Page 40 of Everybody Needs a Hero

“Gas explosion,” Bryce said, and Tess heard her unclipping her seatbelt. Looking over her shoulder into the backseat, she saw Bryce was already reaching for the door handle. “That’s one of the biggest dangers after an earthquake. They likely felt a shake here, but so minor they didn’t worry. A gas pipe must have broken loose. Even though everything can look normal like these houses there is still danger. Something must’ve sparked it.” Then, she was out of the car.

Ashley grabbed for her but was too slow. “Bryce, where are you going?” Ashley asked, but Bryce was already gone, running around the back of the car and toward the house. Tess had no idea what the Marine intended to do, but she realized early on that it was Bryce’s instinct to help if she could.That’s who she is,Tess thought. Admiring her courage, she was afraid for her too.

As cars stopped in front of them, Drew pulled to the curb. “I’m going to go see if there’s anyone who needs help,” she said. “Stay in the car.” Tess felt helpless as she watched the fire trying to spread as cinders from the exploded house floated through the air and landed on the rooftops of other houses nearby. Only the recent rains were slowing it down. The part of the neighborhood they stopped in was packed close together, so the fire could spread quickly if it caught, especially if there was more gas leaking.It could be a nightmare, Tess thought.And quickly.

Not sure what to do or how she could help, she watched through the window as a woman carrying a small child came running out the front door of the house that was on fire. Her pajamas looked singed, and the child pressed her face into the woman’s neck, no doubt crying although Tess couldn’t hear it.I can’t only sit here,she thought, opening her door to get out too.

“Mom,” Ashley said. “Why are you getting out?”

Before Tess could answer, the mother turned and shouted, “Where’s Britney? She was right behind me. Please, somebody help. She’s in the house.”

Tess heard Ashley scream Bryce’s name, but it was too late. The Marine was already sprinting toward the front door.

Bryce heardAshley calling her name as she raced across the yard, but she couldn’t stop. Even though she ran toward danger, it was not only from her training but in her nature. A child was in trouble, and Bryce would do all she could to save her. Knowing every second counted, she ran as fast as she ever had, hoping there would be enough time. If the child was in the house there might be a chance to get to her before flames blocked the doorways. As Bryce reached the porch, she took a deep breath and burst through the open front door into a cloud of smoke and flickering orange light. Glancing around to assess where she was, she realized she was in the house’s great room and through the smoke could see flames already climbing the walls.

The kitchen area of the space roared, and Bryce guessed the broken gas line came from that part of the house. In minutes, the fire would spread to the rest of the building. Racing against time, Bryce started to search. Smoke billowed from the furniture but thankfully it had not yet burst into flames. “Britney,” she yelled, hoping the child hadn’t fled further into the house. “Where are you?” She stopped to listen but only heard the crackling of flames and the creaking of timbers as the house shuddered from the aftereffects of the explosion. The fire continued to weaken the already damaged structure.

When she didn’t hear anything else, she tried again. “Britney, you have to tell me where you are.” That time when she listened, she heard crying and moved in the direction of the sound. The child had to be in the same room because the sound was close.Where is she?she thought, peering as best she could through the smoke, and then she had a realization. If the child were frightened, she would be hiding. “Britney, where are you hiding? We need to get out of here.”

“I’m scared,” came a sobbing voice, and Bryce homed in on the direction where the child hid. She saw the couch, and instinct made her rush to it. Fighting the smoke trying to choke her, she pulled the couch further away from the wall and saw Britney’s trembling figure. She clutched a doll to her chest and looked up at Bryce with tear-stained cheeks but seemed otherwise unharmed. “I dropped my dolly.” Her lips trembled. “And then mommy was gone.”

“It’s okay,” Bryce said, ignoring the sound of crackling that seemed to be getting louder all around her. “We’re going to go find her outside.” Knowing there wasn’t a moment to lose, she grabbed the child around the waist and lifted her to hold against her chest. The movement was rough, and Britney let out a cry of surprise, but Bryce knew they had seconds to get out of the house before the thing started to collapse. Luckily, Britney didn’t squirm in Bryce’s grasp as they crossed the room, and she was almost to the door when she heard a snapping and instinctively looked up. The ceiling was ready to come down, and as she watched, the support beam that held the heavy light fixture sagged. The moment it started to fall, her foot caught on the edge of the large area rug that covered most of the floor, tripping her. Starting to tumble, she pushed Britney toward the front door. “Run to your mommy.”

As she fell, thankfully the child kept her feet and did as Bryce told her, disappearing into the smoke and toward the light that led outside. Slamming hard onto her knees, Bryce didn’t have time to get up and started to crawl.I won’t be fast enough,she thought, and as pieces of the ceiling began to drop, her last thought was of Ashley. There was one final loud crack, and Bryce felt something strike her head a moment before everything went black.

ScreamingBryce’s name at the top of her lungs, Ashley could not stop her from going into the house. The woman would try to save the child, and it was as simple as that. Struggling to get free of her seatbelt, she watched out the passenger window as Bryce raced across the lawn. With a dozen steps, she shot through the front door and disappeared. In a panic, Ashley left the car, running to stand by Drew trying to calm the hysterical mother.

“My baby,” the mom chanted. “My baby.”

A group started to form as the calamity grew with the fire finding purchase as it jumped from house to house, and people spilled out of them. Tess came to stand with Ashley, putting an arm around her waist. She knew it was for comfort because her mother was as worried as she was about Bryce inside the burning building.

“Why did she have to be the one?” Ashley murmured, but her mom didn’t answer.Is it because she’s a Marine?Ashley thought, but a part of her didn’t think that was it. Something about Bryce made her believe she was the type of person who would always want to help people in trouble.And that was why she became a Marine.

After a moment, the little girl came stumbling through the front doorway clutching a doll and crying. “Britney!” the mom yelled, racing across the yard to grab her into her arms while crying hysterically.Where is Bryce?Ashley thought, her heart jumping into her throat. She took a step forward, staring at the doorway.Where is Bryce and why isn’t she coming out? Sensing in her heart something was horribly wrong, she reacted on instinct to help someone who mattered to her. Even as her mother tried to stop her, Ashley ran toward the burning building. Bryce was inside, and she was the one who needed saving for once. Her mom screaming her name behind her was the last thing she heard before plunging through the front door into the smoke. Immediately, she started to choke and cough. Flames were everywhere, and the heat pressed against her almost like a physical force.

“Bryce,” she yelled, almost tripping over her unconscious body as she moved deeper into the room. The woman lay sprawled face first and not moving. A blackened beam lay across her back but luckily wasn’t burning, and Ashley kicked it out of the way before reaching for Bryce. She shook her shoulder.

“Bryce. Wake up. You need to wake up.”

When she didn’t respond, Ashley didn’t know what to do. The room was in flames and smoke choked her. If she didn’t hurry, they would run out of time. Knowing she couldn’t carry her, Ashley grabbed Bryce by the arm and dragged her toward the front door. The woman’s dead weight was hard to move, but she pulled with all her strength.

“Wake up, Bryce. Please wake up.”

They only had seconds to get out of the house—she could feel it. Like a living beast, the fire moved closer and at any moment would engulf them. Her only choice was to let go.No,she thought, shaking her head.I’m not leaving without her.With another heave, she moved Bryce to the doorjamb the same moment pieces of the ceiling started to fall.I can do it.I can do it.Another big pull with everything she had should be enough, and then she felt someone beside her. Her mom was grabbing Bryce’s other arm. Then, she saw Drew was there, pulling all of them backward. As a group, they all stumbled away from the burning house, falling in a pile in the yard as the building collapsed and sent a burst of cinders and smoke into the night sky.

31

When the Pathfinder’s headlights splashed over the front of her house in Malibu, Drew took a long, deep breath of relief.

“We made it,” Tess said in a way that it wasn’t a question but a matter-of-fact statement. Almost as if she were putting a final stamp on their unbelievable journey.

“Yes,” Drew said, steering to the edge of the driveway and pulling the vehicle up to the front French doors. “We made it.” From what she could see, her house was untouched by any of the disasters. Thinking about Tess’s house in Beverly Hills, she hoped that it had survived the fires unscathed.Right now, I can be her refuge, she thought.For as long as she needs to stay. Even though her home wasn’t huge, there were two bedrooms each with bathrooms attached.Somehow, the four of us will make it work.

She looked in the rearview mirror and saw Ashley lift her head from Bryce’s shoulder. The two were soot-stained and smelled like smoke but were otherwise okay. Other than some small patches of first-degree burns to Bryce’s forearms and lower back, they were uninjured. After the emergency personnel arrived and examined Bryce and Ashley, the two were cleared to go home under Drew’s supervision. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved to arrive somewhere,” Ashley said, and Drew had to agree. The last twenty-four hours were the most terrifying she had ever experienced. One catastrophe after another.Now we’ve made it here, and we are due a break, she thought.And a long one at that.

As everyone climbed out, Bryce held out a hand to make them wait. “Drew, can I do a walk thru to smell for rotten eggs?” she asked, and Drew paused.

After what happened in Pacific Palisades, checking for leaking gas made sense. “I’ll do it,” she said. “Wait here, and I’ll be right back.” A few minutes later she let the others in the front door. “Everything is fine. Please come in.” As the three passed her to walk inside, her stomach rumbled in a loud protest. In the chaos of everything, she hadn’t realized it, but she was starving. Their lunch together downtown felt like a lifetime ago.

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