Flame

The embers of the fire glowed half-heartedly as he fell. The rain hammered against the window, lightning streaking across the sky.

She cupped his chin and looked closely at his face. He was definitely dead, eyes rolled back into his head and the last of the foam leaking from between his lips.

She dropped her grip on him and his head fell back. She sighed, and went to close the curtains.

Walking back to his body, she brought his arms in close to his chest and pulled his legs around onto the rug. Kneeling down, she rolled the edge of it around his body and pushed him along the ground, wrapping him up in the heavy material.

Despite standing 8 inches shorter than him, she deftly threw the wrapped corpse over her shoulder. She grunted from the exertion, but walked the short distance to the door, hurried through the rain that was coming down in sheets, opened the boot of her car and threw him in.

The final dregs of sunset disappeared beyond the horizon as she drove. Despite her still shivering from the cold and her hair still dripping, she turned up the air conditioning.

***

“Who’s that?”

Oscar points across the lunch room to a woman with dark hair, sitting by herself with her earbuds in. She’s very pretty, but her eyes are fixed on her phone.

Kai follows his gaze, and nods. “Oh, she’s new. I think she’s called Naomi?”

Oscar frowns. “I didn’t know we were hiring.”

“Yeah. I don’t know, I guess she’s a specialist or something,” Kai, his attention clearly lost, goes back to poking his way through a soggy macaroni cheese.

Oscar shakes his head. “A specialist in what?”

Kai drops his fork in frustration. “Mate, I don’t know, okay?” He gestures vaguely in Naomi’s direction. “If you’re so desperate to find out, go and ask her!”

“Alright, sorry,” Oscar says hurriedly. He thinks for a moment. “Didn’t we get, like, ten new interns a month ago, too?”

“Dude!”

“Okay, okay, sorry. I’ll stop.” Oscar watches her for a moment. She shifts in her seat and her eyes wander, meeting Oscar’s for a moment before flicking away, and then back again. Oscar gives her a quick smile, which she returns.

“She’s pretty,” Kai comments.

Oscar nods.

Kai narrows his eyes at Oscar. “Are you going to ask her out?”

Oscar swallows, panicked. “I don’t kn– I might – why do you ask?”

Kai chuckles knowingly. “Well, I’ll make sure I don’t, then.” He picks up his plate and stands up from his chair. “I think it’d do you good, man. Go for it.”

***

The trees that lined the road looked dry, and she seemed out of place with her shirt still dark from the earlier rain.

She dimmed the headlights before pulling over on the side of the road. As the rear lights of the car ahead shrunk into the distance, she climbed out and headed around to the boot, careful to look around before popping it open.

Despite the almost-pitch darkness of the night, she didn’t risk using a torch, and relied on her own familiarity of the area for her directions as she chucked the rolled-up rug back onto her shoulder, grabbed a canister with her spare hand, and disappeared into the trees.

***

“Hey.” Oscar appears next to Naomi at the coffee machine.

She jumps, and looks up from her cappuccino. “Oh. Hey.” She looks back. “Sorry, are you waiting?”

“No, no, don’t worry,” Oscar assures her, licking his lips nervously. “I just… I saw you the other day, and I figured you were new here… I thought you maybe wanted someone to say hi to you so you didn’t have to try to make loads of introductions, and… I get that it’s a bit daunting trying to meet new people, so… I always feel like I wish someone would do that for me, which… I guess I…”

Naomi watches Oscar with big brown eyes as he flounders. As he trails off, embarrassed, she finally smiles. It is charming.

“That’s sweet,” she says. “Thanks.” She picks up her coffee and steps back from the machine.

There is a moment of quiet, where they look at each other.

“I’m Oscar,” Oscar finally says.

She laughs. “I’m Naomi.”

“Hey.”

Again, she laughs. It’s musical. “Hey.”

Oscar can feel himself turning red, and Naomi laughs harder. “I’m sorry,” she giggles. “You’re very sweet.”

Oscar smiles, and she beams at him.

“I’m going to sit down now,” Naomi states. Oscar’s face falls slightly, before she adds, “Do you want to sit with me?”

***

Trudging through the undergrowth with the dead weights was getting tiring, but she rubbed the sweat out of her eyes and continued on. She knew she was nearly there.

***

Naomi stops walking, and puts her hand out to gently draw Oscar to a stop. “This is me.” She gestures to the house behind, which sits up a driveway with a sleek black car sitting in it.

“Oh.” Oscar’s eyes travel across the house, taking it in. He wouldn’t have expected this house to belong to anyone on his salary. “It’s a nice place,” he comments, trying to keep his voice level and tone breezy.

“It’s my dad’s, really,” Naomi says quickly. “He does up houses and sells them on, but we made a bit of an arrangement and now it’s mine.”

“Ah, okay.” Oscar nods, and feels better about his rented bedsit. “Do you want me to… walk you to the door?” Oscar realises he hasn’t been on enough successful dates to know what the next step here is. Does she invite him inside? Do they wait for their second date? How does he ask without asking?

Naomi smiles. It’s such a pretty smile. Oscar feels better about the world just knowing that Naomi’s smile is in it. “I think it’s pretty late,” she says, “but I’d really like to do this again?”

Oscar grins. “Me too,” he agrees. “Well, I’ll… Goodnight, then.”

Naomi giggles. “Goodnight, Oscar.” She leans forward, and gently kisses him, before pulling her coat around herself and walking up her drive to her front door.

Oscar watches her go, beaming giddily the whole time.

***

Thud.

The body fell onto the ground, the sticks underneath crunching against each other. She looked around one last time, before kneeling down and adjusting its position on top of the pile of dry leaves and branches.

She picked up the canister and unscrewed the cap, wrinkling her nose at the smell of the petrol. She rocked herself forward and back, swinging the canister to douse the rolled-up rug. Once it was empty, she dropped it on top, and took a few steps back.

From her pocket, she drew a box of matches. She struck one, the bright light burning into her eyes.

She threw it, and the body ignited.

***

Naomi’s living room is cosy and welcoming, a small fire slowly crackling in the corner. It makes Oscar feel warm despite the heavy rain outside. In fact, he’s glad that the weather meant they’d had to change their plans last-minute.

“It’s lucky you suggested I come over,” he comments. “I wouldn’t want to walk you back in this weather.”

Naomi laughs. “You wouldn’t’ve needed to walk me back if we’d gone out, you know.”

“No, but I’d’ve wanted to.”

She smiles, looking up at him warmly. Suddenly, she gasps, and jumps up from the sofa. “I didn’t get you your drink!” she exclaims. “I got wine in specially.”

For a moment, she disappears into the kitchen, and emerges with a glass of red in one hand and a water in the other. She hands him the red, and says, “you’ll have to tell me how it is.”

Oscar sips it slowly. It’s good, with notes of something like marzipan. “Thanks. That’s sweet of you.”

His eyes wander around the room, and focus on a patch on the carpet that looks less treaded than the rest.

“Did you redecorate recently?” he asks, gesturing to the floor. “It looks like you moved something there.”

Naomi’s eyes study him closely as she considers. Finally, she asks, “Can you keep a secret?”