Page 46 of Burning Up

“Yes. No.” Bryce walked away from the table. “This is over. Let yourself out.”

He stomped to the bathroom, shut the door, and turned on the shower.

Bryce dragged himself through the next few days. He worked a lunch shift at Nathan’s, the end of which overlapped with Mason’s hours. He only talked to Mason when he had to, and he did his best to ignore Mason’s reproachful looks. But not having a friend to talk to made work hell. He had to act like everything was fine because he didn’t want anyone asking questions. It was a slow day, so he didn’t have much to distract him. His next shift at the firehouse was even worse. Things were slow there too. Bryce thought he managed to look normal, but Matt and Toby certainly didn’t. They were snappy with each other and everyone else, and they both looked like they’d been ill for days: dark circles under their eyes, pale skin, hair sticking up. Had they even showered that morning?

“What’s up with those two?” WT asked that evening, tilting his head to where Matt and Toby were slumped on the couch watching a baseball game. “They’re acting like little shits.”

Bryce shrugged. “I don’t know. Hopefully, they’ll get over it.” If someone else was as pissy as they were, they’d be facing disciplinary action, but Bryce knew he was responsible for their attitude, so he tried to cut them some slack, yet another way relationships fucked up the job.

“They better get over it before they cause us all to make a mistake.”

Bryce nodded. He’d been worrying about the same thing.

That particular shift ended uneventfully, and Bryce survived an entire week of dirty looks and short answers from Toby and Matt. At least they didn’t appear to be slacking on anything at work and they remained professional, if distant, when they were out on calls. Mason kept trying to get him to talk, and one evening Bryce spent a hellish half hour chatting with Jack and Gray during which he avoided mentioning Matt and Toby, though he was certain Mason had told them all about his idiocy.

The following Saturday, the station was crazy busy. Shortly after they arrived, Bryce’s unit was called to the scene of a tractor-trailer accident. As soon as they got back to the station, they were sent out again. Around nine PM, a call came in for a warehouse fire in a run-down part of downtown.

Bryce’s unit arrived at the scene at the same time as the battalion chief. One other unit had arrived ahead of them and their men were inside, attacking the flames. The chief sent Bryce and Matt to assist them.

Matt entered the building with Bryce on his heels. Bryce knew he should be in the lead, but he didn’t force Matt to move behind him. The last thing he needed was an argument while they headed into a raging fire. He was close enough to grab Matt if he needed to. Slowly, they began to make their way toward the spot where the first team was working. A few feet in, they dropped to the floor and began to crawl.

“Pumper Eight. Falling back to maintain an exit. Heat is too intense.”

“Confirmed, Pumper Eight,” the battalion chief responded. “Keep water on the exit as long as you can. Ladder Six, make your way out of the building.”

Bryce heard a creak and knew they were in trouble. The beams above them weren’t going to hold much longer. He pressed the button on his radio, intending to tell Matt to turn around, but he was too late. A beam crashed down, hitting Bryce on the shoulder. He fell back, bruised but okay. “Matt!” he called. “Matt!”

No response. “Firefighter Ladder Six down. Beams fell. Searching for him now.”

“Officer Ladder Six, what’s your position?” the chief asked.

“Twenty feet from the southwest entrance.”

“Are you injured?”

Was he? His shoulder ached but he’d be fine. “No, sir.”

“How much air do you have?”

Bryce glanced down at the display. “Twenty-one hundred PSI.” That would give him roughly twenty minutes. But the hotter the air and the more effort he put out, the more air he’d use, so he could easily have much less time. He reached out in front of him, searching for Matt. All he could feel was debris.

“Where is he?” Toby’s panicked voice came over the radio.

“I’m going to find him,” Bryce said, willing the young man to calm down.

“Firefighter Ladder Six, do not go into the building.” The chief spoke in a stern, clear voice.

“Listen to the chief and stay where you are. I’ve got this.” Bryce knew he didn’t have long. He’d been keeping up with radio communication. The attack team was now simply trying to keep the exit open and the teams outside were switching to defensive mode, meaning they were now focused on keeping adjacent structures from catching rather than trying to save the warehouse.

Beep! Beep! Beep! The piercing sound had come from Matt’s respirator, which was designed to send out an alarm if he stayed still for too long. All Bryce could tell was that Matt was somewhere in front of him, and he wasn’t moving. “Matt! Matt!” He yelled into the radio hoping to rouse him, but there was no response. Matt’s respirator screeched more loudly. If he was conscious he’d shut it off. Fuck!

Bryce began to scale the debris. It slipped and slid, but he kept going.

“Officer Ladder Six, the RIT is moving toward your location.”

Bryce registered that help was on the way, but he wanted to find Matt himself. This was his fault, and he had to fix it. He should be the one who was trapped. He should never have let Matt take the lead.

Bryce slid down the far side of the pile of debris. Keeping a foot hooked over one of the heavy beams, he stretched out and felt around. He’d almost given up, thinking he’d have to move farther away from the downed beams, when he brushed something soft. Matt’s glove. He inched forward and got hold of Matt’s arm. “Matt! Matt!”

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