Chapter Four : Death and Hell

Catching her breath and tears swelling in her eyes, Minah's body was covered with beads of sweat. Fear and agitation were quickly creeping into her heart. It was past midnight and the fire trucks were roaring down the street, breaking their used-to-be quiet neighborhood.

Diana tried to call her on her cell phone earlier but Minah deliberately ignored her. She knew herself too well, talking to Diana right now might just end up starting another argument. It was going to be hard to force herself to speak to her Mother when she was still too upset. 

Minah would be staying at Lara's apartment unit in the meantime to calm herself down. She would only be coming home when she feels like it's time to come back. No one could make her come home even if Diana begged her to.

Lara's unit was also located on the eighth floor of the building where they lived. Lara had been living by herself since her mother, Celestine, got accepted to work in Singapore as a domestic helper. Her mother can only visit the country every two years to spend time with her but only for a short time.

Lara was down with a fever when she arrived earlier. She couldn't cook dinner for her so she decided to step out for a moment to grab her some medicine and porridge. Spending the night at Lara's house was unplanned so she needed to drop by the nearest convenience store to get herself some toothpaste and toothbrush. She could stand not taking a bath for two straight days but she could never sleep without brushing her teeth.

While Minah was paying for her purchases at the cashier, she remembered to check her phone again and noticed that Diana had been calling almost every minute.

She tapped the inbox folder when she saw two unread text messages. She sucked in her breath as soon as she read Diana's first text. Their apartment got caught on fire and Leigh and Diana were trapped inside. What was heartbreaking was that her mom was asking if she was safe.

Minah rushed out, leaving all her purchases behind, and the cashier angrily cursed at her thinking she stole something from the shop. But damn, who cares? The bitch could curse her all she wants but she must go to her family and try to save them first. 

The distance between the convenience store and their apartment will take ten minutes on foot. Unfortunately, since it was already late, she could not find any public transport anymore. Left with no other choice, Minah raced down the empty street as fast as she could.

She could not believe that the two firetrucks who sped past the store she was in earlier were actually headed toward their apartment. 

She could see the thick smoke from afar. She quickly turned to the right which led to a small alley. From there, she could see the fire trucks and a bunch of firemen trying to put out the fire.

Minah was running out of breath when finally she arrived at the scene. People were all over the place, blocking her way but she tried to go through them.

“Mom… Leigh…” she uttered as she continued to work her way to the crowd, clutching her cell phone in her hand. She tried calling Diana but there was no answer anymore. Her heart was racing, her throat tightening. Why wouldn't they answer now?

When Minah finally made her way to the front fear spiraled through her. She froze for a moment, her face was almost color drained. It was as if she was greeted by an inferno. A blanket of black smoke covered the sky. Other parts of the complex were quickly devoured by the flame.

Ashes were falling, and the air smelt of burning— whatever burnt chemicals or wires there were. She was standing a few meters away but the intense scorching heat was burning her skin. The smoke was choking her lungs. Even from afar, the severity of the fire could kill her, what more to those people who were trapped inside their homes. 

The thought of her mom and sister was making her insane.

Those who were able to make it out of the apartment were on edge, dragging and carrying the things they were able to scoop up. Others were screaming, and crying for help while watching their homes getting wiped out.

Minah could not just stand and watch there, her adrenaline to do something pushed her to go past the hazard warning line. But the fire crew was able to catch her fast, grabbing her shoulders out of the zone. She struggled to break free.

“Stay the fuck out of here!” one of the men yelled at her. 

Her eyes landed on him. She remembered his face. He was the one she saw in the elevator. But this time, he was wearing a helmet and a face shield. She clenched her fist. Then, the worsening flames diverted her attention. The fierce yellow and orange flames filled the air. It was so intense that even the firemen were having a hard time extinguishing the blazing fire.

Minah tried to picture something that would give her hope but the fear got the best of her.

She needed to see her mother and sister. She needed to be with them.

The fire crew got distracted a bit so she took advantage of it. Without a word, she ran off and headed toward the building. She stumbled yet got up and started running again towards the burning apartment. She was determined to enter the building and save her family…

or at least die with them…

Frustrated, the man who tried to stop her couldn't help but utter profanities. He noticed the thick black smoke sneaking its way to the first story of the complex where Minah was heading towards. He ran faster to catch her.

It took only a few seconds when he got her into his arms when the first level of the building exploded. They were tossed on the ground and flipped toward— she had no idea where and how far.

She wanted to stay awake but her eyes went blurry. She tried to blink her eyes to stay conscious. She could not see the man's face who saved her life. Too late. They were both knocked unconscious, still in each other's arms.