Chapter 2: Into the Inferno

The bus was at a standstill.

Cars honked behind us in a restless chorus, but the officer’s whistle cut through the noise like a sharp blade. “No one’s moving,” Ms. Linley said, voice trembling. “The fire’s blocking every route down.”

I pressed my hand against the window again. The smoke wasn’t just a distant cloud anymore. It was a living thing—black tendrils snaking closer, hungry and relentless.

“Rowan, you still have that signal?” Ms. Linley asked.

I shook my head. No bars. Nothing.

Ethan swallowed hard beside me, eyes wide, reflecting the fiery glow outside. “What if the fire spreads this fast everywhere?”

“Then we have to stick together,” I whispered, leaning closer. “We can’t panic.”

Ms. Linley stood up, her voice firmer now. “Alright, listen up. We’re going to get off the bus. Stay close. Follow me exactly. If you get separated, don’t run—stay where you are and shout.”

The bus door slammed open, and a wave of blistering heat hit us like a freight train. Smoke clawed at my throat, thick and bitter, turning every breath into a fight. The sky was no longer just orange — it was blood red, glowing with a furious, angry light.

“Stay close! No running!” Ms. Linley yelled, but her voice was barely louder than the crackling fire roaring behind us.

I gripped Ethan’s arm, my fingers digging into his skin like a lifeline. His eyes were wild, darting between the flames creeping closer and the terrified faces of our classmates.

“Rowan…” His voice was trembling. “We’re trapped. The fire’s closing in.”

I wanted to scream, to run, to tell him we’d be fine, but I couldn’t. The fire was a beast, and it was hunting us.

A sudden explosion nearby threw a shower of sparks and ash into the air. I stumbled, coughing so hard my vision blurred. I tasted blood in my mouth.

“Keep moving! This way!” Ms. Linley’s voice cut through the chaos, but the path she pointed to was barely visible—just a narrow ridge framed by flames licking up both sides like hungry jaws.

My heart pounded so loud I thought it would burst. The heat was unbearable, burning my skin through my shirt.

Behind us, the fire surged forward like a tidal wave of destruction. The screams of the other kids were swallowed by the roar of the blaze.

I whispered a prayer, voice cracking: Lord, don’t let this be the end.

We scrambled up the ridge, ash raining down like fiery snow. One wrong step could send us tumbling into the inferno below.

Ethan’s grip tightened on my arm. “I’m scared, Rowan. I don’t want to die here.”

“No one’s dying,” I said fiercely, even as panic clawed at my insides. “We’re going to get out. We have to.”

A searing gust of wind pushed the fire closer, and I could feel the heat singe my hair.

Then, from somewhere above, a sharp whistle pierced the hellish air.

“Help is coming!” Ms. Linley shouted. “Keep moving! Just a little farther!”

But all I could see was the wall of fire closing in, relentless and merciless.

The mountain was burning. And so were we.

To be continued……..

P.S. What do you think is going to happen next? Let me know!