"Yeah," John said, coughing against the smoke. He let go of her hand and pulled off his shirt and handed it to Zoe. "Here, use this as a mask, try to cut down on the amount of smoke you breathe in."

John ran for the kitchen, dodging around the flames as best he could, managing a tight grin of triumph when his hand closed over the small extinguisher kept by the stove.

He used it sparingly to get back to Zoe, then started towards the door. "Stay behind me," he told her.