Fire

6 months ago...

The sun had already set, casting a golden glow across the empty schoolyard. Xander trudged through the gates, his backpack weighing heavily on his shoulders after staying late for detention. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the reason for his punishment - some jock thought it would be funny to kick soccer balls at weaker students during gym class. Xander didn't back down and ended up giving those jerks a taste of their own medicine.

As he rounded a corner, heading towards his neighborhood, a group of guys lounging in a dark alley caught his eye. They were smoking and staring intently at him. Xander knew they were trouble, or rather knew they were after him. Determined not to get into another fight,

Xander briskly walked past them without acknowledging their taunts.

"Hey Bigfoot, you gonna ignore your elders?" One of the guys called out as he stepped out of the alley, carelessly flicking his cigarette butt onto the ground. 

Xander's hands balled into tight fists, the tendons in his arms straining against his skin. He took a deep breath and forced himself to keep walking, despite the taunting words being thrown at him. Suddenly, a hand gripped his shoulder, causing him to spin around. The man's fingers dug into Xander's shoulder, leaving angry red marks. "I'm talking to you," he hissed.

Anger pulsed through Xander's body as he glared at the man, willing himself to stay calm. "I would appreciate it if you could remove your dirty hand from my shoulders," he stated firmly, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.

The man's piercing blue eyes narrowed into slits of pure malice as he tightened his grip on Xander's collar. His cruel smile revealed sharp teeth, and his deep voice dripped with malicious pleasure. Xander felt his blood boil, but he clenched his fists and held back the urge to fight back. He couldn't risk another confrontation; the threat of punishment loomed over him like a dark cloud.

Xander clenched his fists, considering whether or not to throw a punch. Suddenly, the loud wailing of sirens caused him and the group to look in their direction. As they followed the sound, they saw smoke billowing from where Xander's home was located. His stomach sank; the fire was too close for comfort.

Xander angrily pushes the guy's hand off and spins around, taking off running. The others trail closely behind, but they have no chance of catching him - Xander is too fast. He turns a corner and his heart sinks as he sees smoke billowing from his house. Dropping his backpack on the ground, he sprints towards the growing crowd of people and firefighters.

"Where are my parents!?" Xander shouts frantically.

A rugged firefighter steps forward, his face covered in soot and displaying genuine concern.

"We're doing everything we can, kid. We haven't found them yet. Please step back," he instructs, placing a strong hand on Xander's trembling shoulder.

Xander shrugs off the hand and takes a few steps back, too overwhelmed to speak. He looks up at the burning house and breaks into a sprint once again. Despite the shouts from people and firefighters telling him to stop, he cannot hear them. His only thought is to find his parents. He charges through the wall of flames surrounding the front door, using his shirt to protect his face.

"Mom! Dad!" He screams as he runs deeper into the inferno.

The intense heat radiates off the walls, scorching his skin as he takes each labored breath. He stumbles through the living room, now engulfed in flames, and into the kitchen where he grasps for the railing of the stairs that lead upstairs.

Sweat beads on his forehead, mixing with soot and ash, as Xander bounds up the stairs two at a time. The deafening roar of fire and the acrid smoke threaten to consume him, but he pushes on. His heart pounds in his chest, his mind screaming for him to turn back, but he ignores it.

"Mom! Dad!" he shouts again, his voice reduced to a raspy whisper from the smoke and desperation. At the end of the smoky corridor, a faint light seeps through a slightly open door - their bedroom.

As Xander kicked the door open, the heat and smoke assaulted his senses. He stumbled inside, coughing and choking, his eyes watering uncontrollably. Through the haze, he saw a figure huddled in the corner--it was his mother. She was covered in ash, her face streaked with tears. A deep gash on her leg oozed blood and her breathing was labored.

"Mom?" Xander crawled towards her, trying to keep low to avoid the thick smoke. "We need to get out of here. Where's dad?" But she shook her head with a sob.

"I can't move, Xander. Please, get out of here." Her weak voice was barely audible over the crackling flames.

But then Xander heard a sound--laughter mixed with the sickening noise of metal slicing through flesh. He turned and saw another figure standing over a body in the opposite corner.

The figure let out a maniacal laugh before disappearing into the flames.

"Dad!" Xander shouted as he crawled towards the lifeless body on the floor. Tears streamed down his face as he realized it was his father, a large wound on his chest leaving no doubt about his fate.

He turned back to his mother, who was still struggling to speak through her tears and coughs.

"Xander," she gasped for air, "You need..." With a determined effort, she forced herself to stand up, dragging her injured leg with her. She looked down at her son and pleaded, "Please son, leave!"

With all her remaining strength, she lifted him by his shirt and pushed him towards their bedroom window. Xander could see fear and love in his mother's eyes as she gently touched his face before pushing him out the window.

"I love you," she whispered as she watched him fall into safety. Then she turned back into the fiery inferno to search for her husband, knowing she would never make it out alive.

The moment he hit the ground, Xander rolled, protecting his head with his hands. Fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins, propelling him to his feet. The house was alight, a monstrous beast consuming everything he held dear. The wind howled in his ears, the cruel laughter still echoing in his mind.

With his voice hoarse from inhaling smoke and the weight of despair, he calls out for his parents. But there is only silence in response, except for the relentless sound of fire consuming their home and all their cherished memories. He tries to move forward, but his body gives out and he collapses onto the ground, feeling the burns on his skin, the injuries from falling, and the effects of inhaling too much smoke finally taking over.