Just as she wondered what Sydney was shouting about, she suddenly felt a surge of heat rise sharply against her thigh.
Ivana looked down and saw that the candle she had just lit somehow fell onto the tablecloth. In an instant, flames leaped up, quickly spreading from the table to the couch.
Ernest instinctively pulled Ivana to the side, trying to get her out of harm's way.
Sydney tried to grab Ernest, but missed him and had to sprint over herself, accidentally knocking over a full bottle of whiskey.
The fire grew rapidly and no one in the room was brave enough to approach. Sydney clung to Ernest, trembling, "Ernest, I'm scared."
Ernest let go of Ivana and softly comforted Sydney in his arms.
Ivana's face paled. She tried to move, but the two women behind her were pushing and shouting, occasionally letting out piercing screams, "Where's the fire extinguisher?"
The flames had grown taller and Ivana found herself being pushed closer and closer to the origin of the fire. Someone, panicked, grabbed a curtain and began waving it at the fire.
Ivana tried to retreat, but she was pushed forward by the crowd toward the flames.
"Ah!" screams filled the air.
The curtains caught fire too. The burning fabric whipped through the air, setting tables and sofas on fire.
Panicked, the person holding the curtain shouted and threw the burning cloth straight toward Ivana.
The red flames reminded her of her parents, triggering an overwhelming fear that froze her in place, making her unable to react normally.
The curtain landed on her head and Ivana instantly became engulfed in flames. "Ah! Ah!" The room erupted in screams, some for Ivana and others for various people.
Ignoring the searing pain, Ivana trembled, using her shaking hands to rip the burning curtain off. "I can survive this! I can survive," Ivana kept repeating to herself, trying to calm her mind.
Her hands burned horribly, worse than when she was locked in the cold storage before.
"Sprinklers! Fire extinguishers!" Ernest yelled angrily. "Call 911! Call 911!"
Finally managing to tear the curtain away, what Ivana saw was utter chaos. She was now surrounded by flames.
The sprinkler system had not responded. The alarm didn't go off and the fire extinguishers were nowhere to be found.