Chapter One

ANA

"Run! Save yourselves!" I heard a voice scream while I was asleep, is this voice from my dream? I asked myself, why did it suddenly become hot in here? "Ana!, wake up, there's a fire, wake up". 

I woke up confused and started running towards the gate of the estate, my sister was behind me, she couldn't run fast as she had a severe sprain on her left ankle which resulted in her always limping when she walked. 

While running I saw the ashes of people two people on the floor, seems the fire had started a while ago but my sister couldn't get to me fast enough because she couldn't walk properly. 

The estate was surrounded by tall trees which graciously moved calmly in the breeze, then a powerful wind swept through the estate and one of the trees caught fire, its flames consuming the leaves and branches. 

The tree crackled and groaned, its trunk weakening and then it came crashing down.

I watched as the burning tree fell, its heavy branches slammed on my sister's leg. She screamed in pain as the weight of the heavy branches pinned her to the ground. 

I went back to help but I couldn't even move a branch, I wasn't that strong, I looked around and couldn't get anyone to help me, the fire was already taking over the entire estate. 

My town wasn't big, and we lived in a mini estate, a secluded haven that felt like a world of its own. 

The people living in the estate were not many, some of them hardly lived there because they were busy travelling out for work, so sometimes the place can be really quiet with only occasional chirping of birds and rustling of leaves.

My parents were no more so I and my sister started working for some rich folks in the town to earn a living, my sister and I lived in a small hut close to the barn where they rare their animals, my sister took care of the animals while I was in charge of making sure the mansion was clean for my boss. 

The barn took about half of the compound, they had lots of animals which my sister took care of like horses, pigs, sheep, and poultry with lots of chicken which provided eggs that most people in the estate bought from. 

My sister always rides the horses, her favourite thing to do actually and she taught me how to ride too, we would ride the horses and even race just to have fun and forget about the maltreatment we get from our boss each time he's around. 

In the compound, there was a big mansion where my boss lived with his family. The first day I entered I almost went through the glass door without opening it, it was too clean you could barely even notice it was a door. 

The windows were also glass and they had long white curtains covering them, my eyes were all over the living room, the staircases had lights on them and the sofas were white and so clean I don't think they have been used before. 

We heard footsteps from the staircase, "Why are you looking around the house like you are planning how to steal the furniture". A very deep voice asked. "Good morning sir, my name is Ana and this is my sister Milda," I said in a very low tone. 

"I know, I already saw your applications", "You! What is wrong with your leg, you can't work in the main house, you will have to take care of the animals". And that was how my sister started working at the barn while I worked in the main house.

My sister was on the floor with the heavy tree on her legs, she couldn’t move, and her entire body was almost on fire while she screamed. I was so confused and I stopped thinking for a moment. 

"Ana go! run away! you can't survive if you stay much longer here", my sister screamed and cried out, "we both can't die here, please go". She kept screaming and crying, watching her go through such pain was terrifying, she would have saved herself when the fire started but she remembered I was still in the hut and came to get me.

I looked at my sister as salty water ran down my cheeks, "GO" she screamed and I started running out of the estate without thinking, while I ran, everywhere was filled with smoke and I was already coughing, it was hard to feel my body or even my legs moving.

 I couldn't see where I was going, I started choking and I fell and couldn't move, suddenly my eyes closed and everywhere became dark.

 "No one could have survived this intense fire outbreak, my boys are already searching for remains if they can find any. The fire even consumed a huge part of the forest surrounding it. It's hard for anyone to survive this".

A male voice said in my head, I tried to open my eyes but they closed back, I noticed I could move my hand a little and when I tried to get up I felt a sharp pain in my head.

Everywhere was hot, I couldn't remember where I was, it was dark and I could hear voices, so the male voice I heard wasn't from my head. I tried to open my eyes slowly, that was when everything started coming back to me.

I remember hearing my sister scream my name and asking me to run, so I didn't even go that far. It means my sister might still be alive, I said to myself. 

I still couldn't move then I heard some heavy sounds on the floor, seems like someone was heading in my direction. 

"H-e-l-p" I struggled to let out a sound from my lips, but it seemed I was the only one that heard my voice. Then again, my eyes closed and everywhere became dark.