I was back in my college dorm. The workload was huge for this engineering degree, with all the math I could probably minor in it, but computer science would probably serve me better down the road. I shouldn’t even be thinking about this, I should be enjoying the holiday. At least partake in the festivities.

  I could hear a live band outside playing All Star by Smash Mouth. They were not doing a good job, I’m sure alcohol helped with everyone's enjoyment.

  My roommate came in with his girlfriend, “Woah, I thought the room’d be empty so I could get some time with my lady.”

  He pronounced it “lay-dee.”

  “Sorry, you can have it, let me just put my laptop in my bag. I’m going to the library.”

  I was walking to the library, I could smell smoke in the air. Probably a bonfire, they usually had one during events like this.

  I suddenly heard a loud bassy WHOMP!

  What the hell was that?!

  I look around and the sky’s turned red, different smells on the air.

  Meat, plaster dust, gasoline.

  I look back towards my dorm and the side of buildings engulfed in flames.

  Cinders falling from the sky.

  I look up to my room and my roommate and his girlfriend are trying to figure out how to get out.

  I see them start to use the south side fire escape, when the wind shifts and the fire bursts through the window they just came out of.

  They’re both on fire, I can’t watch the rest.

  I hear screaming and a light thud on the grass.

  I don’t know how I heard that over the din of the fire.

  It sounds like chewing, it sounds like a lion roaring.

  I begin coughing.

  The smoke is all around me.

  The fire is moving so fast, towards me.

  I need to run, but I don’t have the strength.

  It’s so hot, I look at my laptop bag and it’s scorched, just like the marks it has in the real world?

  The real world, I’m dreaming.

  Everything stops.

  I realize that this isn’t just a dream, it’s my memory of my last day in college.

  The day I started running.

  I look at the fire that killed 22 of my fellow students, and not for the first time, I wonder if it had something to do with me.

  I wake up, covered in sweat. I look at the time, 5:40am. Now’s a good enough time to get up, a little earlier than I need to be, but I need a shower after that dream.

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  While I’m in my shower I go over what I saw in my dream and see if it matches my memories.

  I remember my roommate wanting to spend time with his girlfriend, so I stuffed my laptop in its bag and left. Was I angry? I remember being a little upset about being kicked out of my room, and a little jealous. Maybe I was a little angry. It’s all a little fuzzy, once the fire - I’m caught off guard mid-thought as the water begins to burn me and it hits me on the sensitive skin on my chest.

  I quickly turned the water off.

  It feels like a part of me doesn’t want to remember.

  I know these scars originally came from the fire in the dorms.

  The last thing I clearly remembered was trying to run back to the dorm.

  I passed out from the smoke inhalation.

  Woke up in the hospital.

  After that I sold my car, bought that beat-up truck and started traveling.

  I’ve always been good at fixing things.

  Moved from place to place.

  Spent the last 8 years doing that.

  At some point Spot found me, I think that was in Iowa?

  It’s really all a blur.

  Since that fire, it’s felt like something’s been following me.

  Every place I go I start seeing signs of it.

  When Spot starts noticing too, we skedaddle.

  That nightmare I had a month ago, that took place in my old dorm.

  Spot killed something in it.

  An entity, made of fire and shadow.

  I’ve been so busy that I pushed it out of my head, but that dream last night really brought it back to the forefront.

  I started getting dressed, looked down and saw Spot watching me.

  “Do you like it here?” I asked.

  She responded with a heavy purr and a slow blink.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.

  Is that thing actually gone?”

  She sneezed and shook her head.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘no’.” I sighed.

  “You said to take Ezra’s advice?”

  She sighed and flopped.

  “I know, stupid human.”

  Her purr intensified and she gave me a pleased kitty grin.

  So you’re talking to your cat? Is that right?

  I really don’t need this right now, thank you.

  You want to forget that fire so badly, and that’s not even the most important fire in your life.

  Remember The Fire that took your parents, that made you an orphan.

  Do you want to forget about that one too?

  Maybe you need to make it burn inside so that the burns match?

  I sighed and focused on making my intrusive thoughts stop. They’d been quiet for a long time, but nightmares and thinking about the fires always bring them back.

  I’d been walking around the storefronts, seeing what work I needed to do today while my inner voice was torturing me. I saw that Alistair had his shop closed off, and it looked like someone was working in there, but it was hard to tell. He put up black plastic sheets, all I could see was a little bit of shadow moving underneath.

  I waved at the Thornberry sisters, they waved back. The other shops were clean and ready for new tenants. I could start on the offices today, or I could take the day off and finally look into my personal issues with fire.

  Because a cat told you to.