They could barely see through the fire and the smoke and breathing was as hard. Joan and Alessia stayed closed to each other trying to keep the other in their line of sight at all time. They could not get lost in this hellfire, if they didn't die they would most probably come out scorched and poisoned by the ashes. All the bodies they found were obviously long dead, it seemed that the camp was attacked an then set on fire. Alessia could feel the heat burning her skin, she almost felt it tightens around her bones as it dried. They couldn't stay here longer, they had to get out. Joan signalled her to come to him. They communicated like that, with had signs and arm mouvements, they couldn't waste their breath on speaking or screaming louder than the hungry flames around them.

Joan made sure that Alessia was right behind him and he ran to someone sitting against a yet-to-catch-on-fire wooden beam, the person was coughing and wheezing in the dense air, their hair, once blond were ash stained and their clothes smeared in blood and soot, traces on the ground indicated that they had dragged themselves to this beam, perhaps to put some distance between them and the body of their aggressor. When the travellers arrived at their side they were barely conscious, but upon seeing two unfamiliar face they jolted awake and began to flail and curse.

"Begone demons, leave me alone, begone wretched creatures!"

"Calm down, calm down, we are not demons, we are here to help!" Alessia's words fell in deaf ears as the person continued to move violently and erratically to try and scare them away.

"We need to get them out, now!" Joan shouted to his friend as a loud crack was heard, another beam broke and fell, blocking the path they had taken to get there.

Alessia vigorously nodded and grabbed the arm of the flailing injured. It only made them more violent, Joan came to the rescue and grabbed their other arms and together they lifted them from the ground.

"No! No, I don't want to go! Let me die as a Man!"

Alessia managed to turn to their crazed patient and took off the cloth protecting her and put it on the man, who lived it as another agression. Fortunately enough he soon lost consciousness, either due to shock or blood-loss or perhaps overall exhaustion, and the two travellers could finally drag him out without having to keep their balance against his mouvement. Unfortunately that meant that they were now dragging one man's dead weight and neither was particularly strong. Moreover the campsite around them transformed into death trap that would be deadlier by the minute, especially now that Alessia wasn't protected anymore. They had to get out as fast as possible.

Joan's eyes could no longer produce tears to protect themselves, he squinted to try and get a clearer view of the path ahead but it was to no avail. The smoke was too dense. Their steps were trembling and unsteady. Alessia said something but he didn't understand. Eventually she manage to led them down another path as the one behind them got blocked by another falling beam. It was a deadly maze and it seemed decided to keep them trapped in there until death. Alessia would not let that happened. She found within herself the strength to go on almost dragging Joan behind. The professor let her lead, although he had kept a clear head he could feel panic barely held at bay by his focus. Somewhere ahead there was an opening, and that's all he could hope for, all he could hold on too. Somewhere ahead, there is an exit from the brasier. Night had fallen a long time ago yet it was still as bright in there. The temperature outside of this hell must be so fresh.

Alessia couldn't believe her senses, she must have been wrong but...she had felt a breeze, not scorching hot like all the air they had been getting lately but rather ice cold. A breeze that had somehow travelled into the brasier without being heated, so somewhere around...Yes! That must be it!

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"There is an exit nearby! Hold on just a while longer!" Alessia continued to walk forward fuelled by hope, the only thing she could risk to feel. Joan crooked his neck to look around them, trying to see where this exit might be. Alessia was coughing due to her sudden outburst.

"Wait! I see it, to your left Alessia!" Joan pushed her in the right direction. Her face, covered in soot and sweat, lit up, yes, there was an opening, they could get through!

The fresh air around them still smelled like hell, they could still taste the bitter ashes in their mouth whether from the ashes on their faces or the one suspended in the cold air. They shivered and coughed and eventually they fell to the ground exhausted a couple hundred meters away from it all. The injured man they had found was still unconscious and both of them felt closer to death than they had ever been. Alessia could feel her heart beat so hard and fast that it became painful, Joan felt his eyes cry again trying to cleanse themselves of the dirt. It hurt.

Alessia was laughing between cough, laughing and smiling. She felt extremely...good? It was strange for sure but a rational part of her brain quietly told her that is was due to the shock. The short grass under her, not yet burned and dried by the sun, this early in summer, not yet coarse to the touch, felt good on her burned skin, to the parts that were superficially burned. She ached all over, her hands felt like they had been skinned, her throat felt like abrasive paper, lungs hurt even more than when she nearly drowned. Her head looking toward the sky she laughed and coughed and cried and shouted something she herself did not understand. She was alive, she was alright, once more escaping what could have been the last day of her life.

Joan was also laying in the grass, between the two of them laid the man they had rescued, his chest slowly rising and sinking. The relief he felt almost made his heart stop. Alessia had stopped her screaming, she was crying now, only crying. He was too despite feeling like the driest desert. He stared at her, smiling, or rather grimacing something that could be considered a smile, he stared at her afraid she would stop breathing. Having to manually remind himself to do so.

They woke up with the sunrise. They had not even realized they had fallen asleep. Joan scrambled to check on the man. He groaned and opened his eyes with difficulty.

"Who..." his voice was terrible, that simple word almost made him spit blood.

"Shh...do not worry, we got you out of there, you are safe, we will bring you to a doctor." Alessia returned with some water from the carriage, two bottles.

"We need to go back to Meriam, I feel like I'm about to topple over and he need urgent care." She let herself fall to the ground, or perhaps she had tried to kneel but her body gave up, whatever it had been she showed no distress and handed one of the bottle to Joan.

"Drink yours Alessia, I'll make sure he drinks too." Gently Joan helped him sit and then drink. He would be lying if he said he didn't need that water too, but, he was the one in the best shape amongst them. He could manage. "Help me get him back to the carriage."

Slowly they brought him back. Alessia laid him on the seats and sat in front of him, keeping an eye on him to make sure his condition did not worsen. Joan sat in the driver's seat, facing the ruins. The camp was still burning, much less than during the night but still. The smoke had cleared enough for him to view the carnage. What had transpired here before their arrival must have been terrible. If the man ever recovers from his injuries he will have a hard time reintegrating society. The blackened wood and strange silhouette on the ground he dared not to look at for too long afraid he might recognize in them the corpse of people. He turned his head away, nauseous and...sad. He turned the carriage around and they went back the way they came. Meriam could be seen on the horizon, they would find some respite there, he hoped. The bottle of water next to him was soon emptied. Alessia, sat gravely inside the carriage, her face resting on her clenched fist as she looked over the anonymous man. They could come back later once he had been left in the care of a doctor and search the ruins for hints or perhaps papers that had not been consumed. It would be a long time before the man would be able answer their questions.