The only noise that can be heard is the distant crackle of the bloodthirsty flame - an evil destroyer that causes nothing but pain.
It seems funny to Zoe how something that had once kept her warm and provided a safety like no other to both herself and her sister, was now consuming everything that had ever meant anything to her.
Eating away at what once was her home, her safe haven, her everything.
The air stank, eyes watered, fireman rushed forward into what now looked like an absolute wreck.
With his family around him, Rob, a fit young man, once had a massive pride in his home.
He can now no longer come home from work every day and appreciate what he has worked for his whole life.
What made the situation worse for the father-of-two was that now one of his beloved children was stuck in the inferno.
Realising he is required to stay calm for the sake of his family, Rob takes a deep breath and stands up.
All he gets is a pathetic raspy sound in an attempt to clear his sandpaper-like throat.
Only now does he really notice the thick black smoke pouring from the roof of his home, suffocating the air surrounding him.
He looks down at his beautiful wife, Samantha, and sighs, realising that he may never see those dazzling eyes again.
He had to go in before it was too late.
Stupidity, a horrible feeling that leaves you regretting every move you make.
Why did I do that? Why the hell did this happen to me?Samantha was one of those women who comes across weak and fragile to the eye, but when you meet her, you realise that she is strong, and more than capable.
But now she finds herself asking those questions.
Questions that make her cringe as they echo like the wail of a bat around her head.
Sam, as her friends know her, realises that her husband, her soul mate, her true love is struggling.
Struggling at the fact that their second daughter is somewhere in the mess they once called home.
She must stay strong for Zoe. For all she knows, she may be about to lose not only her sister, but father as well.
Samantha looks up at the worried look on her handsome husband's face.
It's strange how even at the darkest times, as ash rained down on their delicate bodies, she managed to notice the beautiful things in life, the things that gave her hope.
Black, a dark depressing colour that now surrounded the graveyard, not only a colour but an emotion that represented death, and misery.
A single salty tear serving no obvious purpose in life, rolled down the freckled cheek of the recently widowed Samantha.
The once strong female could no longer bring herself to look anyone in the eye.
It brought back memories, memories she wished never existed.
Memories of Rob as he looked at her with those huge loving puppy dog eyes filled with sorrow for one last time.
Unable to control herself, Sam collapses on top of the grave of the man she will always love.
A horrific scream filled with nothing but pain escapes her mouth, echoing around the graveyard.
The way the house echoed when it collapsed on Rob frantically searching for their lost daughter.
Fire. An object that comes to life destroying lives in a matter of minutes.
A ferocious killer that can go from causing a pleasant comfort to ruining everything that she ever stood for, that pain was unbearable.
- By Anthony Fraser;Year 11, East Otago High School
