The End

I always thought of life as a story, just waiting to be finished. My dad agreed with me, before the first wave of flames hit us.

The Flames hit us hard; although, that was expected, since Phoenix was pretty hot, and it was summer. Still, I remember my father pushing me in the shelter as he was consumed by the orange and yellow heat. I remember my brother pushing Clay and I behind him, and I remember Parker pulling us deeper inside the city. I remember seeing the bright of day once more; and I remember the guards leading us to the Center.

"We'll be okay," Tyler, my brother, whispered in my ear. But I wasn't scared of the fire. I wasn't scared of what it could do or what I had seen I was scared because I liked watching the fire consume person after person, their screams drowning in the waves of orange.

I was twelve then.

Now I was twenty-one, and my brother was twenty-six. Clayton was still at the Center because he was only fourteen, but we visited him daily.

We had both joined the Rebirth team, the group of elite thinkers that worked together to reuild the outside world. Although, there wasn't much left. We were just on the outskirts of the city, guns swinging wildly left to right, knees bent slightly, ready to jump. There was an old parking garage up ahead, the stone black from soot.

"Y and Z, your turn," My buddy, Jack, said with a smirk behind his fireproof mask. Tyler raised an eyebrow at me and gestured for me to go first. I entered the wide opening meant for cars and swung my gun loaded with a fire-squelching agent around. "Clear!" I yelled, starting up the ramp. That's when I heard the click.

Then, a calm day turned into the Devil's nightmare.

"Run!" Tyler screamed as soon as his boot stepped off the mine. Flames exploded out of it and I watched as my brother was eaten by the orange and yellow madness. My ears rang but I still heard his screams. I was propelled the rest of the way up the ramp, and then I just ran, ran up the next ramp and the next until I was out the top. Frantically I looked around, tearing my helmet off. The glass was cracked and I couldn't think with it on.

"Sir!" Someone shouted from behind me. A fireman. "Come here, I can help you!" He yelled. I pointed to the ramp, yelling back, "My brother's down there, I need to save him!" My body instinctually moved backwards as the flames got closer, and I heard the fireman's boots land on the cement. "Sir, Douglas, your brother couldn't be alive. I'm sorry, it's just not possible. But we have to get you out of here!"

I shook my head, watching as the flames licked the fireproof material on my legs. "No, no, I can't! I can't! I have to save Tyler!" I started to walk into the flames when I heard, "I'm sorry, Douglas, but I have to do this!"

I felt his arms wrap around my waist and pull me back, a final explosion blowing us both out of the opening in the cement. "No!" I screamed, struggling against his hold. I elbowed him hard in the gut and stood up as he let go, running into the flaming building. I let the flames consume my body, hugging it, smoke filling up my lungs until I couldn't breathe.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled.

With that, my story ended abruptly.