then gasped, closing her eyes as the first rays reached her feet. Gordon fled to the shelter of the alley, skin steaming. He looked back.
The light had fully enveloped Carrie's body now. She writhed against the chains, wordlessly screaming, her mouth wide, but issuing no sounds. The skin peeled from her bones, blackened and paper-thin.
The heat was almost too much for Gordon to bear. He couldn't stay out much longer; not only was it painful to stand there, it was horrifying to watch. Carrie threw her head back, and finally the scream issued forth, the heart-rending wail of a person giving everything away: family, humanity, life. She shuddered once, turned to face Gordon in the alley, and amazingly, smiled. A smile that was ghastly in that ruined face—skin flaking and sizzling—but a smile nonetheless. Amidst the horror that was ravaging her body, Carrie somehow had found peace.
"Thank you," she mouthed to Gordon, and then her lips were gone.
There was a blinding flash, and Gordon turned away. When he looked back, the chains lay in a heap at the base of the lamppost, surrounded by a pile of black ash. A breeze came up, stirring the ashes and stinging Gordon's eyes. He staggered through the doorway into the warehouse, his own skin steaming from the reflected light, a dull pain throbbing throughout his body. He collapsed against the wall, the cool concrete soothing the ache, and sobbed.
He sobbed for Carrie, for all the Drinks that he and the others had fed to the Flame, for Carrie's family, without a mother and wife, and then for himself. Carrie was right, of course: there was nothing worth living for. He wished he had her courage. He wished he had the strength to face the Real Death.
Outside, the last of the ash swirled away in the breeze, and the sun cast a wan glow over the lonely city.
###
This is the second of a series of short stories about the denizens of The Belfry. Watch this space for more information:
https://www.atouchofstrangepubs.com
If you liked it, please consider the author's other work:
Tales From The Belfry: Gordon's Tale, a short story
and The Search For Bryant Hunter, a novel
https://tinyurl.com/l2tldoe
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