REBEL GRAINED

FIRE

What goes up must come down. For Lars, the sentence defined the story of his life. Whether mood or luck, things always finished by crashing and hitting the ground.

Though he was happy, an odd feeling lurked and churned in his stomach.

What was going to happen?

He hoped whatever it was; it would decide to inflict him not Thulile. She had been through so much. How many things could one live before breaking? He wasn't the best shield, but he wished to be the armor he presented to Julian.

Lars tossed and turned in his bed when he heard the thumps.

What was going on?

He hurried out of his room and found Thulile's bedroom door open. He rushed to its door and saw Thulile rummaging through the closet.

"Thulile, what's wrong?"

"I need to go to the truck."

Lars looked at the clock on the wall. It was ten to five. Thulile had not recovered enough to stand and make coffee. What was she thinking?

"Thulile, I told you you can't work yet."

"I need to go there now," Thulile said as she grabbed a jacket and got ready to go past Lars.

The man grasped her by the shoulders, "Thulile, calm down."

Lars could feel her shoulders trembling under his grasp, "he's burning; my father is burning," Thulile said as though she were in a trance.

Lars frowned; what Thulile said didn't make sense. Her parents were dead. There was no way her father was burning.

"Thulile, can you explain?"

"I need to get to the truck. Take me to the truck, please, Lars, please."

The man had never seen such an etched expression on Thulile's face, but he knew he would do anything for her anytime she had it.

"Okay, okay; let me put on something."

The woman didn't even realize the man stood in his pajama shorts.

Lars hurried to his room and got dressed.

Thulile was someone special. She didn't identify as a fortune teller. She had no premonitions but a strong perception of things. There, lars didn't doubt, from day Thulile's intuition never failed. Ten minutes later, they were in the car.

Lars threw a glance at Thulile. "Are you going to tell me what's going on now?"

"I don't know, Lars. I don't know what's going on. I had a dream. ㅡI need to go there."

"Why don't you call Palesa? She should be there by now, right?"

The man's idea wasn't dumb. Thulile grabbed her phone and tried, "she isn't answering. Please, Lars, step on it."

Lars didn't need to take a second glance; he shifted gears, and the Suv roared through the streets. Fifteen minutes later, they got out of the car. Thulile only took one crotch with her. She wobbled away as fast as she could.

"Thulile, wait," Lars caught up. Thulile was a good ten meters away when the man grasped her arm, "See, you panicked for nothiㅡ."

BOOM.

Lars barely had time to shield Thulile as they found themselves thrown to the ground by the imploding truck.

The flames rose in the air as Lars regained consciousness, "Thulile, Thulile," the man said while he shook her by the shoulders.