Bricks of Ash and Blood

Chapter 6: Fire and Water

SIMON

I stood atop the hill, Amber at my side. I didn't leave the school often, but I needed to get a better look at the fire. Amber was one of our guards, the one I respected most. The fire was bigger than before. It no longer looked to be off in the distant, but steadily moving towards the suburbs, towards us.

Amber pointed out towards the reserve. "Over there!" She pointed to a group of huddled figures, running from the trees. Amber waved her arms in the air, yelling out to the people.

They were probably the hunters; they'd been looking for food all day. They must have been the first to know of the fire.

"Amber." She turned to me. "We need to group up with the hunters. They'll know how fast the fire is moving."

She nodded. We jogged down the hill, heading towards them. Back at the school, water was being amassed in the centre of the courtyard, and everyone was preparing to evacuate the school. I had no idea how far this fire would spread, but if it was going to engulf the school, we wouldn't be there.

My lungs were struggling as we ran, I was not used to this. Amber seemed unfazed, taking long strides that made it hard for me to keep up with. Eventually, we approached the group. There were fourteen of them, more than we expected.

"Simon?" One of the hunters spoke. His voice was dry, and his face covered in ash.

"Flynn?" I asked.

He hung his head. "We found a few others in the reserve. It's all burning. It's going to be destroyed."

"Let's get back to the school." The lot of us turned and headed home. "How fast is the fire spreading?"

"Very. We were almost caught." He motioned to the people on his right. "These people were."

"Is anyone injured?" I asked.

Flynn took a deep breath. "We lost one of our own. He tripped. Sprained his ankle. We didn't have time."

"I'm sorry."

We walked back to the school quietly. The seven strangers wore burnt clothes. They all watched the ground as they walked.

When we made it back to the school, the hunters, along with their guests, were sent to our hospital. Flynn refused to go, taking a long drink of water, and pronouncing himself ready to go. I looked over the preparations made, bottles and buckets of water sat in the middle of the courtyard. People were moving without purpose. No one knew what to do, all had packed their meagre belongings into a backpack, and were waiting for instruction.

Gazing around at the courtyard, seeing fear in every corner, gave me pause. This was supposed to be a safe place. I couldn't force everyone out, into danger. We had to protect this place. I climbed the ladder onto the Guard roof, and shouted at the top of lungs for attention. Within seconds, everyone was staring at me.

"Everyone. There is currently a bushfire in the reserve. It is big. It is heading towards us now." I paused for effect. "We are going to stay, and we will prevent this school from burning down. We will form a perimeter around the school, and remove anything flammable from the outside walls, the roads surrounding the school, and even the yards of the houses across the roads. We will make a gap that the fire cannot jump."

No-one seemed pleased. There was nervous shifting throughout the small crowd.

"Andy go through the stockpile, and organise protective clothing for everyone. Everyone else will split into groups of five. Each group will clear an area. Once that is done, everyone who is able, will stay on guard, putting out fire immediately, if it manages to touch the school. To be clear, I am not totally sure the fire will even reach all the way through the suburbs. It might burn out. It might rain."