BEEP BEEP BEEP The sirens scream like they’re trying to tear my eardrums apart, echoing through the narrow alley.
The chaotic noise from the megaphones leads the people outside the alley, but the owners of the cars don’t budge.
The fire truck can’t get through.
The hose is too short.
And there’s a problem with the fire hydrant, so they can’t connect it.
That kind of conversation…
In this crazy situation…
Bursts through the front door.
So, I…
WHAM
In the end, I made the same choice as before.
Maybe it would be okay this time.
Just once more.
Just one more day of happiness.
And then, really, let go.
With that resolve…
I crawled and grabbed the doorknob of the next house.
GACK… GHH… HUUU… UUUH…
The hot doorknob bites at my skin. The thick smoke makes my head spin, and the scent of death tightens around my heart.
MOM!! MOMMM!!! I’M HOT!! MOM!!
SNAP The scream of my senile grandma cracks like fragile glass.
AHHHH!! AAHHHHH!! AAHHHH!! MOM!!!
Hearing that scream, I turned the doorknob with all my might. SQUELCH The sound of my skin tearing as it melted into the doorknob, the door flew open with a CRASH.
Perhaps it was the sudden gust of wind, but WHOOSH the scorching heat surged and scorched my face.
HUUH, GAH, ACK… UGH…
Inhaling the smoke.
Swallowing the ashes.
I slowly crawled into the room.
It’s hot.
Insanely hot.
It felt like my back was being sliced open by the flames.
My hands stuck to the floor as skin peeled off.
A shard of glass lodged itself painfully in my knee.
AAHHHH!! KEERAAAHHH!
With every step forward,
the screams grew nearer.
My back skin peeled away.
My palms ignited.
The glass shard lodged deeper into my knee.
MOMMMMMMM!! MOM!!!
Enough.
Enough already.
Stop screaming.
Please.
Just…
Make it…
Stop.
Please.
I don’t know where mom is.
I opened my eyes, which I had kept shut.
The heat was almost cooking my eyeballs, forcing my eyelids down.
No. No. I can’t take it. I swallowed the pain and forced my eyelids up.
There she was.
My grandma, trapped under an overturned bookshelf, unable to move.
AHHHH! OHHHHH!! AHHHHHH!!
Grandma, drenched in oil.
Grandma, engulfed in flames.
Her wrinkled face was entirely melted away.
Skin drooped and sagged.
Big glass shards embedded in her eyes, strange liquid mixed with blood running down.
Lips, unrecognizable, spewed pink froth from her mouth.
And, of course, no teeth.
No tongue.
The only semblance of life visible through the torn skin of her mouth was…
The melted remnants of her tongue and…
Frothy blood.
And then it halted.
In the stillness of her scream, a rolling eyeball from her overturned eyelids gazed at me.
The torn skin of her mouth twitched.
Blood gushed out.
Joyful mixed froth burst forth with her shriek.
OOOH NOOOOOOO! AAHHHH! AAAAARRGGHHHH!
It’s terrifying.
Disgusting.
Horrific.
Unbearable to listen to.
Unbearable to look at.
I want to get out.
With bile rising in my throat, I crawled forward.
I closed my ears.
I closed my eyes.
I closed my heart.
I passed the screams.
Ignoring grandma’s death…
I crawled to the door where Mom might be.
And stood up, grasping the doorknob with skinless, muscle-exposed hands.
It’s hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot.
GACK… HUUH, HACK… ACK…
The pain felt like my nerves were on fire.
Thousands upon thousands of needles seemed to stab and tear at my body.
I couldn’t grip it.
I couldn’t turn it.
I couldn’t touch it.
I was scared.
It hurt.
I didn’t want to.
Enough.
I just want to stop.
If I could just get out, it would all be easier.
Just end it all.
Ughhh… Haack… Urk… GHH-
Crazy bastard.
Psycho bastard.
It’s the smoke.
It’s all the smoke.
No, no, no.
I can’t think like that.
BANG!
“Noah! Shin-Noah!”
Dad.
Dad’s voice.
Dad… Dad.
HUUH, UGH… AAH…
No, don’t come.
Don’t come here.
If you come here,
If you come to save me,
You’ll definitely die.
So please…
Just go.
Please.
Just let Dad live.
Let me repeat this once more.
Please.
I held my breath, curling up as much as I could.
Hoping he wouldn’t find me.
Hoping Dad would survive.
Swallowing the pain of my peeling skin, I held my breath.
But…
“Noah!”
Dad found me.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!
HUUH… Noah. It’s okay. It’s okay.
His voice, passing through the fire suit, was gentle.
His touch was soft.
The wet towel felt cool against my skin.
It’s all okay. Dad will take care of everything.
Ugh, UUUUHH…
Wrapping me in a big towel, Dad started to take off his firefighting suit.
No! No! Dad… don’t! Please don’t…
After quickly shedding his suit,
He began reciting the prayer he often said to Mom and me.
Oh God,
When my time comes,
Grant me the power
To save a life even in the fiercest flames.
Before it’s too late,
Allow me to embrace the child,
And save the trembling elderly.
Always concentrated,
Let me hear even the faintest cry,
And swiftly and effectively suppress the fire.
Let me faithfully fulfill my duty,
And allow me to do my best,
To protect the lives and properties of my neighbors.
“And if it is Your will
That my life comes to an end,
Please take care of my wife and my Noah with Your gracious hand.”
The prayer was finished.
The fireproof suit was fully on my body.
And with a satisfied nod, Dad…
Even amidst the pain of burning flesh,
Smiled brightly.
Gently said…
“Dad believes in you, right?”
“No. No. Dad… please don’t. Dad…”
Cradled in his arms, my body was lifted.
“It’s okay. It’s all okay. Just trust Dad.”
With that familiar mischievous smile, he stepped into the firestorm where nothing was visible.
His steps were steady.
His body didn’t falter.
His will was unbroken.
And that life burned even more brightly.
Emerging from the monster’s belly.
Breaking through the teeth that blocked the path.
Piercing through the fiery jaws that obstructed the way.
Through the black fog,
The blue sky came into view.
Dad’s skin was completely burnt off.
Blisters filled with yellow fluid streamed down.
Dark blood flowed from his mouth, held back from shouting.
But he smiled.
Still bright.
Still gentle.
Still cheeky as he stated,
“I’ll be right back.”
*
The flames dwindled.
Finally extinguished.
The firetrucks, forced to push their way in, put out the fire.
Only then did the owners of the cars emerge.
They came out.
Yelling at the firefighters.
Complaining about their expensive cars.
Caught in a messy confrontation.
Ignoring them…
I ran.
I ran without rest.
Falling, getting up, I ran.
On and on.
Running up stairs.
Rolling through the ashes.
I finally arrived.
Passed the firefighters searching for survivors.
Passed the firefighters checking for remaining embers.
Passed the firefighters sobbing on their knees at the door.
I brushed off the firefighters who grabbed me.
Pushing, hitting, and crying out,
I entered the house.
Black.
Black.
Black.
Black.
Black.
In that sea of black,
I saw a glimmering silver.
Rings.
Holding those three rings in my hands,
I slowly turned my head.
“Oh.”
There lay…
Something brown wrapped in something completely black.
A corpse wrapped in another corpse.
A half-burned corpse wrapped in a fully charred corpse.
Dad, wrapping Mom.
Mom and Dad.
My beloved family…
Burnt to death.
*
A cramped alley.
The ground littered with cigarette butts that wouldn’t extinguish.
Tightly packed houses and shops.
A line of vehicles that were illegally parked,
With not even a number left to show.
A steep uphill.
At the top is a six-story villa where a massive fire blazed.
It all started from a small spark from a cigarette butt that transferred onto dry laundry.
The fire grew due to the spilled waste oil from my senile grandma’s rampage.
In an instant, the raging flames engulfed the entire fifth floor.
As soon as the black smoke appeared, a multitude of fire trucks set out based on neighbor reports, but the large firetrucks could barely squeeze into the cramped alley.
But people could get in.
That’s how one hero dove into the inferno of hell.
That hero…
In the fire that consumed an entire building…
Caused a miracle with only three casualties out of eighteen residents.
Afterward…
A new law was established.
In case of emergency fires, it became possible to forcibly remove illegally parked vehicles.
*
Tap-Tap-
“Hey, wake up!”
A warm sunbeams in the morning.
Familiar voice and gentle nudges came through.
“Hurry! We need to get it done before Mom gets back!”
I opened my eyes.
Sat up.
Looked around.
Holding my phone.
I turned on the screen.
“Did you sleep well? Come out quickly. Let’s eat and start. Lunch will be Dad’s special stew. I even snuck in some beef without Mom knowing! Let’s eat fast before she comes back!”
[Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary D-2]
“…Ah, haha… Hehe, haha… Huh…”
The trial isn’t over yet.
