It was a late summer night. The time was ticking away, marking the early morning of the day that followed.
Dimly lighting up the dark, clouded sky—carried from the prior night filled with rain, were the lights of a small, rural town. And in its periphery was a hostel, standing proud and tall.
Only a few small businesses and farmhouses surrounded the local, making it feel as though they were surrounded by a thick forest, in the middle of nowhere.
Nearly the whole building was darkened, indicating that most people were asleep, and only a few were still awake.
In one of the rooms, toward the top of the building, stayed a young police officer who had come back only hours ago from an ongoing missing person's investigation. One of the many in a sudden, recent wave of the missing.
After weeks of similar reports being sent to various police stations, the causes for such disappearances were still a mystery. Although authorities didn't release any statement without solid proof, it didn't stop the people from talking. Word spread fast of 'the end of times' being just around the corner, how 'the aliens' have finally come to take over.
The room where the officer stayed was dark; only a faint, blue light reflected off the walls from the running TV. The room wasn't spacious either, estimated to be only half the size of his apartment.
It was a sitting room, a bedroom, and a kitchen combined into one. A sofa, which was stretched out into a bed, sat adjacent to the television. Only a step away from the reclined sofa stood a broad coffee table.
One of the things on the table was a white ceramic ashtray with two or so cigarette butts squished into ash. Right next to it: his badge bearing his name and his trusty gun. Officer Frank Fallon. And next to that sat three packs of peppermint gum. One of them was open and half gone.
The man in question was sound asleep, lying on his back with his head tilted to one side. His body was still covered in policewear. The only evidence of his attempt to strip himself of his clothes was his shirt, unbuttoned.
Coming into his room as late as he did and running on minimal sleep, it resulted in him crashing onto his bed and passing out almost a second later.
Adjacent to him, the news began playing on the television.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Danielle Danes, and you're watching NOWNews. The price of fuel continues to rise, leaving people angrier than ever... Just in. Police caught the infamous gang, 'Ouite Claw', confiscating nearly 30 kilograms of illegal substances... Another tragedy. Family found dead. A father killed his family with a shotgun before killing himself. Police report the motives are still unclear as to why the father killed his family, relatives say there was very little to no dispute before the killings... Flu Season. The HOV announces its flu season. A newly discovered illness is spreading throughout the federation; its symptoms are similar to those of a common flu. While there is an appeal for individuals to be vigilant, it's said there's no need for any worry... Weather relief, a cold spell to hit most of the country, following record-breaking summer temperatures, although a wave of widespread rain is expected to begin from next week.".
Most of the news was a repeat of the events that were showcased the night before. Even the news of the illness. It began to circulate only recently, with many reports hinting it was nothing more than a common cold. Another strain of the flu.
The news anchor continued talking, discussing all the news topics mentioned at the start in more detail.
Then, from under the main door, small clouds of smoke began to seep into the room. It seemed to come from the other side. From the hallway.
At first, it was a few swirls that rose from the door, but, as the time ticked on, the smoke seemed to only become thicker, spreading further into the room.
There was a fire, spreading somewhere within the building.
Minor commotion was heard, a few neighbours speaking; however, soon enough, the talking died out, letting silence take over.
Then, initially, creasing his nose ever so slightly, Frank twisted and turned before having the smell of the smoke wake him up.
He opened his eyes, giving himself a moment to realise where he was, and then, what seemed to be a moment later, he sat up before looking around him. "Smoke?" It was all he managed to let through before he began coughing.
Grabbing a piece of fabric and placing it on his nose, he collected his badge and pistol before taking his bag with him also.
Listening to the sound of the people who were in the rooms next to him, Frank felt slight relief that they had caught on to the smoke, too. What confused him was the fire alarms. Why weren't they set off?
Opening the door to his room, the first thing he saw was the thick smoke. Very quickly, he quickened his blinking, a reflex to the sensation of burning the smoke left on his eyes. He knew he had to find a way out and a fire alarm to activate, and fast.
Right as he was about to step out, a few people rushed past him, heading down the hallway. He decided to follow them, thinking they knew the way out.
A second later, the loud ringing of the fire alarm filled the smoky hallway. 'Finally. Someone seemed to have activated it...'.
From behind him, the ceiling began to crack, a few spots giving off a darkening hue, with some black smoke being emitted by the darkening spots. He knew he had to keep going.
Walking ahead, he soon came to a stop, realising the people before him were stopped before a door. An emergency exit door. He saw one of the men struggling to open the door.
"All good??" Frank began.
"We can't get the door open..." said the man through a cough or two. "Seems like it's jammed...".
"What fucking use is a fire exit door if you can't use it!" a woman added, her voice quivering before she gave into a coughing fit from the smoke.
Frank stepped forward, the man at the door backing away to give Frank the space to try and open the door himself. Hoping that if he used more brute force, he'd be able to pry open the door, he succumbed to the smoke by collapsing against the door after a few tries, coughing.
Standing upright, he tried to open the door again; however, nothing happened. "We... we gotta find another way to get out," Frank said, turning around. "There must be another fire door somewhere.". And in that, the group from behind started following him.
They all rushed through the hallway, the ceiling above them looking like it doesn't need much to collapse. Frank felt the pressure was on. He wasn't in charge of his own life, but also of the lives of the people who now put their trust in him.
"Are you an officer?" a woman asked, catching Frank's attention.
He nodded his head, talking into the fabric. "Yes...". He tried not to talk much; he didn't want anyone else to waste their breath for nothing.
The hallway got warmer and warmer, with some of the fire also spread to their floor. With them being quick on their feet, they managed to find another way down. Another fire exit door, wide open.
"There!!" he shouted. "Go, go!".
Making sure everyone from the group made it through the door, he turned back one last time, looking at the hallway before joining them.
Rushing down the steps, they walked into another hallway. The tension seemed to have reduced.
Considering how there was much less smoke where they stood, Frank took the fabric from his nose, his lungs thanking him for taking a deep breath. Though they were away from the fire, Frank knew that they weren't away from danger, not until they made it out of the building.
"We're nearly out!" Frank yelled over the ringing of the fire alarm.
Although Frank had already stayed in the local for a few days, the adverse circumstances made him feel as though it was his first night at the hostel.
The hallway was dark, with green lights on the ceiling pointing toward the closest exit. However, their luminescence was only so bright. It couldn't light up anything else in its surroundings.
"Where do we go now?" another person from the group asked.
"Follow me," Frank's words came before he could stop them. Although he was unsure about his decision to lead a group of people away from danger, his job made him perfect the art of hiding such—from civilians at least. "The main door should be somewhere near...".
Frank continued forward, but the ceiling above them didn't stop the crackling rumble. It felt almost like it came in waves, Frank thought, his feet matching the hastily pounding of his heart.
Almost a second later, a deafening explosion from the floors above rocked the building.
"Watch out!". Pulling a few of the people behind him, Frank managed to get them out of the path of the rubble that collapsed to the ground. And with it came the fire.
What once seemed like a safe hallway soon turned into a sight seen only minutes ago. The air around them once more filled with smoke as the blazing fire continued to spread. It seemed to have no sign of stopping.
"We gotta move!" Frank said, covering his nose and mouth with the fabric once more. Rushing down the hallway, they quickly managed to find another staircase.
The ground floor. They were close.
But something that made Frank worried was the smoke. It was thick, thicker than he anticipated. Especially considering they were now on the ground floor.
Stepping out into one of the main hallways in the hostel, Frank's gaze immediately caught hold of a sign. 'Reception'.
"Come on, don't have much longer to go...".
The group rushed ahead, eventually running into a double door. Giving it a mighty push, Frank managed to open it. Eying the main door, he felt relief spread through him.
Finally, running out the door and into the chilled night, Frank let the fabric fall from his grip and onto the ground. He let himself walk further away from the hostel before looking around him. There were many people outside the hostel. A lot of them with comforters wrapped over their shoulders, distressed.
"Officer..." a familiar voice called. Turning around, Frank was faced with the same woman whom he had met in the hallway. "I just... I wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for you, I don't know if my boyfriend and I, amongst the others in our group, would have made it out... alive. So, thank you. Thank you for saving us.".
Frank felt flattered at her words, so much so that it made a small smile grow on his lips. But such was his job anyway. To help and save people.
Just as he was about to say something, the shattering of glass caught his attention, before a scream was heard. A person, set on fire, fell down the building. A loud thump signalled both the end of his fall and of his life. All that was left of him was a burning corpse.
It took Frank a moment to realise what had happened. And once he did, he knew it was a moment he'd carry with him for the rest of his life. Seeing a person die right before his eyes.
It also served as a grim reminder for him. Although he and the people around him made it out alive, some of the others weren't so lucky.