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Oh, the captain is gonna be so pissed at me if I make it out alive.
“Where are you?” I shouted as I kicked the doors in, and all I could hear was coughing. I was running out of apartment doors to kick in, and if I didn’t find this person soon, then we’d both be dying in this building today.
As the fire grew, I finally caught wind of where this person was. I kicked in the final door, and he was slumped over the chair, weakened from all the smoke he had inhaled. I quickly removed my mask and placed it over his head so that he could breathe in the little bit of oxygen I had left.
“Are there any other people in this apartment?” I helped him get up from the floor, and he shook his head.
As I led him to the door, the crackling bitter fire burnt the door, forcing it off its hinges, and I cursed under my breath as I looked for a way out of this apartment. I noticed the balcony at the end of the room and urged him to quickly walk toward it. With one quick swing of my axe to the door, the glass shattered, and we stood on the balcony while I devised a way to get out of the building. I looked down and noticed the building close to his apartment had a low rise.
Just might have to take a chance with it.
“We’re gonna have to jump to that building over there, okay?” I told him my insane plan, and his eyes widened as he shook his head.
“Uhm, no, I’m not doing that.” Was he even in a situation where he could choose?
“We don’t really have a choice,” I said as I looked at the fire that spread quickly in his apartment. “On the count of three, we jump, okay?”
“No, no, no!” He shook his head, and I began the countdown. “There has to be another wa-ahhh!” He screamed as I reached the number three, and Jax helped me pick up the tenant and place him safely on the fire aerial ladder, where I quickly joined them.
“Wait, what?” the man asked, shocked as he looked around, taking in the scenery around him as the ladder moved further away from the apartment building, and I smiled as I bumped fists with Jax.
“You’re risky, man,” Jax laughed as he shook his head. “You’re lucky I got here on time.”
“I knew I could trust you,” I said as I climbed off the ladder and helped the victim, who still couldn’t register the fact that he didn’t have to jump onto another building. So, sure, I scared him a bit, but that was because I didn’t want him to panic and run back into the blazing apartment.
I gave him something else to fear other than the fire while Jax continued with the plan we had discussed when the victim called out for help. Nobody was a better duo than us.
“Stone! What the hell is wrong with you?” my captain shouted the moment he set eyes on me, and I brushed my hair with my hand as I faced my boss, patiently waiting for the tongue lashing I was about to receive from him.
“I saved another life, sir,” I defended myself, and he sighed as he shook his head.
“Go back to the station with alpha crew and think about what you’ve done!” Like a child; he liked to treat us as if we were his children, and I guess I understood him. What I did was dangerous, and I didn’t put much thought into it.
I never did.
“What about the overhaul, Derek?”
“Beta and delta crew will deal with the hot spots and securing the scene. Just get out of my face.”
“Yes, sir.” I waved and went back to the station with the alpha crew, which Jax was part of. I immediately took off my uniform and took a quick shower, wanting to get home as soon as possible.
Today had exhausted me to my core.
Jax raised an eyebrow as he saw me gather my stuff into my bag and fling it over my shoulder. “You’re skipping our tradition, Asher?”
“Not in the mood tonight,” I shrugged, as I could still smell the acrid flames, that reminded me of the decayed bodies from Afghanistan that had haunted me. The flames were always a bitter reminder of that tour.
Fuck - why did I choose to become a firefighter?
“You alright, man?” Jax asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, and I nodded.
“See you.” I raised my hand as I walked over to my car and quickly made my way home. I had decided to skip the bar and drinks with the boys today. I needed rest.
The apartment hallway greeted me with dim lighting and smooth ceramic tiles as I headed to my apartment. And there, giggling alone standing opposite her apartment, stood Brooke. She was engrossed in her phone, too engrossed to even notice me as I stopped by her.
She was dressed in a very cute sundress, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders, with a few purple pins on her head. Her pouty pink lips were glossy, and even though her face was cast down, I noticed the faint brown freckles scattered across her face.
She bothered me, and yet, simultaneously, I was intrigued by her. She was odd.
