“And... find and read all the news regarding the fire that broke out near my mother’s house!”
Artistea’s dry voice transformed into an anchor’s voice as it flowed out.
[Breaking news: Massachusetts mosque fire, January 2027.
A fire of unknown origin broke out around 12:40 PM local time.
Fire authorities are currently working to extinguish the flames.]
[Due to the intensity of the fire, nearby fire stations, police,
and even civilians are joining the firefighting efforts.
As of now, approximately 21 survivors have been confirmed,
17 of whom were critically injured and taken to intensive care units at nearby hospitals,
while the 4 with minor injuries were also transported to the hospital.]
[As of 2:02 PM, the main fire has been contained,
but an estimated 240 people remain trapped inside the building,
causing difficulties in rescue operations.
Police have discovered signs that the mosque’s exterior doors were deliberately locked,
and have stated they are investigating the possibility of a terrorist crime motivated by Islamophobia.]
Survivor.
That word pierced Chazra’s chest like a single beam of light in the pitch-black despair.
“There are... survivors, right?”
His voice trembled violently.
It was the feeling of grasping at the last rotting rope before it snapped.
18 are critically injured, and 7 have minor injuries.
The list of survivor names has not been released yet.
Shall I inform you as soon as the list is updated?>
“Yes. Yes! You... you must let me know!”
Grasping onto a single, flickering hope,
Chazra stomped on the accelerator as if he meant to crush his own foot.
The car tore through the rainy road, racing like a beast.
The remaining distance felt like an eternity.
Tears blurred his vision, and the wipers were wiping away his despair, not the rain.
Just then, Artistea’s voice pierced through Chazra’s ears.
“Play it! Now!!”
Playing the merged audio of voice logs and site audio.>
Artistea’s voice flowed out.
It was a gentle and calm tone, just as usual.
That voice began to recite Asha’s desperate final words in her place.
I was so happy and joyful to have met you.
Your family members were all so kind and treated me so well.
I was truly grateful in my life to have met someone like you.>
Chazra’s sobs leaked out mournfully, buried under the fading sound of rain.
There were times when I really hated my mom and dad for only caring about Frank at home.
It was our house, but it felt like Frank’s house,
and they only told me to be a good child and take good care of him.
He was always acting out, so no matter how hard I tried, it was no use.>
Without any agitation, Artistea softly continued the sincere feelings Asha had left behind.
But the you I met was so strong, kind, and wonderful—
someone who saw me for who I am—
and I was happy.>
Chazra slowly pressed the brake, bringing the car to a stop in the middle of the road.
No other cars were in sight. He felt utterly alone.
Click.
The connection cut off.
All the noise of the world vanished,
and only Asha’s last confession lingered in his ears like tinnitus.
Chazra slumped over the steering wheel and wept.
As tears flowed until his vision blurred,
he let out the emotions that made him feel like he was losing consciousness.
Before he could even process Asha’s final farewell,
a notification popped up that a message from his brother had arrived.
Chazra gripped the steering wheel so hard that the blood stopped flowing to his hands and requested the playback.
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We tried to escape the arson, but the path was blocked.
Right now, we are all hiding in the deepest part of the mosque.
I’m worried because Grandmother is having a very hard time.
I heard that many people outside are working hard.
I will protect the family no matter what.
I’ll survive until we’re rescued, so don’t worry too much.
…Mother has something to say to you.>
<‘My beloved sons, Zaydan, Chazra. Mom will definitely make it out alive.
Let’s all meet again with smiling faces.’>
There was a brief silence.
And go to Iraq and find Karida. She will help you.>
All the messages were over.
Chazra wiped away his tears, restarted the engine, and sped off.
He saw hope that his family was still alive.
He couldn't just stay here.
In the distance, beyond the horizon, black smoke began to rise like a massive pillar.
He couldn't believe that the dark smoke covering the sky belonged to the owners of the voices he had just heard.
As he drew closer to the scene, Chazra’s heart was not just consumed by anxiety; it was crumbling into ashes.
Countless cars filled the road, completely still.
Only the shoulder was left open for ambulances to pass through.
Clutching only his phone, Chazra abandoned his car and began to sprint along the shoulder like a madman.
After identifying himself as a family member to the officers, the scene he entered was pure chaos.
If hell existed, this had to be it.
The collapsed minaret of the mosque.
The acrid smoke and the sickening smell of burning flesh.
Screams, wails, and shouts erupted from everywhere.
Faces were twisted with despair and relief. In one corner,
someone was being beaten by an angry crowd for rambling about “divine providence.”
It was madness.
Dazed, Chazra wandered through the crowd.
Bashira, Raina, Ahmadi, and Asha… none of them were in sight. A blackened stretcher brushed past him.
His heart sank at the silhouette visible beneath the sheet.
‘Please. Please, let it not be my family.’
He didn’t know what he should do, or even what he could do.
That was when he saw him.
He caught sight of Zaydan in the distance, desperately clearing away debris from the building.
“Zaydan!”
As Chazra ran toward Zaydan, Zaydan recognized him and approached.
His entire body was a mess, already covered in black ash and dust.
The two brothers said nothing.
At this moment, no words of comfort were necessary.
With a single look from Zaydan, Chazra moved to follow him.
The two of them desperately assisted with the rescue.
They cleared hot rubble with their bare hands and opened paths for paramedics.
Every time a cold body was pulled from the ruins, they prayed and prayed it wouldn’t be a face they knew.
They were told Ahmadi was in the deepest part.
Chazra and Zaydan tried to push their way inside,
but the police blocked them due to the risk of further collapse.
“Get out of the way! My family is in there! My wife and my whole family are inside!”
All they could do was cry out toward the ruined mosque, calling the names of their family.
How many hours had passed?
Finally, the fierce flames began to die down.
But the skeletal frame of the building was dangerously unstable.
Even if the fire was out, the people inside were at risk of being crushed to death by the ruins.
Bang!
Right then, a flash exploded before Zaydan’s eyes.
It was the camera flashes of reporters and paparazzi who had swarmed the scene of the tragedy.
Even a gruesome scene where lives hung in the balance was nothing more than a sensational news story to them.
That flash snapped the last thread of Zaydan’s sanity.
“People are dying, and you're taking pictures of this!”
Screaming, Zaydan lunged at a man holding a camera.
He knocked the camera to the ground, shattering it, and then threw a punch.
“You heartless bastards!”
Chazra moved instinctively.
He tossed a curt apology to a reporter and the woman beside him,
then ran to the raging Zaydan and slapped him across the face.
Slap!
The sharp sound cut through the noise.
It was a desperate plea for him to snap out of it.
Struck by his brother, Zaydan collapsed to the ground.
Grief filled the void where anger had been.
He sat on the ashes and began to wail like a child.
Chazra knelt and pulled Zaydan into a crushing embrace.
With trembling hands, Zaydan clung to Chazra’s back.
The two brothers clung to each other in front of the ruined mosque, howling like beasts.
“I think we found people inside!”
Someone’s shout rang out.
As if jolted by electricity, they stopped crying and ran toward the sound.
Four blackened stretchers were being carried out one after another.
The first stretcher.
Though damaged beyond recognition, the frame was familiar.
It was Ahmadi. Then Bashira. Asha. And finally, Raina.
As they identified the faces, a blood-curdling scream erupted from Zaydan and Chazra.
Paramedics desperately held them back as they tried to rush toward the bodies.
“Are you family?”
At those words, Zaydan lost all control and lunged forward.
“They’re my family! My family! Please! Save them! Please save my family!”
With his face soaked in tears,
Chazra held back his brother alongside the other paramedics and identified himself as family.
“We need to verify their identities. Could you... check their faces and tell us their names?”
The paramedic asked the question politely,
his eyes filled with sorrow and pity, yet it was a cruel request.
With trembling hands, Chazra checked the sheets covering the stretchers one by one.
“Ahmadi… Al-Muradi… Bashira… Raina… A… Asha….”
As he called out each name of his family, Chazra’s legs gave way.
Eventually, he too collapsed onto the ground.
The world was burning to black.
“This one, this one is still breathing!”
Everyone’s gaze snapped toward a sudden shout from another paramedic.
It was Raina.
“Mother!!!”
Zaydan screamed and crawled toward her,
but there was nothing he could do.
The paramedics quickly performed CPR on Raina and shouted for one family member to board the ambulance.
Zaydan stood frozen in shock, unable to move.
Chazra grabbed his brother’s shoulders and shook him.
“Zaydan! Stay here! You stay with the rest of the family! I’ll go with Mom!”
Chazra left his stunned brother behind and climbed into the ambulance.
Inside the ambulance was a battlefield for life.
In the cramped space, the medical staff moved with frantic urgency.
From a corner, Chazra clutched his mother’s cold hand and wailed.
“Mom! Mom, please! I’m right here, it’s Chazra! Mom!”
After some time, the frantic beeping stopped, and a long, flat tone filled the vehicle.
The doctor, his face drenched in sweat, shook his head and pronounced Raina dead.
Chazra couldn’t believe it.
“You said she was alive!!!!!! You said she was breathing! Save her! Save her!!”
Medical assistants barely managed to restrain him as he lunged at the doctor.
After a brief but violent struggle, the exhausted Chazra collapsed over his mother’s cooling body and wailed.
“Aaaaaaaaa—!!”
The ambulance returned to the chaotic scene.
Through the window, he saw Zaydan in the ruins where black rain was falling.
He was still there, left all alone, weeping beside the bodies of the family where no one breathed anymore.
The next chapter begins Li Youwei’s story.
It will be released in two days.
From that point on, updates will continue every two days.
Thank you for reading.