Thelma didn’t have time to think too much. She borrowed a blanket from a nearby shop, splashed a bucket of water on it, covered her head with the blanket, and rushed into the flames. She quickly ran up to the second floor, where the child stood by the window, but his foot was trapped under a fallen table. The table was burning with small flames and was quite hot. Thelma exerted herself to pry it open. She wrapped the child in the blanket and started running downstairs, but a nearby cabinet suddenly fell over as she passed the doorway.
The cabinet wasn’t heavy, but it was hot due to the flames. Thelma’s leg got pinned down; the blanket didn’t cover her completely, leaving half of her calf exposed. It was summer, and she was wearing capri pants. The burning cabinet pressed down on her leg, and she immediately fell to the ground. She felt a searing pain in her leg and tried several times to get up but couldn’t.
At that moment, the fire was raging more fiercely, and the air was becoming increasingly hot. Every breath she took was filled with smoke and a burning sensation. Thelma felt she was about to collapse; if she didn’t leave soon, both she and the child would be in danger.
She kicked her leg back with all her might, finally managing to push the cabinet away, but in doing so, she inhaled a mouthful of hot air, making her throat feel as if it had been scraped by a hot knife, causing her to cough violently.
Her body felt unbearable. She stumbled down the stairs, holding the child, and ran to a safe area in one breath. However, due to inhaling a large amount of smoke and being in a state of oxygen deprivation for a long time, as soon as she relaxed, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
When she woke up, she was in the hospital. Thelma opened her eyes to see her sister sitting beside her. She remembered she still had to participate in the competition and sat up abruptly, asking, “What time is it now…”
As soon as she spoke, she felt a sharp pain in her throat, and her voice became hoarse and unpleasant. Thelma covered her neck and tried to clear her throat, but even a slight effort caused her immense pain.
“What… what happened? My voice…”
Samantha hurriedly said to her, “Don’t rush to speak. The doctor said your throat was injured from inhalation, affecting your vocal cords. You’ll need a few days to recover before you can speak normally.”
“Affecting my vocal cords? Is it serious?”
Samantha turned her head away and didn’t look at her. “We don’t know yet.”
Thinking of the child, she asked, “What happened to that child?”
“He’s fine.”
Thelma breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, a few people were standing at the door of the ward talking. Hearing the noise, they walked in: Chris, Susan, Ava, and two police officers.
Seeing Thelma awake, Ava hurried over and asked, “Thelma, how are you? Is there anywhere else that hurts?”
Thelma shook her head.
The two police officers stepped forward, and one of them asked, “You are Thelma, right?”
Thelma nodded, confused as to why the police were here.
“Can you speak?”
Unable to hold back, Thelma asked, “Is there something wrong?”
The police officer spoke in a businesslike tone, “We suspect you are related to the arson case on April 10 at Kijani Street. If you can speak, please come with us for a while.”
Hearing this, Thelma was completely stunned. She looked bewilderedly at the two police officers, then at Chris and the others. “What do you mean?”
Chris, a bit angry and pained, said to her, “Just go with the police for now. They will let you go once they finish their investigation.”
Thelma remained confused. Samantha, unable to bear it, said to the two police officers, “Officers, she just woke up. The doctor said her injuries are a bit serious, and it’s hard for her to speak right now. Can you wait a couple of days before taking her for questioning?”
The two police officers exchanged glances, probably considering that she was indeed injured, and finally nodded.
Once the police left, Thelma learned the situation from Samantha and the others. It turned out that the owner’s wife of the bun shop insisted that Thelma had set the fire, especially since she was the only one who had been in the shop before the fire broke out.
“It wasn’t me! I just went to have breakfast. Besides, how could I set a fire? I had no motive, and I even saved that owner’s child!”
Samantha’s face showed her concern. “The owner’s wife said you were smoking when you entered the shop, and she specifically warned you not to throw your cigarette butts around. She said you might have done it on purpose to oppose her, and when you left, you deliberately threw the cigarette b**t next to the gas line while they weren’t paying attention. As for you saving that child, she said if you didn’t start the fire, why would you risk your life to save someone? Isn’t it because you felt guilty?”
