Fire. Smoke. Hallway.
The heat from the fire was still warming Frank's skin. He felt like he was there, back in the hallway of the hostel. In front of his room, everything around him was up in flames.
He was eager to find a way out. The heat was becoming unbearable, as was the smoke. It was becoming increasingly harder for him to breathe. And with each breath he took, it became shallower. Filling his chest less and less. One cough. Two coughs.
He wanted to get out.
But he couldn't move.
He wanted to cover his nose.
But his arms didn't move.
His heart pounded against his chest.
He needed to get out.
And then, nothing. Darkness. As if the smoke engulfed the world before him. But he knew that wasn't the case.
Something changed. It almost came as a relief. He wasn't in a fiery hallway, and the smell of the smoke was gone. But it all lasted a moment.
Behind him, an explosion sounded, pushing him forward. The cracking of a window was heard before it shattered completely.
He was outside, finally. The relief only further spread within him; however, it didn't last long. It took him a moment to realise that he wasn't on the ground. He was afloat. By the side of his eye, he could see the inferno that was once the hostel.
Time was slowed, and the more he came to realise where he was, the faster he felt the time run.
And the faster everything seemed to become, it sent him another realisation. One that sent a shiver down his spine and made his stomach turn. He wasn't afloat, no. He was falling. Falling into darkness.
The ground came quickly. Too quickly.
His fall suddenly ended with a loud gasp.
Darkness.
Frank shot up, confused as to where he was. But it took him a moment to realise. He was in his bedroom, far away from the burnt-down hostel.
He let his head fall into his hands. He was soaked with sweat, his heart in his throat.
It wasn't often that he had nightmares about what happened that night. But on nights like tonight, the recurring nightmare was nearly identical—he stood in the hallway, and he couldn't move. The smell of burning wood and smouldering plastic filled his nose. His breathing grew shallow until he was blown out the window of the building. Free-falling before waking up.
"Feels like it's becoming more frequent..." he sighed.
Very soon, the sound of reality came back to him. The cars' honks outside his building, the faint sound of music his neighbours played down the hallway. Some louder pedestrians heard, vaguely, all the way from the streets below. When he picked himself up and off his bed, he walked off to the broad window in his room. A sunset in the distance, while, opposite from the setting sun, a wave of low, dark clouds raced toward Frank's town.
His apartment building was located on a slight hill, and with his apartment being located halfway up the building's height, it allowed for a great overview of the big town.
With the darkening of the day and the rise of the night, it brought out the lights, in all their colours, scattered throughout the town. Starting from the centre and stretching outward.
Although Frank was greeted with the view every early morning and each late night, it was still a sight to behold. As if whenever he saw it, it felt like his first time.
Behind him, past the ajar door of his bedroom, he heard his TV running. The familiar sound of the news beginning caught his attention. 'Wonder what they're gonna show tonight...'.
Before heading out, he grabbed a clean set of clothes and a dry towel. Placing his shower essentials beside him on the sofa, he followed the news.
"Another riot in the city centre. The mayor of Aides is appealing to all its citizens to stay vigilant and not give in to the protests, saying, 'The truth and the transparency will prevail. We will all have the answers, but only in due time. And certainly not at the cost of my home city.'. Next up..." Frank's mind drifted off before he could catch onto what the news anchor had to say.
"Another protest in Aides?...". The setting of the rally was familiar to him. The southern part of the city. "That's not too far away from me.". Turning around and picking up the pack of cigarettes, he lit one up, fetching himself a glass ashtray.
Frank's town was big, but not in comparison to some of the other towns close enough to his. Especially when considering he was on the periphery of the country's capital, Aides. It alone was one of the more major cities in the federation.
His attention went back to the news. But seeing that the topic was politics, his attention was quickly lost, in turn, causing him to switch the channel. Another news channel.
"Just in, the cases of the new virus are on the rise. Though the symptoms are those of a common cold or the flu, experts are saying to be cautious and not take unnecessary risks.".
He took a pull of his cigarette, tapping the burnt tip into the ashtray.
Again, he changed the channel. And once more, he was greeted with something to do with politics. A talk show. Frank didn't give it much thought.
That was when he decided to follow his neighbour's suit and put on some music too. Early 2000s pop. Music from his childhood.
He stayed until he finished his smoke, pressing the scorching tip into ash in the ashtray. Leaving the music to play, he picked up his clothes and towel and headed into the bathroom, where he stripped himself of his sweatpants and tank top before stepping into the shower.
Lathering his body and hair, he quickly washed it all off, cutting off the water and drying himself with the towel.
Getting dressed up and walking back out into the living room, he went to the dining table, where his phone sat. Turning it on for a mere second, he checked the time.
19:27. His shift begins at 8.
With the music still playing, Frank walked into his room, gathering a fresh uniform, eyeing the folded one from yesterday, sitting on the small ottoman he got when he moved in. 'Need to get it into the dry cleaners soon...' he thought to himself.
Getting himself ready and placing both his holster and his badge on either side of his belt, he went for his phone, dialling the colleague he was due to work his shift with. Maurice.
"Frank! My man, it's like you read my mind. I was about to call you. You ready?".
"Ready as a gun," Frank replied, turning off the television, before making sure his stove and other electronics were off too. "I'm just about to head out. Where do you want me to wait for you?".
"Be in no rush, the traffic is slowly piling up. I can get you outside your building. I'm close enough to there anyway.".
"Alright, if you say so... I'll see you then.".
"Sounds good.".
Walking up to his window, he checked what the situation was like on the other side of the glass pane. He let out a sigh. It was raining. "Glad I didn't rush out without my coat.".
Rain was a commodity in Iarterre, especially in the area where Frank lived. Almost like a monsoon, going from the late summer all the way into the early winter.
Putting on his police coat and cap, he turned off any light that remained on, making his way out into the hallway before walking down the steps.
On his way to the ground floor, he came across a few fellow dwellers who lived around his flat; he wished them all a good evening.
"Oh, Frank! Before you leave," an old neighbour of his began. "Send that other young officer of yours, the one I saw in town earlier this week, a big, big greeting from me. He helped me so much.". Immediately, he knew she meant Maurice.
"Of course, Ms Kelly. I'll be sure to do that," he replied. "You have a good night, Ms Kelly. And if there's something wrong, give me a ring, I'll come as soon as I can.".
"Ah, don't you worry, dear. I'm sure you have a lot of work to do. And besides, I am still a capable woman. I can fend for myself," she replied, giving him a wink before waving at him one last time. "Be careful in that rain, sweetheart.".
Frank glanced at the elderly woman as she continued her elegant walk up the steps. There, he reached the ground floor, quickly rushing to the front door before walking out into the shower. The rain fell heavier than anticipated. Frank was glad he'd be in a car, as opposed to being on foot.
Standing under an overhang, he saw Maurice's cruiser pull up a minute later. Hopping in, he fastened the seat belt, and they were off.
"Sorry if I kept you waiting," Maurice started.
"What? Don't be ridiculous, I literally just got there. Had another smoke, and by the time I was done, I saw you pull up.".
"Alright, gotta go up to the station to get signed in before we get going.".
Frank nodded his head. "Sounds good to me.".
— — —
The night proceeded as planned. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Rain fell in heavy curtains, and the sides of the road were merely flooded with rainwater.
Maurice was tampering with the radio in his car, trying to fix the cut signal after changing the radio station. Frequently, Frank would steer his gaze toward what Maurice was doing before looking back out into the night.
With the streets empty, Frank found himself beginning to doze off, the warm air hitting his face becoming the main culprit for his tiredness. He needed a cup of coffee.
"You alright, Frank?" Maurice asked, as if he had noticed his tired state.
"I'm good, just need some coffee. You think there's any coffee place open at this ungodly hour?" Frank asked.
"We can have a quick drive around. There's got to be some place open. Even some gas stations," Maurice replied.
At first, Frank shook his head ever so slightly. "No need, I can have a quick walk around. Don't want to take away from our work time.".
"A walk around? In this downpour?? I think not," Maurice started. "Besides, we gotta get a move on soon enough anyway, can't stand in one place all night long.".
Just that happened. With Maurice pulling off, following another failed attempt at getting the radio operational. They drove through the empty streets, with the scenery around them slowly changing as they approached the town centre, becoming fuller. The youths were seen running through the rain, their jackets over their heads, trying to avoid getting drenched.
Frank kept his eyes on them for a second more, ensuring they weren't about to cause trouble. He let a small smile grow on his lips when he saw them all rushing into one of the clubs not too far ahead. It reminded him of what he used to do not too long ago.
"Feels like a lifetime since I've gone out," Frank let through.
Maurice nodded his head, smiling in agreement. "Maybe we should get the office to go on a night out sometime.".
Frank simply chuckled at the idea. And from there, the cabin very soon went mute.
Maurice drove the cruiser, all while Frank frequently handled the radio communication. Ready to handle any sort of emergency that may come.
They drove past multiple businesses, some of which were filled with customers, while others closed for the night. Frank was glad that, even with the talk of an epidemic looming around the corner, everything still seemed somewhat normal.
And just as the thought passed him, somewhere up ahead, to their left, they saw a group of people gathered in a circle.
"What's happening up there?" Maurice questioned, beating Frank to it.
"I was just about to ask the same...".
Pulling to the side of the road, the two officers stepped out of the car, glad to see the crowd of people moving aside as soon as they saw them.
It gave way to a person.
A body. Lying still. On the ground, under the rain.
Frank could see, judging by the raindrops on the top, that the body wasn't outside for long. And the closer they got to the body, a young woman approached the two officers.
"Oh my! We were just about to call the ambulance... My friend here... He fell, seemed like he was having a seizure. We can't get him to wake up.".
"Alright..." Frank started. "I'll ask everyone to take a step back...". Then, turning to his colleague, he added, "Call the paramedics, Maurice...".
Taking another look at the body, Frank could see a thick, opaque liquid next to the head of the victim, slowly being washed down, toward the drain, by the rain. Frank assumed it was stomach bile. There was very little he could do but turn the body to its side, which is what he did. And from there, they waited for the ambulance to come.
'I guess the coffee break can wait.'.