1 The Wheat Field Blaze

Soot mixed with blood in his lungs producing a brackish black ooze exiting onto the ground. A dry heave followed by a series of coughs reverberated into the dark night. Eyes blurred; the world looks like it's crying. A vignette of ink took over his vision as the world faded to black. It began on a nice night. A game night, maybe it went too long, nothing he would complain about now. The world doesn't allow for too many good nights, some people have used up all the luck for others. The Moon high in the sky, full and tinted a deep sanguine, leaving trails across the grass like well soaked knives. Spilling out onto our scene. Such a shame, a shame.

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" I've told you so many times," a young feminine voice says, "you can't just add an 's' to all my words and try and take my points."

" I've told you that if you want me to play this game with you then you play by my rules", a masculine voice retorts.

" You can't control every situation."

" Not every, but most." He took his pieces each containing a single letter with small decals of numbers in the corner. Placing them to the side.

" I think that we've been done with this game since at least 8 O'Clock"

" Well maybe you're right" She agreed, " If I was you I'd be sick of losing too and come up excuses as well"

A rumble passes under the old walls of the barn. The girl now raising her face to the light can be seen. Now adorned with a stern countenance she speaks softly.

" Brother, remember me when you call. Remember your sister"

" Right and when did this become a bad horror movie, Tal." The boy chuckles.

" It always has been one." She said as she picked up a kerosene lantern, throwing it against the barn wall. The boy ran over to her in a desperate attempt to grab her arm, as she was stumbling, crawling, scraping at the floor towards the fallen lantern. He grabbed onto her, holding her fast and away from the fallen lantern. Tal sank her teeth into his arm deeply, as convulsions ran over her. Blood poured from his arm over the barn attic, as he let go startled. Smashing her fist into the glass, sparks flashed across the hay bales, ravenous tongues of fire began to devour the straw. Tal's hand began to char as her own body lit faster than the spilled oil and dried straw.

" Tal stop!" His voice was shaky as he held his gushing bleeding arm close to his chest. She looked over to him, her eyes devoid of light. Tal's body began to shrivel in the heat.

" Remember-" Her corpse was a blackened and dehydrated mummy. She contorted into a visage of agony, " Remember me...", She said with her final exhale.

By now the beautiful picturesque red barn was up in flames. He found himself surrounded in the fire as he watched bookcases go up, then game boards, and lastly all his serene childhood memories. His innocence was like lighter fluid, staring at his sister's husk. If the fire did not end soon, the wheat field and farm house would be next.

" All because they wouldn't medicate Tal's epilepsy and fits." He thought, as his attention returned to his surroundings he noticed the barn far behind himself and the farmhouse now a few simple meters away. His phone rang out as he dialed.

" The Kanes' field and barn is on fire, and the wheat is catching." He spoke robotically, " My parents are asleep in the house"

" We'll have a bucket copter there in 30, and it'll be 45 before we can get an engine there. We're sorry but next time we'll need to be more proactive in your calls." They simply did not understand.

The scene above was odd. The entire plot of land that was owned by the Kanes' was a blackened crisp. With stark perfect lines out lined by prefect beautiful fields of wheat. No barn, no farm house, silos gone. The field was a flattened hellscape, but there was one boulder with some minor vegetation, soaked red with blood. The helicopter dropped down next to the singular spot of color.