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Nova didn’t blame the guy. It’d take a lot more than a broken leg to keep her out of a firefight. Especially one like this where the town was at risk. “It’s worse than we thought. The fire’s making a run up the slope on the south side. I don’t think we can save these structures. The fire is about to blow up.”
“Can you hold out another thirty? We can get you a full tanker to knock it down.”
“Negative. At this point we don’t have five minutes. We’re going to backtrack and let the fire connect up on the left flank. Push it toward the river.”
“We’ve got a chopper heading out to scout. Stay on this channel for updates.”
“Ten-four.” Nova wiped her sweaty cheek on the arm of her shirt. She turned to Eric. “Let’s evac before this fire overruns us.”
Eric lifted his gear with a bit of an old-man grunt. “Yeah…good idea. The wind’s already dropping sparks onto the structures below.”
Spot fires littered the dry grass on the hill behind the cabins—some the size of basketballs, others the size of her dining room table.
She saw a flash of movement from the main log cabin. From this distance, she could see a shadowy figure crouching.
A bear?
The figure stood and turned to face the window. Definitely a human.
“Hey! There’s someone in there!” Nova took off running.
The fire raced down the hill behind the cabin. That old wooden structure was little more than tinder. Boots thudded the ground behind her, Eric hot on her heels.
“Hey! You there! The fire is coming! Get out now!”
The wind gusted, blowing red-hot debris into the valley. Embers fell on the shake-shingled roof. A burning tree toppled over and crashed through the window opening.
Nova lengthened her strides and hopped up on the front porch.
She dropped her PG bag on the porch and hit the door with her shoulder. The old wood cracked, and a rusted hinge let go.
All the glass in the windows had either deteriorated over time or been busted out. There was nothing to keep the smoke out. Red-orange fog filled the cabin.
Coughing, she dropped to her knees and crawled into the darkness. “Hey! Anyone here? Where are you?” She squinted through the smoke, trying to get her bearings. “Call out!”
The living room was littered with trash but otherwise empty of furnishings. The bedroom doors were straight ahead. Off to the right was a doorway leading to the kitchen with a see-through fireplace.
She heard Eric cough. “Eric! I’m going to the kitchen. Check the bedrooms. Our vic could be unconscious, unable to respond!”
“Affirm—” Eric coughed again.
Outside, the fire roared its hungry growl. Burning embers dropped on her back and neck from the bulging ceiling. Raging heat pressed in all around. She crawled through the kitchen door, splaying her hands and feeling for a body.
Her kneecap pressed down on something hard. It didn’t quite register until she’d put all her weight on it. A sharp pain zipped through her knee and down her leg.
She looked down, expecting to see a rusty metal tool that would inevitably mean a tetanus shot. But it wasn’t a tool or a can. It was a thick metal ring lying flat against the floor.
“Rico! Wait!” Nova heard Booth shout from outside.
Then a loud crash from behind. Someone cried out in pain.
“Rico! Are you okay?” Booth sounded frantic. “Talk to me, brother.”
They needed her help. She crawled out of the kitchen. Where the front door had been was now darkness—the porch roof instead of an open exit. “Booth! What happened?”
“The porch collapsed on Rico. Oh man…” She heard banging and scratching that sounded like Booth digging.
Then he called out, “You and Eric need to get out of there now! The roof is about to come down!”
