Chapter 45 - The Red Horizon
Mateo sprinted out of the house, looking up at the mountain.
The thin column of smoke rapidly transformed into a violent, glowing orange inferno. The decades of dead brush and discarded timber acted like an explosive accelerant.
"The wind is blowing directly south,"
Mateo yelled over the rising howl of the wind.
"It's heading straight for the valley."
"Sound the cooperative alarm,"
Ramón ordered, his cane completely forgotten as the fierce, protective gardener instantly awakened.
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Mateo ran to the heavy brass bell mounted near the barn, a relic from his grandfather’s time used only for absolute emergencies, and began ringing it with terrifying, violent force.
The deep, resonant clanging echoed across the dark valley. One by one, the lights of the neighboring farms flickered on.
