Page 125 of Burn

Evan pauses, staring at Finn, Owen, and me. “I think we go that way.”

It’s a guessing game, one none of us want to be playing. We know we’re in trouble.

Our radios aren’t working properly. Every time we tell command our location, the radio cuts out and command never responds. I have no idea if it’s the same for them. I can assume it is since we haven’t heard from them. Fuck, they could be telling us to evacuate for all we know.

The fire’s breathing, a low hiss that leaves us with that eerie sensation, knowing it’s gaining strength. As we move, it almost feels like it’s slow motion.

Every fire is a lesson. Where will it go? When will it gain strength and school you on the dangers? Understanding the danger and knowing the risk is what we’re trained for, but there are some things you can’t prepare for.

We come around another corner and what I assume is a different set of stairs, but I don’t know for sure. It’s raging with flames and doesn’t appear that we’re going down that way. “Oh look,” I deadpan, wishing I could fucking see something other than flames and dead ends. “Another fuckin’ dead end. This place blows.”

Evan stops, laughing, and reaches for his radio. “Hey, Cap, lost our way out. How’s up?”

“Negative!” Cap shouts. “Donotgo up, Evan! Get the fuck out of that building.”

Evan groans, dropping his hand from his radio. “Shit’s about to get ugly, boys.”

“Engine 5 to Ladder 10 . . . There’s a ladder in place on four, can you make it?”

“Did they not hear us before when we said we couldn’t go down?” Evan asks me as we walk down another hall and find ourselves in another fucking room.

I shrug. “Guess not.”

What I want to know is who designed this motherfucker? Dr. Seuss? It’s one winding hallway after another and leads to rooms with no exit.

Behind us there’s apop, with a deafening bang of an explosion, and before I know it, I’m sent floor surfing as part of it collapses.

It takes me a minute to come around, my ears ringing and my heart beating so fast it’s all I can hear as I pick myself up from what appears to be boxes around me. My hand immediately goes to my throbbing head. I realize then my helmet’s gone.

“Shit . . . I lost my halligan,” Evan groans, about ten feet from me, under a pile of debris, his PASS device whistling through the sounds of popping and snapping.

“I think I lost my helmet.” I blink, trying to gain some bearings, but my head hurts too much to think straight. I can feel the blood pouring out of a cut above my eye.

I can’t see clearly, the smoke thicker now, black and heavy, but I know we need to move and find Owen and Finn. Everywhere we look is engulfed in flames. We’re trapped.

“I got you.” Evan wraps his arm around my shoulders, assisting me as we pull ourselves through the rubble.

I can’t move my leg for a minute but manage to pull myself to a standing position.

Attempting to gather our senses, I access Evan’s posture. He seems to be worse off and holding his stomach. “You okay?”

He swallows, panting as he catches himself against the wall. “Yeah. I’m good. I think we go that way.” He gestures ahead of us with a tip of his head.

“Caleb, what’s your position?” Owen’s words come across crackled and broken up.

Beside me, Evan’s breathing’s short and quick as he continues holding the wall for support. I reach for my radio. “Six? I’m not even sure anymore. Where are you? Probie with you?”

Evan attempts to take a breath, winces and coils into himself, his hands resting on his knees.

“E’s in bad shape. We need to get him out of here.”

We hear another roar and know it’s only a matter of seconds. We have to move, but Evan can barely walk.

“You gotta get moving, Caleb. Don’t wait for me.” Evan’s face is etched in agony, he’s breathing harshly as he watches me, waiting for what I’m going to do. My face crumbles as he begins to speak again, knowing what he’s going to say. “I’m serious, Caleb. Go! I’ll be right behind you.”

Regardless of our shit we can’t seem to figure out, I can’t, nor will I ever leave my brother in a fire.

Part of me knows if I go, Evan’s not following me, but there’s no way he will have let me stay if he thinks I’m in danger waiting for him. He would risk his own life trying to get me out of here.

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