Conflagration
Amber flames lick at the smouldering night sky.
I stand alone, watching in stunned silence as my workplace for the past seven
months is torn apart in a withering torrent of fire. Nobody can stop it.
Nothing can stop it. Not even the cascading floods of rain pouring from the
heavens, nor the blistering wind.
It had been a
typical Monday morning. I had been working alone on a presentation detailing
potential advertisements for the company. We sold insurance. Not my dream job,
but it was either that or the queue for dole, and I need all the money I can
get to appease the debt collectors, to pay for a child-minder, and to buy Christopher
the pinball machine for Christmas he’s been asking for since last January. It
was going to be a surprise, but he found the receipt in the backseat of the car.
That presentation was my first
chance to show Jamieson and the rest of the board that I wasn’t a waste of
space, and that I had potential. If they liked any of my ideas enough, I could
have been looking at a pay raise. Few times in my life had I been so nervous.
At least I’ll never have to finish that presentation now.
I have no idea how the fire spread so quickly, or how I managed to
get out alive. Not everybody did. Some might still be in there, trapped within
the burning building. Was this my fault? I was warned not to send anything to
the second floor printer, but surely something as trivial as that couldn’t have
started something like this?
I can’t go back
now. It’s far too late for that now. The
winter constellations gaze down upon the conflagration, shaming me for my
cowardliness. I don’t deserve to live. The stench of burning fills my nostrils,
and my eyes water from the choking smoke. Fiery debris soars through the skyline
like tiny meteors, leaving behind them trails of incandescence. Salty tears and
sweat pour down my smoke blackened cheeks, but my hands are paralyzed to my
sides, and they refuse to wipe them away. I can feel the gentle warmth from the
inferno, but I do not welcome it against the backdrop of the bitter night. Suddenly,
I hear a stifled woman’s cry from within the burning building. Fear floods me.
There’s no sign that the fire crews are anywhere nearby, and by the time they
get here the structure might not be standing at all. Desperately trying to forget
what I heard, I turn away.
It was for
Christopher’s sake, that’s why I took the job at the insurance firm. At first I
thought I would hate it, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected. The
people were friendly, and from the first day I was invited to eat lunch with
them, as if I’d been working there for years. It was nice. Right now that feels like an eternity ago.
I can’t go back now. Or can
I? I can’t wait here forever, what
happened today will perpetually eat away at my insides. I push my rain sodden
hair out of my eyes, and take a deep breath of smoke-filled air, breaking into
a coughing fit. When it stops, I take a step towards the devouring fire, but
then freeze solid, as my confidence falters. Against all of my instincts, I
force myself to take another couple of steps. As I feel the intense heat grow,
pure fear flows through me. But this time I do not waver, and I break into a
stumbling run.
Christopher is
my son. At least, I hope he is. I divorced his mother, Andria, a couple of
years ago, after I discovered that she was cheating on me for the third time.
Each time she swore that it didn’t mean anything, that it would never happen
again, but it broke my heart. The only reason we didn’t end it sooner was for
Christopher’s sake, but the third time was too much to bear. Andria left the
country two days after the papers were signed, on the arm of an investment
banker, a man who could afford her, leaving me with both Christopher and almost
£10,000 worth of debt, from her incessant internet gambling. I was once told
that finalizing the divorce was the best decision I ever made. That could be
true, I suppose, but it doesn’t feel that way. I didn’t ask where she went.
Somewhere hot and expensive, I imagine. Despite everything, I hope she has a
good life, even if I can’t be in it. I really do.
This is it. I venture through the splintering
doorway, and into a sea of flames. I am almost overwhelmed by the chaos, but
now I move faster than ever. I pull my jacket over my mouth and nose, creating
a barrier against the deadly smoke, the soft fabric rubbing against my rough,
sweat-ridden skin. Again, I hear a scream from above me, and I set myself in
the direction of the cry. My mind is vacant, except for untainted
determination. I see a set of wooden stairs, and sprint up them, with adrenaline
pumping through my veins, still not believing what I am doing.
Arriving at the
peak of the stairs, I glance across the landing, to see a man’s corpse lying in
front of me, covered in scorching fire. I recognise him; his cubicle was two away from
mine, but I never knew him name. As I watch, the floorboards beneath him gave
way, and he topples down onto the ground floor. The piercing scream again
stings the smoke infested air, not far away now, but my body is starting to
slow down, my reactions delayed.
Summoning up the
last of my strength, I launch a mighty kick at a door, and it cracks enough for
me to force my way through. Inside, I see a petrified woman, crouched
underneath a computer desk. I don’t know her name either; but she’s a member of
the board of directors. She’s here to watch my presentation. She wouldn’t be
here if it wasn’t for me. I rush towards her, and open my mouth to comfort her,
but no words leave my lips. My throat was too dry to utter a single word. I grab
the woman’s arm, and usher her towards the window. I try to open it but it only
opens so far as to fit an arm through. I take a lamp from a table, and shatter
the glass with it. Shimmering shards of glass tumble to the ground as smoke
begins to seep through the floorboards. I am unsure whether the woman
understands my intentions, but my doubts are dismissed as she clambers onto her
feet, and prepares to jump. Her hands are pressed firmly to her stomach, and I realise that she’s
pregnant. Her eyes are half-closed, her
movements subdued, and I know she will not last much longer if she stays inside
the burning building. I grimace as I see flames creep into the room, peeling at
the walls. It will not be long before the room is engulfed in the inferno,
along with everything else. I manage a brief smile as I see her hang out the
window, and then drop onto the tarmac below.
But now I feel
the blackness creep over me. Flames
gently lap at my shins, and I drop to my knees. Toxic smoke fills my lungs, and
my breathing deteriorates. I try to crawl towards the window, but in vain. My
breathing ceases entirely. As I lie to sleep, I cherish the fact that I saved
the woman and her future child from certain death. I never thought the end
would be like this. I guess I’ll never be able to get Christopher that pinball
machine. The last thing I see is his face, lighting up as he opens it from
underneath the Christmas tree. I open my arms wide and he runs to me, but
before he can reach me the scene fades to black. So much pain, I can barely
feel a thing.
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