Page 65 of Ashes of Us
Carlos stepped forward. "Captain, I will?—"
"Stay here." I cut him off. "That's an order. Nobody else goes in."
I pulled on my coat and helmet, then checked my mask. Everything moved with muscle memory, years of training taking over while my brain stayed focused on one thing: get in, find them, get out.
Harlow grabbed my arm. "That building is going to collapse. You go in there, you might not come out."
"I know."
"Is it worth it?"
I looked at the house. At the smoke. At the flames.
Thought of Piper sitting in that pool, water streaming down her face, looking at me like I was a stranger. She deserved better than me.
Always had.
But she also deserved to not lose someone else because I was too much of a coward to act.
"Yeah," I said. "It is."
I pulled on my mask and headed toward the fire.
The heat hit me before I reached the door, waves of it rolling out so intensely I could feel it through my gear. The smoke was thick, black, the kind that told you everything inside was burning.
Behind me, someone shouted. Harlow, maybe. Or Carlos. I didn't turn around.
I breached the doorway.
The world disappeared into darkness and heat. Visibility was zero, just smoke so thick I couldn't see my own hands. The roar of the fire was everywhere, punctuated by the groan of the structure settling, ready to collapse.
I dropped low and followed the wall. My breathing echoed in my mask, steady, controlled.
Find them.
Get out.
Don't think about anything else.
The stairs were ahead, somewhere in the smoke. If they were still standing, if Daniel had made it up them, if either of them were still alive…
A beam creaked overhead. Something crashed in another room.
I kept moving forward.
CHAPTER 26: LIAM
The heat was unbearable.
Even through my gear, through the layers designed to withstand this, I could feel it pressing against my skin. Sweat poured down my face inside the mask. My lungs burned despite the filtered air.
I stayed low, one hand on the wall, moving forward by feel. The smoke was so thick I couldn't see anything. Not the floor, not my hand six inches from my face… just black.
The roar of the fire surrounded me. Crackling, popping, the deep groan of wood giving way. Plaster rained down, hitting my helmet.
I needed to find the stairs.
My boot hit something. I reached down and found the first step. Still intact. Barely.
