Tracie Hicks

The sun, obscured by a thick haze of smoke and ash, cast an eerie glow over the once-idyllic town. Acrid air, tainted with the stench of burning wood and scorched earth, seared the lungs of terrified residents as they fled their homes, faces contorted in primal fear and disbelief. Panic and desperation pulsed through the streets, once filled with joyous laughter and the comforting rhythm of daily life. Screams pierced the chaos as people pushed through the turmoil, stumbling over the fallen in desperate attempts to escape the encroaching flames.

The sun, veiled by a suffocating shroud of smoke and ash, cast an eerie glow over the town. Acrid air seared the lungs of terrified residents as they fled their homes, eyes wide with primal fear. Panic and desperation filled the streets, once echoing with laughter and the comforting rhythm of daily life. Screams pierced the chaos as people pushed through the turmoil, frantically trying to outrun the advancing wildfire. 

Amidst the commotion, a mother and her ten-year-old daughter burst from the school, hearts pounding as they sought to escape the encroaching blaze. Soot and tears streaked the girl’s face as she clung to her mother’s hand, fingers wrapped in an unyielding grip. Wide eyes danced with a terror no child should know, her mind a whirlwind of instinct. The mother pulled her daughter close, her resolve to protect her child lending strength to her grasp. 

As they ran, dodging falling cinders and choking on the thick smoke, a flicker of guilt gnawed at the mother as the faces of her friends flashed through her mind – the ones she had been in the forest with earlier. “What have we done?” The errant thought vanished as quickly as it surfaced, swept away by the primal need to survive.

After what seemed an eternity, they reached their car. The mother’s shaking hands fumbled with the key fob, struggling to unlock the door as the searing heat of approaching flames scorched her back. As the doors unlocked with a click that sounded like hope, they tumbled inside.

The mother slammed her foot on the accelerator as the engine roared to life. Tearing away from the school, they joined the frantic stream of vehicles fleeing the catastrophe. The flames consumed the town they left behind, its hellish dance reflected in the rearview mirror.

As they inched along the highway, stuck in the stream of cars, the girl pressed her face against the window, watching in slack-jawed horror as the fire ravaged the mountainside. Jagged silhouettes of peaks formed a nightmarish backdrop, barely visible through the dense smoke that choked the sky. Charred skeletons of trees reached toward the heavens in a final, futile plea. 

A murmur of disbelief about an invisible wall rippled through the restless crowd of stalled vehicles. Rapidly, it grew into panicked yells as a wave of dread washed over them. Through the haze, the girl watched in mounting confusion as people outside the cars pounded against an unseen barrier, desperately trying to escape the deadly blaze.

“Mom, what’s happening? Why can’t they get through?” the girl asked.

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” the mother replied, her voice tight with fear. “It’s like something is keeping us all trapped here.”

Sealed within the barrier’s confines, those inside could only observe helplessly, hearts sinking with grim realization as the car jerked to a halt, swallowed by an endless line of stalled vehicles stretching into the smoky void. Trapped. No escape.

Wild-eyed with panic, the mother realized the same sinister barricade that had spawned the crowd’s whispered fears ensnared them. With this chilling understanding, she nearly fell out of the car on unsteady legs, her daughter staggering behind her through the miasma of noxious fumes. The mother’s stomach clenched as she recognized some of the faces in the crowd—her friends, the ones who had been with her in the forest earlier that day.

A heavy weight of guilt settled in her chest. What have we done?

Seeking comfort amidst the nightmare, the girl burrowed into her mother’s embrace. The mother pulled her daughter tight, desperate to provide solace.

As the ravenous flames surged closer, an unthinkable scene unfolded before the mother’s eyes. To her horror, adults she recognized from the town began combusting one by one—the same ones who had been with her in the forest earlier that day. Scorching flames devoured their flesh and bone with merciless hunger. Their agonized screams tore through the smoky air.

Terror paralyzed the mother as she watched the blaze claim those she had once called friends, a sickening dread rising within her at the thought of soon meeting the same fate. She pushed her daughter away from her. Then flames erupted from the mother’s skin, engulfing her in searing agony. Through gritted teeth, she choked out, “I’m sorry, it’s all my…” Her words were cut short as the fire consumed her.

Transfixed by horror, the girl watched as flames engulfed her mother, her screams of anguish mingling with those of the other burning adults. In mere moments, it was over. Her mother’s charred remains crumbled to ash, scattered on the merciless wind.

Shock pulled the girl into merciful oblivion. Hours passed in a haze of numb horror, her awareness fading in and out as the sun dipped below the horizon. With the embrace of night, the invisible wall that had held them captive vanished as mysteriously as it appeared.

Amid the chaos, a familiar voice calling her name roused the girl. Eyes fluttering open, she saw her father kneeling beside her, his face etched with concern. Gathering her into his arms, he held her tight, tears mingling as he whispered words of comfort.

“Dad, how did you get in?”

“The barrier came down with nightfall, sweetheart. I don’t understand how, but it’s gone.”

Beside them lay her mother’s purse, untouched amidst the devastation. Reaching for it with trembling hands, the girl drew it close.

Still reeling from shock, she allowed her father to lead her away from the horrific scene. Suddenly, a buzzing sound from the purse startled her. With numb fingers, she retrieved her mother’s phone.

Once a forbidden treasure she longed to explore, the device now filled the girl with foreboding. But she had to understand the reason behind what her mother was trying to say.

With a deep breath, she hacked her mother’s phone and navigated through the maze of messages. She found the terrible truth, illuminated by the screen’s cold light. Her mother and her friends had been responsible for starting the fire, their reckless actions sparking a catastrophe that destroyed everything. They had fled, only to become trapped, leaving the innocent to pay for their mistakes. In the end, Mother Nature made sure they paid the ultimate price, trapping them inside and their bodies consumed by the inferno they unleashed.