CHAPTER 5: WHERE THE FIRE BEGIN

Emily stood in the doorway of a small wooden house, her bare feet pressed into the floor as if the threshold itself had roots. Inside the room, a little girl sat cross-legged on a woven carpet, her back to the door.

The girl wore a flowery dress.

Bright. Soft. Too clean for the world around her.

Toys were scattered everywhere - dolls, painted blocks, tiny animals carved from wood. The girl lifted her hands and laughed, and the toys rose into the air as if they belonged there. Two dolls floated higher, spinning gently, their small arms locked together as if they were play-fighting.

The girl provided the voices herself, changing tones, giggling, completely absorbed.

Emily watched from the doorway with a soft smile on her face.

The girl’s laughter warmed something deep in her chest, a quiet, unfamiliar comfort spreading through her like sunlight. For a moment, the world felt gentle. Safe. The way the toys danced in the air made Emily’s heart feel light, as if the girl’s joy was somehow her own.

Then the blast came.

The sound tore through the moment like glass shattering.

Emily flinched hard, her smile vanishing as fear slammed into her chest. Her heart lurched, instincts screaming before her mind could catch up. She turned sharply toward the doorway, breath caught, pulse racing.

A distant boom echoed through the air. She turned towards the girl, instinctively wanting to protect her.

The girl didn’t react. The dolls kept spinning in the air as her laughter continued.

Another blast followed, closer this time. The air trembled. Emily’s breath caught in her throat. She turned her head and looked outside.

The village was on fire.

Small cottages burned, flames licking at thatched roofs. Faceless figures moved between the houses - shadows dressed in black, carrying weapons that glinted in the firelight. Some held guns. Others carried small metal objects in their hands.

Grenades.

Emily’s pulse spiked. She turned back toward the girl.

“Hey,” she called urgently. “Hey- come here. We have to go.”

The girl laughed, making the dolls crash playfully into one another.

Another explosion. Screams echoed somewhere far away.

Emily stepped forward towards her - and stopped.

Her feet wouldn’t move.

She tried again. Nothing. It was like the doorway had swallowed her legs whole.

“Please,” Emily begged, stretching her arm out towards the girl. “We have to leave. They’re killing people. You can’t stay here.”

The girl didn’t hear her.

She kept playing. Kept laughing. Completely unaware of the fire crawling closer.

Emily’s chest tightened. She tried screaming - but no sound came out.

A man appeared at the edge of the village, moving toward the house. His face was blurred, like it had been erased. He pulled the pin from a grenade and threw it.

The grenade arced through the air, spinning, beautiful and terrible…

“No!” Emily screamed.

Emily woke up gasping.

Her chest heaved as tears spilled down her face. She sucked in air like she’d been drowning, her hands clutching at the sheets.

“Emily.”

Hands touched her shoulders. Gentle. Warm.

She blinked and focused.

Elaine hovered above her, worry etched into her face. The lights were on. The room felt too quiet.

“Did you have another nightmare?” Elaine asked softly.

Emily nodded, wiping her cheeks. “Yeah.”

“The same one?”

“Yes.”

Elaine climbed into the bed and pulled Emily into her arms. Emily folded into her instantly, shaking as the last echoes of fire faded from her mind.

“I don’t understand,” Emily whispered. “Why do I keep seeing her?”

Elaine stroked her hair. “Who, sweetheart?”

“The little girl,” Emily said. “She keeps coming back. Always the same. Always the fire. What do you think it means?” 

Elaine hesitated. “It’s just a dream sweetheart.”

Emily pulled back slightly, staring at the wall. “I don’t know. What does a little girl have to do with me?” Her voice cracked. “Sometimes I wonder if she’s someone I hurt. Maybe a mission I don’t remember.”

Elaine shook her head gently. “You would know.”

“Would I?” Emily whispered. “They trained me young – made me do stuff even when I was that young and erased some. What if she’s something they buried?”

Elaine sighed softly. “Maybe the lab made a mistake. Maybe they implanted something that doesn’t belong. False memories happen.”

Emily swallowed. “Then why does it feel so real?”

Elaine hugged her tighter. “Try not to think about it too much. If it meant something, after all these years, it would have surfaced by now.”

Emily nodded slowly, though the unease didn’t leave.

They stayed like that for a while, until Emily’s breathing finally steadied.

Then she noticed the light.

The clock on the nightstand glowed red.

4:52 a.m.

Emily froze.

“Oh no,” she breathed, pulling away. “Elaine - why didn’t you wake me?”

Elaine frowned. “You needed sleep.”

“I’m late,” Emily said, already scrambling out of bed. “I shouldn’t have stayed this long.”

She rushed to dress, pulling on the jeans and T-shirt Damien had bought her the night before. The fabric still smelled faintly of the hotel soap.

Elaine followed her into the hallway. “Do you want me to make you something before you go?”

“No,” Emily said quickly. “I can’t. I really can’t.”

She grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Be careful,” Elaine called after her.

Emily didn’t answer. She was already gone.

The motorbike roared to life beneath her, sleek and familiar. She rode through the quiet streets, the city still half-asleep, her thoughts tangled between fire and floating toys and unanswered questions.

She parked several blocks from the hotel and walked the rest of the way, keeping her head down. The sky was beginning to pale with early light.

When she reached the penthouse floor, her pulse quickened.

She slid the key into the door.

It opened.

Damien stood inside.

He looked up slowly, his eyes sharp and assessing. His jacket was gone. He looked… fine after everything that had happened to him the previous night.

Too fine.

His gaze flicked past her, to the bed. Untouched. Perfectly made.

Then back to her.

“Where did you go?” he asked.

Emily’s heart stuttered.

“I…”

His eyes didn’t leave hers. “Where did you sleep last night?”

The door clicked shut behind her.

Silence filled the room as she tried to find the right words.