get as far away from this burning catastrophe as they could.
They would flee. No matter the screams, no matter what they had to leave behind. And then, that knowledge of what they were leaving behind would flash over their heads like a neon sign as they ran into the sweet arms of safety. They’d do so without a second thought. With regard for only the hot wave of quickly growing destruction that would leave nothing but ashes in its wake.
Fear has a way of winning in the face of sudden danger.
I, however, am not most men.
I feed on that fear. That fear doesn’t consume me. I consume it.
I embrace it, kiss it, make love to it.
I take a step forward, heading right towards the flaming threshold, stepping into the wall of fire beyond it and letting its claws lash out at me.
And then — we dance.
With practiced, purposeful and skillful movements, I survey the room and follow the sound of the screams. I wind through the flames, scooping up one frightened body, and then another, slinging them over my shoulders before I check each of the other rooms and then carry them back through the building, the ceiling caving behind us in cascading sparks.
And then, just like that — we’re outside and they’re quickly taken from me by the EMT’s.
My Chief appears beside me, gesturing wildly and shouting angrily at me for ignoring his orders.
As if once invited to dance, I’d somehow be able to refuse.
I looked down at him and shook my head, the sound of more screams streaming from a different corner of the apartment building.
I smiled and ran back in, searching for my next dance partner.
Chapter 2
Jesse
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Pearson?”
The Chief’s face was so red, I was sure the throbbing vein in his temple would burst at any second. Once again, I’d pissed him off.
Behind him, I could see my coworkers through the window. They peered through and made faces, trying to get me to laugh. I ignored them and turned my attention to the Chief.
“We’re a fucking team, Pearson!” He insisted, for the tenth time. “There’s no fucking ‘I’ in team!”
I resisted rolling my eyes at this cliché, because I knew I was on thin ice. In fact, the next words out of his mouth were no surprise to me at all.
“I have to let you go, son,” he said, shaking his head with disappointment.
“Chief,” I said, contemplating how much of a chance I had at saving my job.
“This is the sixth time, Pearson! What do you think the other guys will think of me if I keep letting you get away with this shit?”
The other guys were doing their best to break me behind him. My best friend, Frenchie, grabbed Monty by the hips and bent him over, pretending to hump him. I looked away again, not breaking a smile.
“Look, did anyone die?” I asked.
“That’s not the point, and you know it.”
“Well, I thought my job was to run into burning buildings and save people,” I replied. “That’s what I did.”
“At the risk of all the other guys, Pearson! We work together. Again, we’re a team.”
“I guess I just don’t work well with others,” I said. “But I get the job done.”
“Someday, your blatant disregard for the rules is going to get someone killed. And I can’t let that happen on my watch.”
“So, that’s it?” I asked.
“Unfortunately, yes. We’re done, Pearson.”
I took a deep breath and nodded.
“Alright, then,” I said, standing up and walking out.
The guys scurried away as the Chief followed me out. The tension in the air was palpable as I made my way over to my locker to collect my things.
“Frenchie,” I said as I passed him. “My lunch is in the fridge. You can have it.”
He looked at me with regret as I walked out to my car. In fact, I could feel all of their eyes on me as I drove away.
Yeah, I’d fucked up.
It wasn’t the first time, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be the last.
But this time, I’d fucked up a good paycheck and that’s what hurt the most.
I went home and drank the rest of the day away on my couch, contemplating my next move.
Nothing had gone the way I’d thought it would in my life.
I thought back to how naive I’d been when I was a kid. I’d grown up wanting to be a cop like my old man, but once I saw the toll that took on him, those dreams