Fighting the Fire

  Fighting the Fire

  Jennifer Conner

  Excerpt from Fighting the Fire

  The heat of an inferno immediately replaced the cool breeze that surrounded them. Cy staggered back and tried to suck in a clean breath of air, but all that was left was smoke. Heat from the flames licked at his back eating at the fire-retardant gear.

  “Capt…” he tried to cry out, wiping the back of his glove against his face. Smoke billowed into his lungs, choking him.

  The floor groaned loudly under him and gave way to a gaping hole. Fire shot through the floorboards, engulfing his leg. He tried to drag his foot free, but a broken board trapped his leg.

  He pulled his foot hard once. Twice. “Shit.” He felt the lick of the flames around him when his leg didn’t move.

  “Cy!” the captain’s voice cried from the window.

  “My foot’s stuck. I’m trapped!” He struggled to stay composed, but the smoke and heat made his head swim. He knew help was close, but could they reach him before the floor gave way?

  Using his hands, he yanked on his leg until his hip joint felt like it would wrench free.

  West’s booted leg came through the window. “Cy!”

  The first singe of fire licked his skin, and sharp pain scalded though him. His thoughts fogged to gray as he tried to call out, but he could only cough and gag.

  Cy fought to pull in just one more breath, but there was no oxygen left. His legs buckled and his body crumpled and fell forward.

  Everything went to black.

  Copyright

  Fighting the Fire

  A Books to Go Now Publication

  Copyright © Jennifer Conner

  Books to Go Now

  Cover Design by Romance Novel Covers Now

  http://www.romancenovelcoversnow.com/

  First eBook Edition October 2020

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

  If you are interested in purchasing more works of this nature, please stop by

  www.bookstogonow.com

  DEDICATION

  Thank you to all my friends who have been there for me through the pandemic.

  Chapter 1

  The heat shimmered in waves off the walls as Cy Brennon ran across the lawn toward the house. His own breath echoed inside the flash hood, and the thunder of his heartbeat increased in speed with each stride.

  An explosion passed through his body and rocked the ground rock like an earthquake. Glass blew across the lawn in tiny razor ice crystals as the first stream of water hit the house with a hiss and groan. Cy could see the fire hadn’t reached under the back porch and took the steps in one hurdle.

  He peered through the backdoor window and called out, “Fire Department! Can anyone hear me?”

  Cy heard Mario and Ben call from the front of the house as he wiggled the locked doorknob. First, he cracked his Haligan bar-pickaxe against the wood door and then bashed it until it opened “Fire Department! Is anyone here?” He moved cautiously into the dark, smoke-filled kitchen.

  Ben’s voice echoed on the radio receiver attached to Cy’s chest. “We can’t get in this way. It’s too hot. Cy. Do you copy?”

  “I have to check the bedrooms.” He pulled the thermal imaging camera from his hose belt and held it to his eye seeing only darkness and smoke. No bodies. Good.

  “Cy,” Mario called through the radio. Wait for us. Don’t go in on your own. The fire could flash.”

  “Fire Department!” Cy yelled and then muttered, “Damn it .” There was still no answer. “I’m not leaving until I’ve checked all the rooms.”

  “We’re punching a hole in the roof, Cy. Wait for backup.”

  “If there’s a chance that someone’s still alive, I can’t wait.”

  “That’s an order!” The captain’s voice barked from the other end of the receiver. “I’m sure as hell not hauling your body out of the house. Do you hear me?”

  The whoosh of flames licked at the fire-retardant material of his pants as he moved forward to the lone beacon of the last doorway. The smoke, billowing from beneath the door was as dense as a fall fog.

  Cy banged the ax hard against the door . “Fire Department! Is anyone in there?” On the other side, the fire’s roar could be heard through his hood.

  The captain’s voice echoed loudly, “Cy! Do not go any farther. We’re coming, Brennon! Do you copy?”

  Cy heard him, but for the first time in his life, he disobeyed his captain’s orders. He knew there was someone in the house. Jiggling the doorknob, he was surprised to find it locked from the inside. He slammed the pointed tip of the bar against the wood. Through the splintered gash Cy could see the flames were back a safe distance.

  With his heavy rubber boot, he kicked the wood. The door fractured and swung inward. The wicked tongue of the flames slinked toward him, advancing closer and closer.

  Cy stepped over the threshold and sucked in a sharp intake of breath and stopped short. His eyes widened as he looked at the bed which held a young woman in her mid-twenties completely engulfed in flames.

  Or at least part of it was. He watched the fire race around the bed. He blinked behind his hood and thought that the smoke was playing tricks on him in the dark.

  No. He hadn't been seeing things. The flames circled the bed.

  The young woman’s ebony-colored hair swirled around her head in waves. The fire roared around the room, burning everything in its path…everything except her.

  Even at this short distance, she was so still Cy couldn't tell if she was asleep, overtaken by smoke, or dead. The thought made his stomach clench. She was lying silently on her back, her eyes closed, arms at her sides. The intensity of the fire should be scorching her body.

  What’s going on?

  In the middle of all the devastation, she was beautiful. Exquisite. She looked like a Native American priestess covered in a protective bubble that had dropped down to rest in the middle of the room protecting her from the flames.

  Her sheer cotton nightgown rippled and flowed over visible, naked curves. Stiff nipples stood in a silhouetted outline in the darkness.

  “Shit. I am not part of some sci-fi movie,” Cy said warily, looking around the room as he tried to come up with a rational explanation for what was occurring.

  “Cy! Report.” The captain’s voice sounded far away as Cy heard chainsaws and axes breaking through the roof. “Did you find a body?” the captain asked. “Report!”

  “Not exactly,” Cy finally found his voice and answered.

  “What the hell does that mean? The roof’s unstable. It might cave any second. Get the hell out of there!”

  Pushing into the flames Cy reached the side of the bed, heat rising when it hit his gear. His eyes hadn’t played tricks on him. The bed was enclosed in what he could only describe as a ‘fire free zone.’

  Cy sat on the edge of the bed and leaned toward the woman. He entered the protective bubble with an odd shimmer. The intense heat vanished, and Cy found himself engulfed in a blue glow of light. He slid the glove from his trembling hand and placed two fingers against the woman’s neck to check for a pulse. A strang
e, electrical charge snapped his fingers, and he yanked back his hand.

  Her skin was cold as ice. There was no heat around her, around them. Only a cool breeze you would expect to come through an open window on a summer evening.

  Cy raised his hand in front of his face and wiggled his fingers, still not sure what he was seeing. He pressed his fingers below her jawline.

  There. This time he felt her pulse. Slow but strong.

  “Captain!” he shouted. “I’ve found a woman. She’ll need medical. Are the EMTs here?” There was only a hiss of static on his radio. “Captain?” He pushed the button in and out.

  Nothing. What the hell was wrong with his radio?

  Cy couldn’t see through the smoke and water on his flash hood. The blue glow was reflecting against the face shield and he couldn’t tell if she was injured. He pulled it off and leaned in. “Miss, I’m going to get you out of here.” He expected the woman to smell like smoke, but instead, she smelled like freshly laundered clothes on a sunny day.

  He brushed a thumb over her cool cheek; while above him the fire shimmered, reflecting off the opalescent bubble engulfing the two of them. He closed his eyes trying to calm his nerves, but the hiss of the lost radio signal stood as an eerie reminder of his predicament. It was his decision, and now he was on his own.

  When he opened his eyes, his hand was still against her cheek, but now her fathomless, brown eyes were staring at him in horror.

  Her gaze darted from him to the fire. Tears broke from the corners of her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

  “Noooo,” she cried and shook her head. “No. This can’t be happening again.”

  “You’re safe. There’s been a fire.”

  Pain filled her eyes, as she blinked back tears. “Leave me...”

  “Leave you? Here in the fire?” Cy’s mouth dropped open, and he was not sure what to say.

  He was there to rescue her, but she was asking him to let her die? Had he interrupted her plans to burn herself alive?

  “You don’t understand. It’s getting worse. Leave me here.”

  “I can’t do that,” he said, angered she’d even ask. “The roof’s going to collapse. If we don’t move this second, we’ll both die.”

  Her eyes grew wider, showing the white at the edges. “I don’t want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt anyone.” Her voice was quiet, ripped to tiny fragments as she spoke.

  “Just yourself?”

  The woman closed her eyes and shook her head.

  “I need to get you out of here.” Cy started to pull his flash hood back over his head, but she stopped him with her hand. “Stay by me. You won’t need it. We’ll be safe.”

  There was a loud groan as the fire ate away at the ceiling beams and they crumbled inward.

  “Put your arms around my neck,” Cy ordered, dropping his flash hood from his grasp and lifting her from the bed.

  He wrapped his arms protectively around her body and ran. A deafening boom sounded as a section of the roof gave way when his shoulder hit the door, and they burst into the hall. Blazing wood crashed down on the bed where they’d been just seconds before.

  Flames licked at his lower legs and fire roared outside the Twilight Zone protective bubble that engulfed them.

  “My house. I always ruin things.” The woman squeezed her arm around the back of his neck as she continued to mutter, “Stay close. The fire won’t hurt us.” Her breath felt warm against his neck, as she choked back a sob and buried her head against his chest.

  “I’m here. It’s all right.” Cy shook his head to clear his thoughts. They were running out of time and they’d both die if he made the wrong decision.

  “No. It’ll never be all right. It’s always the same.”

  The disorienting smoke and the darkness surrounding them made it hard for Cy to see farther than two feet. He turned and looked down the hall, not sure if he’d run in the right direction.

  “Captain! Mario, Ben, copy!” He called out, but there was still only the hiss of static. Where were they? Why weren’t they answering?

  “You should let me die.”

  “No one's going to die. Damn it. Do you hear me?” Cy asked, through clenched teeth. The words came out harsher than he’d planned.

  He needed to think.

  The smoke was thick as a wall when he heard another crash behind them. He spun, protectively pulling the woman tightly against his chest.

  Through the broken window a strong beam of light filtered like a beacon in the darkness. He heard more muffled cries, then the head of an ax blade protruded through the splintered frame.

  “I told you they’d come,” he whispered against the side of her face, hoping to reassure both of them.

  As they drew closer, Cy could see a ladder propped against the outer wall under the window.

  “Cy? Are you there?” Relief flooded the captain’s face as his flashlight beam found them in the darkness. But the look was instantly replaced by disbelief seeing the blue sphere of light engulfing them. West blinked under his flash hood and put out his arms to take the girl from Cy’s grasp.

  Okay. Cy thought. I'm not the only one seeing things, the captain saw it too.

  Cy lifted the woman toward West, as she pulled tightly against his neck refusing to let go.

  “No, it’s not safe!” she cried.

  “It’s all right, Miss. The captain will take you.”

  “Stop! Don’t!” Panic gripped her words. She struggled to pull herself against him. Her skin, feathery soft, caressed the roughness of his neck. She breathed heavily. She was like a trapped bird, her heartbeat fluttering against him.

  “Miss, you have to let go! We have to get you out of here.” Cy tried to pry her fingers free. “You’re safe now.”

  Her brown eyes had turned black from panic as they met his. “But you're not.”

  Cy pried the last of her grip free and handed her toward the captain’s outstretched arms.

  “No!” She kicked her legs and reached toward him. He felt a strange pulling sensation as she left the contact of his arms, followed by a blue flash of light and then a snap.

  The heat of an inferno immediately replaced the cool breeze that surrounded them. Cy staggered back and tried to suck in a clean breath of air, but all that was left was smoke. Heat from the flames licked at his back eating at the fire-retardant gear.

  “Capt…” he tried to cry out, wiping the back of his glove against his face. Smoke billowed into his lungs, choking him.

  The floor groaned loudly under him and gave way to a gaping hole. Fire shot through the floorboards, engulfing his leg. He tried to drag his foot free, but a broken board trapped his leg.

  He pulled his foot hard once. Twice. “Shit.” He felt the lick of the flames around him when his leg didn’t move.

  “Cy!” the captain’s voice cried from the window.

  “My foot’s stuck. I’m trapped!” He struggled to stay composed, but the smoke and heat made his head swim. He knew help was close, but could they reach him before the floor gave way?

  Using his hands, he yanked on his leg until his hip joint felt like it would wrench free.

  West’s booted leg came through the window. “Cy!”

  The first singe of fire licked his skin, and sharp pain scalded though him. His thoughts fogged to gray as he tried to call out, but he could only cough and gag.

  Cy fought to pull in just one more breath, but there was no oxygen left. His legs buckled and his body crumpled and fell forward.

  Everything went to black.

  Chapter 2

  Hands grasped Cy’s shoulders as he tried to sit up and pushed him hard back down on the stretcher. Smoke and grit glued his eyes closed as he fought consciousness. Voices fade in and out around him. Struggling, he pulled in a gasp of clean air through the oxygen mask covering his face.

  Captain West barked orders as Cy tried to focus his mind. Every inch of his body ached.

  He raised a shaky hand and lifted the mask from his
nose. “Capt...” He wanted to ask if the woman from the fire was safe, but the words caught in his throat. He vomited black, soot-filed bile over the side of the stretcher onto the ground.

  Cy finally opened his eyes and took a sip of cool water from the plastic bottle West pressed to his lips. He swished it around his mouth and spit, hoping to clear the taste of charcoal. Taking another small sip, he felt his throat ease slightly. “Where’s the girl?”

  West’s face was set in hard lines as he lowered the water glass and glowered. He flicked his head toward the driveway before he stepped away to speak in a low voice to the local paramedic, Sally Parker. When she nodded, West headed back to the other men.

  Cy tipped his head and saw that the other engines had arrived, but the house was now completely engulfed in flames. There wouldn’t be anything they could do other than watch it burn. The house was a total loss.

  He coughed again, trying to clear the remaining smoke from his clogged lungs when he heard a voice beside him.

  “I’m—sorry.” The deep brown eyes of the woman he’d pulled from the fire watched him warily. She stood nearby, an aid car blanket draped across her shoulders. She shivered and wrapped it tighter.

  “You’re okay?” Cy croaked, raising the mask to be heard more clearly. “My mind was so clouded up back there...” He paused and shook his head. “I thought you’d gotten out safely, but I needed to be sure.” He repeated the question. “You’re okay?”

  “You’re worried about me?” The woman’s face was dark as the fire reflected an orange glow over her skin. Her black, sleek hair partially covered her face hiding it from his view. “I tried to stop you. I tried to warn you,” she said barely above a whisper.

  Cy could see the guilt she was feeling over his injuries. He reached for her hand, but she stepped back.

  “Don’t,” she said.

  “Hey, I'm fine.” He stopped and ran his tongue over his cracked lips.

  She looked at him and shook her head. “You should have left me.”