I opened up my hose once I had myself stabilized. The water rushed through.. Most people would have been sent flying by the force of it, but I had my feet firmly in place.
The water hit the center of the fire, and the flames roared in return. They weren’t going to go out without a fight. I glanced to the side. Ash and Beck had the second hose running, and were systematically aiming at parts of the fire’s border that threatened to cross over to the next building.
“Keep it under control,” I ordered them loudly, getting nods in return.
I trusted them to do what needed to be done. All I had to do was focus on shrinking the main part of the fire. Once I’d fought it down, we’d be able to end it.
But the entire building was ablaze by now. The windows had shattered and flames were bursting from the holes left behind. Smoke rose high in the sky, and the air around us was becoming thick and hot. Our uniforms would protect us from most of it, but it still wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Adrenaline rushed through my body. This was more intense than the apartment fire, and on a whole other level than the kiosk. It was the type of fire that would take everything to the ground with it.
Maybe I should call for backup,I thought, but it wasn’t entirely time for that yet. If we got the upper hand soon, we’d be fine. No reason to wake anyone else up if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
“North side!” Ash was yelling, a tone of frustration in his voice. Beck seemed surprised at the way he’d snapped.
“Iamdoing north side,” he insisted, almost confused. “What’s gotten into you? Got the lack-of-sleep grumpies or something?”
“Just focus on the fire,” Ash answered with an unnecessary amount of venom in his voice. He seemed more emotional than usual, as if he was using his fiery anger to hide something deeper.
I didn’t feel like questioning him at that moment. We had to get the job done first. Any awkward heart-to-hearts had to wait until after. Though I did wonder whether this mood had anything to do with Rhea. Had she said something to Ash? Alluded to choosing me or Beck instead of him?
It was possible, but it wasn’t something I had to think about right now.
I managed to bring the fire down to a more manageable size, and Beck and Ash had cornered it around where I was focused. It had only taken about fifty minutes, which was less than I had expected. The entire time, Ash had been completely silent, with a scowl on his face mixed between fury and heartbreak. Beck had tried a few more jokes, but none of them landed with Ash. Not a single time did he even attempt a witty retort.
I made a note in my mind to see if I could get something out of him when we got back to the station. Even a single sentence could help figure out what was going on. Having him in this kind of emotional state wasn’t good for the job. It was the kind of thing that could lead to slipping up. And that, for a firefighter, could be life or death.
Several minutes later, we’d put out the fire, but it was clear that the building was entirely gone. Smoke rose up from the blackened rubble where it used to be, with not a single beam or table or anything else still standing. There were a few of the wallsstill in place, their paint completely unrecognizable, but that was it. Nothing would be saved.
At least it didn’t seem like it belonged to anyone, and it could be cleared for a new building if someone bought the land. As far as completely destructive fires went, this one had a fairly powerful silver lining.
“Roll up,” I said, but only Beck began working the hoses back onto the rig.
Ash walked forward instead, taking his helmet off. He stood at the edge of the rubble, staring out into the smoke that was now slowly starting to dissipate.
That made me wonder if this place was somehow important to him. I couldn’t really see the connection. Ash had never been overly into ice cream, and I had never even heard him mention this parlor before. But by the way he was staring out at it, it seemed like it had been important to him. If he was brooding over something else, he could’ve done so in the rig, or back at the station.
“Ash.” I approached him slowly. I did want to give him time, but simultaneously, I really needed to get back to sleep before the next shift. And there was still a shower in my way.
He didn’t acknowledge me, so I put my hand on his shoulder. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he answered finally, shaking my hand off. “I’m tired.”
“Uh huh.” I raised an eyebrow to make it clear that I definitely didn’t believe that was the only reason for his mood. “Look, you know you can talk to me, right?”
“None of your business,” Ash snapped rudely. I decided at this point that it was probably better not to push him any further. But we did need to get back to the station. We couldn’t spendall night staring at smoke. The investigative team was already waiting to take over the scene.
“We have to go,” I said firmly, turning away and hoping it was clear that this was more of a command than a suggestion. “Get on the rig.”
Ash didn’t answer, but I heard his boots crunching behind me as he followed.
I got back in the driver’s seat, and with the sirens quiet, headed back to the station.
“Gloomy bunch,” Beck said when we’d all gotten off and started cleaning the rig off. “Someone steal your ice cream?”
“Shut up,” Ash barked as he checked the hoses.
“Damn, alright.” Beck backed off, but he shot a look of curiosity at me. I simply shrugged. I had no idea what was going on, either. There was no point in pushing it now. It was better to just grab a shower and get back into bed. Maybe if Ash got some sleep in him, he’d be willing to tell us what his problem was.
