Incandescent

Chapter 1: Among the Embers

There it was - on the midnight canvas of the towns sky. The glowing of an abnormality; the heat of a searing liquid. Yet the liquid never soaked, but left a hot lick across your skin. Then a scar left behind, red and blistered, a deep burn within causing a hiss to escape past the teeth of the one who wore it. Crackles in the sky, and echo of a scream from scorching wood scarred the ears of everyone in the town of dear old Locksley.

Yes. A fire burned. There was nothing that could be done - the cause an unintentional flicker of anger. Or was it sadness? But this fire burned and away with it the flesh of a building. Structure was crumbling with each scratch of a flame and within the structure were sleeping embodiments.

But it didn't spread yet - she could control it that much at least. All strength from her inner turmoil was formed into a grip of the dancers wearing yellow. But soon, she tired and her vision was a blackness that laughed. Within an instant, the dancers skipped along her corridor and underneath her door. The wood split with the heat and the paint had started to flicker off the wall. Some more, the flame danced, and down to the next level it flew. The floor above, now fully engulfed with the hotness of death, held a cry of fury. Luckily, though, she was the only one on that level that night - no one died instantly, at least.

As if to mock speed, the flames waited at the doors of others, warning them - coaxing them to open the windows, the doors - anything that would either let them in or feed them.

But no one came, the thick black smokey friend had got them coughing and calling for help. Reiterating her anger, they spread so fast that it was almost impossible.

Children lay, asleep but not willingly. The poison that came with fire had drifted them to slumber ages ago, an easy target for the dancing assassins.

Yet some more hisses were heard, as the wooden walls and the structure were failing to compose themselves. It slipped to another level, but luckily enough, the people who lived beneath had gotten away; the stench of smoke, and the sweaty hotness that came with it, scaring them away.

In the distance, somewhere, a wailing could be heard - high in pitch, but a reassuring friendliness came with it. A small while after, a loud and lengthened honk sliced through the silent but crackling night.

Then the red fire engine came screeching to a halt - uniformed bodies diving from the inside and running to their trained places. Some heaved a hose, big enough to plummet gallons of water on a burning building. As soon as the hose was ready, a lever was pulled and a gush of cold was sprayed on the burning building. Some rushed and grabbed the assortments of instruments, made especially for tackling this ferocious monster. One in particular, it seemed that time had slowed around him. A calm presence, he was, and a light in the dark. His kind brown eyes held determination and a stillness. He moved, with ease and concentration, toward the fire engine; its red held a melting reflection and he glanced at his own features. Clean and sharp, ready to fight for the living trapped inside. He gently grabbed his oxygen tank and slipped it on, a mask covering his features. He then gripped an axe and turned.

As slow as it might have seemed, it was only mere seconds, and he seemed to go even slower. A small sprint to the heated front door of the building, and a kick to the handle area, the door smashed open.

Surely you're thinking you'd be more careful in a situation like this, maybe even have someone with you, but carefulness wasn't need until the victims had been found. He guarded his face with his jacketed arm, as thick black smoke billowed out from the new opening to it. He then regained his stance and took a look inside, noticing no fire. It hadn't reached far down. Upon his observation, he stepped inside and ran through the small corridor, took a glance up the stairs to the first floor. There was nothing in this corridor, and so sped off up the stairs. His first door was after he'd turned left onto a small corridor. At the end of this corridor was a stair case, and only two rooms lay behind the walls. Thankfully, the residents, within, were already opening and an old lady, along with a child and mother were escaping down the stairs he'd pointed out.