Story 488: Firetrap

The team’s moment of respite ended abruptly as the scent of burning wood and chemical smoke filled the air. Rook was the first to notice, his head snapping toward the corridor leading out of the grand hall.

“Smoke,” he barked. “Stay sharp!”

As they moved through the hall, the glow of flames became visible. It was coming from the manor’s kitchen. Shadow took point, her sniper rifle slung over her back in favor of her sidearm. The team moved cautiously but quickly, knowing time wasn’t on their side.

The kitchen was chaos. Flames licked the walls, climbing up the cabinets and turning them into charred ruins. A fire had engulfed the stove, spreading to a stack of dishes and bottles. Broken glass glittered on the scorched floor, and the room was filled with a symphony of crackling flames and groaning wood.

“Gas lines,” Ghost muttered, scanning the scene. “This whole place is a bomb waiting to go off.”