Excerpt from Chapter 1

 

The heat shimmered in waves off the walls of the house, as he ran across the lawn.  His own breath echoed inside the hood, along with the thunder of his heartbeat that increased in speed with each step that took him closer.

 The first streams of water hit the house with a hiss and groan, as steam tried to escape but the fire had not reached under the back porch. Peering through the back door window, Cy yelled, “Fire Department! Can anyone hear me!” There was a similar call from Mario who was now on the front porch. Nothing but silence answered them, along with a thick blanket of smoke that was quickly moving toward him. He tried the doorknob, only to find it locked.  He cracked his Haligan bar-pickax against the wood of the door, breaking it away.

 Cy yelled again, ”Fire Department! Anyone here?”  He moved cautiously into the dark, smoke-filled kitchen.

Mario and Ben were being held back by the flames which leap higher and higher, backing them against the door at the front of the house.  Ben’s voice echoed on the radio receiver that was attached to Cy’s chest, “We can’t get in this way. It’s too hot. It's not going to happen. Brennon. Do you copy?”

“I have to check the bedrooms.” Cy pulled the thermal imaging camera from his hose belt and held it to his eye. There was only darkness and smoke ahead of him, no bodies. Good.  

“We can’t get to you. Don’t go in on your own. The fire could flash any second!” There was concern in Mario’s voice.

“Fire Department!” Cy yelled again. “Dammit!” He muttered, when there still was no answer. “I’m not leaving until I’ve check all the rooms!”

“Cy, we’re punching a hole in the roof to vent some heat. Wait ‘til it’s clear and there’s backup!”

“There isn’t time Captain. If there’s even a chance that there’s someone’s still alive in that back bedroom, I can’t wait!”

“That’s an order!” The Captain’s voice barked out of the radio. “I’m sure as hell not hauling two bodies out of that house! Do you hear me Brennon!” 

The whoosh of flames licked at the fire retardant material of his pants legs as he moved forward where the lone beacon of the last doorway in the hall stood. The smoke was as dense as a fall fog as it billowed out from under the door frame.

Cy banged the ax hard on the door. “Fire Department! Is anyone in there?” The roar of the fire on the other side could be heard even through his hood.

The Captain’s voice echoed loudly, “Brennon! Do. Not. Go. Any farther, we’ll be there in a few minutes. We’re heading to the roof! Brennon! Copy!”

Cy had heard him, but for the first time in his life, he went against his Captain's orders.

Wiggling the doorknob he was surprised to find it was locked. Why would you lock your bedroom door? He shook his head and slammed the pointed tip of the Haligan bar against the door. Through the splintered gash in the wood Cy could see the flames were still away from the door.

Pulling back his heavy, rubber boot, he kicked once, hard, causing the door to fracture and swing inward. The fire answered the new whoosh and inched closer.

Cy stepped over the threshold, and pulled in a sharp intake of breath, stopping short.

His eyes widened as he looked at the bed which held a young woman in her mid-twenties that was completely engulfed in flames. Or at least part of it was. He watched the fire race around the bed.

He blinked his eyes behind the hood, thinking the smoke was playing tricks on him in the dark. No. He hadn't been seeing things. The fire raced around the bed, in a circle.

Like Medusa's snakes, the young woman’s ebony black hair flowed in thick tendrils about her head as the fire roared around the room, burning everything in its path…everything except her, and the bed she was lying on.

Even at this short distance she was so still Cy couldn't tell if the woman was asleep, had been taken over by smoke, or… dead. The thought made his stomach clench down hard, as her darkened skin glowed orange, reflecting the flames. She lay silent on her back, arms to her side, eyes closed, the fire not touching and scorching her body as it should have burning at this intensity.  

In the middle of all this devastation she was beautiful, exquisite. To Cy she looked like a Native American high priestess. She was covered in a protective bubble that had dropped down to rest in the middle of the room to protect her against the flames. Her lace nightgown rippled and flowed over rounded, naked curves visible through the sheer cotton.

“Shit, I am not part of a sci-fi movie.” Cy said warily, looking around the room, and trying to come up with a rational explanation for what he was seeing.

“Brennon! Report!” The Captain’s voice sounded far away. Cy felt as if his boots had been glued into place on the floor and his legs felt like they were made of rubber. Firefighters were now on the roof of the living room, he heard the chainsaws and axes began breaking vent holes.

“Did you find a body? Report!”

“No.” Cy finally found his voice and answered. “Not exactly.”

“What the hell does that mean? Over you the roof looks unstable, it could cave in any second! Get the hell out of there!”

Pushing into the flames Cy could feel the heat rise, hitting his gear, as he reached the side of the bed. His eyes had not deceived him. The bed was enclosed in what he could only describe as a ‘fire free zone.’

Sitting slowly on the edge of the bed, he leaned closer towards to the woman and entered the protective bubble with an odd shimmer of light that flooded over him. The heat of the fire all but disappeared, engulfing his body in a blue glow. Pulling a glove slowly off his trembling hand, he placed his fingers against the woman’s neck to check for a pulse. A strange, electrical charge snapped at his fingers causing him to yank his hand back sharply.

Her skin was cold, like ice. There was no heat at all around her, only the cool summer breeze that you would expect to come though an open window on a summers evening. Cy raised a hand in front of his face and wiggled his fingers, still not sure of what he was seeing. He dropped his fingers again and pressed them below her jawbone. There. This time he felt it a pulse, slow but strong.

Thank God…

“Captain! I’ve found a woman. She’ll need medical. Have the EMT's arrived?” There was only a hiss of static on the radio receiver.  “Captain?” He pushed the button in and out.

Nothing.

A million questions clouded Cy’s mind. He was in the middle of a dangerous, possibly deadly situation, but as long as this girl was alive, no matter how freakin’ weird it was, he was determined to keep her that way. 

Cool air brushed across his face as he pulled off flash hood and leaned closer. “I’m going to get you out of here.” Cy expected the woman to smell like smoke, but instead, she smelled like summer laundry that had dried outside on the line. He brushed a thumb over her cool cheek, while above him the fire shimmered, reflecting off the opalescent bubble that engulfed the two of them.

He closed his eyes tightly trying to calm his own nerves but the hiss of the lost radio signal was an eerie reminder. He’d made a decision, and now he was on his own.

When he opened his eyes, his hand was still against her cheek, but her fathomless brown eyes were now open, staring at him in horror. She cried out and struggled against the weight of him to sit up, her gaze darting from Cy to the fire around them. Tears broke from the corners of her eyes and ran down her cheek.

“Noooo.” She cried, long and painfully, shaking her head from side to side. “No, this can't be happening!”

“It’s all right. There’s been a fire.”

There were great depths to the pain in her eyes, as she blinked back tears. "Just leave me..."

 "Leave you? In the fire?" Cy's mouth dropped open, unsure of what to say next. He was there to rescue her, but she was asking him to let her die? Had she wanted this all along and he’d messed up her plans to burn herself alive?

 "You don't understand. It's getting worse. Leave me here."

"I can't do that. It's dangerous.” He was angered that she could even ask a question like that. “The roof looks like it could collapse. If we don't move now, we could both die."

Her eyes grew even wider, showing the white around the edges as she grasped what he'd just said. "I don't want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt anyone.” Her voice was quiet, ripped to tiny fragments as she spoke.

“Just yourself?”

The woman closed her eyes again and shook her head.

“I need to get you out of here." Cy started to pull his flash hood back over his head, but she stopped him with her hand. "Stay by me. You won't need that, we’ll be safe."

There was a loud groan overhead as the fire ate away at the ceiling beams. Chunks of burning embers swirled, and a section of the ceiling gave way, landing in the corner of the bedroom.

"Put your arms around my neck!" Cy’s flash hood dropped from his grasp as he lifted her from the bed. He wrapped his arms protectively around her body and ran, leaving his safety gear behind. As his shoulder hit the door, and they burst into the hall, a deafening crash sounded as a section of the roof gave way. Ceiling beams crushed down on the bed where they had been sitting moments before.

Flames licked at his lower legs and fire roared outside the Twilight Zone protective bubble that engulfed them.  

"My house... I always ruin things. Stay close." The woman squeezed her arm tightly around the back of his neck, as she continued to mutter, "The fire can't hurt us now." Her breath felt warm against his neck, as she choked back a sob and buried her head against his chest.

 Cy couldn't think of anything to say, so repeated the woman’s words back, "You're right. The fire can't hurt us. I’m here. It's all right." He had to keep his mind clear and think, they were running out of time and would both die if he made the wrong decision.  

"No. It’ll never be all right. It's always the same.”

The smoke and the darkness that surrounded was disorienting making it hard for Cy to see farther then two feet. He turned and looked down the hall, not sure if he’d run the right direction. "Captain! Mario! Ben! Copy!" He called but there was still no answer, only the hiss of static. 

What was hell was wrong with his radio?

"You should let me die..."

"No one's going to die. Dammit. Do you hear me? Don’t talk. ” Cy said through clenched teeth. The words came out harsher then he’d planned. He needed to think.

The smoke was thick as a wall when he heard another crash, this time, behind them. He spun, protectively pulling the woman tighter against his chest. Through the broken window a strong beam of light filtered through the darkness. More muffled cries were heard, then the head of an axe blade protruded though the splintered frame. Sweat ran down into his eyes even though they were still surrounded by a surreal cool breeze.

"I told you they'd come," He whispered against the side of her face, hoping to reassure both of them. Her dark eyes watched him as she clutched at his neck. As they drew closer, he could see there was a ladder propped against the outer wall under the window. More cries sounded from outside the house.

"Brennon? Are you in there?"  Relief flooded West's face when he saw Cy appear through the smoke, but then the look was replaced by disbelief.  West blinked under his flash hood, as he put his arms out to take the girl from Cy’s arms.

Okay. Cy thought. I'm not the only one seeing things. West just saw it too.

    Cy began to lift the woman toward West, straining against the angle as she pulled tighter against his neck.

"No!" She cried out. "It's not safe!"

"It's alright, Miss, the Captain’s here to take you."

"Stop! You don’t understand!" Panic gripped her words. Her face felt soft against the roughness of the skin of his neck, as she breathed heavily. He could feel the thundering beat of her heart though his hand which was wrapped around her torso.

"Miss. You have to let go of me. We have to get you out of here." Cy reached behind his neck, trying to pry her fingers free. "You're safe now."

"But you're not!" Her brown eyes had turned almost black from panic as they met his.

From his neck Cy ripped her grip free, and handed her towards the Captain’s eagerly outstretched arms. She kicked her legs and reached back towards him. He felt a strange pulling sensation as she left the contact of his arms, followed by a blue flash of light.

The cool breeze surrounding them seconds ago was immediately replaced by a blast of immense heat.

Staggering back, Cy tried to suck in a clean breath of air, but all that was left was smoke. Heat from the flames licked at his back. "Capt…” He tried to cry out, wiping the back of his glove against his face, choking as smoke billowed into his lungs.

Cy staggered back a step as the floor groaned loudly under him, then gave way to a gaping hole. Fire shot up through the floorboards, engulfing his leg. He tried to pull his foot free but a broken board trapped his leg.

He pulled his foot hard once, twice. It wouldn’t move!

“Shit.” He could feel the lick of the flames around him now.

“Cy!” A voice from the window yelled.

“My foot’s stuck. I’m trapped, I can’t get free!” He fought to keep himself calm but the smoke and heat made his head swim. He knew that help was close. But would they be able to reach him in time before the floor gave way?

Panic clawed at him.  He used his free hands to yank his leg hard, until his hip joint felt it would wrench free.

A booted leg came through the window followed by West. “Brennon!... Cy!”

The first singe of fire licked his skin, as sharp pain scalded though him. His thoughts fogged to gray as he tried to call out, but only coughed and gagged. Cy fought to pull in just one more breath, but there was no oxygen left in the room. His legs buckled as his body crumpled and fell forward, then everything went to black.