Max
I wasin the middle of my speech when the fire alarm went off. I was familiar with the building since I volunteered here on a regular basis, so from my position on stage, I pointed out where everybody should go, asking them to remain calm. I couldn’t see any signs of a real fire, so I wondered if it had just been the kids accidentally setting off the fire alarm.
It wasn’t unknown for them to burn toast because they were too distracted playing video games and set off the alarm in the process. The supervisors would normally disable it immediately, so the fact the alarm was still going had me concerned that this was more than simple burnt toast.
Dorian and Jean-Paul grabbed the emergency packs from near the stage, put on the high-vis vests, and started directing some of the people who were still milling about in panic out toward the emergency exit, which was on the other side of the stage and opposite the entrance door.
People exited swiftly, and it wouldn’t be long until everybody in the room was out safely. I called out to Dorian to ask if someone was checking the rest of the building. He said the volunteers with the kids would make sure everyone was out safely.
The overnight shelter was in a separate part of the building, which meant anyone there would evacuate via the back emergency exits. So no one would be checking the other rooms on this side because everybody was expected to be inside this conference room.
“Max, where are you going?” Jean-Paul shouted over the piercing alarm, grabbing my arm as I made my way to the conference room door.
“I’m just checking something. I’ll be right back. You go out with Dorian,” I shouted back. Jean-Paul tried to protest, but I shook my head and gave him a look that meant I wasn’t going to negotiate on this.
Earlier when I’d walked on stage, I saw a man step out of the room. His back was hunched forward as he left, as though he was worried about something. I didn’t remember seeing anyone come back in, and as the alarm started during my speech, I was pretty sure the man was still out there.
As soon as I left the conference room, I was immediately assaulted by a wall of smoke. I couldn’t see any flames or feel the heat from the fire, but visibility was very poor. I knew I wouldn’t have much time to find the man before I had to leave and get myself to safety.
The corridor was empty, and with everybody out of the building, there was an eerie silence. I pulled the sleeve of my jacket over my mouth and moved toward the other rooms on this floor.
“Hello!” I shouted through my sleeve. “Is anyone there? Hello!”
There was no reply, and each door I tried was locked.Where the hell is he?
Then I thought I heard a knock. And another one. It was getting very faint, so I listened and walked toward the sound. I found the door where it was coming from and tried to open it. This was the art room, the only room that was normally unlocked on this floor.
Nothing happened as I moved the door handle up and down. Fuck, it’s stuck!
“If you’re in there, please get away from the door!” I shouted, hoping he could hear me if he was inside.
I kicked the door open and went in. It was difficult to see through the smoke, but fortunately, the man was on the floor by the door but was now unconscious.
I managed to lift him up and over my shoulders in a fireman’s lift and carried him out of the building. When we got outside, I gently placed him down on the ground and shouted for someone to call a cab. We weren’t too far from the hospital, and a cab would be quicker than an ambulance.
I was kneeling on the ground with the man sitting up against me when he started coughing. He had a mop of curly brown hair with streaks of blond, almost like they had been sun-bleached. I brushed the hair aside, finding it much softer than I expected. His eyes were still closed, and he was struggling to breathe.
“That’s it, breathe in slowly,” I instructed calmly, still holding him close. It was only then that I realized the man wasn’t wearing a shirt.
“Dorian, have you got a foil blanket in your pack?” I called out to Dorian, who came rushing with the emergency bag.
“Oh my god, Isaac!” Dorian was suddenly very pale. “Max, you have to help him. Please!”
I looked back toward the man, hoping he would open his eyes so I could assess him. “Isaac? Is that your name?” He nodded in between ragged breaths. “Isaac, I’m Max. I’m a nurse. I’m going to take you to a local hospital so you can get checked, okay? You’re going to be fine, just take slow, deep breaths for me.”
Isaac nodded again in understanding.
He seemed to steady his breathing and was taking deeper inhalations by the time the cab pulled up. I helped him to stand, and it was only then that he opened his eyes to look at me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
I had noticed he was a good-looking man. With round, soft features combined with the curly hair, he looked like a fucking angel. But with his eyes, a glassy blue-green color looking back at me in pleading, I would have granted any wish possible.
“St…stay…please…” he pleaded as he started coughing again.
“Don’t strain your voice, Isaac, I’m coming with you,” I reassured as we got in the taxi and sped toward the hospital.
We went into the emergency room and one of the nurses on call, Shelly, greeted us. She was a good one, experienced and fast on her feet. I quickly relayed what happened, and she helped me take Isaac first to triage and then into an exam room for observation and diagnostics.
It was hard to stay silent when looking after people at the hospital was second nature, but I knew it would be unprofessional to step in. Instead, I stood in a corner of the room, watching over Isaac as Shelly settled him on the bed and started asking him the questions I so desperately wanted to ask.
