Chapter 1

"Alex, we accidentally set your house on fire with the fireworks! Your parents are trapped inside!"

It was a holiday evening. My old friend, Liam, invited us out to catch up. He insisted on setting off some fireworks to liven things up.

Liam, wanting to make a grand show, just waved his hand and bought over ten thousand dollars' worth of fireworks, ready to light them all at once.

Watching the rows of fireworks lined up on the ground, my eyelids twitched, and I tried my best to warn him. But he wouldn't listen, just smiled and said,

"I know what I'm doing."

He finished speaking and rushed forward to light all the fireworks.

Helpless, I eventually went back inside to play cards with friends.

But my butt hadn't even warmed the seat when he burst in, frantic, claiming my parents were screaming in agony inside the burning house.

I instinctively thought Liam was joking.

"No way, my parents..."

Before I could finish, he anxiously cut me off.

"Seriously! Why would I lie to you? Come on, let's go! The fire's out of control!"

With that, he yanked me along and pulled me straight towards my house.

By now, the fire was completely out of control. I hadn't even reached my front door, but the scorching heat was already washing over me.

There were many people trying to put out the fire, and I could still hear painful groans from inside the house.

Someone was screaming a name heartbreakingly, but I couldn't quite make it out.

My brow furrowed. I was even more confused. My parents weren't home. They hadn't come back this year. So, who were the two people trapped inside?

Without thinking too much, I pulled out my phone to call the fire department and the police, but before I could dial.

Mayor Thompson called out to me. He hurried over, a somber expression on his face.

"Alex, your parents are trapped in there. I'm afraid we can't save them from this fire. We've thrown so much water on it, but it's no use."

"You need to brace yourself."

As he spoke, he wiped sweat from his face, his eyes red.

I looked up. The house was engulfed in raging flames. I could see two figures, burned, scurrying around, screaming desperately.

My heart clenched. Even if they weren't my parents, we had to get them out quickly.

But just as I was about to press the dial button, Mayor Thompson snatched my phone away, stepping forward to stop me.

"No, Alex, you can't call the police!"

"Our town is up for a major community grant soon. We absolutely cannot have a fire or fatalities on our record. Let's just put out this fire and forget about it."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Liam quickly chimed in.

"That's right, Alex, we can't call the cops. We can't jeopardize the bigger picture. Look, everyone's helping you put out the fire. Calling the police would be biting the hand that feeds you. I say let's just drop this!"

"Putting out the fire is the priority right now."

Though I didn't agree with their reasoning, putting out the fire first was indeed important. I didn't argue with them further.

I quickly joined the firefighting efforts.

Seeing this, they also stopped delaying and immediately started fighting the fire.

We fought the fire until almost three in the morning. The flames finally died down, but the air was filled with an acrid, lingering smell of smoke.

Two charred bodies were carried out and covered with white sheets.

Before I could even react, Liam covered his face and started to sob first.

"Alex, your parents are so tragic. They died in the fire before the holiday even ended. I wish I hadn't set off those fireworks; none of this would have happened."

"I'm so sorry, Alex. I never thought everyone else's houses would be fine, and only yours would catch fire."

"But I didn't mean to, please don't blame me."

I hadn't even said a word, and he was already playing the victim. Even if these weren't my parents' bodies, they were still two human lives.