Flames - A Short Story

The town of Equis was populated, to say the least. Everywhere you went you would see people playing and talking with one another. Stores were filled with people running errands. Young children raced across the street to see who got to the candy shop first. The streets were lively, and held so much joy. Laughter and voices filled the air with such a wondrous feeling. However, with people covering the streets, it was hard to get out of it, which was exactly what Mildred Piper was trying to do. 

Mildred was an 18 year old woman, who was calculative, manipulative, and cold. She had blonde hair as golden as the sun. Her face wore bright green eyes that shone with ambition. The young woman was making her way to the edge of the street, which was where her mission was. However, the mission would prove to be impossible due to the overwhelming amount of people in the streets. Little kids ran past her, forcing her to stop and wait for them to pass. People would stop her to give her some weird gift and try to start a conversation with her. So, to put things short, Mildred was frustrated. 

She resisted the urge to scream in rage, because while that might clear the street, she didn’t want to appear as a freak. So instead, she forced a smile and continued the ever long journey to the edge of the street. Ironically, the street was only a mile long, but even after Mildred had been walking for 40 minutes, she still hadn’t reached the end. 

After about 20 more minutes of frustration, Mildred had finally reached the edge. 

The edge of the street, unlike the other side, wasn’t populated. It was deserted, and the only building was a rackety home. The house was made out of wood, with weak stairs that creaked when a leaf fell on it. 

Mildred stared at the house for a second, contemplating if she was doing the right thing. It was something she did ever since she started her missions. However, all the previous attempts of reflection proved futile, and so did this one. She wasn’t an angel; quite the opposite in fact. She didn’t need to worry about ‘the right thing’. She did what she wanted. 

Mildred shook her head, and took the backpack off her shoulder. She started to rummage through it. The backpack was small, so it was easy to get all she needed out. 

A mask, a key, and a match. 

Mildred put on the mask. She needed it to make sure she didn’t inhale anything.

After securing the mask, she grabbed the match. Taking it, she put the tiniest amount of fire on the woods of the home. 

It burst into flames. 

The fire spread like a virus, taking down everything in its path...including the town. Laughter turned into screams as people ran from the fire for their lives. 

Mildred smiled, though it wasn’t a pleasant one. It was a smile filled with malice. Only a demon would smile at something so horrific. But alas, Mildred was just that. 

Her eyes scanned the town of Equis, relishing the destruction the fire caused with sickly satisfaction. Mildred gave the town one more look, before dropping the key. The blonde girl took one step away from the chaos she created. The screams, destruction, and raging fire all gave Mildred an unexplainable delight. Mildred smiled once more, before turning her back to the village. The woman walked away calmly from the horror she caused and disappeared into the shadows. 

The next day, authorities came to the scene of the fire. The fire that claimed the lives of every resident in that town. The fire that rampaged and destroyed. They looked for anything, anything that could prove to have caused the fire. But all they found was a key. 

It was a simple key. Silver, with the initials, ‘MP’. It looked rather dull, and certainly nothing special. But still, it was a key that had so much meaning. A key that the public became to dread. A key that symbolized fear and destruction. A key that was the mark of the famous arsonist, Mildred Piper. 

In the distance, another town burst into flames.