Page 73 of Scorched

The two of them gathered a variety of tools and ran back to the others. Thick smoke filled the room, reducing visibility. They passed out what they gathered.

“Come on.” Brady motioned them toward one of the side walls.

“Two teams,” Declan said. “We attack two points and take turns so no one tires out.”

“Why can’t we go out a window?” Mason asked.

“Because there’s fire under every one.” The arsonist would make sure they had no easy way out. Busting through a wall was their best chance. Declan was thankful Tara wanted to hold her wedding in one of the older barns. If they were in one of the new barns, which were made of steel beams and sheet metal, they’d have a lot harder time breaking out.

They lined up about fifteen feet apart and attacked the wall. Declan hung back, holding the light on the wall and assessing their progress. Fire licked up the front and back walls, and smaller blazes were taking hold beneath the windows. He could see the flicker of flames through the glass.

Jace and Brady both broke through the wall with their axes. After making several splits in the wood, they stepped aside and let Thomas and Seb bust the wall open wider with sledgehammers. In minutes, they had two holes big enough to climb through.

It was none too soon, either. They were all coughing from the smoke now. Declan tried to suppress his coughs, but pain still lanced through his chest. He looked at Maggie, worried about how she was handling the smoke after her recent encounter. She coughed, but no harder than anyone else.

Brady and Seb pushed their way through the holes, then leaned back in.

“Give us the kids,” Seb said.

They passed the children through, including Emma and Abigail. London and Tara went next, then the rest of the group followed.

As soon as Declan cleared the barn, he called dispatch to report the fire and request medical assistance.

“Is everyone okay?” Seb yelled.

Through their coughs, everyone nodded.

“Are you calling in the fire?” he asked Declan.

“Yeah.”

“Ask for a police response, too.” He looked over the group. “Jace, Brady, Thomas, Mason, come with me. Dad, you and Deck stay with the others. We’re going to check the other buildings.”

A thought occurred to Declan. “I’ll request the bomb squad from the state police. Just to be safe.”

“Sounds good. For now, everyone stay outside. Let’s go, guys.” He jogged off, giving orders to the others as they went.

Declan put in the request for help, then hung up and went to check on the others, starting with the children. They were shaken, but their respiratory issues were minor.

He stopped in front of Tara, who sat in the grass, and crouched to her level. “You okay?”

She nodded, coughing lightly. “Yeah. Just shook up.” Tears formed in her eyes. “Why does this keep happening? Why is it every time something good happens, some asshole comes along and ruins it?”

“It’s not ruined.” He put a hand on her knee. “You still have Jace. The minister survived.”

She laughed.

“You can get married anywhere so long as you have those two things. The rest is just trappings.”

“Thank you.” She patted his hand. “I needed to hear that.”

He smiled. “Good. Now, are you sure you’re okay? No issues breathing?”

“No. Just coughing.”

“Babies moving?”

She laid a hand over her belly. “Yep. They’re agitated just like their momma.”

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