A few days later, firefighters and locals had managed to completely stop the fire, save for a few scattered patches of burning embers.

A young park ranger, named Justin Felton, was helping Lead Fire Investigator, Mildred Bernie, find the spot where the fire had started. Mildred Bernie was a stern-looking woman in her early 50s with peppered white hair, wearing sweatpants and a tank top.

They had driven Justin’s ranger jeep about ten miles into the woods, along trails blackened by ash. Everything in the forest was black as night; the ground, the animal bones, and what was left of local cabins.

“So, your name’s Mildred Bernie?” said Justin.

“Yes,” she replied. The car jumped, causing a bit of coffee to spill on Mildred’s shirt. “Try to watch the bumps.”

“Sorry…so, Bernie. That’s a funny last name for someone who investigates fires.”

“Are the thousands of dollars in property damage and lost lives funny?”

“No...That’s not funny...But the irony of your name kinda is.”

She sighed. “That’s not irony.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. The GPS in Mildred’s pocket started to beep.

“Up here,” she said.

Justin pulled the jeep into a large clearing. The ground was completely covered in ash, along with several piles of debris. The area appeared to be set up like a farm, with several burnt fences, small cottages, and a barn.

Justin and Mildred jumped out of the jeep.

“So, how do you determine where a fire was started?” Justin asked.

“Well, there are a lot of factors: satellite images, looking at the pattern in which the fire spread, witness statements…” she said as she began lifting pieces of debris. “…and mostly, a whole lot of guessing until we get it right.”

“What is this place?” asked Justin.

“I was going to ask you the same thing." She stood up and dusted off her hands. "You’re the park ranger for this area, right?”

Justin nodded.

“Who lived here?”

“No one is registered as living this far into the forest,” Justin replied. “You think it was some folks trying to avoid paying taxes?”

“Maybe.”

Mildred walked over to what was left of the barn. She started moving what looked like a large support beam from off a pile of debris.

“Here,” said Justin. “Let me help.”

Justin grabbed onto the beam, and the two of them tossed it to the side. Mildred put on a pair of heavy-duty gloves and started to dig in the debris. Justin did the same.

“Are you looking for something specific?” he asked.

“No, but we are going to have to dig through all these piles for any clues to what could have started the fire.”

“Look at this,” said Justin as he pulled out a small black box with silver edges.

Mildred grabbed it from him. “Fire-resistant safety box?” She lifted the latch, and looked inside.

“What is it?” asked Justin.

Mildred pulled out an N64 video game controller.

“A video game controller?” said Justin. “Think that started the fire?”

Mildred rolled her eyes, and threw the controller to the side. “There’s something else down here,” she said.

A shade of pale white peeked through the ash. Mildred managed to cusp her hand around whatever it was, and started to pull.

“It’s stuck,” she said, and began to pull even harder.

With a loud CRUNCH the object dislodged, and Mildred fell backwards. Justin caught her, then saw what she was holding. A human arm missing most of its flesh and musculature.