The Burning Fire Rises - Prologue
Igniting The Flame
An elderly woman with her pint-sized cross bred terrier returned to her small pale blue hatchback car after taking a long quiet walk through the densely thick park forest. She enjoyed coming here with her precious companion, as they often went for hours touring the random trails and looking for new areas to explore. The sun had set long past, and it had grown dark upon her return out of the trail. She diligently searched her pockets for the keys as her dog expectantly tugged on the leash she was holding.
“Alright! Alright!” She said to it in mild annoyance. “I know we’re late to get home. Just give me a minute…”
She adjusted the large-brimmed straw hat she wore, as the dog’s constant pulling jerked it off slightly. The only reason she continued to wear it (other than to keep the late afternoon sun off of her) was to stop the mosquitos and black-flies from nipping at her head. She gave a pleased grin to see her vehicle waiting in the makeshift gravel parking area. The other trail walkers had long since departed in their vehicles, and now it was all alone as night settled in. Her dog dutifully kept by her side as she held on lovingly to its leash, and calmly instructed her pet towards the car.
She was dressed appropriately for the cool, fall weather, and occasionally brushed off her pants and long-sleeved arms from the foliage that stuck to them loosely. The park is a few miles from the principal town of Flint, Michigan. A secluded one that was more suited for bikers, hikers and general nature lovers. And while it was never too busy or overly sought by the locals, those that enjoyed the untouched solitude of this forest area felt it to be the best slice of heaven imaginable.
As she continued to get closer to her car, she suddenly paused in her steps, and slowly turned her head about. She could hear something. Faint whispers or some sort of low muttering on the wind. She shook her head dismissively, trying to ignore it; more than likely, it was just the critters coming out in the night. But then it grew louder. It sounded like people, many people, a rhythmic group chanting something in unison. She commanded her dog to stop, becoming annoyed by its constant tug and sudden whimpering, and tried to peer into the forest to see where it was originating from.
Looking back at the parking area, she tried to see if there were any other cars hidden along the gravel road heading out. But there was none. As far as she could tell, she was there by herself. The little terrier began barking wildly, especially when those muffled voices grew, becoming louder and louder in the chanting. She hushed at her pet to quiet. The old woman wanted to hear what they were saying.
The dog suddenly pulled away, fast enough to yank the leash out of the old woman’s hand. She was angered by that and scolded the dog for hurting her hand. The terrier hurried underneath the car and cowered in a frightened whimper. For the life of her, she didn’t know why he was so afraid. She tried to quell its fear, speaking in a softer tone and begging it to come out.
Just as she stooped low enough to see it quivering there, the chants suddenly silenced and the forest eerily became quiet. The chirps of crickets and bullfrogs all stopped suddenly and instantly made the woman take notice of it. She turned to observe the thick forest and saw a light building inside of it. The dog continued to whimper with an occasional growl of nervousness.
The elderly lady peered as best she could; her eyes not being what they once were, and tried to make out the source of that light. Suddenly, a bright glow beamed out of the forest, a massive blinding flash, followed by a pillar of smoke that rose out of the top of the tree line. The woman cradled her face and cowered away from the ultra luminous spectacle. She thought she could hear a unison people screaming in pain; it was an awful sound as she cupped her ears, a loud combined cry of blood curling horror. Once the bright fiery flash and smoke had disappeared, she quickly rushed towards it, thinking something horrible had happened and wanted to know if they needed help.
In her lifetime, she had been a nurse in the Gulf War, perhaps that was a long time ago, but the training from it would always be engrained. She had switched careers over time, giving her a wonderful life of comfort, but always helped the community in times of need. This was no exception. War had made her brave in the face of danger. There was nothing she hadn’t seen that would be shocking or too gory to look upon.
She sprinted as fast as she could, paying heed to the stress of her frail heart and slowing aged limbs, and her dog bounded out of its hiding spot, finding the courage to join her quickly as well. Together, they ran towards the center of the forest and stepped into the danger zone. She froze in her spot, put a hand to her mouth, and gave a look of shock.
“Oh my God…” she stated in the moment.
To her surprise, no one was there—no one at all. The dog yelped on and on as it stood on the edge of what looked like a massive smouldering crater. A crater that looked unnatural, as if placed there or made by an unknown force, nestled directly in the very heart of the forest. The trees surrounding it were undisturbed; they weren’t on fire or burnt, and nothing in the centre existed, other than the crater itself. The trees within it had just… vanished, as if removed entirely. The only thing scorched or charred black was the whole crater.
The old woman continued to gawk in horror. She knew she heard people in here. There had to have been. But what happened to them? She stumbled slightly, as she sheepishly stepped in further, just as a misty fog formed around the site and out beyond her. It swirled about and surrounded her like a spectre. The intensity of it grew, and it was becoming increasingly harder to see. Then, she heard the voices again, whispered chanting, like echoes of the ones before. Only this time, it was as if they were calling to her by name… her name.
That caused the woman to suddenly retreat in fear. She called for her dog, who was still yapping and running around the circle of the crater’s lip. The old woman grabbed on to the leash as her pet circled back, yanking hard on it in a frantic state. The dog yelped from her brutal pull and tried to keep up with her as she bolted away. Both successfully returned to the car, and she clambered to find the keys in her pocket once again.
The old woman wanted to scream, desperately trying to do so all the while, but she was overcome with sheer terror and wanted to leave the area as fast as she could. A feeling of evil washed over her mind, a sensation of coldness and death that sent a shiver down her spine. How she came to that conclusion was beyond her in that moment something inside told her to get out of there and call the police.
Whatever occurred here was well beyond her understanding. She was scared by the entire situation and her agitated dog barking ferociously at the forest was only deepening her fear. She needed to get help, to find somebody better suited to handle this... this sort of thing. As soon as she was back in her car, she got her cell phone and dialed nine-nine-one. Perhaps the police would know what to do, or could find someone more qualified to explain the strange and somewhat bizarre manifestation that fell upon this quiet wooded forest.
“Nine-one-one…” The operator spoke. “What is your emergency?”
The old woman was about to answer, but abruptly paused in contemplation, hesitating to speak to the operator, and seemed unsure of how to articulate what she had just witnessed.