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“Clear!”
We battle against time and the fierce flames, but it's a losing fight. The heat radiates through every corner of the building, engulfing it in an inferno of orange and red. The structure begins to groan and buckle under the pressure. The men outside are unable to contain the ferocious blaze that consumes everything in its path.
"Let's go! Everybody out now!"
The ground shakes as the walls collapse in a shower of sparks as the building is reduced to nothing more than ash and rubble where the complex once stood.
I have seen my fair share of circumstances but it never gets old. Fires leave many people with nothing, their entire house gone. No photographs, clothes, or personal items.
“It’s over, guys,” Damon says, grabbing the hose away and dragging it back to the fire truck.
"We got the call too late. It was too powerful once we arrived," Damon says, driving the fire truck back to the station.
"At least we got everyone out. It could have been a lot worse," I reply.
There is something that has come to mind, but I haven’t talked to anyone else about it. The Jackson brothers help out the community. They all pitched in and bought a set of duplexes for displaced families. I’m not rich enough, but there must be something I can do.
“I’m gonna start holding monthly meetings in town to go over fire hazards – the most common ones in the home. Might help some of these families from losing everything they have.”
Damon gives me a thumbs up. “Anything we can all do to make this community safer.”
Families lose everything because of a foolish mistake like leaving a heater unattended. It can be prevented if they only have the knowledge.
Some people think I don’t have a heart, but they don’t know me. Unlike most of the residents here, I moved here with my late girlfriend after college and didn’t leave. Sometimes this stumps the women in this town because they are used to knowing everything about someone, and I’m a mystery to most.
The sun hangs low in the sky when we arrived at the fire station. The air is charged with the same kind of energy that precedes a storm – a kind of ominous anticipation that has nothing to do with the weather outside.
Damon pauses in the doorway, scanning the room for a moment before pushing the door open with a nod to Liam and I. Inside, a group of firefighters sat around a large wooden table, drinking coffee and chatting in low tones.
The men fall silent as we enter. Damon gives them a brief nod before he walks to the center of the table and throws a deck of cards down on the wooden surface.
Without a word, Liam begins to deal the cards. The silence in the room is broken only by the sound of the cards hitting the table and the soft shuffling of the deck.
Damon smiled. “It’s time to see if my skills have improved.”
As Liam finishes shuffling the deck, Damon flicks out a single red Joker, letting it land softly in the center of the table.
“Let the game begin,” he said, a glint of excitement in his eyes.
Liam dealt the cards, and they continue to play, their laughter echoing through the station. As they finish the final round, Damon emerges victorious, the pile of chips in front of him indicating the victor.
“It seems I’m the victor once again,” he says, leaning back in his chair.
Liam nodded, still smiling despite his loss. “Yes, you are.”
Sometimes it’s fun to watch them battle out their sibling rivalry. I can’t play cards worth a shit, so I stand to the side and cheer them on.
Liam chuckles. “That chick at the diner last night...Adonis didn’t stand a chance against her.”
“Yeah, after she told you to call that girl…”
“Don’t try to deny it, I saw how you were looking at her.”
“I’ve dated crazy before, and don’t want to go down that rabbit hole, because I might not come out.”
The icy gaze that bore into me when she scolded Liam... almost like she has x-ray vision to see into my soul. I have no idea who she is, but her aura radiates power and strength. I have been going to diner three nights a week since moving to Grapevine, and I have never seen her before.
So, it's probably a one-time thing...right?
