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Part 1: Rose

I made my way down the empty, quiet halls of the recording studio, my soft, quick footsteps on the carpet the only sound. My long, ginger hair bounced from my movement, my hazel eyes examining the path in front of me through my slightly rounded, gold glasses.

It was a hot Thursday evening in August of 2019, and I was on my way to practice with my band. I glanced at the time on my phone. It was 5:52. I was early, as usual. Just as I entered the studio room, a voice behind me called out my name.

"Hey, Rose!"

I turned to find Lauren Baker, the keyboardist of the band and a good friend of mine. Her long, straight black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she flashed a smile at me, revealing her white, straight teeth. Her tan skin looked flawless as usual; and she was dressed in a casual shirt-sleeved top and jean shorts.

I smiled in return and waved. "Hi, Lauren!"

We headed into the room together, and I sat down on the couch in there, while Lauren got a drink of water. She then sat down at the keyboard, getting in some practice before the rest of the band arrived.

A few minutes later, Sam Davids, one of the lead vocalists, arrived, along with Matt Forest, Maddie Campbell, and Darcy Davids, Sam's mother.

They greeted me with a 'hi' and smiles, and I returned the gesture. Sam got his electric guitar on, then glanced around.

"Alright, I believe everybody is here," he said. "So let's get started."

We ran through the songs, deciding when we would end them and when harmony would come in. Finally, around 8:15, we had recorded a couple songs, stopping for the night.

"I'll see you guys Saturday," I called behind myself as I left the studio.

They all said goodbye to me and I pulled out my car keys out of my pocket, making my way to my parked car. Just as I inserted the key into the lock, there was a loud explosion, causing the ground to shake violently. I stumbled back with a yelp from the force of it, falling to the ground. The sudden explosion was followed by screeching tires and the sound of cars smashing into each other.

Heart pounding, I jumped back up, fear twisting my stomach. 'Holy crap,' I thought. 'What just happened?'

I turned around, running back to the studio. Just before I reached it, there was another explosion, and I was thrown back, landing with a thud on the cement and rolling a few feet before stopping. I groaned in pain, my head throbbing, then rolled over to face the studio. My eyes widened in horror.

The whole building was up in flames.

Pushing myself to my feet, I cried out, feeling pain shoot up my right leg. Gritting my teeth, I limped towards the building, terrified for my friends that were still in there.

I climbed over a door that was no longer attached to it's hinges, pulling my phone out as I did. I hit the home button, ready to call the police, but the phone didn't light up.

'No,' I thought. 'No, no, no! Don't tell me it's dead!'

I cried out in frustration and put my phone away, not wanting to waste anymore time that I already had. Then, I carefully made my way through the burning building, calling out my friend's names.

"Sam!" I screamed, then gagged, choking on the smoke. "Matt!"

There was no response. I froze, hearing the slightest noise of someone crying out. I went in the direction the sound was coming from, limping as quickly as I could. Suddenly, a beam from the ceiling snapped and came crashing down, just inches away from me. I gasped, stumbling back, my heart once again pounding.