Hazren walked over to the ranch, lost in thought. He thought about how he wanted a ranch of his own one day. He loved the horses and knew all the work needed to maintain them, but he didn’t want to race them as Jay and Janice did. They owned the ranch where he and Zorin worked as apprentice stablehands. 

Jay handled all the finances for the ranch, and Janice handled the daily operations. 

Hazren walked along the road and only broke his thought to peer at the curve ahead. The trees were tall and swaying in the breeze as they hugged the sidewalk. He inhaled through his nose, but before he could complete a successful exhale, he smelled it. 

Is someone barbecuing? He thought to himself. He took another deep breath, and the smoky hues filled his nostrils.  

Hazren increased his pace as he walked up the curvy hill, attempting to locate the smell.  

As he reached the top, the sidewalk leveled out, revealing the valley below and the ranch in its center. 

Immediately, Hazren noticed the dark smoke in the sky above the ranch.

“What the fuck?” he said aloud. 

That’s way too much smoke for a burn pile, he thought to himself.

Before Hazren could fully process the scene, an orange flash burst from one of the buildings below

Then the explosion came.

The blast roared like thunder and echoed throughout the valley. 

Hazren thought immediately of his brother, Zorin.

“No!” he screamed