Prologue

Flames tore through the buildings, wood screeching its protest as it collapsed on itself, thick smoke curling and billowing into the black sky. Screams of terror and agony filled the night as people burned alive, unable to find their way to escape. One young man staggered down the street, struggling to breath through the smoke that circled him, reaching like fingers to stop him from getting to his destination. The screams felt like stabs to his heart. There was nothing he could do as tears blurred his already swimming vision. It was already senseless for him to have come back. They were probably dead.

Strangely, as he came near his home, he found the smoke growing thinner. Braking through, he fell forward and stared up in wonder at his home, which was not yet burning. Maybe... maybe there was still hope. Yet as he stood, he saw the flames licking their way across the grass toward him. He didn't have long. Racing for the open door, his feet disturbed the wisps of smoke that curled across the ground like mist. The same second he fell into the house, a scream pierced the air. The young man froze halfway up from the floor. The scream was not one of pain.

It sliced the air again and gave him extra speed as he started forward before he was even standing. Stumbling to the stairs he pulled himself up and had to stop at the top as a cloud of smoke forced its way down his throat. Tears painfully stung his eyes as he fell to the floor, the coughs shaking his entire body. His eyes widened as down below shadows danced around the door. The fire would soon be eating its way through the walls.

Another scream and the young man had to use the railing to yank himself to his feet. Down the hall, he stumbled into the bedroom and froze once again.

She was on her back on the floor like someone had thrown her down. Her dress was ripped from above the knees down to the hem, the tear too clean to have been done with anything but a knife. Above her, a man stood with his back to the door. The girl on the floor looked up at him with terror in her eyes, tears staining her cheeks. Her eyes shifted past him and spotted the young man in the door. She almost called out but was stopped by a catch in her breath from the tears.

The man above her spun on his heel, the undone buckle on his belt clicking against itself as he did, and his eyebrows raised in surprise. The younger man turned his eyes from the girl to him and a wave of rage swept through him. Without thinking, he lunged at the man as he pulled his knife from his belt. The man barely had time to yank his own knife out before the younger man reached him. The girl stifled a scream as she shoved herself away. The older man was bigger then the younger, and after only a second the smaller man gasped as searing pain tore into him. Turning his face away, he realized his mistake too late and shoved himself back. His eyes wide in shock, he slowly reached up and touched the blood trickling down his cheek and onto his neck. Staring down at his fingers he looked back up at the man who smiled icily.

Clenching his hand into a fist, the young man held his knife high as he jumped forward. At the last second, he brought it down and shoved it forward with all his strength. The older man's mouth fell open in surprise as the knife sank into him just below his ribs. The younger man yanked his knife free and stepped back, his face blank and cold as the man fell to his knees and to the floor.

The girl's voice was strangled with tears as she called his name. The young man turned his eyes to her and she looked away, her eyes falling on something behind him. He turned and dropped his knife as a gasp of disbelief and pain escaped him.

A red glow spilled into the room and illuminated a still body laying by the door.