Preperations

I filled a bag with as much kit as I could fit in, and left the room. There were no windows in the hallway, and as the power was out I had no choice but to navigate it in the pitch dark. Waiting for my eyes to adjust was not an option.

I could no longer hear the noise from the street, but the smell of burning was stronger. Much stronger. Too strong. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, making my heartbeat quicken. My nostrils flared and my pupils dilated. The hairs on my arms and neck stood up, and I wondered for a minute if it was just my heightened senses that made the burning smell so intense. Though I should've known better - I'd felt it was too hot as soon as I woke up.

Reaching the front door, I realised that if I was going to leave, and surely now I must, It wouldn't be that way. Smoke rolled in a thin but potent cloud through the gap underneath. I could hear the crackle of fire on the other side. And there was another smell, below the smoke and below the burning. A familiar smell that reeked of danger. A smell like... no, not like. It was petrol.

I turned and bolted back up the pitch-black corridor, praying to any God Who would listen to save me from tripping.