Story 493: Firestorm Within

The living room was an inferno. Flames clawed at the furniture, engulfing the striped armchairs and spreading rapidly to the curtains, which disintegrated in fiery bursts. Smoke coiled ominously along the ceiling, thick and suffocating, as the room transformed into a death trap.

Commander Rook kicked down the front door, his silhouette framed against the blinding light of the blaze. "Move in, but watch for traps!" he bellowed, waving the team forward.

The squad entered with precision. Bulwark hefted a fire extinguisher, spraying foam to create a path through the chaos. "This fire’s not random!" he shouted over the roar. "They’ve rigged the accelerants to burn in separate waves."

Viper darted to the side, her combat knife gleaming in the flickering light as she sliced through the remnants of fallen drapes. "They wanted it to spread. This whole house is a giant signal flare."