"Shit! The fire!" one of the men yelled, stumbling to his feet, his balance unsteady.
"Put it out! Put it out!" a woman shrieked, frantically trying to stomp on the flames with her bare feet.
But it was too late.
The fire had already taken hold, climbing up the walls, engulfing the curtains, and spreading across the floor.
The smoke grew thicker, choking the air, and the heat intensified, making it impossible to stay in the room.
"We have to get out of here!" another man shouted, his voice rising in panic.
"No! We'll get caught!" one of the women cried, her eyes wide with fear.
The fear of being caught, of going to jail for starting the fire, overrode any sense of responsibility they might have had.
They abandoned their efforts to extinguish the flames, scrambling for the door in a blind panic.
