"The poor suffer in their own misery while the rich watch as if it's an entertaining show. Why was I born into this kind of world?" a man mumbled in a tired voice, slumping down the street with his back against the wall.
"void, you read too many novel! Stop spewing bullshit and ruining our break "
"why are you so sensitive jack, having the time of the month? "
Jack now was standing beside void, his lips twitch hearing his remark. "The fuck do you mean, i am 100% genuine man, do you want to check? "
Void let out a soft chuckle as he pick a cigarette from his pocket than lit it up.
Exhaling the smoke he replied. "No way in hell. Who want to see your ding dong. Anyway it's not like what i saying is wrong."
Jack just want to reply with sarcastic remark when suddenly a loud boom reverberate in the air.
Boom!
The loud noise make their ear ringing, followed by a heart rending scream.
"Kyaaa!"
"No! My brother still inside! "
"Some one call the police! "
Jack were still clutching his head as his ear still ringing, but void already recovered. His eyes were glued at source of the explosion.
Void heart start beating faster as memory of old start resurfacing. The smoke, the heat, scream… all of it is the same as that day.
Without hesitation Void quickly run toward it. Jack that begin to recover seeing his friend doing something dangerous quickly call out, "Void! Hei dammit! What do you think you are doing!! "
But Void doesn't even hear it, he keep running with all his strength.
Jack spit the cigarette in his lips than step on it. "Stupid void!" With reluctant he run away after his friend.
They have been friend for years now. Both of them meet in the street when they are at their lowest.
After the meeting they always help each other, trying hard to survive while getting pursued by loan shark and gang.
Sirens blared all around as red lights reflected in void eyes. Turning his gaze, he saw the black smoke still billowing into the sky, a tragedy that had just claimed hundreds of lives.
"Those greedy company!" he cursed in a muffled sound.
He know this building, he have worked on it before. He have warned the owner, as he skipped many guideline.
But all his words only reach deaf ear. He even call the building inspection, but the result?
Nothing.
Or as someone has said no good deed go unpunished, the owner still do whatever he want, while he got blacklisted by many company.
The nightclub had only one gate to enter and exit. As something exploded inside, the whole building turned into a deadly gas chamber.
Even though it had been a while since he learned about physics, he still remembered smoke contained carbon dioxide that could easily kill people, and who knows what other poisons existed inside the club now.
He opened his shirt, found the nearest tap water, make the fabric wet than use it as a makeshift mask. Entering through the main gate, he was greeted with a foul stench that made it hard to breathe.
It felt like someone had put their hand over his lungs and squeezed. Every breath he took gave a sharp sensation to his throat and nostrils.
The area was completely dark, filled with black smoke. From behind him, a light came from another volunteer who also wanted to help.
What he saw could only be described as hell on earth, people covered in some weird gray substance, trying their best to crawl to the exit.
It wasn't just one or two of them; there were so many he couldn't even count.
Void quickly tried to grab their hands and pull them, but what happened next made his body tremble in shock.
The moment his hand touched theirs, their skin peeled off, revealing part of their flesh.
"GYAAA!!!" one of the volunteers screamed, seeing the gruesome scene.
Void took a deep breath. He was also spooked, as this was the first time he had ever seen something like this in real life. He had seen some gore in movies, but this was different.
"Calm down! Grab their belts or clothes when pulling them. Make sure not to touch their skin," Void instructed, quickly leading by example.
The other volunteers got their bearings back and quickly followed his actions.
A group of firefighters then ran past them, trying to look for survivors inside the nightclub.
While they worked tirelessly moving the bodies, a loud scream could be heard from inside, "HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE!!!!"
All the voulenter including void look at each other, but no one make a move. Each of them wait for other to go.
Helping outside is different than going inside. Even here they could feel the scorching heat. It's like going into hellfire to help a stranger.
How many will do that?
But Void is different, not because he's a saint. But because he have faced similar situation before.
Gritting his teeth, Void run inside.
Cough… Cough… ' Dammit the smoke become denser.'
His eyes hurt from the smoke, but he forced them to stay open. All around him, people were running, trying to get out. Void ignored them and ran straight toward the voice calling for help.
"Help! Please, someone!"
He found a woman with red hair, her face covered in dirt and tears. She looked scared and hopeless, until she saw Void. Then her eyes filled with hope.
Void cursed the moment he saw what had happened. A fridge had fallen over and trapped her leg underneath. It wasn't crushed flat, but it was stuck tight between broken furniture, forming a triangle-shaped gap.
"Can you feel your leg?" he asked, crouching beside her.
The woman shook her head, tears still running down her cheeks.
"No… I can't feel it…"
"Please help me!" she begged. "I'll do anything! Just don't leave me here!"
Void looked at the fridge again. It wasn't on fire, but the area around it was burned and hot.
Her leg was stuck in the small gap under it. The skin looked pale and still, there wasn't much blood, but that didn't mean it wasn't serious.
'It's not crushed all the way,' he thought. 'Maybe she can't feel it because of the shock… or the blood flow is already cut off.'
Void clenched his teeth and moved closer. The heat around the fridge was intense, too close to the flames. His fingers hovered over the metal, and he winced just feeling the warmth on his skin.
"Hold on," he muttered. "I'm getting you out."
He pushed some broken chairs aside, clearing the space. Then he grabbed the edge of the fridge.
The moment his hands touched the metal, pain shot through his palms, it was hot, really hot, but he didn't stop. He grunted, using all his strength to lift. His skin sizzled, the burning making his eyes water, but he kept going.
The fridge shifted slightly.
"Almost…!" he growled.
With one last heave, he lifted just enough for her to pull her leg free. The woman cried out in pain as she dragged herself out from under.
As soon as she was clear, Void let go, and the fridge slammed back down. He fell to his knees, panting. His hands were shaking, red and blistered.
"You okay?" he asked, barely getting the words out.
The woman stared at him, shocked. "Your hands, !"
"I've had worse," he muttered, then helped her to her feet, one arm supporting her. "Can you walk?"
She nodded, biting back tears. "I think… I can try."
"Good. Let's get out of here."
They limped together toward the exit, slowly, coughing as thick smoke filled the air. Void didn't stop, until a loud explosion shook the ground behind them.
BOOM!!!
His ears rang. Everything felt slow for a second. His instinct screamed danger.
He heard a loud creaking sound above. Something big was breaking. He looked up, A huge pillar was falling straight at them.
Without thinking, Void grabbed the woman and jumped forward, trying to get them out of the way.
They hit the ground hard as the pillar crashed down behind them, sending dust and broken stone everywhere.
Dust and rubble exploded around them. But something was wrong.
The woman had rolled just far enough away, coughing and dazed. But Void, he wasn't so lucky.
He looked down.
Something sharp had stabbed into his side. A metal bar was sticking out of his stomach, and heavy rubble pinned him to the ground. Blood was already pouring out.
His breathing grew heavy. His vision started to blur.
"KYAAAA!!!" the woman screamed in panic. She limped toward him, trying to help, but Void already knew it was too late for him.
"Don't come here! Run!" he shouted.
"N-No! I can't just leave my hero like this!"
"There's nothing you can do. Just go."
She hesitated, biting her lip, then clenched her teeth. "I… I'll find help! I promise!"
As she limped away, Void groaned and gritted his teeth. "Damn… it hurts so much…"
He sighed. "Hope you make it out… whoever you are."
He knew she was still in danger, still trapped in a burning building, barely able to walk. The thought made his chest tighten, not from pain this time, but anger.
"Those greedy bastards… ETHAN, I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!" he roared, the pain and rage boiling over.
Ethan, the owner of this nightclub. The one who let this place turn into a death trap.
Void's hand twitched. Instinctively, he reached for a cigarette. It was something he always did when stressed, but his body wouldn't move an inch.
He chuckled weakly. "Heh… what am I thinking? Smoking in a burning building? So damn stupid."
Flames flickered all around him, growing stronger. He stared at them and let out another deep sigh.
"I came here to save someone… and this is what I get? Is there really no God in this world?"
His anger flared. If this were an anime, one of those anger marks would've already popped on his forehead.
"YOU DAMN GOD! You reward corrupt bastards with wealth, but what do I get?!
I prayed to you every day, and you took my family away, in a fire!
I reported crimes, I tried to do the right thing. And what did I get in return?! Bankruptcy!
No good deed goes unpunished in this world!"
He kept yelling, spitting out every curse he could think of, screaming at the God, at the flames, at the unfair world, until finally, his throat gave out and the words just stopped coming.
His chest rose and fell in short, shaky breaths. His head started to feel light.
The smoke was getting thicker. Every breath burned. He coughed hard, blood coming up this time, dark and sticky.
He let out a weak laugh, bitter and dry. "So, this is my end…"
But then, something strange. Through the ringing in his ears, past the crackling fire and distant groans of falling debris, he heard something.
A voice, like a whisper right next to him.
"Why stop cursing at me? Is that all you got?"
Void froze, His blood ran cold, that wasn't his imagination. That voice was real, and it sounded amused.