The fire roared, licking at everything in its path, destroying everything its stifling grip could grasp. She couldn’t help it. She knew that the fire would swallow her, but it was also mesmerizing. A kind of beauty in the destruction. An ember fell upon her sleeve, igniting a child flame from the angered mother. The girl stumbled backwards, wiping the flame away. She ran.
She wasn’t ready for the flame to consume her. The fire fascinated her, excited her in a way that she’d never understood before, but she knew that it was dangerous. Screams echoed, creaking and cracking homes fell to decimation around her. Then she was there at the cliff side, watching the black waters churn and crash below her.
This was it. A choice had to be made. Turn back and let the fire wash over her, or take her chances with the angry waters below. There was no hesitation. The flames called to her, they beckoned her closer.
She turned, letting out a tight breath as she let the flames engulf her.