Farewell Wildfire

There you go, part two of the Wildfire stories. It was originally written in June 2006 with a different ending than the one you're going to read. Since it seemed that that ending was inappropriate, I decided to change it a month later. I can assure you that this ending is the better of the two. The first came too soon and it was too... how to put it... plain.
The rewritten ending sounds much more better and, fortunately turned out to be a good way to make the connection between this part and the next.
Enjoy...

~

The night wind blew Warren's hair. The stranger from a few days ago came closer behind him and placed his hands on Warren's shoulders.
- Good Warren. We had our payback. Fire devours everything.

Warren smiled and looked at the small bright-yellow dot in the distance - the last city that Warren burned. The last city that dared to oppose to Wildfire, as Warren liked to call himself. Just a look, just a gesture, just an innocent joke were enough to make flames dance in Warren's eyes. Then that quiet, softly whispering voice came in his head, the Stranger's voice - "Burn it..."
The next few hours were shrouded in mist for Warren. Wildfire would awake for his fiery feast. The fire raged around town swallowing the books from the city libraries, drinking the petrol and leaving death, chaos and destruction everywhere.

He was carelessly playing with his lighter while the Stranger was choosing the next destination. He had a map opened before him and he was looking at the countries carefully.
- Germany... no... then Holland... no, no... Austria... no. Damn it, I can't choose a country!
He threw the map aside with annoyance. Warren turned around and looked at him.
- Let me, damn it.

The Stranger took the map and gave it to Warren. He looked at it, smiled a few times. Then he lit his lighter. Right now it was Wildfire holding the map, not Warren. He put the flame under one of the map's corners and it caught fire. A wide smile came on both faces. Wildfire looked at the Stranger and shook his head.
- We don't need a map. We can go from town to town. Sooner or later we will burn everything. No one can escape Wildfire!
- Burn it...

Mist came all around Warren. The Stranger's figure seemed to disappear. The fire in Warren was slowly dying and Wildfire was disappearing.

- Warren! Warren!
His hands caught the edge of the desk. Then he felt someone's moist hand on his cheek. And on the other. He opened his eyes. Sitting on a chair, a desk and a man was leaning over it, looking at Warren with his big blue eyes.
- Warren... I want you to tell me who is Wildfire.
- Who?
- Wildfire. Don't play games with me. Who is he, damn you! - he hit the table and woke Wildfire again. Warren looked down. Then caught the table edge again. His head was up and flames were dancing in his eyes.
- I am Wildfire.
- No, you're Warren. Who is Wildfire?
He took out a cigarette, played a bit with it and started looking for the lighter in his pocket. Warren's eyes glimmered and a sinister smile came to his face.
- You know... something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can cause a typhoon halfway around the world. This is the Chaos Theory. Through the eyes of a pyroman it sounds like this...
- Don't tell me the fucking Chaos Theory, damn you!
- ...something as small as the flame of a match can cause the destruction of a whole one world.
- Stop with your bullshit, you fucking psycho! Tell me who the hell is Wildfire!
- I told you - I AM WILDFIRE!
- Don't fuck with me! You're Warren!
He found the lighter and took it out. The flintstone clicked.
- This, my dear, was a mistake. The last you would ever make!

Wildfire jumped over the table and after a short fight with the man, the lighter was in his hands. He lit it. The flame was so hypnotizing. The man was lying helpless in his feet. Paper folders and papers were scattered over the table. Wildfire too them and threw them over the man. The next moment Wildfire was gone and Warren came back.
Stunned, he looked at the lighter in his hand then at the pile of paper and the man under it. Warren tried to throw the lighter, but something inside stopped him.
- Don't even think about it, Warren!
- Who...
- Oh, come on... don't play with fire... why do they say it? It's so much fun to play with fire...
- Burn it...

Warren grabbed his head.
- Get out of there! I don't know what or who you are, but get out!
He fell to his knees, still holding the lighter.
- I have to burn it! He cannot threaten Wildfire!
- No!
- Burn it, Warren... just click the flintstone and drop the lighter on the paper.
- NO!
- Burn it... make it dance... with the Animal... hahaha, would you? WOULD YOU?
- I won't burn it!
- Oh, yes, you will. Sooner or later everything burns.
It seemed to him something was pushing his hand closer and closer to the paper.
- That's right, burn it!
In the end, Warren surrendered. Wildfire lit the lighter and let dropped it on the paper. Then he heard the screams of the man. He spat.
- This is what you deserve! NOBODY talks like this to Wildfire!

He dusted his clothes and walked out of the room and down the hall. Left turn, then right. Straight ahead. He got out. By that time Wildfire was gone.
Warren realized what he did and looked at his hands.
- The hands of a killer! - tears turned the world before his eyes to colorful stains. - I have to save the world from me!
He ran to the nearest dark corner and sat there, with his back against the wall. He took out his knife and rolled his sleeves up and was just about to make the fatal cut when he heard the Stranger whispering.
- Why are we so sad, Warren?...Are we feeling hurt by their evil lies and all those empty words? We are thirsty for payback? What would we like to do with the town? Would we like to make it... dance... with the Animal? Would we? Would we?! Tell us, what would we like to do...

He looked around and saw the Stranger before him. The smile Warren saw the first time he stood in his way was on the Stranger's face again.Warren looked into his eyes. He saw two small flames dancing there and turned his stare away.
- No! Not this time! Wildfire is gone! You can't...
- Stop it, Warren! You can't get rid of Wildfire.
The Stranger took his hand out of the pocket and reached for the knife. Warren moved his hand away.
- Wildfire will die! Now! Here! I don't care if you want it or not!
- Oh, Warren... Wildfire is you. Are you really going to kill yourself?

Warren lashed his hand and the knife pierced the Stranger's heart.
- Yes, I will!
- The fire never dies, Warren. Someone else will take your place tomorrow. The fire is forever! - the Stranger's body caught fire and his words started to be unclear and indistinct. - Remember, Wildfire, tomorrow someone else will take your place! The fire never dies!...
Warren took the knife out of the body and made the fatal cut on his arms. He left himself bleed and with the last strength he could muster, he murmured.
- Farewell, Wildfire...

The Stranger was walking, wrapped in his coat. It was raining. Every time a raindrop touched his body, it would vaporize. He was walking on the alley to the headstone with the angel on it. He stopped and read it.

"Warren Adrien Gray 04.12.1979 - 29.07.2006"

The Stranger took out a black rose and laid it on the stone.
- The fire never dies, Warren... never!

18.06.2006
29.07.2006
Replica