EXCERPT

 

 

 

Through the Flames

By: C.A. Michaels

Prologue

July 2018

As Jamie woke, the alarm went off at the firehouse. He rose quickly and wiped his face from the sweat that usually happened most nights. He opened his eyes and heard the blasting alarm. He blinked his eyes a few times and he hoped out of bed to get dressed in his firefighter gear.

Female voice was heard all over the house. “Car fire at Fifteen-Mile between Schoenherr and Hayes Road.”

“Damn it. Well, I got a whopping three hours of sleep. “He clapped his hands at his good friend Garret to wake him. “Garret, we got one! Come on, get up!”

Garret rose and whacked his head on the beam that went across from the top bunk. He screamed some obscenities as Jamie chuckled at him.

“We need to talk to the chief about getting rid of these bunk bed! It’s 2018 man. We aren’t kids! That hurts, I will never get used to how short this is! Damn man! Can I have a few more minutes? This is way too early!”

“No minutes to give, come on!” Jamie ordered.

“Eye, eye captain!” Garret snickered.

Jamie glared harshly at him. But they were ready in a matter of seconds. They met the team on the apparition floor and Robert was already in the truck. Robert Andrews was the team driver. It was his passion. Built like a strong hockey goalie, his demeanor was more of an old hockey coach than a thirty-something-year old. With his dark close-cropped hair and his dark brown eyes, he turns any head toward him no matter the race or gender.

“Let’s go ladies, let’s go!” Robert yelled.

Jamie ran up to the truck and sat in the passenger seat as he always did. He shook his head at Robert. Garret sat in the back along with their Lieutenant Troy Severson and Marty Thomas sat behind them. Danile Espan, their Battalion Chief would meet them there and he hopped in his battalion fire pickup truck.

“You know, many people would find that offensive,” Jamie said. He pulled a KISS CD. The CD was Rock and Roll Over.

“Huh?” Robert asked.

“Calling us ladies. It’s so eighties cliché.”

“Well, you know, I’m the king of cliches!” Robert chuckled.

“Touche!”

Robert glanced at the CD as Janie put it in the player. Robert shook his head in disgust. That was not the music he preferred on the way to a car fire.

“KISS, really? What are you, like five still?” Robert questioned. “Well, this was almost record timing. If Mary Ann wasn’t on maternity leave, she’d almost be impressed with us.” Robert added with a chuckle.

Everyone laughed.

“Lord, please help through this devil music!” Robert prayed.

“Ha, yeah, whatever, they still kick butt!” Jamie defended.

The first song, I Want You, played over the truck’s speakers. Jamie began to sing the words. Everyone in the truck covered their ears.

“Oh God, help us. He’s gonna attract the neighborhood dogs with that voice!” Troy said.

Jamie cleared his throat. “You know guys, she named me Godfather already. No matter what the kid turns out to be. She asked me first!”

“Get out!” Garret exclaimed.

“Why would she ask you? You’d think she’d want me. I mean, I am the best looking of us all!” Troy smirked.

Nobody said anything as they arrived at the scene. Ambulance twenty-five was there assessing the scene. Rita Jackson, along with her partner Martin Malone met them.

“What have we got?” Troy asked.

“A family of five. Three kids in the back trapped. Passenger and driver trapped as well,” Rita said.

Troy ordered the men to grab the jaws of life and a few backboards. Jamie hurried to the back of the car. As Troy and Garret went to the front, the car’s hood caught fire.

“Fire! Robert, get the hose!” Jamie ordered.

“Got it, boss!”

Troy went to the passenger side door. Jamie was able to open the back passenger side door. He was able to work the door open after using some muscle. Jamie pulled out the three children, varied in age and race.

“I got a pulse on the passenger!” Troy yelled out.

The chief, Daniel observed and helped as needed. After carefully pulling out the passenger, Robert had the fire out and they were able to get the driver out as well.

“Great job everyone!” Daniel smiled.

“Thanks, boss!” Jamie said.

“Let’s pack it up!”

As they packed up and sent the ambulance off, Espan’s mic was going off once more. He listened to the mic give them another call.

“All right, we got a house fire not far from here. Let’s roll!” Daniel ordered.

 

Jamie’s team arrived at the home. It was flaming and the smoke was quickly turning dark gray. As Daniel assed the home, he ordered his men to search the large ranch home. Jamie and Garrett went in first. The two men search the front room, and they discover a gruesome scene.

“Chief, we need Starling PD here. This is a homicide, looks like,” Jamie said into his mic.

“On it,” Espan replied.

“Garrett, you check the other room,” Jamie ordered.

“We shouldn’t split up,” Garret replied.

“Right. Fire department, call out!” Jamie yelled.

“Fire department, call out!” Garret repeated.

“Come on!” Jamie said. He saw many photo family photos still unaffected by the fire on a mantle above the fireplace. The photos showed a mother, father, and a little girl in all the photos.

“Little girl, she has to be somewhere, Garrett!” Jamie yelled out.

“What?”

“Little girl, I found a few family photos. You get anything else here?”

“No.”

“Let’s move to the bedrooms.”

They hustled to the back bedrooms. After checking the first two, they found nothing. In the third bedroom, they declared they were they were there.

“Here!”

“I got a voice!” Jamie yelled.

“Fire department, call out!” Garret said.

Jamie walked to the bed and flipped off the sheets that were burning. He used his left arm and flipped over the bed. And there she was.

“It’s okay, I got you, what’s your name?” Jamie asked.

“C, c, Cassie.” She said in a shaky tone.

“Cassie, I’m Jamison McNeil. You’re okay, you’re okay now.”

He covered her with a sheet.

“I saw him, I saw the man. My parents?” Cassie asked.

“I’m so sorry Cassie. But I got you! I will take care of you!”

“You? My parents! I want my mommy!”

“Jamie, we got to go!” Garret said.

He nodded to him. He grabbed Cassie and they jogged out of the house. As they were out, the smoke turned black.

“Robert, get the hose on there!” Daniel ordered.

Robert nodded.

Jamie held onto Cassie as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. She kept calling for her mom. He looked to the others as his heart melted.

“That’s Marry Ann’s department,” Garret said. “But you got this, dude! I know you do!”

“I'm going to adopt her. She’ll be my daughter. She has no one!” Jamie declared.

Everyone nodded in agreement with him. They finished the scene and headed back to the firehouse.