Huge Fire

(Flashback - 9 years ago)

(Last day of December - Part 2)

When our eyes finally adjusted in the dark, we saw a ray of light somewhere in the corner of the room. Aunt Emily rushed towards that soft light. I followed her.

It was coming from a small glass window that was slightly shattered. I tried to look around and realized that we were in a stock room that was somewhat abandoned. It was old and dusty.

Aunt Emily picked a wooden chair nearby and before I knew it, she smashed it on the window. I was so stunned at the shattered glass. My ears were still ringing when my aunt grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the window. She forcibly pushed me to fit into it. I climbed past the broken window and was cut by its sharp pieces. I had no time to mind the pain because I was concentrating on how to land properly on the other side. It was a grassland. I jumped and fell on my knees on a muddy part. My body was aching all over but I had to endure it.

For a second, Aunt Emily landed on my side as well.

"We have to hurry." She said and immediately pulled me to run.

My knees wobbled at first but my desperation to escape obliged me to get on my feet and sprint.

An alarm broke suddenly. My aunt and I stopped on our tracks in sync. We both looked behind and at each other's faces. I could see the horror in her eyes. I felt her hand tighten on my wrist and pull me again to run. Faster and more desperate.

We could see the barbed wires ahead of us. We just had to get out from those and then we would be free. We were running like we were competing against death. I was already out of breath but I tried to keep up with Aunt Emily. She was running like a madwoman.

"Stop!!!" I heard someone shout to us. It was just a faint sound but clear enough for me to hear that it was a warning.

We kept running. Then I heard a gunshot.

Aunt Emily suddenly stumbled. I almost fell on her but I managed to dodge and slumped on the grass instead. I felt a pain in my left arm when it hit the ground. I was breathing so hard.

I gently propped on my elbows and tried to reach out for Aunt Emily. She was trying to move but I could see that she was also in pain. I heard her moan. I crawled my way to her and my eye caught blood that was spattered on the grass.

My body went numb when I saw her upper body was drenched with blood. She was lying on her back, barely conscious. I instinctively hug her when I reached her.

"Aunt Emily!" I gently tried to wake her up. I began to feel so scared. I could not lose her now.

She half-opened her eyes. She smiled weakly.

"Hannah..." she softly whispered.

My tears began to blur my vision. I could not help myself from sobbing seeing how helpless she was. She was not like this. She was always brave and strong. Not like this.

"I'm... sorry..." She softly said and closed her eyes again.

"No... Aunt Emily, wake up!" I desperately shook her. She opened her eyes again.

"S-sorry... I couldn't save you..." I saw tears forming in her eyes.

"J-just... don't look at the person... when you are mad... look at the other things instead..." Her voice was becoming weak. I had to hold her close so I could hear her more.

"D-do not... hurt them... when you feel so angry..."

"We have to go, Aunt Emily! Wake up! Do not close your eyes, please!" I tapped her face repeatedly when she closed her eyes again. I would not let her sleep. I knew I should not.

Her body felt so heavy. I tried to look for the wound on her body to stop her bleeding.

"Hannah...y-you have...to save yourself..." She softly said while her eyes were still closed.

"Aunt Emily, let's go!" I was crying so hard.

"D-do not... look at them..."

I felt it. Her body suddenly went limp.

"Aunt Emily!!!" I screamed so hard believing she could still hear me. I just could not lose her. I would not let her leave me. Just like how Daddy did.

Her eyes stayed closed. I whimpered and shook her hard. I cried her name countless times but she was not responding anymore.

I heard some movement. With tears in my eyes, I looked up and saw that woman and the armed men around us. They were cautiously trying to get near but halted when I saw them. I could tell that the man beside the woman was the one who fired that shot. She was holding his gun down as if stopping him.

I felt a sudden rage and started staring at that particular gun. It burst into flames. The man holding it was so startled that he threw it away forcefully.

They quickly pointed their guns at me.

"No! Don't kill her!" The woman stopped them.

I was already prepared to put them on fire but her sudden command stopped me as well.

"So, you want us all to get killed, instead?! You know how dangerous she is!" The man on her left side, wearing a different uniform than the rest, shouted back at her.

"Just use the damn tranquilizer!" The woman rebutted.

Another man pointed an odd-looking gun at me. I stared at it and put it into flames.

"What the heck?! Just kill her!" The man with a different uniform commanded.

I concentrated and closed my eyes. 'Do not look at them'. Aunt Emily's voice echoed in my mind.

My inner self whispered that I should put all their guns in the air. I opened my eyes and looked at their weapons floating above their heads. In a blink of an eye, they all burst into flames.

All of them aside from the woman run away from the raining coals and ashes. She was wide-eyed staring at the burning firearms above. Her expression was not fear but more on amazement.

It was too late when I saw the man with a different uniform, pointed a smaller gun at me. I already heard a gunshot. I felt a sharp blow on my right shoulder. I fell on my back. Despite the pain, I quickly looked at him and his pants burst into flames. He screamed and ran in the direction where the woman was standing. She was still in awe of the remaining flames in the air. He collided with her and they both fell to the ground. Her clothes caught a flame from the man's burning pants. The others were all busy helping the two in shutting out the flames.

I felt so exhausted. The pain in my right shoulder was making me weak. I knew it was all wet with blood.

My eyes wandered and saw my aunt's lifeless body. My tears coursed down my cheeks.

'Save yourself...' I heard her voice echoing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't keep my promise again. I hurt them." I whispered. I really wished she could still hear me.

'I will not let you down again, Aunt Emily.' a voice said within me.

With the final strength that I could muster, I forced myself to get up. I sobbed when a pang of sudden pain hit my right arm. I closed my eyes and concentrated.

'I will not let you hurt me again.' I thought of those people who did the experiment to me.

With tears in my eyes, I stared at the building where Aunt Emily and I were imprisoned.

A faint sound of a blast caught everyone's attention. They all looked at the building. There were more explosions that came after another. For seconds, the whole structure was on fire.

More people screamed and panicked.

I could not see the woman.

I fell on my back again and stared at the afternoon red sky. It was so pretty.

My eyelids were heavy now. I badly needed a rest. I felt someone lift me up before darkness enveloped me.