Living Among the Flames

Watching sparks fly, flames catch, and tempers flare.  
It is quite strange, when you are in the center of the inferno.  
 
Fumes fill the house, and your last breath is stolen from your lungs.  
Tears puddle on the floor as your begging goes unacknowledged.  
 
A fleeting decision is made as you make a desperate attempt to escape.  
Beams crumble in your path, and berate you for defying fate.  
 
Steeling yourself, you continue for the door, stinging bites peppering your legs.  
Voices hungrily chase you, but they feel cold and distant when they make contact.  
 
Your legs carry you fast and unsteady, away from the violence.  
The fire reaching, licking at your heels and grasping for your arm.  
 
The screaming follows you out of the house, and stands with you in the openness.  
There are large pillars of smoke rising from the house, thick and black against the stars.  
 
It’s a dark night, the ground littered with snow.  
Your feet are wet, and you can’t decide if your cheeks are red from the frost, or from the anger.