March 30, 1911

Darkness can lurk within the heart of anyone, even within the bosoms of the most stalwart of individuals.

Three of Cross’ earliest heroes were members of the Cross Fire Department, men who operated the Royal 6 fire engine.

Howard, Daniel, and Radcliff Bray were all first cousins, and each had the desire to serve their fellow man. They dedicated their lives to the protection of Cross’ citizens. Rarely was a house lost when the Bray cousins answered the call, and no one died. Even when a barn burned, none of the animals were lost.

The Bray cousins were, by all accounts, heroes in the truest sense of the word. More than one of them had been injured by falling beams and burned by sudden flare-ups.

On the night of March 30, 1911, tragedy struck Cross.

A fire broke out on Olive Street, the blaze starting in the kitchen of a small home.

The Bray cousins, per usual, arrived at the fire and fought it valiantly. As their fellow firefighters helped to beat back the blaze, a piteous screaming began in the house, and all three of the Brays raced in.

Seconds later, the house collapsed, killing all three men.

Since that night, the Brays have appeared around Cross, always at a building where a fire eventually broke out. It soon became apparent that the Brays were somehow responsible for the conflagrations as if they needed to see the flames even after death.

Or perhaps, they merely never lost their love of setting fires.

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