Page 100 of Choke

No. Fuck. Please no.

“318 Ash Hollow Lane. Please confirm ETA.”

My heart races.

“91, please confirm ETA.”

I feel my whole body tremble as I press the radio button.

“We’re two minutes out, dispatch.”

Breathe.

“You’ll be first on the scene; this one’s yours, Captain.”

Harrington looks toward me as we barrel down the city street. I think his name is Harrington.

“Liberty, you alright?”

That tightness returns to my chest, and it would be so easy to fall apart, but this is what I do. I got into this line of work so that in an emergency, I would never be helpless to help someone I—

“Liberty?”

“That’s my girls’ building.”

The rest of the guys fall silent.

We’re one minute out when Harrington asks, “What floor is she on?”

When I see the building, my heart drops. Flames spill out of several windows on the eighth floor, and the wind pushes them out and up, creating smaller fires on the balconies of the ninth floor. The putrid smell of burning plastic hits me.

“She’s on the ninth floor.”

I fumble for my phone, barely registering my fingers as I search for her name.

Dial.

Come on, baby, pick up.

Voicemail.

No. NO.

“FUCK!” I slam my fist into the truck’s dash before opening the door.

There’s a huge crowd outside, many people in various stages of shock and horror. One woman sits on the ground, sobbing into her hands. A man screams at another man, pointing toward the building. I scan the crowd for her.

She’s not here.

My mind stalls. I can’t think.

What the fuck am I supposed to do?

I run through the guys on shift tonight. Harrington is the most senior option, having worked for the department for nearly twenty years.

“Harrington, I need you to step up on this. I’m not thinking clearly.”

He nods solemnly before turning to the crew and issuing orders.

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