Flaming Justice, The Spark That Started It All

Chapter 11: The Fire At Hand

A couple of days had passed since the funeral as Terry lay peacefully in his bedroom. Sirens blasted through the TV as Maggie and Rick lay together on the sofa. A puff of charcoal and orange clouds covered the sky. The glitter of cinders joined the atmosphere.

"The time is 10 pm and the blaze is devastating Hammland, five crews of firefighters are tackling the blaze, and as far as we know. There are residents still inside. It's a race against time!"

Shocks stained their faces as they screamed out to Terry. "Terry, come in here. There's a nasty fire." It was still deathly silent from his bedroom as he continued sleeping.

Cold and blissful breeze swiftly guided across Northport as it glided towards the toasty air of Hammland. A gorgeous gallery of illuminated lights glistened from the darkness of an old-fashioned town. An apartment building, towering over the town's history roared with flames.

Hoards of footprints splashed in murky puddles along a cobbled path. Lights flashed through alleyways, lights that symbolised multiple sirens. Helicopters flying overhead drowned out the sounds of chaos. Darkness plagued the streets as fire trucks charged through the empty roads. Beams of lights surged through the spotlight as it moved across Hammland. Screams, sirens and helicopters suddenly polluted the naked air.

Fleets of emergency services vehicles arrived at the roaring flames. Swarms of people moved out of the streets, allowing them to pass. Daunting smoke drowned out the beauties of Hammland. Amber glows travelled across the smoke; flickers of bright red embers overwhelmed the flames.

Away from the chaos unfolding in Hammland. A van sat down the road from a bank. Assault rifles and handguns were at hand when words belted out of someone's mouth. "Is the EMP, ready?"

"I've told you this before. It has been ready for half an hour. But we can't do anything till our surprise guest makes a visit. His attention cannot be on us." The driver spoke infuriatingly.

"He's delusional. There isn't anyone in the world that is faster than a car let alone bullets."

"If we get caught, everything is hinted at back to the boss: the guns and the van. The EMP goes to the boss's boss... So don't get caught." The driver snapped back.

"Does anyone know who the boss is, and is it that important if we get caught." Calmly the person in the dark rolling a cigarette asked.

Smoke escaped from the tip of the cigarette as it filled the van. "Well, I don't want to go to jail. But the boss's name is Kyle Mason. And his boss is William Hill." A lady spoke out as he pointed to the window. "Could you open the window, please?" They all started coughing as the driver opened the window.

"The William Hill!" The darkness spoke with fear.

"Yes." The lady responded.

"You're on about the William Hill that survived for decades in a cage with no food. Tackled malnourishment for decades and still kept a loyal following. And that now has a mutated slave."

"Yes... Bounty hunter, not slave." The lady corrected them.

"Yeah, let's not get caught."

A burning smell crept into Terry's nose as his right arm felt like it was in flames. His eyes shot open, his right arm racing into Terry's eyeline. There were no flames on his arm. The watch was open, it wasn't closed. Unrealistic pain scattered across his forearm.

Clenching his fist, he read what was flashing on the screen. "Apartment building in Hammland set ablaze."

"Hammland... Hammland, where is it?"

"Hammland, a village built in the middle of the Victorian era. Younger than its southern neighbouring town, Northport. Renovations have recently been made during the early 21st century to modernise. Hammland kept the streets and most of the village with a unique and old feeling. They added a new section in Hammland for flats and commercial areas." Terry started getting used to the words that spoke in his mind.