Stuff is Just Stuff

The roar echoed through the room, bringing to life a beast that hasn't set foot on the planet in millions of years.

Erica curled her knees tighter to her chest as she leaned against her girlfriend. Jen popped another M&M into her mouth as she wrapped her arm tighter around Erica.

The roar echoed through the room again, shaking the floorboards. The bass pounded for the chase scene, shaking the windows in their frames. The beast's jaw opened wide.

Erica gasped and widened her eyes.

The jaws snapped shut and the power cut out.

Jen jumped up from the couch and ran to the TV. M&Ms spilled everywhere. "Not the TV, not the VCR," she muttered. "Nonono."

Erica sat up. "I'll check the fuse box, honey, I'm sure the TV and VCR are fine." Erica stood up and stretched then went in search of the fuse box. Behind her, she could hear Jen fussing with the TV stand. She got to the hallway and suddenly paled. "JEN!" she called. "We've got a lot more than a blown fuse to worry about!"

"What?" Jen asked.

Erica stood wide-eyed at the top of the hall. "We should probably use the fire escape, like, right now." Jen came around the corner and stopped.

The flames were halfway down the hall, inching their way up the drywall and closer to the living room. Smoke poured across the ceiling and through the completely ruined front door. Erica was paralyzed where she stood.

Jen grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her back to the fire escape. On the way past the kitchen counter, Jen grabbed a small box.

The window was already open, it was a warm night. They clambered out and down the steps, pounding on the railing and any windows they passed, hoping everyone else got out okay too.

In the back alley, they were alone, no one else was coming down the fire escape either. Jen ran across the street to the corner store to call 9-1-1. Erica raced to the front of the building.

She pressed as many of the call buttons as she could, hoping people would wake up and get out. Precious minutes passed as no one answered, the phones didn't even ring. Erica finally heard sirens approaching.

The firetrucks pulled up and one of the men pulled Erica away from the door, shouting "Get as many out as you can, fire's on the 4th floor at least." Men rammed through the door and disappeared into the dark building.

Erica sat down on the curb across from the apartment block, her home. Jen sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They watched as the first flames broke glass in the windows of their apartment. The flames shot higher as the first person walked out the front door, Mrs. Goodwell from 1C.

Jen put her face into Erica's shoulder and started crying. Erica wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and held her tight.

Slowly everyone trickled out of the building The stairwell, the girls were told later, was miraculously clear. Their apartment, and their neighbor's were the first to burn, at the far end of the building from the stairs.

A policeman came to get a statement.  Jen did her best to dry her tears as they both tried to give a coherent statement. Had they heard anything? Had they seen anything? No, they said, they were watching the movie, sound way too loud, they couldn't have heard anything. The officer eventually left.

Erica and Jen faced each other. "What are we going to do, Jen? That was our only home!"

Jen hugged Erica a bit tighter.  "We'll figure something out," she said. "We always do. No matter what happens, at least we've got each other, right?"

Erica nodded.

Jen stuck her free hand in a pocket, playing with something. "I wanted to do this tonight, after the movie, but... well..." She pulled out the little box she had pulled off the kitchen counter. "We can't get married," she said, "but that doesn't mean we can't wear rings." Jen flipped the box open and Erica gasped.

Sitting side by side in the box were two beautiful rings. Erica tentatively reached out for the smaller of the two. Jen pulled it out for her and slid it onto her finger.

"Jen, it's perfect," Erica sighed. "You're right, no matter what happens, at least we have each other."

Erica slid the other ring onto Jen's finger and they turned back to watch the last attempts at putting out the blaze that used to be their home.