Mariupol: a city located in the Southeastern region of the Eastern European country of Ukraine. Close to the border of Russia. North of the Sea of Azov.

The dead of winter. The dead of night.

Vena slowly opens her eyes. Instead of feeling a bed, she feels light rocks and sand beneath her hands. She doesn’t remember what she did last night but it must have been crazy for her to end up sleeping on the beach. Laying there, she realizes something seems off. She’s not outside. It looks, feels, and sounds like she’s in some sort of room. It’s pitch black and quiet with no wind at all.

Her body not feeling encumbered at all by the last nights antics, she sits up for a better view. Nothing. Looking at the ground then her hands and body, she still sees nothing. Is she blind!? Panicked, she rises to her feet still trying to look around, “Hello? Hello!?” Silence.

Before she could take a step, she feels an extreme migraine suddenly pulse throughout her head, feeling it distinctly behind her eyes, through her brain, following all the way down the back of her neck. She grabs her head in pain as a terrifying, booming female voice pounds through it, speaking slowly and methodically, “It is time.”

Then just as sudden as the pain arrived, it went away and she saw light. A deep orange sliver of light. The darkness began to fade like it was made of a thick black smoke. Instead of desipitating as smoke does, it slowly flowed into her exposed feet, hands, and face, then up into her clothes. All of her other senses were attacked simultaneously.

The loud screaming of fire with the crackling and moaning of wood hit her ears with full force. The light from the fire blinded her. The hot smoke singed her nose. Heat instantly enveloped every inch of her body. She realizes now that she is in a burning room.

Vena tries to find her bearings against everything attacking her senses, struggling to find an exit. Creaking can be heard throughout the whole building. The feeling of impending doom began to loom. Was she going to die here? Her panic and adrenaline rise, her breathing and heart rate accelerate. Hyperventilating, she felt like she could have a heart attack at any moment. As the room became encapsulated with thick smoke, the wood floor catching fire was the tipping point. Stepping back, she trips only now realizing she was laying in a crater. While falling, looking down towards her bare feet, she saw the hole was filled with a bed of ash and cinders. She clumsily landed on her butt directly into the flames that already covered the floor behind her. Flames enveloped her.

She let out a low scream of panic and instinctively began rolling around. Seconds later she got up and took off into a full sprint straight towards an exit. It might have been a window, a door, a hallway, it didn’t matter. She just needed to get out of that room.

Crashing through the supposed exit hidden behind smoke and flames, Vena prepared herself for the worst: to fly out of a window. With only the tiniest amount of relief, she hit a wall then the floor.

I’m not on fire. Not even burned.

Leaving no time to think, she shook off the disorientation and kept running down the hall then down the stair. Taking a few steps down the hot, blacken stairs, Vena knew this wasn’t the wisest thing to do and knew it was already too late. The stairs gave way. Vena shielded her head and curled up as she crashed through two layers of hot then hotter wood.

Vena landed hard on her side on top of the wreckage. Kicking and shoving the rubble out of the way, she annoyingly laid in the rubble and embers exhaling. She just sat there, sat there staring at the black smoke above. She wasn’t tired, just contemplating what to do.

Why aren’t I tired? I don’t think I’m much of an athlete. Also, I must have inhaled a lot of smoke but it’s not really bothering me. I mean, look at all this smoke.

Sitting up, she started observing her current situation: her jeans and shirt are slightly charred, she’s not injured, the debris she’s laying in is still hot, some parts even red hot.

Not a single scrape. Impossible. My pants are jacked up though. Damn, my shirt too. You know, this wood isn’t too hot. It should be though. Wait a minute.

Wide eyed, she felt for her hair expecting the worst, but it was all there. Not one hair burnt or melted. Relieved and confused, she looked at her hands. The red hot tinders went out quickly around her but instead of feeling cooler, she felt warmer. Her eyes expressed surprise.

The ground just got cooler and then my body got warmer. The heat just flowed into my body. I swear that’s what I just felt. And saw.

Vena’s thoughts were interrupted by the creaking and rumbling of the building.

Oh man. Doesn’t sound like this building has much longer.

Vena got up, stretched with her hands over her head and leaned left then right, “Alright, let's get out of here.”

Carefully this time.

The building was now filled with smoke. That was a lot less obvious when she was on the floor. She took a right down another hallway and ran into the absence of a floor. The floor must have given way just like the stairs. Looking down into the smoke and inferno below, she saw it was a couple floors that have given way to the flames. Several bodies burned below. Vena placed a hand over her mouth in shock, “Oh my god. Oh my god oh my god.” She didn’t know them but she felt sorry nevertheless. She took a few steps back then squatted holding her knees.

Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my fucking god. Holy shit. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t help you. I’m so sorry I couldn’t help. I could have done something if… No. Maybe. I don’t know. I can’t believe people died. Wait, what if there are others? Even so, what am I going to do? There’s no way down.

She wiped a tear, got up and turned to look around. There was a window and a closed door nearby. The building rumbled again but this time she heard s lot of crashing from above. The building was falling.

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I think that was an upper floor burning down.

She jogged through thick smoke to the window. Opening it and look down below she saw she was on the third floor. The fresh air and cold wind felt refreshing. She felt like her senses were renewed. Then she thought she could hear coughing nearby, next door maybe? Stepping back inside, she listened. She could hear it! She couldn’t hear it before but she can hear coughing directly through the wall.

The walls weren’t really that thin here, were they? Naw. If they were they’d have burned down a long time ago.

“Hello,” she yelled at the wall. She looked at the door and headed straight for it. “Hello,” she yelled at the door this time. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to open doors to a flaming room but couldn’t remember why. She grabbed the doorknob. It was hot, but it didn’t burn her. Was that why? Hot doorknobs? It got cooler as she held it. She jiggled the door. Locked. She knew it was far fetched but maybe the metal was softer from the heat? She twisted with all her might and the mechanism in the door knob break.

What in the world. It broke? Did I break it or was it the heat? Not what I imagined would happen. I mean, I didn’t know what to expect, but definitely not that.

Leaving that thought for later, she opened the door slowly. Despite the slow open, fire exploded out of the room toward her, scaring her back. She heard a child’s scream, a reaction from the explosion. The door forced itself open and the dark room lit itself ablaze. The floor instantly creaking and snapping. Vena cautiously approached the flames deciding to test something. She put her hand through the doorway and into the fire. It was hot, but not unbearable, like a sauna.

Huh, the fire really doesn’t hurt. It’s like my skin just sucks it up like a sponge. Not that I’m complaining but what the heck is going on?

She stepped through the doorway letting her clothes burn and singe. Her ponytail and bangs flailed about due to the intensity of the flames. She tried to speak above the flames “Hello? Are you in here,” she yelled while cupping her hands around her mouth. “HELP!” Vena could hear the little girl in the corner of the room despite the smoke and flames. “I’m coming sweetie! I’m coming! Don’t worry,” Vena decided to ignore the flames and stick close to the walls. “I’m coming sweetie,” she ignored the flames on the walls and walked slowly towards the voice. “Hurry,” the girl said under her breath in tears or fear. It could have been either if Vena had to guess.

After passing a corner and a closed window, the girl was in site, “I’m almost there.” She was crouched in the corner of the room holding her head with flames dangerously close. Vena started instinctively wiping the flames on the floor and walls around her. As she expected, the flames moved from the surface onto her then evaporated, cooling the surface and warming her, “I got you sweetie, I got you.”

The center of the room finally collapsed causing flaming furniture and accessories to tumble towards the center. The girl gave a whimper and Vena took her into her arms, “It’s okay, I got you. I got you.” “Where’s my mommy,” the girl whimpered. Ignoring her, Vena picks her up and takes the path against the wall back to the hallway.

God damn it. Now I got this girl. What do I do now? That staircase is useless. I could jump into the flaming hole to the left, maybe break a few bones. Could I protect the girl from the flames though? Could I protect her from the fall? Ugh, we’d both die. Then jump out the window to the right? Into the snow? Soft landing maybe? No, that’s dumb. The only difference between the choices are one’s hot and one’s cold. We’re going to die here.

Another rumble then a louder crash from above erupts. The ceiling cracks after a loud thud and a giant beam topples down into the inferno. The beam crunches against several floors on it’s way down, including the floor they stood on. This causes a cascade forcing the ceiling to crumble and a charred beam to break through nearly hitting Vena’s head and blocking the path towards the window. The two of them have less than a foot of free space unless they go to the previously crumbled staircase. But that would certainly be a guaranteed trap waiting to happen. As the previous fallen beam lands at the bottom of the inferno with a thud, it must have hit something supporting the floor they stood on because the floor started bending.

I need to get to the stairs.

The staircase to the right began to crumble along with floor they stood on. The rest of the ceiling gave way causing charred beams and debris to follow them as they both helplessly fell into the flaming pit.

Vena held the girl to protect her from the fall and landed with her back against the flames. The last thing she remembers was the wood and debris speeding towards her face.

Something’s on my face. What’s on my face...

Vena peaked out of her left eye, the other wouldn’t open. She sighed. A beam had her head pinned against debris, mushing her face awkwardly. Her right eye was forced shut and her nose was bent uncomfortably to the left side of her face. Her upper lip and cheek were forced up causing her mouth to gape open and her eye shut to keep shut. But you know what, she was not in any pain. No pain at all. She sat there contemplating.

Wow, all this and no pain. I can’t believe we’re still here. I mean, of course we’re still here, why wouldn’t we be. Damn. We’re still here. We’re still here. We’re still… We’re… We!

“Sweetie,” she muffled trying to sound as clear as possible. “Sweetie? Are you okay?” Silence. Vena tried to move. Moving her arms along with all the debris above her, she felt for the girl. Dust fell into her only working eye and a giant rock adjusted itself into her face.

Nice.

She felt for her, and there she was. She felt the little girls clothes, her body on hers. There was no movement at all. Using her arms and hands to trace her body, her heart sank. The child's body was very deformed. Rib bones were softened and not curved around her back as it should be. The spine was not straight at all. The arm she felt was soft like rubbery dough. She squeeze a portion of it lightly trying to get a reaction. Nothing. Vena started to tear up, “no.”

She prepared herself to get up, positioning her legs, used one arm to push everything out of her way and the other for balance. Executing her movement slowly, she grunted loudly like a powerlifter and held her breath at peak grunt. All the debris crashed down to either side of her. The rubbery, mangled body of the child flopped and twisted in unnatural ways as she scooted out of the hole she was in. The eye she saw of the child was bulging out of the socket and the head gashed open. Burns littered the body. There was less blood than one would think. The color of the skin was grey and purple. Vena threw up beneath her right arm, away from the child and cried at the same time.

Not wanting to take a second look, she whimpered and shook as she climbed over the now cooled debris. The building burned with less fire now. Getting past the debris and lumbering over towards the exit facing the street, she saw a hint of a glimmer beneath the floorboards.

I’m at ground level. I wonder what that could that be?

She continued towards her goal: the street, freedom. As she arrived at the archway of the exit, she felt and heard the biggest explosion she had ever experienced erupt from behind her. The alien feeling sent her off her feet, down stairs, and face first into the thinly iced floor.  

Vena laid on the concrete entrance of the building. Mentally exhausted, she didn’t move. She just laid there and watched as wood began raining from the sky. Ash and debris trickled down onto the snow around her.

Please let it be over...