to get out.
Immediately.
The Seconds That Felt Like Hours
Emma stumbled from the bed.
Her feet touched the floor.
She could feel heat against her skin.