“Got it.”
And then another firefighter appeared by the open window, waving us over.
“OK. Let’s move.”
And we did. I grabbed the guy's belt and hauled Harper with me. When we got to the window, I was told to climb up and take the other man’s hand. No way in hell that was happening before my girl was out.
The fireman motioned towards his colleague again, and I shook my head, pointing to Harper. “Take her first.”
He nodded and helped to uncurl her hands from around my neck.
Watching as the fireman got Harper to safety, relief sank into my stomach even though I could see she was frantically looking for me.
“You next,” our savior said.
Raising slowly to my feet, I stepped towards where I could see the cage section, as he had called it. It was attached to ladders that had been extended to reach the window. I could feel the structure of the house groaning beneath my feet. The fireman must have felt that too, as he hurried me along and we both managed to lift ourselves over the sill and onto the ladder.
“OK. We’re clear. Go go go!”
“Hold on to the rail,” the second fireman shouted, and the cage started to move away from the window. And then, the entire external wall of the house shook as the floor of Harper’s bedroom gave way.
Both emergency service men grabbed Harper and me, holding our hands against the metal edges of the cage.
Dust and smoke flew up into the sky, and I shielded Harper with my body the best I could.
The ladder continued its slow decline, and the clean air had never tasted so good. My eyes stung against the bright light of the sky. “Do either of you need medical attention?” the guy using the joystick to lower the crane questioned.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so?” I hoped Harper hadn’t swallowed too much smoke. If I threw my guts up, I was sure that’s all there would be.
As they took us down, two other firefighters and a paramedic were waiting at the bottom.
“What the hell were you kids doing in there?” The bigger of the two said as we reached the ground. Harper was still shaking in my arms.
“She was trapped inside,” I replied. The paramedic threw a blanket over Harper and pulled her away from me. I could see she was in shock, and I nodded to encourage her to go with him. A blanket was also placed over my shoulders, but I pushed it off and handed it back.
“Suit yourself. Follow me, please,” the man who I assumed was their chief said. The colors he wore were slightly different, and he had that bossman vibe. He led me behind one of the fire trucks as the hoses continued to fight the fire.
He showed me into the large container I had seen earlier. It appeared to be a breakout room.
“Will she be alright?” I asked, wiping my face; the skin there felt gritty and sticky, and as I glanced down, I could see my clothes were covered in black particles.
“She’s in good hands, son. You can see her in a minute. First, you need to tell me what happened.” He took off his gloves. I noticed the chief wasn’t wearing an oxygen tank like the guy who had saved us.
“So, she was trapped inside, and you went in after her?” As he revealed his face, he appeared to be around fifty with craggy eyes and gray hair.
I shrugged, “Bout sums it up.”
“Well, aren’t you the hero son,” he replied. I didn’t care whether he was being sarcastic or not; I just wanted to get Harper home.
And then I was asked to explain what happened. I kept it brief and said that the house used to belong to Harper’s parents. He explained that the contractors appointed to demolish the building had hit a gas main. The digging equipment must have caused a spark, which, due to the high winds, created a small fire. One which had soon spread. He explained that a full investigation would need to be carried out and a report filed once the fire was fully out.
“If you could just write your phone number and address on here. We will need to speak to your girlfriend at some point.” He then went to leave, and as he got to the door of the cabin, Hudson appeared, ashen-faced.
“Where’s Harper? Is she safe?”
I looked at him and nodded. “She’s in the ambulance just getting checked out.”
“What in hell is this place?”
