Page 124 of Heart of Thorns
He shakes his head and hops over the remaining low rope, jumping to the floor. I track him across the gym, to the red gas canisters against the wall.
“An easy accelerant,” he explains. “Benbought these for me over the past few weeks. My car’s been in the shop, and he didn’t mind running over to get the fuel for my dirt bike. Didn’t even question it.”
“But the police will find record of it.” I spit out the bitter taste on my tongue. “You’re going to set the fire and leave?”
“And watch it burn,” he finishes. “Just like I watched that old building burn months ago. I’m sorry to have missed Briar’s fall. I’m sure it was quite spectacular.”
“You’re not going to get away with this.” I struggle harder. My attention swings to Ben. “Ben! Wake up.”
He’s not tied, but he is bleeding from his temple. His form is limp.
“Stephen,” I call. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No?” He laughs.
The sound scrapes in my brain, and my vision swims. My stomach rolls again, but this time due to the smell of gasoline. He splashes the canister against the base of the ring, and I gag. I glance down. My phone was in my pocket. 9-1-1 was already dialed, ready to be called…
I shift to the side and try to reach my back pocket with my tied hands. The angle is awkward, but my thumb brushes my jeans.
“If you’re searching for your phone, I left it outside. So someone knows how to identify your cremated corpse.” Stephen pauses on the opposite side of the ring, seeming to consider.“Well, your bones. I don’t think this fire will burn hot enough to completely destroy you.”
He continues what he was doing, humming as he creates a trail of gasoline to the front doors, then along the wall. He doesn’t say anything else to me, and I struggle with the ropes. I twist my wrists, but my vision goes spotty again.
I cannot fucking die in here.
“Stephen, you can’t do this.” I shift, my mind whirling. “You’re not going to get away with this.”
He throws the canister and picks up another, stalking over to me. “That’s the thing, Thorne. Fire is cleansing. It’s all power. One tiny spark will catch, and this whole place will go up like a tinderbox.”
“I don’t—” My voice breaks. “Please don’t.”
He sighs. “That’s the thing about fire. It doesn’t pick and choose.”
“Youare?—”
“When I was twelve, my childhood home caught fire. I was outside playing in the yard with my dog and little sister, and we didn’t notice until the upstairs windows broke. The smoke that poured out was thick and gray, and it was beautiful. I’d never seen anything like it.” He tilts his head. “Then the flames came through. It was a private show just for me.”
I stare at him.
“My parents made it out just fine. But the house itself? By the time the fire department left, there was almost nothing left of it. Just the bones.” He pats his chest. “No organs, no blood, nolife. Nothing salvageable.”
“That’s horrific.”
“It wasbeautiful.” He shakes his head. “We’ve lost the meaning ofawesome. It means to be full of awe. And I was that day. For years, I’ve wanted to feel that again, and the only time I manage it is when I recreate it.”
He’s insane.
“You lost your house as a twelve-year-old and you enjoyed it.” I raise my eyebrows. “Then burn the building, Stephen. But don’t kill us.”
“You don’t get it.” He hops the ropes and gets in my face. Gasoline sloshes out of the canister, soaking my pant leg. “You walk out of here, and I’ll never be allowed to touch a fucking matchbox again.”
To be fair, he shouldn’t even be allowed near a gas stove.
“No.” He rises. “This is the only way.”
He checks on Ben, pausing with his hand on his best friend’s shoulder. When Ben still doesn’t wake, he moves away. Out of the ring, toward the back door.
“Enjoy the view, Thorne,” he calls over his shoulder. “You’ve got a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth.”