Heat pulsed in waves along the wooden floor. Eric shied away. Glancing up, he saw the cowboy framed in the doorway.“Bingo. Here, boy.” The man whistled.Eric shielded his face against the wall of flames. Smoke burned his eyes, making them tear. The world swam.Bingo yelped, then raced for the door and his master, his fur smoldering.Where was Tres?Eric searched for the boy. He hadn’t seen him since he’d bolted. With luck the kid had escaped through the front door and been collared by the cowboy.Suett lay on the floor near Eric’s feet. Orange tongues of flame lapped in circles around his body. Eric needed to do something quickly, or the boy would burn to death. Bending down, he tried rousting him. “Suett!”When he didn’t respond, Eric tried pulling the boy to his feet. The kid’s dead weight, combined with his size, made moving him alone nearly impossible.Eric cast about for alternatives. Behind him, the flames leaped around the base of the old store’s shelves. Tin cans exploded, their contents swollen by heat.
