Page 6 of Rescued Faith

“What about that office up there?” Rice pointed up a metal staircase. A bank of glass windows would’ve allowed someone to watch from above and see the whole warehouse.

“We better check.” Bryce yanked on the railing. No give. He went behind the staircase and hung from one of the treads above his head. It didn’t budge.

“How are we doing in there, Lieutenant?” Chief James’s voice came through the speakers.

“So far it’s clear. We have one more section of upper offices.” Bryce pointed for the others to start up the stairs.

“The water’s not doing much. You boys better get a move on it.”

“Yes, sir,” Bryce answered the chief, then followed the others. “Looks like the stairs will hold. But we gotta be fast. Let’s go.” They began to climb up.

A scream from somewhere deeper in the building stopped them mid-step.

“Did you hear that?” Ridge asked.

Bryce nodded, the hair on his neck standing on end. Through the smoke and flames, he couldn’t see the floor anymore. Fires had an assortment of strange sounds. Animal-like roars. Groans and screeches were common as building materials warped and collapsed.

After another three count, Rice resumed climbing. “Guess it was nothing.”

But Bryce couldn’t leave it. Not if someone needed rescuing. “You three clear that office. I’ll check it out and meet you back down on the floor.”

Zack paused. “You sure? Maybe I should?—”

“Go ahead. We’ll see who finishes first. Winner gets the biggest piece of cornbread.”

“You’re the boss.” Zack chuckled.

“Stick close together. Be quick but thorough in that office. Got it?”

“Sure thing.” Stephens continued climbing behind Eddie. Bryce quickly descended the steps and made it back to the concrete floor. He wouldn’t let any of his men go at it alone. If someone were to take that risk, it would be him.

“Hello? Anyone here? This is the Last Chance County Fire and Rescue.” He bellowed as loud as he could and stopped to listen. No response. Bryce jogged down the last aisle. Firealready chewed through the front offices and headed toward the open warehouse floor. The cardboard boxes alone would be instant fuel.

He spoke into the radio. “Anything in the office?”

“Almost clear. Nothing so far. But catching heat imaging from the vents. It’s in the walls,” Eddie answered him.

Heat from the vents? Bryce’s gut lurched. “Get out of there! The fire is below you.”

“But Stephens is clearing the inner off?—”

“Grab him and get out! You hear me, Rice?”

“Yeah—” His voice cut out.

Bryce spun and ran back toward the stairs. Zack, Ridge, and Eddie burst out of the office door and started clambering down. When they reached the concrete floor, Bryce breathed easier. But that had been close. “All right, there’s no one here. Let’s get out of?—”

The ground shook. Bryce fell to the floor, knocked down by a blast of hot force. The windows from the upper floor office shattered, raining down glass. A high-pitched note rang in his ears.

Dizzy and disoriented, Bryce tried to stand, only making it to his knees before he had to stop and catch his breath. He tried to shake the ringing away as he searched through the smoke and dust for the others.

“Rice! Stephens!” He stood up. One of the metal shelves teetered. Fell toward them. Bryce leaped away, skidded across the cement floor, and collapsed against a door. He coughed and tried to stand. Pushing off the ground, his hand came up sticky. He wiped it on his pants, leaving a red smear.

Wait. Was that blood?

“Bryce, we gotta get out of here!” Stephens’s voice came through the comms. “Where are you?”

Bryce looked around. The wall of crumbled shelving must’ve cut him off from the other three. The whole room was on fire now. The roof in the front of the building groaned. Sections of ceiling fell.

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