Trapped in a Fire, My Son and I Are Reborn

Chapter 3

Principal Lee kept blocking the door, her voice sharp as she stood in the monitoring room. "Jake's mom! What are you doing? You're making things worse!"

Earlier, when I'd pushed past her, the teachers had surrounded me, looking ready to stop me at all costs.

"What do you think you're doing? You just shoved the principal down!"

"You're causing chaos! If anything happens to the kids, are you ready to take responsibility?"

I shot them a glare. "I'm not causing chaos, I'm putting out the fire! What's your real reason for stopping me?"

I could see hesitation flickering on their faces now.

In the corner of the room, I noticed a machine that hadn't been burned. My son was pulling the other kids back, getting them to the farthest corner away from the kitchen. It looked like he had already warned the teachers about the explosion coming.

The teachers, covering their mouths with cloths, had gathered near the stairs. If I could just put out the fire on the stairs, they could get out. They were so close, but time was running out.

"The kids are running out of time! Are you just going to stand here?" I pushed, voice rising in panic.

The teachers exchanged nervous glances, eyes flicking between the monitors and me.

Just then, one of them hurried over. "The fire chief has ordered an evacuation. It's too dangerous! No one can go in until reinforcements arrive."

They covered their faces with whatever cloth they could find, crouching near the restroom by the stairwell. Once the fire on the stairs was out, they'd be able to run for it.

"The kids are running out of time! Are you just going to stand here and do nothing?" I cried out.

The teachers hesitated, their faces pale with fear. Another teacher rushed over, urgency in her voice.

"The fire chief said we need to evacuate. It's too dangerous here! No one can go in until reinforcements arrive!"

"They said unauthorized people are interfering with the rescue!"

The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to me, blocking me in completely. Andrew Carter, are you really going to let your son die while stopping me from saving him?

Principal Lee's voice was cold. "If you rush in blindly, who's going to take responsibility if something happens?"

The teachers joined in. "The chief gave orders to stop anyone from going in! For the safety of the kids, you can't act recklessly!"

My hands were shaking uncontrollably. My son could barely hold on any longer! Every second they wasted was another second closer to disaster.

"I have a firefighting certificate!" I pleaded, desperate. "As long as I have the proper equipment, I'm qualified to fight fires!"

But they weren't having it. They blocked me at every turn. The seconds were slipping away, and I felt like I was suffocating. I clutched the fire extinguisher tighter and shoved my way through them with everything I had.

My strength was starting to fade, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't let them waste any more time.

Suddenly, a burly man shoved his way through the crowd, his voice frantic. "Where's my kid? Where is he?!"

He looked around desperately. "None of the kids coming out are mine! Is he still inside?"

Principal Lee tried to calm him down. "The fire brigade is handling the rescue. Please don't worry."

But the man wasn't hearing any of it. "What do you mean, don't worry? There's a fire, and you're just standing here?!"

Before Principal Lee could respond, a wave of parents stormed in behind the man.

"My Guoguo's still in there! Why hasn't anyone saved her yet?!" one of the parents shouted.

"My son is still inside! What's going on? Why isn't anyone doing anything?!"

"The smoke's so thick! They're not going to last much longer!"

A woman, seeing me sobbing and helpless, rushed over. "Keke's mom! What's happening?"

I didn't waste a second. "They're stopping me from putting out the fire! The third floor is about to explode! If we can just get the fire out in the hallway, we can save the kids!"

The parents didn't hesitate. "We have extinguishers! We'll help you!"

The principal tried one last time to stop them. "If it explodes, it'll only make things worse! The fire brigade is already rescuing people!"

"We can't wait any longer!" I snapped. I grabbed as many fire extinguishers as I could. "The fire brigade's focused on the fourth floor! The third floor is ours!"

The parents stormed toward the stairs, completely ignoring the teachers' and principal's desperate pleas.

"Don't be reckless! It's too dangerous!" one teacher shouted.

But the parents were done listening. "You're putting everyone at risk by doing nothing! Don't you get that?!"

"Get out of my way!" someone yelled.

"If anyone tries to stop me from saving my son today, I won't hesitate to do whatever it takes!" My voice rang with cold determination, every word fueled by a fire I couldn't control anymore.