Blaze

"Give it to me!" The masked man's voice reminds Allie of her adopted mother after smoking cigarettes. Allie hates her.

He reaches for her bag pack. The knife in his hand shines like a star in the dark alleyway.

"Run," says a voice.

Allie rushes past him, but he grabs hold of her by the bag pack, slamming her to the ground. Allie gasps for air. She feels numerous rocks piercing her skin as she winces.

"You little brat!" he shouts, ripping the bag away.

"No," she screams. "Give that back!" Allie stumbles to her feet. Everything she owns is in there, including her only picture of her parents.

She shouldn't have run away, she reminds herself, but staying would be a death sentence.

"Push him," says the voice.

"I don't have any strength," mumbles Allie. "What if he kills me?"

"Push him!"

Allie slams into him with all her strength, knocking the knife out of his hand.

"You're gonna die today," he says, grabbing Allie by the neck then tightening his grip.

Allie realizes that this is the moment she dies. Her nails tear his skin as her vision narrows.

She wakes up frantically. How'd she get here? She recalls the heat and smoke. She shakes her head vigorously to stop his screams from replaying inside her head. She reaches for the newspaper, rubbing her aching shoulder. The headline reads, Man Burns to Death.

...It seems that something caused the deceased to burn internally," says Dr. Thornstorn. " His organs are no longer recognizable, yet his skin remains mostly intact. No one in the trauma department at St. Mary's can explain this...

Allie hears the voice again, "See, I always take care of you. From now on, your name is Blaze. Get your things; we have work to do."