Page 63 of Drenched

The village loomed ahead, shrouded in shadows and silence. The cold night air bit into my skin, but I barely felt it. Each step was deliberate, the wet sand whispering beneath my feet as I moved closer.

The inn stood in the distance, its half-burned frame a stark silhouette against the dark sky. The fire Jamie had started hadn’t finished the job, leaving behind jagged walls and exposed beams that clawed at the night. Part of it still stood, defiant.

I stopped in front of it, my chest tightening. This was where we had trusted, laughed, and planned. Now, it was nothing but a husk. Memories threatened to pull me under, Jaime’s quiet smile, Kim’s sharp wit, Trevor’s low grumbles. They were gone, and this place still stood.

My fists clenched. It wasn’t right.

As I stepped inside, the broken doorway creaked under the weight of my push. Shadows swallowed me, the faint light of the moon struggling to follow. The smell of burnt wood clung to the air, mixing with the lingering tang of grease from the kitchen.

The gas cylinder sat near the stove, its metal surface faintly glinting in the dark. My feet moved toward it without hesitation. My fingers brushed the cold metal, and I twisted the valve.

The hiss of escaping gas filled the silence, sharp and insistent. It crawled into the room, invisible but suffocating. My hand stayed steady as I tipped the cylinder on its side. It hit the floor with a hollow clang, the sound echoing in the empty space.

Gas hissed out, swirling around my ankles and spreading across the floor. I pulled the cylinder to the doorway and left it lying on its side. The sound grew louder, sharper, filling the silence with a steady urgency.

My eyes landed on a matchbox resting on the counter. I grabbed it, my fingers fumbling slightly as I held it tight.

Outside, the night air hit my face, sharp and biting. I looked down at the matchbox in my hand. It felt heavier than it should, like it knew what was coming. I slid it open and pulled out one match.

Striking it against the box, the flame flickered to life, small but strong. I stared at it for a second, watching it burn, before I let it drop.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the air ignited.

Flames roared through the kitchen, spilling out into the main room in a blinding rush of heat and light. The windows shattered, glass spraying outward in every direction. The force of the blast hit me like a blow, and I stumbled back, my feet slipping in the sand.

I hit the ground hard, pain jolting through my body as the impact rattled my bones. The night spun around me, blurred and chaotic. Heat washed over my face, the fire devouring everything in its path.

I sat up slowly, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. The inn was engulfed, flames clawing at its remaining structure. Smoke curled into the air, blotting out the stars.

My hands trembled as I pushed myself to my feet, staggering a few steps back. The heat pressed against me. The fire roared louder, the flames rising higher.

The wind shifted, carrying the acrid stench of burning wood and salt. My mind drifted to Jaime, Kim, and Trevor. I wondered if they could see this, wherever they were. If they knew I hadn’t let this place win.

I stared at the wreckage, the firelight flickering across the sand. My lungs burned with every breath, but I refused to move. This wasn’t just destruction, it was justice.

It was gone. All of it.

And it was beautiful.

A scream tore through the night.

“It’s burning! The inn is burning!”

Doors burst open. Villagers stumbled into the street, eyes wide, mouths gaping. Their confusion turned to horror as they saw the flames. More screams filled the air, tangled with the roar of the fire.

They turned, and they saw me.

I stood by the blaze, the firelight casting my shadow long and dark across the sand. My face was cold, my heart colder. I welcomed the heat licking at my skin, the chaos blooming before me. It felt right. It felt earned.

Tanya shoved her way through the crowd, her face pale and twisted with rage. Her eyes locked onto me, wild with accusation.

“What have you done, Pearl?” she screamed.

I smiled, a thin, brittle thing that cut through the smoke. “I set it all on fire.”

Her jaw clenched, her face contorting. “You’ve lost your mind.”

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