AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jack
Present Day
“You should learn how to dance,” Liam said. “Women love dancing.”
“I know how to dance,” Mateo replied curtly.
“Give us a show, then,” one of the other firefighters said. “Bust a move, Mateo.”
Mateo flipped him off, but it was all good-natured. Everyone at the station had been giving him shit about the photo shoot since he returned for our shift after dropping Alyssa off. I’d teased him a little bit when I heard about it from Liam, but now I was trying to relax on the couch.
“You busy tomorrow night?” Liam asked Mateo. “Or will you be putting your new photos to good use?”
“I have no plans tomorrow evening. I might work at the bar. I will not receive the photographs for several days.”
“You’re welcome to come over and play Call of Duty with me,” Liam offered. “It might be the last time we get to spend quality time together, since those photos are about to make you the hottest commodity in Florida.”
“What other photos did you take, anyways?” I asked. “Not just firefighter poses, I hope.”
Mateo looked like he didn’t want to answer. “Surfing. Rock climbing. Mixing drinks at the bar.”
Everyone whistled and hooted, including Ellen. “Careful, Vega. You flash some sexy surfing pictures around and I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
“Which makes him like every other guy you’ve looked at for more than ten seconds,” another recruit yelled.
Ellen flipped him off. “Everyone but you, Sanchez. And that’s not changing any time soon!”
The jokes often seemed harsh to outsiders, but all of us were close. Like brothers and sisters. You had to be when relying on each other in a life-threatening situation. No matter what Sanchez said to Ellen, or what she responded with, I knew they trusted each other more than anyone else on the planet.
While they continued teasing Mateo, I thought about Alyssa. It was a good thing I wasn’t here when she was taking photos, because I might have said something I’d regret. I was still mad about the way she had reacted this morning, pounding on my door and accusing me of helping her out of guilt. As if a guy couldn’t help an old acquaintance out without having some sort of ulterior motive.
A good deed is worth doing, regardless of how it’s received, I told myself. It sounded like a quote I had heard somewhere, although I couldn’t remember where. Maybe I had thought of it myself. Either way, it was true. Alyssa was going through some shit right now dealing with the fallout from her mom’s death, and helping her was the right call.
Even if it only pissed her off.
Suddenly, the sirens on the wall began blaring, two different tones simultaneously. Lights on the wall flashed as well, striking two of my senses at the same time.
All teasing ceased as we bolted into action, running down the hall to the engine room. The siren was joined by a robotic woman’s voice: “Engine five. Respond to residential fire at 625 North Waterside Avenue. Engine five. Respond to residential fire at 625 North Waterside Avenue. Engine five. Respond…” Computer screens on the walls repeated the message in large text.
I automatically pictured the address on a map in my mind as I got dressed alongside my team. As the Fire Engineer for our unit, I was responsible for driving the truck and getting us to the call as quickly—and safely—as possible. We had GPS in every engine, of course, but I could do my job better if I knew where I was going. GPS was really only good for ensuring we avoided traffic, anyway.
Within thirty seconds I was behind the wheel, blaring the horn as I pulled out onto the road. The adrenaline had already hit me, but my hands were steady on the wheel. I was used to this—we all were. This was what we trained for. It was our purpose.
It was when I truly felt alive.
We were the first engine to arrive on the scene minutes later. Smoke belched from one of the second-story windows, although flames couldn’t be seen yet. That was a good sign.
“I think they’re still inside!” one of the neighbors screamed at us. “I haven’t seen anyone come out! They have two kids, a boy and a girl. Oh my God, if they’re inside…”
Mateo and Liam were hooking up one of the hoses to the nearby hydrant, and a second engine had arrived. My immediate objective changed based on what the neighbor had said, however. I shouldered my oxygen tank and respirator, grabbed an ax from the rack on the engine, and marched up to the front door. It was safer to wait for support from the hoses, but every second that passed was precious if there were people inside.
The door was locked, so I kicked it in, aiming my boot next to the doorknob to shatter the lock through the frame. The entranceway seemed downright normal, which was unsurprising considering the fire seemed to have begun on the floor above. The stairs were to my right; smoke clouded the air above.
I climbed the steps, my vision becoming obscured the higher I went. Like a plane rising through the clouds. The smoke swirled around me as I opened the first door I saw. A little girl’s room, purple wallpaper and Frozen bedsheets. Empty.
The next door was a bathroom, and after that was a boy’s bedroom. Also empty. I became panicked as I gazed down the hall, where flames now glowed like the eyes of an angry god. There were two doors in that direction.
The heat was oppressive as I approached. The door was open, but the smoke was too thick to see inside.
