“Sending fire department to bay doors. Will update.” John’s voice hitched when he asked, “How’s Madi?”
I gave the only answer I could think of that wouldn’t cause unhelpful fear or panic. “She a fighter.”
She was covered in blood, suffering from smoke inhalation, and growing weaker by the minute, but she was fighting.
Crashes sounded from the office.
Fire crackled from the south rooms.
Thick black smoke poured in from both sides.
I couldn’t crawl, so we walked on our knees, hoping to get out of the worst of the rising smoke, and covered our mouths and noses with our shirts.
I looked up and prayed that the thick steel and cement reinforced ceiling wouldn’t crash down on us.
“Go to the center door.”
“On the move,” I answered John as I adjusted our trajectory.
“Chief says to give them room to work.”
“Copy-” A coughing fit disrupted my answer. “Copy that.”
Under normal circumstances, we could’ve walked the thirty or so yards in a minute—seconds if we ran—but between the coughing induced stops and Madi needing me to support her, it took four times as long.
The sound of a saw cutting through metal echoed through the space. Sparks rained into the room, like fireworks on the Fourth of July, when the blade broke through.
My comms cracked. “Be prepared. They’re hosing down the second floor and outer walls.”
I told Madi. “We’re gonna get wet.”
“Better than burning.” She looked over her shoulder.
Flames danced along the edges of the room, hungry to consume anything and everything they could.
The smoke thickened, burning our eyes and choking our lungs as the temperature in the room continued to rise.
Madi would have suffered a slow, painful death—choking to death before the fire ever reached her.
A too vivid image of Madi dead in the chair flashed through my mind.
Every muscle in my body took a vacation, causing me to fall back on my heels and slump forward.
“Matt?” Madi choked as she tried to catch me.
It was no use; she was too hurt, too weak.
Without thinking, I put my left hand down to catch my weight.
My scream exposed my throat and lungs to more punishment.
I couldn’t answer the questions coming over the comms as I clutched my arm to my chest and waited for the coughing fit to end.
Only the more I coughed, the more smoke filled my lungs.
The room blurred as smoke replaced oxygen in my system.
Knowing I wouldn’t last long, I prayed.Let Madi live.
