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“On it.”
Megan turned from the kitchen she was in on the second floor and walked to the other side of the building, knocking on the still shut, pockmarked metal door.
No response. Megan tried again, and then a third time. The heat around her was rising. She could feel it in her suit as the fire raged around, climbing up toward the third and top floor.
“It’s locked. I need to pry it open. K Tool and Halligan.”
“K and Halligan bar coming.”
Megan knocked a few more times while listening to Nick clear the ones behind her.
“Behind you,” Nick said in her ear.
Megan reached and grabbed the tool, seeing how thick the smoke was getting. The steam from the hoses was making everything harder to see. It was a delicate balance of containing the fire so the building wouldn’t collapse and keeping an exit clear for them to get out.
She jammed the K Tool in over the deadbolt and shoved in the forked edge.
“Hit.”
Nick was right there with the axe, treating it like a sledgehammer to jam it in farther. Two more times, and Megan pushed up, popping the deadbolt right out of place, revealing a key slot. She made quick work of that and jammed the fork in the doorjamb near the knob, which was locked as well.
“Hit.”
“Hit.”
She could tell the weight of the axe was getting to Nick, who had already climbed the stairs twice going back to get someone’s family pet out as well.
Megan repositioned based on a gut feeling, plus training mixed with experience, and with a sharp crack the door broke in.
“We’re in 3B,” she radioed to Buzz, her eyes scanning for signs of life through the billowing smoke. It was everywhere, coming through the vents, filling the space. As it mixed with the rising heat from the inferno below, she knew it wouldn’t be long before this apartment was ablaze too.
She pushed through each door, using a flashlight to try and find anyone. It was a two-bedroom with stairs heading up to a loft.
First bathroom empty, first bedroom empty.
“You guys have got to get out of there.” Buzz had that tone of voice she really needed to listen to.
She could see Nick miss a step going up to the loft.
“Nick, get out now. I’ll be behind you.”
He didn’t respond immediately. Shaking his head before hitting his radio, he said, “I ain’t quitting you.” The words came out with every other breath.
“I’m serious. Get out. I’ll find him.”
“Both of you need to GET OUT NOW.” Buzz’s voice thundered in her ear.
Megan went to the back hall with the last bedroom. Thankfully, Nick was coming back down from the loft.
“Kitchen’s clear, living room too. Last bedroom now.”
“GET OUT!”
“Nick, go!”
“Two in, two out.”
There was a shearing moan echoing from behind them through the open door. Every firefighter knew the sound of steel framing started to bend. It was a sad, mournful sound as it failed slowly. Wood snapped, hard and fast, but metal creaked in a slow apologetic twist to all of the engineers and architects it was letting down. There was no collapse, not initially, but like a sinking ship it started to list to the side, as it slowly gave way to gravity, pulling everything down with it.
