Black Orchid | BEOMKAI

Chapter 12

The howling of the sirens grew louder. The flames built higher. I felt like I was standing mere inches away from the sun as my lungs filled with earthy smoke and ash.

How did this happen...?

And why?

I ripped myself away from Kai's side toward my ignited flowers.

"Beomgyu, no!" Kai yelled but I was already licked by the blaze. Meekly, I hurled my watering can at the roaring citrine as it burned my rainbow of efforts to obsidian.

"Two months," I whimpered. "Sixty-one days of struggle; melting–"

I coughed harshly and felt my lungs closing up.

"Beomgyu! Stay back!" Kai pulled me close to himself, an arm wrapping around my shoulder.

The sirens were a haunting wolf's call in my ears as I now saw the reflection of the red rotating lights project onto my driveway. Kai pulled me back further and I collapsed, the tight skin of my knees burst into grazed cuts from the impact.

"Beomgyu.." I could barely hear Kai's voice as he knelt beside me. The tears that began to fall almost immediately evaporated in the heat of the fire.

"Step aside!" a man called out and several heavy footsteps stampeded down my driveway. Kai slid his arms under my own and heaved me onto my weary feet, pulling me back toward the doorstep. One of the firefighters stopped before us.

"Are either of you hurt?!"

Kai's gaze swept over me.

"Are you okay, Beomgyu? How's your throat from the smoke?"

I didn't reply. It was fine. Probably. I didn't know. I didn't care.

"I think we're okay, sir," Kai replied, his hand now moving back and forth across my back.

"Please stay back while we handle this."

The firefighter left us to join the rest of the crew, hauling up the long hose towards the black and orange scene of destruction. Kai placed his hands on my now-shaking shoulders, making me sit on the bottom step.

"Beomgyu. Stay right here. Okay?"

I couldn't reply. I couldn't do anything but watch. Our shared fence was on fire too; burning down the barrier of me and Kai's opposite worlds. Kai shot into my house, returning half a minute later and placed my bed's duvet around me. I then felt something soft but wet dabbing at my cheeks. Kai had grabbed a towel from my bathroom, drowned it in water, and was now patting away the soot and ash from my face. The fire engine hose burst to life. The sizzling of the flames slowly died back, the auburn fading to black as the charred ground was revealed.

"What's the fucking point..." I whimpered and Kai stopped patting me to listen. The fire inside me that had lain dormant for almost a whole month now came roaring back to life with the sight of one being put out.

"Just let the whole fucking place burn!"

A few of the firefighters glanced back at my rage and Kai tried to calm me. He pulled me into his arms but I wriggled out of the unwanted embrace. One of the firefighters approached us again, lifting up his visor.

"Do you both live here?" he asked. I didn't reply.

"He does," Kai said. "I'm his neighbor."

"The storm that passed over earlier is what we call a 'dry thunderstorm'," the firefighter said, his heavy boots like horse hooves on the concrete. "Dry thunderstorms have little to no rain but plenty of lightning. It's often the cause of most wildfires. The fire started from lightning hitting one of your trees."