Page 14 of Instant Heat
"Adam!" I yelled.
He'd run inside mere minutes ago—without gear—he couldn't have gotten far. Unless… No, I couldn't allow me mind to go there. The fight wasn't over until the last damn body was dragged out.
"Adam!" I yelled again.Where the hell are you?The flames hiss to me right before a beam tore off the ceiling with a loud crack and crashed to the floor. Shite! I grabbed the radio attached to me arm."Bosnan, talk to me."
Static followed and me heart sputtered. Again, I growled into the tiny device."Bosnan! Report!"
Long agonizing seconds of static followed before his distorted voice reached me."It's not good."
More beams broke from the ceiling, furiously smashing to the ground. Sparks lit up the smoke-filled room. Panic held me heart in a vice-grip. I needed to find Adam and Angie.
"Don't talk in bloody riddles, man," I barked into the radio."Whadda mean, it's no good?"
More bloody static. I was about two seconds away from losing me shite completely."Ericson found Mrs. Carlisle… she… uh… didn't make it."
Shite! No. Not Angie. I ducked into the living room. The same one Adam and I had had a few beers in two nights ago. The same one where Angie had spent her nights reading on the couch while Adam watched sports.
I was about to ask if they were sure when I spotted a familiar body pinned to the floor. Me friend—me brother—lay trapped beneath an angry gleaming beam. When the stench of burning flesh filled me nose, I knew it wasn't me mind playing tricks on me.
Me hands trembled when I gripped the radio yet again."I found the LT. He's trapped. We're in the living room. Second door to your left. Hurry."
I had no idea where I got the strength to lift the smoldering beam off me friend. Or even how I managed to haul his six-foot-six frame over me shoulder. All I knew one moment we were still inside Adam's burning house and the next I was sitting in a hospital room.
Dangling me hands between me legs, me shoulders slumped, me head hung low. How in the hell was I supposed to tell me friend his wife was gone? I swallowed thickly at the emotion stuck in me throat. Angie had been as good a friend to me as Adam.
And now she was gone.
Shite, me heart hurt. It hurt so damn much that even taking a breath was painful. Fighting fires, saving lives… it was me job. And yet, when it really mattered, I couldn't do shite.
"A..angie…"
Me head snapped up. Adam was blinking rapidly, trying to shift his injured body side to side. Bandages stretched from his neck, covering his chest and his left arm. No doubt, he was in a world of hurt.
I squeezed me eyes shut. His pain was about to be ramped up. It wasn't fair. Shite, it wasn't fair. Slowly opening me eyes, I pushed off the couch and approached the bed. The wild look in me friend's eyes sliced straight through me heart.
"Angie?" he asked.
Me throat burned hot; me eyes even hotter. Steadily, I shook me head."I'm so sorry."
"No!" Adam's voice boomed. Thrashing wildly, he yelled again,"No!
"Adam."
I moved to put me hand on his right shoulder, but he smacked it away."Don't touch me… I hate you!" he spat. The force of his words pushing me backward as if he'd shoved them into me chest."You did this!" More verbal shoving. Me legs shook as I took two more steps backward."It's your fault she's dead."
Gasping for air, I continued moving backward. Picking up me pace until something dug into me back. Loud clattering of metal reached me ears a second later. The sound so shrill, I wanted to cover me ears.
I quickly spun around. A nurse was on her haunches gathering a tray and fallen medication. I would've stopped to help her if the walls weren't closing in on me, if the air I was pulling to me lungs didn't feel like fire burning through me soul.
Faster and faster me feet moved, Adam's accusations shortly on me heels. By the time I stumbled through the hospital doors and the cool night air hit me skin, I knew everything was about to change.
***
"Shite!"
Heart pounding too loud, too fast, I shot up and scrubbed a palm over me sweat covered face.
Me phone chimed to life from its perch on me bedside table. I'd fully intended on ignoring it until I saw me da's name flash on the screen.
