𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑫𝒚𝒏𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒚

𝟓𝟐

??? P. O. V.

I stood in front of the old, familiar building, the cold night air biting into my cheeks. The building was a dark silhouette against the night sky, the windows like empty eyes staring back at me.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my black hoodie, the cold metal of my keys digging into my palm. Memories flooded my mind as I looked at the building, old scratches and faint marks covering its exterior.

The cold air felt even colder inside the burnt mansion, the burned walls casting an eerie glow on the surroundings.

I walked slowly through the ruined halls, the silence broken only by the occasional creak or groan of the damaged structure.

Smoke billowed out of the windows, choking the air with thick, black clouds.

Suddenly, I saw two people fighting outside the burning building. Two familiar faces, one of them mine.

"You can't keep running away from the truth!" one of them yelled, their voice strained and desperate. "You need to face it!"

I looked back at my sister, my face burnt from the left side a bit, "No Mandu! We'll escape it!"

Suddenly, she snatched her hand away from me, tears in her eyes, "Everything's on fire! We are trapped!"

A fiery pillar came crashing down, narrowly missing us as we swerved to the side, barely in time to escape getting hit.

The heat of the fire stung our skin as we stumbled forward, the path to safety narrowing by the second.

"Eomma appa gave their life to save us!" I yelled to her, gripping her hand tightly in my own.

Horror flooded me as I watched in slow motion as my sister stepped forward. Her foot made contact with a patch of scorching hot coals, and before I could even react, her shoe was engulfed in flames.

"No!" I screamed, pulling hard on her hand. Her eyes widened, fear and pain merging in her gaze.

"Run.." she whimpered through gritted teeth.

Her legs buckled under the pain, and she collapsed onto the ground, her body motionless. I dropped to my knees beside her, my heart hammering in my chest.

"No, no, no," I whispered, my hands shaking as I checked for a pulse. My fingers trembled against her cold, clammy skin.

"Please, please," I pleaded, the smoke and fire forgotten in my desperation.

I scooped her carefully into my arms, hoisting her limp body against my chest. Pain lanced through my muscles from the exertion, but I held her tightly against me, refusing to let go.

"Wake up, Mandu," I murmured, my voice shaky as I stumbled blindly away from the flames.

Hot tears streamed down my face, the smoke and heat making my vision blurry. I staggered forward, her motionless body clutched tightly in my arms.

The scorching heat licked at my skin, burning through my clothes and searing my flesh. I ignored the pain, the only thing on my mind was getting my Mandu to safety.

I stumbled out of the burning building, the cool night air a shock against my overheated skin. I collapsed to my knees, my sister's still form cradled in my arms.

Coughing and gasping, I looked up at the ruined mansion, its walls still smoldering and sending plumes of smoke into the air.

With the last dregs of my strength, I yelled out into the night, my voice barely more than a hoarse whisper.