MEET ME ON THE BATTLEFIELD

CHAPTER 22 - FOLLOW THE SOUND

      YuLin sat up immediately at the word fire. He looked around and indeed saw the black smog gathering on the ceiling, the crackling of wood on the fire and the nervous shouts of people outside.

  YuLin acted immediately, he ran to the water basin by the door and tore his sleeves of before shoving hem in water. "A Li! Come, quick!"

  A Li went to YuLin's side without question and had a wet rag shoved in his face, "What the hell?"

  "Many die through inhaling the smoke rather than by fire. Breathe through that until we make it out! Stay close." He demanded. Seeing YuLin's dead seriousness, A Li had no mind to argue and stuck as close as he could to YuLin.

  Through the building, many rooms had already caught on fire, pillars were burning down and black smoke was thick in the air, the brightness of the fire also caused them to squint their tearful eyes. YuLin's heart beat erratically, he was extremely nervous and anxious... what if they couldn't find a way out? Burned alive? He didn't want to even imagine that, he reached a protective hand out to A Li's and gripped it. A Li sensed this protectiveness and frowned in both worry and confusion... Perhaps not all demons are bad...

  Through weaving in and out of rooms and around pillars, they finally made it ground floor and saw the light of the day just ahead, as they both leapt outside, they inhaled a mouthful of fresh air before they began panting. 

  A Li scrubbed the tears away from his eyes as people surrounded them, offering comfort and water. 

  "You Ok?" YuLin asked, through gulps of water.

  A Li glanced at YuLin before giving a shaky nod. Just as YuLin was about to embrace the kid, a massive crackling noise sounded as he turned and saw the left side of the inn collapse and a woman screamed.

  "Please someone! someone! My little sisters in there!"

  The crowd collectively gasped, but none stepped forward.

  The woman tried running forward but was held back by other women, dressed to look like maids. " Ma'am you mustn't!"

  "The inn has collapsed... it's too late!" One sobbed.

  However, the woman continued pulling and wailing, "You don't understand! The left side collapsed, she was sleeping on the third floor, the right side of the building!"

 The crowd looked down and sighed, shaking their heads. It was now too dangerous to enter the building anyway.

  YuLin looked at the weather, clouds. No hot sun to cause a fire, no lightning to spark a fire. He raised his voice and quickly asked, "How did the fire start!"

  The crowd turned and stared at him and his soot-covered face.

  "Aiya... must be someone in the kitchen's..."

  "No no I heard that.."

  "What?" YuLin demanded as he looked down at the old man who spoke out.

  "Sir... I heard it was rebelling... an act in defiance of the general's brutal recruiting..."

  YuLin's face contorted... he was sure this was the first time in his life he's scrowled at someone. He turned to the crowd and began shouting, "You people are really...really ungrateful! War is coming... if we don't have enough men, more than just one house will burn. The whole nation will burn! And you dare set fire on an inn housing many innocents. To the inn where the very man trying to win this war is staying. No face I tell you... whoever you are you have No face!" With that, YuLin sprinted into the remaining piece of the Inn. His figure disappearing amongst the blazing fire.