Page 69 of Collide

Cooper didn’t hear anything else.

“Wait, Cooper. I just called it in on my other phone. Don’t you fucking go in there!” Braden yelled.

But he had to. This is what he did. “And you wouldn’t?” There was no doubt in his mind he would do the same thing.

Braden didn’t reply and Cooper didn’t have time to wait. He ended the call and put the phone in the little girl’s hand, dirt and ash covering her. “You call your family if you can. I’m going to get him, okay? Is he the only one in there?”

“Yes!” she wailed.

“Where?”

“He was listening to his headphones upstairs. I was scared.”

“What’s his name?”

“B—Billy.”

He touched the little girl’s hair. “It’s okay. You did real good. I’m gonna go get your brother. I promise you. Stay out here, okay? No matter what.”

Without another word, Cooper ran for the house, determined not to fuck up this time. Determined not to run, not to leave someone else to die.

Heat scorched him the second he stumbled through the doorway. Holding his breath, Cooper went straight for the stairs. He knew he had to get in there, get the kid out and go. He didn’t have much time. Couldn’t take many breaths.

Smoke billowed around him. The fire had obviously started up there, he just hoped like hell it wasn’t in the same room as the kid.

Instinct took over as he hit the landing. The heat, the smoke, none of it mattered as much as finding that fucking kid. He took a breath. “Billy? Can you hear me?” He yelled as he went in the first room he came to. It was on the front side of the house, the fire all along the far wall, spreading, crawling through the walls.

Another breath. “Billy?” he called out. Sewing supplies burned all around the room. He doubted this was where the kid slept so he went to the next room. Loud popping and cracking mixed with the roar of the fire, as Coop moved on.

Save him, save him, save him. He had to fucking save him.

Red and smoke was all he saw down the hallway. This fire was moving and it was moving fast.

The first thing he saw when he pushed his way into the second room was a small basketball hoop hanging off the wall, fire dancing all over it.

Jackpot.

“Billy? Are you here? I’m a fireman. I need you to come out, so I can get you out of here.”

Cooper’s burning eyes scanned the room before stopping on a figure huddled in the corner. As he went to walk toward the kid, flames lashed his arm, singing him. Fuck. He had to move. Now.

Coop ran to the corner lifting the limp kid in his arms. He couldn’t tell if the kid was awake or not, but it didn’t fucking matter. All that did, was getting him out.

The floor cracked beneath him as he ran from the room. The hall, even more taken over than it was, just seconds ago. Dizziness hit him but he pushed past it. Flames now blocked the stairs.

He felt Billy’s hand tighten around his neck. Fuck, the kid couldn’t be any older than twelve.

Looking behind him, Cooper saw fire making an escape from the window impossible. Sirens called to him from a distance.

Ignoring his rapid-fire heart, he ran to the room at the end of the hall. Thank God. There was a window that faced the side of the house. The room was hot as hell, but he could get to that fucking window.

Cooper kicked it out, somehow keeping the kid in his arms. Another small favor. There was a section of roof below it. He only hoped like hell it could hold them.

A red engine pulled to a stop out front. He could see it when he stuck his head out. “Over here!” Cooper yelled, as more cracking and popping went off around him. The floor rattled. Ah, fuck.

“Help…” Billy’s voice rasped in his ear. Help came running around their side of the house as if they heard him.

Above him, came a loud banging sound. Cooper pushed the kid out the window, just as something hit the back of his shoulders, pain piercing through him. Part of the floor next to him gave out as he went down, and Cooper’s world went black.

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