It was evening soon, and Monica found herself walking on the streets of the city as she slowly made her way back to the hotel. Her job in the city was done but the company let her stay for a few more days, which was kind of them even though she was paying for the rest of the stay from her pockets. Money wasn’t really an issue for her at the moment and she could use a few more days of rest, so she accepted.

Monica wanted to return to meet Malini and the others. They lived just around the corner but the fading daylight and the fact that she was going to be staying in the city a few more days made her think otherwise. Her pace slowed down as her thoughts continued to fight each other.

Suddenly, a loud siren shocked the street she was at. She looked ahead to see a fire truck hurrying past her, weaving its way through the traffic. Looking behind her, she spotted a crowd forming a few blocks away. Monica knew the people who lived there, the thought of which made her jump a little. Looking a little more to her right, she could see plumes of smoke rising into the sky. Without a second thought, she dashed towards the crowd.

The entry was blocked by a crowd of people, making it hard for anyone to enter. The crowd did nothing, just stood by the side and watched the action unfold. The fire truck stood before the gate way and firemen quickly got out of the trucks and began ravelling the hose. Two men went ahead, pushing the crowd aside. “Move! Make way!” they shouted. But their voices were drowned out by the crowd and the raging fire inside. As they struggled to cut through the crowd, a woman, no taller than a small boy forced the people of the crowd to move. She grabbed onto three people and threw them off their feet. They fell to the ground cursing but were quickly shut up when a few more were thrown over them. The commotion got the attention of the crowd, who seeing the firemen fighting their way through, quickly cut a path. Monica dashed through the opening and into the fire.

The community had comfortably nestled into a pocket where it was surrounded by concrete on all four sides. The houses of the community, however, were built off anything the people could find. Waste overflowed the commercial district and much of it contained useful material. The scavengers picked up whatever they found useful and filled their small homes with them. These items would be made of anything from plastic to wood to steel. With so much fire hazard concentrated in one place, one might argue that it is only a matter of time. Yet it took five long years for a disaster to brew.

As Monica made her way down the stairs, men, women, and children fled the flames as they ran for the exit. She pushed herself to the side, making way for the fleeing crowd. As she reached the base of the stairs, she spotted Malini guiding the crowd towards the exit. Malini too spotted her. She moved towards Monica, holding out her hand as she tried to grab her. But Monica twisted her body away and headed in. “Don’t go in there!” Malini shouted. Monica did not listen.

Monica wasn’t sure how long the fire had been raging. She ran through the lanes between the houses and found them to be empty. But Monica did not stop. She ran past every house, making sure no one was trapped inside. The heat of fire was only getting worse as it began to irritate her skin and stinge her eyeballs and nose. At the end of one of the lanes, she saw someone. Moving in closer, she found a man desperately trying to pull the door of a house open. “Get out of there!” she shouted. The flames had consumed the house and he was dangerously close to the fire.

As she foresaw, embers of the fire jumped onto the man’s shirt, setting it ablaze. He quickly let go of the handle and began to try and put out the fire but only made it worse. His scream pierced Monica’s ears as she ran towards him. Her mind raced ahead, trying to figure out how she was going to put out the fire. ‘Faster!’ Monica told herself. He was nearly consumed by the fire. Looking past him, she saw a row of concrete wells. It was where the women of the community washed the clothes.

On reaching him, she grabbed him by his burning shirt and threw him into the well. He crashed into the water and remained underwater for a good few seconds, smothering the flames. Monica finally breathed easy, but the period of calm didn’t last long. As her heart calmed, her senses sharpened. What started as whispers quickly became louder and clear. Monica understood immediately what was going on. She hopped off the well and ran to the door which was now consumed in fire. She tightened her fist, which was still dripping wet, and slammed it into the wooden door, breaking it in one quick blow. “Get out!” she screamed as she ripped the burning wood out of the frame. Two kids and an elderly woman exited the house. Soot covered their bodies, but she couldn’t tell if they had any injuries. “Are you okay? How did you get locked inside?” she asked.

“We don’t know,” the woman answered.

“Fine,” Monica replied shaking her head, “run now. Get out of here.”

They didn’t wait for her to complete, quickly making their way towards the exit. Monica turned around to see the man climbing out of the well. She got over to him and helped him get out. She could see that his skin was charred in places. “You can walk?” she asked.

He simply nodded and slowly made his way towards the lane where two firemen appeared. “Help!” she called out to them and saw them respond immediately. She let him walk towards them as she turned left and continued her search.

She was reaching the east face of the community. Her senses were sharp as ever and she didn’t hear anyone. If anyone was locked, they would have long perished. Firemen were making their way and she felt as though there was nothing more she could do. As she closed in towards the final lane, where the homes looked untouched by flames, she noticed something move in the shadows. She came to complete standstill and focused her sight on the last row of houses. The bright flames nearly blinded her, but she made out a figure standing at the edge of a house. “Is someone there?” she shouted.

A head popped out of the corner. It was covered in a shawl with openings for the eyes which were looking straight at her. Monica froze seeing the figure. The person quickly threw a stick of fire at Monica and ran away from the buildings and towards the east wall. Monica, meanwhile, brushed the burning stick aside. She gritted her teeth as she ran behind the stranger.

On reaching, what appeared to be a dead end, the stranger quickly began to scale the wall. Looking through the dense black haze, Monica was able to spot a gap on top of the wall, nestled between two buildings. She quickened her pace, reaching him just as they reached the top.

He sat atop the wall, ready to hop down the other side. He felt great relief as he was finally out of the furnace and out of the grasp of the girl. His co-conspirators were waiting for him around the corner, far enough from the incident to escape notice.

“What are you waiting for?” a friend called out to him from the edge of the alleyway.

“I am coming,” he replied and then, vanished.

Smoke began to fill the alleyway, making it hard for his friend to see. Nevertheless, there was no sign of the man which quickly made him nervous. “Sidda?” he called out to him. There was no response.

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