Notes:

Things have been tough lately. Zeke's girlfriend had left him, leaving only the shitty boy band CDs that he now had playing quietly through the speaker. Zeke's apartment felt was emptier without her, no laughter floating through the walls, no stomping of feet when they fought...

But he was working on it! He'd put together a bouquet, and as soon as he figured out where she was, he'd present it to her, and she'd definitely come back. Then she'd apologize for everything she did wrong and things would go back to normal.

The bouquet stood in a vase he'd nicked off someone's porch, and the flowers were from the house neighbouring the complex. It was just because they were available.

Not... they were fine. His boss would call him back to work any day.

He yawned... how late was it?

"Daddy?" Zeke startled. Shit, he'd forgotten there was a kid here.

His kid. Right.

"Jayden! Hey kiddo!" Zeke took a few paces away from the vase. "What are you doing up so late?"

His son rubbed at his tired blue eyes, soft red-brown curls making him look like a downright angel. "What are you still doing up?"

"Touche." Zeke picked Jayden up, and ruffled the kid's hair. "I'm working on something."

"Oooh..." Jayden uttered with a fascination with the world only a five year old could muster. "Flowers are pretty. Miss teacher was saying colour isn't actual real and that seems weird."

"Colour is as real as you want it to be, Jay. I got them for your mother."

"...I miss mom."

"I do too, kiddo." Zeke sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "She'll be back soon."

"I hope so. I have sooooo many drawings to show her. Like a hundred." Jayden spread out his arms to emphasis this. "I like orange. There's a lot of orange outside."

"That so?"

"Yeah, and a lot of dark clouds!"

Zeke paused to really comprehend Jayden's words. There... had been a smell to the air but Zeke had largely ignored it as just the results of him setting the rest of his neighbour's garden on fire. Dumb bitch kept hassling him.

Oh, well he'd humor the kid, especially if it got him back to bed sooner. He balanced Jayden on his hip, and approached the balcony.

Even before he got the door open, he saw it. A ball of darkness in the sky, whips of orange. It was a silent death, if Jayden hadn't pointed it out he wouldn't have ever noticed it with the music playing.

The fire had completely consumed the garden, but it must have jumped to the shed, and the shed was close to the house and... Fuck, he needed to get out of here before it spread to the building.

He darted back in the apartment, and started loading things into a backpack, still holding Jayden close. "Dad, is it bad?"

An explosion in the distance, maybe a window. That he would have heard, but he was glad for these extra seconds Jayden had gifted him. "Very bad."

Jayden tucked his head into Zeke's neck. "I'm scared."

"Well, be fine, Jayden, we'll be fine..."

Before the blaze could be contained, four buildings would be destroyed, and many more seemed damaged. Zeke didn't know if there were any deaths. He had stayed low, holding Jayden and keeping a hand over his mouth, peering out from behind the trees.

Luckily the fire hadn't jumped into the forest, leaving Zeke in an eerie chill as he debated his next move.

Nobody could easily prove it was him, right? They might not even realize the fire started in the garden. Yeah!

Still. It was probably better to get away from the scene. Zeke turned away, entering deeper into the forest.

...further then he'd ever return from....