Iris

"You doing okay?"

I looked up from the phone where I was watching a movie with a younger girl, my best friend's sister, Sadie, and saw her older sister Jade behind the kitchen counter, a slightly concerned look on her face. Nodding, I passed the phone over to Sadie, and walked into the kitchen, and looked at Jade, who was busy in front of a sink, washing up the dishes that were there.

"How are you doing?"

"Just a bit perplexed, I guess," she said, the concern in her voice clear as day. "First my mother gets sick with a high fever, then this damn storm come out of nowhere..."

I held her arm which prompted her to look at me, then cover her face with her hands, I walked in front of her, and held her hands with mine, lowering them, and looking at the tears in her eyes. S felt the air from her mouth in my finders as she let out a sharp exhale, and she takes one of her hands from my grasp and wipes her eyes.

"You need to go get some rest."

"But my mom and Sadie-"

 "I'll take care of both of them. You've been up late studying," I stated, looking into her eyes, which showed pure exhaustion. "You can go check in on your mom before you go to bed, and I'll get Sadie tucked in and ready for bed. And I'll join you right after that."

I watched as she bit her bottom lip and nodded, and as her expression slowly changed to one of concern.

"You smell that?"

It hit me suddenly. A strange smell. Smoke, combined with what seemed like some sort of other strange smell. And it could only somehow be coming from inside the house, because all of the windows were closed up.

"Go check around, I'll deal with what you were cleaning up." I started walking toward the sink rolling up my sleeves, and getting ready to dip my hands in the cold soap water. However, before I could make a start, I heard Jade's scream echo through the house, and saw Sadie stand up to move towards the direction her sister had disappeared in mere seconds ago.

"No, Stay there." I pointed towards the chair, a stern look on my face. "Watch the movie. I'll be back."

I ran in to the hallway, and saw smoke billowing from the house's master bedroom, and Jade sitting against the wall, Her hands over her mouth, and a look of shock on her face. Running towards her, I asked what was happening, but before I could get to her, I saw what had her so disturbed.

There was a humanoid figure in the room, flames surrounding it. My stomach lurched as I looked at the bed, and then at the figure, screaming out in sheer pain and agony. My brain quickly processed why that person engulfed in fire, and before I could say anything, I found myself running to the bedroom's sliding door, opening it, running to the closet and taking out a sheet, then shoving her through the door, onto the wet patio.

As Jade's mother convulsed Under the sheet, I struggled to hold her down, and try to put out the fire on her body, attempting to hold her down,  but when I felt her foot connect to my stomach, I staggered backwards, doubling over. However, I watched as Jade ran outside and continued what I had started, until the fire died down, and eventually went out.

I slowly stood up and looked at the sheet, which had been burnt slightly, then to Jade, who was bent over gasping for breath. I watched as she slowly walked over to the sheet, and pulled it off, then paused where she was standing before turning away and throwing up. My eyes then glanced over to the body, which was fully charred.

"Mommy?"

I looked back at the door and saw Sadie standing there, a look of fear on her face.

"Go inside."

Sadie looked up at Jade, Fear painted onto her face.

"Why?"

"Inside now." Jade's voice was filled with fear and anger, And as I stood up, Sadie looked at me, almost as if she was silently asking for me to to tell her to join us.

"Go to your room," I said calmly, and watched as Sadie nodded and walked back inside, her head hanging low. Looking back at Jade, I noticed that she was shaking, her eyes fixed on the body on the ground. Hearing a crash, I looked across and saw curtains on fire, and a figure running around inside.

"What now" Jade asked, her voice shaking while she shifted her gaze to me.

"You need to come with me then this is over."