The first scream split the night like glass shattering.
Julia bolted upright, heart pounding, the acrid scent of smoke already seeping through the cracks in the window. Flames licked at the sky outside—the building next door was on fire. Somewhere, a woman was crying for help.
Before she could even find her shoes, Brandon was at the door, barefoot, already reaching for the handle.
“Brandon, wait—!”
He didn’t.
The door slammed behind him, leaving only the echo of his footsteps pounding down the stairs. Julia grabbed a towel, wet it under the sink, coughing as black smoke thickened in the hallway. “Brandon!” she shouted again, voice breaking against the chaos.
No answer—just the crackle of burning wood and the screams of neighbors.
===
Minutes stretched like hours. Every sound outsid
