A Series Of Different Events

Chapter 4 - Fire and Blood

At Violet's words, everyone stopped dead in their tracks, looking into the distance. Sure enough, there was a figure, walking slowly down the road infront of them, coming towards them. Beatrice, Jacqueline and Bertrand seemed to tense, hands in their pockets, as if ready to pull something out.

The Baudelaire siblings looked at one another. It was just a person going on a walk. Perfectly normal, right?!

A piercing cry came from the clouds above, the sound making all of the children's heartbeat freeze for a second, like nails being dragged across a blackboard, fear settling in their core like eagles settled into their eyries, like this eagle circled them from above.

Then, Bertrand spoke, addressing the children in a low tone. "Stay by our sides. No sudden moves-"
A crack startled them all, turning their heads in the direction. Another figure was walking slowly, out of the woods enclosing the valley road. Klaus cast his eyes all around him, turning slowly. The others followed suit.

All around them, five or six figures stood like sentinels around the woods, the beautiful, towering pinetrees Violet had previously been admiring now like the bars of a cage.

The Baudelaires and Jacqueline froze, motionless, as the group of Firestarters closed around them. Like a switch flipped, Violet felt a chill encase around her, not like the icy temperature, rather like all time and emotion and happiness had sunk into the ground, away from her heart, and the silluete of two people emerged from the forest.

The man had a grey, wiry shoulder length beard, his small, sharp mouth twisted into a satisfied smirk, red, round glasses perched on his small nose. What he lacked in hair on top of his head, it was made up by the aura of menace seeming to surround him, thick as smog.

The lady next to him was dressed in the same crimson fire red robes. Her mouth was also in a cruel little smile, like someone carved it onto her face like a knife. However, she didn't have a beard, instead frizzy gray hair tangling from her head. She spoke in a creaky voice, smug undertones lacing it.
"Oh, Baudelaires, Baudelaires, Baudelaires..." It sounded like a teacher scolding a naughty student. The man continued.
"How sweet, thinking you'd run.. well, we're here now."

Violet felt hands pushing at her, Beatrice pushing Sunny into her arms, muffled voices shouting at her, Klaus' hand around her arm. "We have to go! Come on!"
She blinked, and started running, shouting following her. The Firestarters had moved from their position, surrounding Beatrice and Bertrand.

Shouts mingled with blood, the clinking of the cylindrical metal object on the floor, and Violet, Klaus and Sunny sprinted, following Jacqueline through the woods. Stumbling over roots in a blind panic, the strap of Klaus' bag caught a sharp branch, ripping it from his back. The contents spilt all over the forest floor, and he doubled back with a cry. The others stopped, and Violet gasped as one of the Firestarters seemed to fly at them, knocking Jacqueline to the ground.

Klaus scrabbled for some of his belongings, stuffing them into the bag. He rushed to aid Jacqueline, but Violet grabbed his arm, roughly pulling him away, through the forest. Fire caught on the brittle pine needles, following their footfalls, crashing above them like a beast chasing its pray. It roared around them, sparks flying.

Only when they reached the dead end of a mossy wall with barbed wire, rusted and spiked, did the Baudelaires stopped, panting. Tears streamed down Violet's face, falling onto Sunny like a salty monsoon, and when Klaus tried to speak it came out as a strangled whisper,
"M-mother... Father.."

The fire was coming closer, leaping across the branches, everything it touched, everything the flames embraced turning into an ashy ruin. "Klaus, we have to go!" Violet sobbed, her hair on her face, sticking to her wet cheeks, and Klaus didn't hesitate to climb the mossy stone wall, a few pebbles dislodging as his shoe pushed against the dry moss.

He scrambled over the barbed wire fence, wincing as it caught his knee. He dropped onto the other side, and Violet carefully past a crying Sunny over to him as she followed him over, clumsily climbing over the barbed wire fence, her hands digging into the spikes. She was too focused on the fire cascading towards them then the blood cascading down her hands, her fingertips red as it dripped onto the grass.

Klaus stayed motionless, like he was stuck in some trance as he watched the hypnotizing flames dance. "Klaus! Let's go!!" Violet cried, her voice breaking as she took his hand, a few backwards steps as they finally turned, and ran through the grass, away from the fire, the ones who started it, and all that was dear to them.