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The heat was stifling, walls of flame on all sides rising up far beyond into the sky, drowning the air in acrid smoke. It was getting harder to breathe, nothing but the ash getting in. She still wasn’t entirely sure what the plan had been, setting the forest ablaze. It would draw attention quickly, though somewhere in the back of her head she surmised they must be using it as a distraction for greater goals.
A distraction she had fallen for.
There was nowhere left to run, nowhere free of flames. At this point she may have to run straight through, suffer the wrath of daring to try defy the fire’s will. At least the others hadn’t gone in with her, safe and otherwise side of the vast orange walls. She took off blindly, trying to retrace her steps in the changing scene, comms cut long ago and leaving her in the dark. She could only hope she wasn’t leading herself deeper into the inferno, never to be found again.
She sprinted, weaving through small gaps in the walls of fire, hands up and over her face when she had to go through instead. She jumped over the rocks, roots, and branches littering the baking ground. She heard a loud crack echo through the burning forest, the creaking as a large tree collapsed right above her. She sped up as fast as she could go, falling to the ground. She pushed herself up, but was pulled down, she looked back, and saw her coat caught under the newly fallen log, flames licking at the edges. She pulled once, twice, unable to free her signature outfit. With a sigh, she slipped out of the sleeves, leaving the fabric to burn with the rest of the forest, arms now much more exposed to the suppressive heat.
She continued, catching sight of a trail. She let herself smile, before hopping onto the path and following it through the flames. Her body screamed, burns and exhaustion catching up with her already dying lungs. She ran just that much faster, adrenaline carrying her just that bit farther as finally, finally the trees begin to thin, and the edge of the wood is in sight. Above the roar of the fire, she catches the murmurs of a large crowd, making out hazy figures through the thick smoke. She heads towards the clearing, fast as her ragged body could allow her. She’s just at the edge, a few more trees away before she could be free. Her foot catches, on what she couldn’t tell, hitting the floor again, dazed as her body gives in, too fast, too soon. Another crack echos out, and she pushes against the earth again, trying to get up before- the last thing she felt was of a sharp pain radiating out from her leg, before it all hit her, dragging into an unwelcome darkness.
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It was quiet save for a soft, repetitive beeping. She breathed in, easier than it had before. She tried to prop herself up, to reassess the area. A firm hand on her sternum, gentle, stopped the attempt.
“Carmen, you need to rest.” A voice spoke, out of sight in the darkness still encasing her vision. She reached out in the direction she thought the voice was in, arm flailing fruitlessly until another hand met hers, gently holding on. She held back, her only attachment to the world.
“Wha- what happened?” She asked, her own voice scratching at her throat.
“You… you nearly made it out, but…” Shadowsan’s voice, she had realized, faltered. He never faltered. She was silent for a few moments, thoughts swirling at the implications.
“Is it- is it bad?” She dared question, but she feared she already knew the answer.
A longer pause.
“You will… not be returning to the field. Ever.” He replied, remorse dripping from each word. She froze, mind going blank at the… confirmation? Revelation? She wasn’t sure, the only thought she could form floating, lingering despite all wishes.
V.I.L.E had won.