It's 7:30 p.m. on a warm August evening. Violet Fell, her husband, Mark, and their two-year-old son, Billy arrive at the home improvement center. The now near-empty store is about to close, so they split up to get the things they need.

Mark heads to the automotive department which is located between the east and west fire doors while Violet and Billy turn toward the paint area to look at some shades as they want to do some renovation on their home.

It has been a long shift for Monique Deveraux. She's been working in her department all day and into the evening after another employee called off sick. Just after 8:00 p.m., she's astonished to see a column of dark smoke rising all the way to the ceiling.

She rushes through the hardware department looking for stragglers. She finds two people browsing in hardware, looking at tools, telling them to leave the store at once. And then she encounters a woman with a small child in her shopping cart. Violet Fell is looking at shade cards in the paint department.

"We've got to leave the store," Monique tells her as she points at the black smoke.

Violet throws some supplies into the cart behind her son. Monique walks hurriedly down the north aisle toward the main part of the store, but when she looks around, the woman isn't following so she goes back.

"Pick up your son. We have to get out of here," she says more forcefully this time.

And then she heads toward the front of the store, assuming that they're following behind her. Monique is near the north fire door, about two aisles away when she looks back toward the column of smoke. It's no longer a cloud. It's a wall of flame, bright orange and raging.

When she turns to look for the woman and child she hears a popping noise and the lights go out. Monique looks around and suddenly some people run through the fire door, yelling, "Fire! There's a fire!"

She peers through that door, that fireproof barricade, toward the west side of the store, and she sees a big cloud of smoke in the center of the space. She runs toward the north fire door searching for the woman and her child, and when she gets there the cloud behind her has turned into a wall of very black smoke.

Monique screams as she runs toward the entrance...

In the darkness, Mark Fell battles panic. He is all alone in the smoke and heat. He can't see and hopes he can feel the steps, but his thoughts are fragmenting. Then he remembers there is an exit in the automotive department in the far northwest corner if he can find it.

He staggers to the back wall and duck walks his way along, feeling the wall and feeling merchandise, feeling anything to guide him. He's holding his breath, low to the floor, and he drops even lower, desperate for the same oxygen that the fire craves.

Mark is just about to give up. He can't go any farther. When he suddenly sees a glimpse of a red exit light, he feels a rush of adrenaline and he lunges, pushing the door open and activating the alarm as he tumbles through it.


Elena walks into the fire station after spending the last couple of hours looking around the rubble of the Zesty Mart fire. Settling into her chair, she hooks her camera up to her computer and begins downloading the pictures. As the first pictures came up, she zooms in on a heavily charred area. The remains of what looks like a kerosene can are clearly visible.

She's seen cases like this far too often.

Damon comes behind her and leans his hand on the back of her chair. "So it was set on purpose?"

"I think so." She purses her lips. "But before we include this with the other fires, Sheriff Forbes should probably subpoena the owner's bank statements." Turning slightly, she notices Damon's hand on her chair. She shifts forward and scrolls through the next set of pictures.

"Do you know if they have financial problems?"

"I have no way of knowing that but The Zesty Mart is or was a popular spot in town. Who doesn't like ice cream?" Damon backs away from Elena's desk and looks at the clock. He grabs his jacket off the back of his rolling chair. "Let's take a break and get something to eat."

"I don't need a break." Elena continues scrolling through the pictures she'd taken earlier.

Damon rolls his eyes as he slides his arm into the jacket. "If Mystic Falls lights up again this evening, you need to be running on all cylinders." He waits for Elena to shut down her computer. When she leans forward and begins writing notes on a pad of paper on her desk, he shakes his head in annoyance.

"Turn it off, Agent Gilbert."

She huffs and closes the computer.

"Has any told you that you have a tendency to annoy? I always work a lot of hours. I've burnt the midnight oil too many times to count."

"So you've said...now let's go. Supper's on me." Damon opens the office door and extends his arm for her to go first.

Elena glowers at him as she passes and steps outside with Damon on her heels. A faint breeze blows her ponytail as they enter the Mystic Grill.

Damon waves a greeting at the bartender as they walk through the evening crowd to take a seat in one of the booths.

"What can I get you?" Vicky Donovan asks with a smile.

"How about the cold roast beef sandwich and a Coke?"

"And you, Damon?" Vicky turns to him.

"Cheeseburger with fries and coffee."

"Coming right up." Vicky smiles as she turns her back on them and walks away, returning momentarily with their drinks.

Elena sighs as she glances out the window as a couple of guys pass by on the sidewalk. "I didn't expect to be in your town for two weeks." She takes a drink from her glass. "But it hasn't been entirely unenjoyable," she smiles. "Living at the boarding house has been an experience."

"Zach told me that you and Jenna go jogging every morning.'

"We do. I like Zach and Jenna a lot. I'm glad you recommended their place." She reaches out and takes her sandwich from the waitress. "With any luck, our guy will get clumsy, and we'll wrap this up so I can go home."

"And if he doesn't?"

"I'll get a hot plate and do a little meal prep in my room." She spreads some mustard on her sandwich. "I doubt Zach would mind."

Damon sticks a french fry in his mouth. "No, I don't think he would. Zach and Jenna are good people."

Elena nods in agreement as she chews.

They finish their meal in companionable silence before walking back to the fire station and pouring themselves another cup of coffee while they wait...

Two hours later, the fire alarm echoes through the station. Elena jumps to her feet, followed closely by Damon.

"Here we go..."


The store manager, Joshua Parker spots a fellow employee and a few customers rushing down an aisle toward the south fire door and he stops them, herding them toward the fire exit in the electrical department.

"Come with me!" he yells. "The door is over here!"

As they exit the hardware store, Joshua looks back at the monstrous wave rolling toward them. But this wave isn't made of water. It's made of fire and its flames are heaving and roaring.

They are literally blown outside by a flashover, the instant burn of gasses and smoke, when the carbon that is smoke burns hotter than one thousand degrees and the entire contents of a room erupt in flame, and no living thing survives.

People, smoke, flames, merchandise, and everything else are blasted through the door into the warm August evening.


The home improvement center is only a few blocks from the fire station. Damon doesn't think there will be much to this one. There is no glow or header of smoke above the roof line indicating a major structure fire. All he sees is some haze in the air. He thinks it might be a trash dumpster or maybe a vehicle fire.

But when they arrive and leap from their engine, Damon and Elena see flames rolling out the southwest door.

"Stay back," he cautions Elena. As he approaches the door the fire actually hisses at him. The flames emit very little smoke. His men prepare to attack the flames, only three feet off the floor but lapping out the door, hungry for oxygen, lunging against the overhanging facade, climbing up.

Mark Fell runs to Damon and cries out that he can't find Billy and Violet.

"Did the fire doors roll down?" Damon yells over the roar of the flames.

"I don't know." Mark shakes his head. "I didn't see any doors close."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it!" Damon tells him and then gathers his men for a rescue.

With Damon taking the lead, they charge the line with a fire hose and make their approach. Because fire needs oxygen, heat, and fuel to survive, the fog nozzle is meant to disrupt the fire triangle by turning heat into steam, in effect, shooting steam at the fire to lower the temperature.

After sending Ric to find and shut down the utilities, Damon and his crew enter through the southwest door, where they are met with a blinding orange inferno.

They try to attack under those flames, vivid orange and red, but they only get a few feet inside.

There are no aisles.

There are no people.

There is only fire.

Everything is aflame.

An eerie sound commingles with the hiss of burning foam. Smoke detectors are going off, one after another. Damon can hear high-pitched squeals within the flames, like animals burning alive.

Damon yells at Harper to spray the ceiling tiles, but the nozzle creates so much steam in the superheated air, that it blasts the men back out the door.

Enzo goes with the cherry picker to ventilate the roof because the fire has not burned through yet. When he cuts the hole, flames shoot into the now orange sky, pulling heat with them in a chimney effect, but it's too late. The roof is near collapse so Damon orders Enzo back down.

"Everybody out!" Damon has his radio out and is yelling commands to his men. "We're going to lose it."

Firefighters pour out of the building, but one hose hangs limply on the ground.

"Report in!" Damon snaps.

One by one, each team responds that they have cleared the building in time...


Unable to do anything at the moment, Elena studies the people who have shown up to observe the fire. When she's fortunate enough to be on-site for a fire, studying the people is one of the most important jobs. Most of the time, arsonists are cocky - certain they have the ability to outsmart the professionals who are looking for them.

Over seventy percent of the men she's arrested have been photographed or recorded at the scene. Elena tries to look as if she's recording the fire with her I phone. What she's really doing is scanning the crowd - looking for anyone who seems maybe a little too disinterested. Sometimes, it's what they aren't doing that makes them stand out. When she's able to get back to her computer, she'll download and watch the footage, hoping to see someone who meets the profile.


Damon catches a glimpse of Elena as she skids to a stop in front of the building. She stands frozen in place as she stares at the flames.

They battle the blaze late into the night. The last of the spectators drive away in the pinkish light of dawn.

When Damon and his men finally get the fire out, they trudge back to their fire truck and collapse onto the pavement. Elena quickly passes water bottles around. There's nothing she can do until it's safe for her to investigate.

Elena approaches Damon with a bottle for him.

Taking off his helmet, Damon drags his hand through his hair. Matted and tangled with sweat, he wipes his brow before scrubbing his palm over his face. His ash-covered face is striped black and sweat has run across his skin. Even his bright blue eyes seem wild.

Damon takes the bottle from her and pours some over his head before taking a drink.

"Are you okay?" she asks, her eyes full of concern.

Damon wipes his brow with the back of his hand before locking gazes with Elena.

"No, actually I'm not. This time, we're going to find bodies..."


Thank you. I appreciate you all so much.

Chapter title: 'Orange Sky' from the 'Ladder 49' soundtrack.

Eva -siberia21- has "Christmas Carol". It's a sweet story. She's been very challenged since having her stroke but hopefully, it will be finished.

BelleReigns25 has two Roman Reigns stories in progress if any of you are interested in wrestling fanfics.

heyitskarma has What's Broken Inside (Damon/OC).

Internal Light has A Royal Pain (complete)

Our dear friend, Florencia7 has many wonderful DE stories, all completed. She has written for Pirates of the Caribbean and Homeland, too if they're of interest.

Take care and have an amazing weekend.