Lory and Zhao Li Xin stood shoulder to shoulder on the high vantage point, the night wind tugging at their clothes as they looked down upon the street below. What had once been a quiet stretch of road was now a sea of fire.
Flames surged and writhed like living beasts, devouring asphalt, vehicles, and storefronts alike, painting the darkness in violent shades of orange and red. Thick smoke rolled upward in heavy waves, carrying the sharp scent of burning metal and fuel into the air.
In the distance, sirens began to cry out, first faint, then multiplying, their overlapping wails forming a frantic chorus that echoed through the city. Soon after, pinpoints of light appeared in the sky. Drones descended in slow, deliberate patterns, their searchlights cutting through the smoke as they scanned the inferno below, indifferent and precise.
