138 Boom Boom Boom

Little ashes brushed along her hair. Tears fell from the sting in her eyes. The night sky was hidden by the smoke. And no matter how far she walked, the nightmare didn't end. Rather, the flames sparked and grew.

It was possible it was the shrine itself that caused this trauma. But it didn't make sense. Even Angelica warned her about the "curse", not the "shrines".

Good thing she held her shotgun in her left hand. A fireball flew at her. She aimed her gun at her flank and shot it with an ice bullet.

The fireball remained floating back into the air. Its flames intensified, causing Vanessa to shoot it a few more times.

Somewhere in the firing, the ball of fire vanquished. There was no darkness. Just smoke rising into the darkened sky.

Tilting the shotgun back, Vanessa charged it as she looked around. Tiny flames were erupting from the ashes. She spun around, hoping to see whatever attacked her. Instead, the fire grew with the passing of time.