The Burning

A clip from chapter: The Burning from Endfall

Lyra reached the Parker house quickly, and she moved even faster when she heard the distant speech of Mr. Charlie. The sound of his voice sent chills through her. She climbed through the front window of the house, which was broken open already. The smell of blood filled the inside of the house, and the place was disheveled. But Lyra was only there for one particular interest, Milo's room.

        She ran up the old wooden stairs and climbed through the awkwardly built second floor to Milo's room. When she had reached it, she was stopped by what came to her ears. The sounds outside were frightening; the sounds of people calling in the distance, of screams from inside houses, of a windy fire. Lyra stood shaking in the half-torn hallway before Milo's door, and slowly turned to look out the window. Her stomach squawked.

        Outside, houses exploded into a fiery blaze, illuminating the neighborhood. They were just down the street from where she was. She looked away and advanced on the door to Milo's room. She turned the bronze knob, entering with a slow, cautious move. The room was not as she had remembered it; it was torn apart. The lights were broken and various papers and books were scattered about the room on the old wooden floor. She knelt down and picked up a piece of notebook paper that was on the floor near her. The paper was old and somewhat wrinkled, and it was covered in writing from top to bottom.

        It was a story. Lyra decided not to read and get what she needed before the house became victim to the burning. But as she began to look away, something on the paper caught her attention. It was her name, in the story. Has he written about me? She quickly put the paper into her bag and walked over to the desk in the corner, knowing her time was running out.