The sun was but a heartbeat away from rending the sky asunder with its radiant rays when it all began. Thick, oily smoke slithered like a wicked serpent from the shadowed groves, weaving its malevolent tendrils into the open pastures that stood as fragile barriers between our humble homes and the wilderness beyond.
Goats, sheep, and cows, those placid grazers that should have been relishing the morning’s dew-kissed grass, scattered like frightened spirits back to their pens, their alarmed bleats weaving a symphony of panic that roused slumbering dogs into a cacophony of primal howls. A symphony only understood by the woods themselves and fatally ignored by men. Birds burst from their leafy perches, painting the dim-lit sky with a somber veil, a dark exodus too swift to admire as it swiftly dissolved into the farthest reaches of the horizon.
Early risers, the calloused hands of farmers, surveyed their surroundings with uneasy glances, sensing a disquieting undercurrent within the air—an enigmatic presence that cast a pall over their spirits and whispered portents down their spines. But the duties of the day beckoned a relentless demand that relegated these subtle premonitions to the depths of their minds, only to be resurrected when fate’s die had already been cast.
A scent, evanescent and haunting, wafted on the breeze — The faint smell of burnt wood, possibly linked to a coming feast, was what most agreed upon, without even glancing beyond their noses towards the creeping menace that rolled over the horizon.
From curtained windows, eyes peered toward the woodlands, beckoning their beloveds to witness the surreal spectacle that the heavens were unveiling.
Scarlet, amber, and golden clouds twirled above the canopy, a sunrise never before witnessed, a spectacle none had dared to imagine perilous.
A sudden heat enveloped the morning, coming earlier than anticipated. Still, people disregarded the warning, preoccupied only with their private affairs.
It was sudden, or so they said, though the omens had strewn their breadcrumbs throughout the morning. Ebony plumes ascended, like a shroud swathing the heavens, casting their consuming darkness over the town’s streets, smothering those who could not outpace its relentless advance.
The animals’ mournful cries faded, replaced by the screams of those who moments before, had been dismissing the ominous signs of their own impending doom.
“Buckets! Fetch more buckets!” A man’s voice bellowed as he darted in and out of the smoke while people rushed between wells and fountains, passing buckets to each other in a frantic effort to combat the obsidian haze. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain.
The blaze that had ignited as a mere whisper lost amid the screams, evolved into a virulent roar, its searing breath consuming all it touched, transmuting it to naught but seething embers. Amidst the ebony miasma, flames of infernal orange clawed skyward, illuminating faces contorted with terror. Some crumpled to their knees, begging whatever deity might deign to heed to put a stop to the madness, while others, resigned to their faith, simply begged absolution before being ushered into realms beyond.
I dashed from point to point, wrenching ashen faces from the ravenous smog, extracting bodies from homes that were destined to join the pyre. My lungs burned with smoke and exhaustion, with each inhalation coming laden with ash and desperation. Yet, I didn’t stop, I pressed on, my resolve fueled by the creed that all my adult life I’d abide by - Protect and serve.
By me broken minds darted toward the flames, their last words devoid of any sense.
Desperate mothers’ would appear behind me, pushing towards the blaze, pleading to save their offspring — children who by then had transformed into ashes by the insatiable wrath of the flames. yet, they still insisted that they could hear their infant cries.
The ruin unfurled with a swiftness akin to diabolical, as lives were erased in seconds and futures consumed by the insurmountable inferno.
After all that could be done, had been done once twice and sometimes more, the villagers finally allowed for evacuation – some resisting with every ounce of their essence, others dragged lifelessly with their eyes glazed, as if their soul had vacated their bodies.
I stayed behind them, watching them leave, ensuring their safe departure. And, as a reward for my dedication, I saw the flames engulf my home, consuming it in a malevolent embrace before it crumbled to a smoldering ruin.
Then from the corner of my eye, something moved amidst the blaze. A humanoid shadow.
Guided by my unyielding creed, I started back toward the flames, yet my momentum halted as swiftly as it had started.
There within the flames, a phantom-like figure moved. Its strides were measured, deliberate, as though oblivious to the cataclysmic tempest that enshrouded it.
The moment it noticed me, its head swiveled in my direction. The chilling malevolence of its gaze seemed to penetrate through the smoke and flames, sending shivers down my spine
I tried to run, but my feet felt as if bound to the ground by my fear. The entity then advanced its approach marked by a feral and predatory grace, halting one step before the inferno’s edge. The flames were so intense around him that his features became a blur, rendering him a shadow.
Its head tilted for a moment as if curious about my presence, but then as sudden as a lightning strike its arm surged forward emerging from the blaze like a pouncing viper. I flinched, closing my eyes tightly, bracing for impact, but the strike never came.
Tentatively, my eyes reopened and there it lay, protruding from the flames, a hand charred to cinder, its skeletal index curling like a beckoning talon, inviting me to come closer.
Yielding to the entity’s influence, I inched toward it, my heart’s rhythm echoing a somber dirge until finally, I became within reach of its cursed grasp.
The flesh, crisped and chilled of its fingers brushed my cheek, with an unforeseen gentleness that summoned a surge of terror to wash over me. What did it want for me?
A forceful idea sprouted within me, distinct from my own thoughts. It compelled me to approach, to step closer to the flames’ heart.
I fought against it fiercely in a fiery battle against its alluring force. My feet shook, and the strength of my resolve stretched like fraying threads. with only my will as a defense against my own undoing, the only barrier between me and the unwavering flames seeking to seize me
Just as my will began to shatter under the insurmountable pressure of the entity’s will, a single tear rolled down my cheek, as the last act of resistance against the spell.
That tear touched the creature’s skin, and as they made contact, a searing pain shot through my flesh, branding it with intense torment. A mix of anguish, mine and the phantom’s, blended into a dissonant symphony of suffering. The tormented entity recoiled, its howl a crescendo of misery that pierced the air—a lament for its lost dominion over me.
Free from the influence, I dashed away from the flames each stride putting distance between me and that cursed being.
As the flames’ roar faded behind me, the piercing wails of sirens reached my ears. Renewed by their sound, I sprinted forward. A scarlet truck rushed past, barely missing me on its pursuit to relent the land from the evil I’d left behind. Pushing forward without a break, I finally came upon a crowd of familiar faces. Only then I’d allowed for my body to rest.
The wildfire, its fury unmatched, swept across the landscape while hiding its origins in mystery. I However held answers beyond others’ grasp. A truth too grim to be set upon the world.
In that moment of shared torment, I had seen the creature’s mind, its malevolent intentions, and its plans to make them real. A grim future sets on humanity’s horizon for not only it lurks in the shadows, but a legion more inhabits the darkness with all resolute on destruction.