What if the saints of old walked among us today-would we honor their triumphs, or whisper about their secrets?
Zarinna knows the weight of hidden truths. Once devoted, now marked by choices she cannot undo, she carries shame like a shadow she cannot...
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"Where's Hilda!?" Zarinna shouted again, her voice cracking, carrying a panic that sliced through the roar of the fire like shattered glass. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears like a drum warning of imminent danger.
"I don't think she's inside the building," Gina's eyes darted frantically, her hands flailing as though to grasp the chaos around them. "Let's get out of here! Maybe she's outside!" Her words were sharp, urgent, but even they did little to soothe Zarinna's rising terror.
A piercing scream tore from Zarinna's throat as a wooden pole from the side of the church crashed down before her, splinters flying like shards of glass. Sparks and smoke shot upward as the heat surged closer, licking the walls with a hungry, relentless flame. She could feel the singe of it on her skin, the acrid scent of burning wood and old timber filling her nostrils. Her pulse raced, threatening to burst free.
"Let's go!" David's voice cut through the chaos, calm and commanding, yet every syllable carried the weight of urgency. He emerged from the Church kitchen, eyes scanning the flames, a protective anchor in the storm. "She's not there. Maybe she's already out."
With one swift motion, he grabbed Zarinna's arm, his grip firm and steady, pulling her toward the door. The fire's heat pressed against them, an invisible wall threatening to consume everything in its path. Outside, the sight of villagers wielding buckets of water gave her a flicker of hope, but the absence of Hilda made her chest tighten painfully. She scanned frantically, every shadow a potential hiding place for the child. Tears stung her eyes as dread curled in her stomach.
"Manang!!!"
The scream ripped through the smoky haze, sending a shiver of pure terror down Zarinna's spine. She caught sight of Hilda's small face pressed against a window, her lips trembling, her eyes wide with fear.
"Hilda!" Zarinna lunged toward the wall, spotting the bathroom window, a small barrier separating her from the child.
"Manang, help me!" Hilda's voice cracked, laden with terror. The flames behind her hissed and popped, sending scorching gusts toward Zarinna. Her chest constricted, fear and adrenaline colliding violently.
"H-hold on!" Zarinna cried, stepping back to gauge the fire's path. "Hold on, Hilda! I'm coming!"
Summoning every ounce of courage, she dashed toward the church door. Heat seared the soles of her feet, the air thick with smoke, choking her lungs. Each step was agony, the ground beneath her blistering.
"Zarinna! No!" Gina screamed, but the sound was swallowed by the roar of the fire. Zarinna pushed onward, driven by desperate love, ignoring the pain clawing at her muscles.
Her voice hoarse, eyes stinging from smoke, she called out: "Hilda!?"
"Manang!" The child's voice rang out, a fragile beacon of hope amidst the inferno. "Manang, I'm here!"
"Okay! J-just hold on!" Zarinna shouted, throwing herself against the bathroom door. The weight was immovable, mocking her efforts. She kicked, shoved, leaned her full weight against it, but it refused to budge. Her muscles screamed in protest, veins straining, sweat and smoke mingling on her skin.
Tears streamed freely as the smoke thickened, suffocating her. She coughed violently, vision blurred, lungs burning with each desperate breath.
"Oh Lord," she whimpered, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Lord, p-please help me."
"Zarinna!" The voice was sudden, urgent, grounding.
"David!" she gasped, hope sparking amidst the terror. "Hilda—" she pointed, panic propelling her. "Hilda is inside!"
"Step aside," David commanded, moving with precision through the chaos. His eyes assessed the door like a predator sizing up its target. He stepped back, gathered momentum, and slammed into it. The door splintered violently, crashing inward.
"Hilda?"
The child's small, fragile form lay sprawled on the floor, eyes wide and tear-streaked. Zarinna's heart lurched, relief and fear crashing into one another. She scooped Hilda into her arms, clutching her like a lifeline.
"Zarinna, let's go," David urged, his voice calm yet firm. They moved together, forcing their way through the inferno, the flames hungrily lashing at them, the air heavy with heat, smoke, and the smell of charred timber. Zarinna's eyes fixed on the church's exit, each step a battle against the oppressive, suffocating heat.
Suddenly, a thick metal bar fell from above, smashing to the ground with a deafening clang. Terror gripped her chest, sending her pulse into overdrive.
"Zarinna!"
Her body was yanked back violently, her back slamming against the blistering-hot wall. Another bar crashed directly in her path. Instinctively, she clutched Hilda tighter, shutting her eyes as the world seemed poised to consume them. The wall behind her vibrated violently with each impact.
Seconds stretched like hours. The searing heat pressed in on every side, the smoke clawed at her throat. Tentatively, she opened her eyes.
And there he was—David, eyes almond-shaped and fierce, a face carved from determination and agony, arms braced against the wall.
Her stomach dropped as her gaze followed the blood staining his shoulder. The massive bar from the ceiling pressed into his back like a crushing weight.
"David?" Her voice quivered, breaking. She grasped his arm desperately. "David, are you—"
Time slowed, agony suspended in the air. His eyes squeezed shut, every muscle straining under the weight of the metal, and then, in a heart-stopping instant, his body collapsed before her, as if the world itself had abandoned him.
Time seemed to stop as she watched him struggle. His eyes squeezed shut, muscles tensing, and then, in a heart-stopping moment, his body collapsed before her.
