Page 127 of Axe Backwards
As I hustled down the steps, my mind was filled with thoughts of Jack and Emily.
I promise.
I promise I’ll be okay. I promise Tess will be loved and cared for forever.
Sirens blared from nearby as I burst out into the night air and collapsed on the sidewalk.
My skin prickled in a way that told me I had relatively serious burns. I ripped off my respirator and took in our building. Our home. It was consumed in flames, so far gone there was no saving anything inside. A sharp pain cut through my chest. Ithad only been a few months, but this place had given Tess and me what we needed.
“Are you okay?”
Vic was kneeling next to me, shaking and pale and crying, hands cupping my face.
I pulled her into my arms.
“You saved me,” she whimpered. “I was so scared.”
“I’m here. You’re here. That’s all that matters.”
We remained there on the ground as the engine and ladder trucks pulled up and firefighters clambered out.
When Chief Mitchell stepped out of his truck, I hopped up and ran to him.
“Started on the ground floor. There was definitely accelerant. Place went up quick. No one inside. I swept the top unit.”
With a nod to me, he pressed the button on his radio and barked orders.
“The primary power is on the south side,” I said, my whole body trembling from adrenaline. “There may be risk to the neighboring buildings.”
Behind him, a firefighter in turnout gear was working to remove the cap from the nearest hydrant. I ran to help him and held the hose to the coupling so he could focus on using his wrench to open it up.
The police pulled up just as we got the hoses running.
The crews got to work, and, not wanting to interrupt their flow, I stepped out of the way.
As the EMTs approached, I ran back to Vic and picked her up. “She inhaled smoke,” I shouted.
“I’m okay.” She wiggled in my hold.
“No. She needs to go to the hospital.”
Her body stiffened. “I do not.”
With a grunt, I set her on her feet. But I didn’t let go. Grasping her arms, I shot her a glare. “She’s experiencedtrauma,” I said, keeping my tone even. “She inhaled smoke and needs proper treatment.”
The EMT eyed Vic, as if waiting for permission.
“Camden,” she said. “I’m okay. Just shaken up.”
“How about I get you some oxygen and take your vitals?” The EMT who Vic was apparently on a first-name basis with said.
Shoulders slumping, I gave in. It was better than nothing.
“Both of you,” he insisted.
Chapter 42
Vic
