The stairway groaned and creaked below my feet, smoke slithering around my feet and ankles, a mere warning of what was to come. The higher up I climbed, the thicker the smoke became. No flames were on the first floor, but the rest of the building held the heat.
Hansen’s voice came over the radio as I planted my step firmly on the second floor. One hand gripped the rickety handrail, and the other reached out in front of me as I tried to feel my way across the floor. I could only use the lightest tread and not rush; rushing across this floor could mean a collapse that would likely kill me and send down any other firefighter relying on the burning floor to keep them alive.
“Paisley, do you copy?” Hansen’s voice was garbled, blended with the static of the radio.
“I’m here.” My words came out in no more than a whisper.
“I want you—turn-aroun—come back—o…do you copy?”
“Sorry, sir, you’re breaking up.”
“P—”
I couldn’t turn back, not now. Somewhere in the building, the cry of a distress alarm let out a loud beep. My heart caught in my throat, knowing that however long that alarm had been going off equated to however long one of my crew had been down. It seemed to be coming from another floor up, maybe two. It had to be either Korbin or Nick, but I wasn’t sure who. Not yet.
Taking another steadying breath, I made my way across the floor, carefully avoiding the growing hot spots creeping up the walls. Through the black smoke, I felt around for the second stairwell and found the first step, hesitating for a moment to make sure it hadn’t burned through yet.
Halfway up the stairs, the beeping grew louder, closer. Hopefully, I could get those men out of there in time…if I wasn’t already too late.
The steps groaned beneath my weight, shifting with each step I took. Both my hands braced on either side of the railing, praying to whatever higher power there was that we would all make it out of here alive.
“Korbin?” I shouted. My voice seemed engulfed by the smoke, as though the fire actively resisted my mission to save people. “Nick?”
No sound came back, nothing but the frantic beep of the emergency device. I took another step, wincing at the sharp, horrifying sound of splintering wood reaching my ears. I stopped, catching my breath, my eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the inevitable collapse.
It didn’t come.
“Jesus,” I breathed. It took me another couple of seconds to settle my racing heart, but I knew I couldn’t stand there for long. If I didn’t find Korbin and Nick and get us the hell out of that building, we’d all die. There was no escaping it.
“Korbin,” I called again. “Nick? It’s Paisley. Can you hear me? Call out!” I took another step and then another. My hands gripped the railings with desperate terror, although it didn’t matter what I held onto; if the building went down, no railing would save my life.
One more step, and I found my way to the top, standing unsteadily at the brink of the third floor. The smoke was too thick; the flames had nearly engulfed the entire floor. And there, lying in the middle of the fire, either dead or unconscious, was Korbin.
I stopped myself from rushing to his side in a frenzied panic. It was now if there was ever a time to take it slow. The flames grew, gnawing through the wood floors with unrelenting wrath. We were closer to the danger zone than I had been any moment before this one. Above us, the flames had eaten through the floor. A startling realization hit me. He’d fallen through the floor above. Soon, this floor would collapse too . . .howsoon I didn’t know.
“Korbin, it’s Hill.” I stood still as a statue. “Can you hear me? Where’s Nick?”
Nothing happened. Korbin didn’t move. I’d have to risk putting my weight next to his and simply hoping and praying that the floor wouldn’t give way and send us falling to our deaths.
“I should have expected you’d be the result of my inevitable death.” I talked out loud, mainly to myself, as I took steps toward him. “And here we are, inside a burning building—without Nick, I noticed—and your ass is being saved by the one person you simply can’t stand. Oh, the irony.”
Wood cracked beneath me. I stopped, breath catching in my throat. When it didn’t give way immediately, I continued, dodging flames while trying to see through the black smoke wrapping me in a suffocating cocoon.
“Korbin, please don’t die.” I lowered myself next to his still body. “I know we’re not best friends, but I could use a morale boost at work.” My hands shook as I gently rolled him over onto his back. I was sure he was dead. That I was too late. Then his eyes flickered open under the mask of his suit, and he stared up at me.
“It’s about time,” he muttered.
Laughing hysterically, I reset his personal alert safety system and helped him sit up.
“Are you okay? Where’s Nick?”
“He went back to get help,” Korbin said, wincing. “Are you the help?”
“You can call me Paisley. I thought he was in here with you. Are you hurt?”
“Would you be hurt if you fell through the floor?”
“I can make it hurt worse if that’s what you want.” Grunting under his weight, I helped Korbin to his feet. His leg seemed injured. I didn’t know how badly, but I didn’t have much time to wonder how we would make it safely back down the stairs on his bum leg. We were already out of time.
