The town of Emberbrook looked beautiful in the evening light.
Smithy remembered it clearly. The setting sun shone through the smoke rising from the chimneys. Children laughed in the streets, and the smell of fresh bread filled the air. Golden fields stretched to the south, while green hills covered the north.
His house stood at the edge of town. It was small, made of wood and stone, but it was their home. Mara had planted bright flowers beside the door and cared for them as carefully as she cared for their children.
Tomas was six. Lena was four.
They were having dinner when the sirens suddenly started.
The old Tower in the hills—a Mid-Class Tower that had been stable for decades—had collapsed.
Monsters were pouring out.
Ember Hounds. Cinder Bats. A massive wave of ash and fire.
The town panicked. Smithy grabbed Mara's hand. Grabbed Tomas and Lena. Ran toward the evacuation point on the northern road.
But the monsters were faster.
