Mercy For None

Is She Dead?

“Ohhh… ohhh my God! Ohhh… my poor, poor heart!,"An old woman in her late fifties stood trembling before the blazing house, her finger shaking as it pointed at the flames. A tear rolled down her wrinkled cheek, glistening in the firelight. “This… this was just built a few months ago,” she sobbed, her voice breaking and shaking.“And the young couple—ohhh—they just brought a child into this world last month… ohhh, what sorrow, what sorrow!”

She took a step forward, her voice shaking as she cried out, “Are… are they still inside?”

Her chest heaved, and the tears seemed to force their way out of her eyes. She pressed a trembling hand to her heart as sobs wracked her body.

“Ohhh… my Lord… my Lord… no, no, no…” she cried, shaking her head violently. “A young couple who just started life together… and that innocent baby… ohhh, what sin did they commit to deserve this?”

She clutched at her hair with both hands, groaning loudly, her cries mixing with the crackle of the fire.

She fell to her knees on the bare ground, the dust clinging to her dress as her body shook with sobs. “Ohhh… mercy, mercy!” she wailed, her voice hoarse. “Why must sorrow visit the doorstep of those who barely began to taste joy?”

She paced back and forth like a child lost in anguish, lifting her face toward the burning house again, her tear-streaked cheeks shining in the firelight. “Somebody—please—tell me they are safe!” she cried, her voice breaking, rising above the roar of the flames.

“Wh… wh… where are the firefighters?”

People scattered in all directions, their cries mixing with the roar of the flames. A group of young men dashed toward the nearby tap at the corner, buckets in hand, trying to stop the fire, while others pulled their shirts over their mouths to shield themselves from the choking smoke. Many were already coughing, their bodies trembling.

The old woman stumbled forward, her frail hands trembling as she moved toward the blazing house.

“My… my granddaughter!” she cried, her voice breaking as she pressed her palms against her head, her body trembling. “Oh God, what have I done to deserve this? My daughter… my son-in-law… and my sweet little granddaughter—they’re still inside!”

Her knees buckled as she let out another cry. “Oh… oh… my God!”

As a group of young men poured buckets of water against the burning walls, it struck with a loud hiss, and steam rose into the air. But the flames quickly surged again and kept spreading.”

The poor, barefooted old woman stepped toward a young man standing only a few paces away. Clasping her hands together, she pleaded with him, her tear-filled eyes shining with desperation.

“Please… please… I beg you, help me save them!” the old woman cried, her voice breaking as she clasped her hands together. “They are the only joys I have left in this world. If they are gone… then I am finished. Please… please… help me save them!”

The young man turned his face toward her, his eyes wide with fear and helplessness. His lips trembled as he tried to speak. “Wh… wh… what do you want me to do?” he stammered, his voice cracking as he broke down into tears.“Just… just last night, I was with them……”.

Before he could even finish what he was saying, he broke down into uncontrollable tears, his body shaking. With a trembling voice, he struggled to speak, the words spilling out between sobs. “My… my best friend and his family are burning in the flames, and I could not do anything to help them”.

Wiping his tears with the back of his hand, he continued, his voice trembling as he forced the words out of his mouth.

“His little child will be three months old tomorrow,” he muttered painfully. “And I even suggested that they spend the night in my house yesterday. Ha… had I known, I would have…”

He could not bring himself to finish the sentence. Instead, he bit his lower lip in lament, a tear slipped down his face and landed on his lips. His body shook as he whispered again, his words breaking into pieces.

“Had… had I known… ohh… oh… oh my God! My best friend.””

The old woman went completely speechless, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something but no words came out. Her entire body began to tremble and slowly, she turned her head back toward the burning house. The once beautiful house has already burnt beyond recognition.

As the smoke curled upward and the heat distorted her vision, her gaze drifted to the far end of one of the rooms. Through the haze, her weary eyes caught sight of a shape, a standing object at the entrance of the room.

“Isn’t that… isn’t that…” she muttered, her voice trembling as her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Her chest heaved as she tried to focus through the blur of smoke and flames. “My… my daughter… my daughter… my daughter.”

Without hesitation, she ran toward the burning house with all her strength, but before she could reach the flames, several people rushed to her and held her back with all their strength.

She cried out at the top of her voice, her words cracking with unbearable pain. “Oh… ohh… my… oh… my… my daughter!” She struggled fiercely against their grip, twisting her arms, trying to break free from their grips.“My daughter… my daughter… I saw her just now. I saw her just now!”

Then suddenly, she fought violently against the arms holding her, her nails clawing at their skin. Jerking her shoulders violently, she twisted her body like a trapped animal and the people holding her strumpled.

“Let me go!” she wailed, her face streaked with tears. She moved her elbow hard into one man’s ribs, making him gasp and loosen his hold. In the same frantic motion, she tore her arm free, swinging it with a force that made the others stagger back.

She lurched forward, arms outstretched toward the inferno, her voice breaking into a hoarse cry.

“My daughter!”

She dropped to her knees, beating her chest with both fists, her body convulsing.

“Why?!” she howled, her voice cracking.” Why me? What have they done to deserve this?".

Suddenly, she stood up on her feet, her eyes fixed on the house.

“No,” she whispered first, then screamed aloud, “No! I will save them—my daughter, my son-in-law, and my granddaughter. Even if it costs me my life, I will bring them out!”

Then she started running toward the house. But just as she reached the entrance, the fire roared violently, bursting with a thunderous explosion. The heat struck her like a storm, and before she could take another step, she collapsed to the ground.

At once, people screamed and rushed toward her. Some fell to their knees beside her, shaking her shoulders, their voices frantic.

“Is she dead?”

“No… no, she cannot die like this.”