Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
I grab the CB and call Janette. “Dispatch, this is engine thirty-one in route to fourteen-fifty-two Apple Valley. What’s the status of this fire?”
“Call came in from the back neighbor. Class B. Guessing it started from the kitchen. Old structure, so possible collapse zones. Unsure if anyone is inside. Neighbor mentioned the owner was deceased.”
“Copy that.” I toss the CB. “Mitchell, I need you to fucking drive faster.”
“On it.”
What the hell happened? I just left her hours ago. I slam my fist against the dash. “Fuck!” I stay focused on the facts. Possible hydrocarbons fire starting in the kitchen. Ninety percent of the time, from stove knobs being left on without flames. She had the leftovers. She wouldn’t need to cook. She could have heated it up and left a knob on. The unsettling part is that it was a neighbor who called it in. Why wouldn’t she? Only two explanations come to mind: she wasn’t in the house, or she wasn’t able to.
Extensive training and desensitizing are what make a good firefighter. Stay focused on the facts and get in and out safely. It’s what keeps you alive. This can’t be any different. I shove down the uncertainty and stick to what I know. We pull up. The house is going up in flames. Scanning the yard, I don’t see her.
“You good, Captain?” Mitchell asks, pulling up to the scene.
“Fine. Brady, take Bravo. Hanson, take Charlie. I want the rest of the crew Delta. Mitchell and I are going in Alpha.”
“Got it, Captain.”
The truck is barely in park when I jump out. I rush over to the side compartment and snag the Halligan. Mitchell is quickly by my side, running through the lawn. “Who needs that thing when we have my shoulder?”
I can feel the heat from the flames yards from the house. Please don’t let her be inside. Mitchell leans over and peers into the window. “Fuck. Move,” he hisses. I don’t ask. I jump to the side as his shoulder crashes into the door, breaking it open. The wood splits in two. The backdraft causes the bay window to blow out, almost propelling us backward. I push forward and rush into the house.
I see her instantly and skid to my knees. “Makayla!” I yell. She tries to speak, but the smoke causes her to cough. “It’s okay. I got you.”
“Firefighter, call out!” Mitchell hollers, waving his hand for me to head out.
Lifting her into my arms, I turn my back to him and run outside as he disappears into the flames. “I need a medic!”
Claire and her partner, Vince, are immediately in front of me with a stretcher. “Put her down.” Fuck, I don’t want to let her go, but I know she needs oxygen. When I see the burns on her hands, I let off a round of curses. “Makayla, can you hear me? Are you alone in the house? Was Jenny with—?”
“Oh my god! Makayla!” I turn to her neighbor running up to us. “What happened?”
“You tell me,” I snap. Makayla sees her friend and tries to reach for her. “Hey, just relax.”
She doesn’t listen and pulls down the oxygen mask. “I thought—thought you were—inside.” Each strained word is followed by a round of ugly heaves.
“No, I went home. You passed out, so I figured it would be best to let you be. I left not too long after you fell asleep.”
“I need you to keep this on,” Claire says, pulling the mask back over her nose and mouth.
“Makayla, what happened?”
She looks up at me, disoriented. Her pupils are dilated. She’s trying to find the words to explain, but nothing seems to come out. “I—don’t know. I fell asleep, I guess. When I woke up. . . the house was on fire. I don’t—I don’t know.”
“All clear!” I turn as Mitchell walks out of the burning house as half the roof caves in. “Look at that. Impeccable timing,” he says.
I roll my eyes and bring my attention back to Mak. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
She tries to sit up but groans. It’s then I see the blood soaking her thigh. “Fuck. Claire, she has debris in her thigh.”
“Got it. Makayla, I’m going to give you something for the pain. Then I’m going to clean around the wound and get you to the hospital. They’ll run a scan to make sure it didn’t puncture anything important before removing it.”
“I’m fine,” she waves me off, then sways back down.
“You’ll be better once you get checked out,” I say, feeling overly protective. I turn to Claire. “I’m jumping in the ambo.”
“Shouldn’t you—?”
“I’m going with her,” I reply sternly.
“Got it.” She smiles down at my girl as she injects a shot of morphine. Within seconds, her body starts to relax. Her eyes glaze over, and she looks up at me.