Fire Away

Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

John immediately went to work, letting his training kick in. He slung the rifle over his shoulder and grabbed some water. He held it to her mouth, letting her take small sips. She was as skinny as a toothpick and her movements were sluggish.

"What's your name?" He asked.

She let out a smile as she looked up at him. He pulled the water away and checked her for wounds with his flashlight.

"Are you hurt? Can you talk?" He asked.

Her smile began to fade as her eyes rolled back and she started to faint.

"Stay with me, you're gonna be okay, alright? I need you to stay with me." John said.

John kept talking to her as she passed out, putting the water away and reaching down to pick her up.

After a while, the woman slowly woke up on the rooftop. She looked around confused before seeing John sitting beside her with his fire jacket off. His eyes lit up the moment she awoke.

"How are you feeling? Can you talk?" He asked.

"Yes..." She said.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, giving her some more water.

"No... just tired. I ran out of food days ago..." She muttered.

"I got plenty of food, but you need to start small. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, I'm sure you could eat a horse." John said.

She chuckled as John handed her a protein bar. He couldn't help but stare at her as she began to eat it. He had begun to think he would never see someone again.

"I'm John. What's your name?" He asked.

"Jane." She said.

"You work here?" He asked.

"No... When this whole thing started, my family and I heard about some evacuation. We tried to leave, but we got split up and I ended up here." She said.

"What have you been eating?" He asked. She sighed.

"Chips. Skittles. Anything you'd get from a vending machine..." She said.

"And your family? You think they got out?" He asked.

"My husband and daughter. He's in the Air Force. They started hearing talk about the Guard setting up safe areas or something. We had no idea where or how, but we thought we'd try the city. Big mistake." She said.

"Yeah... no kidding." John said.

"What about you? You got family? Or anyone else in that fire station?" She asked.

John shook his head.

"No. Not anymore." He stood up and let out a deep sigh. Jane felt uncomfortable and tried to change the subject.

"So, you're a firefighter then?" She asked.

"I am." He said.

"You have supplies or anything?" She asked.

"At the station. Some of it got overrun, but there's some left. It's gonna be hard getting back." He said.

"How'd you get here? Those infected... they're like animals." She said.

"I used the power lines. It's a no go." He chuckled. "They broke."

"Got any ideas?" She asked.

John shrugged lightly.

"We'll get you back to health and then... I'm not sure. We'll find a way." He said.

Suddenly, his radio began to push out static noises. He grabbed it and adjusted the volume, holding it up to his ear.

"Iteration– On-e... Pasaden- Fresno— Bellaire, Cypress, Spring— Hum—" It kept cutting out.

"Are those near us?" She asked.
"Some of them." He said.
"Safe zones?" She asked.
"Or red zones..." He said.

"—on the ground. Get to the rooftops. There you will be— cued. If—" The messages cut out. John sighed, setting the radio down.

"What now?" She asked.

"I heard iteration. It's gonna be on a loop. I have a bigger transceiver back at the station, we should be able to get a better signal there." He said.

"Okay." She said.

John took a moment to just look at her, and felt immense happiness that he had found another person alive.

"Get some rest." He said.

He left her to her own, and walked towards the edge of the rooftop overlooking the big city. He hadn't heard any jets for nearly an hour now and wasn't sure when they'd be back. He took account of everything he had and it wasn't much, but it was enough to get them back. The one problem that he had been ignoring was oxygen. He only had one tank, and if they couldn't find a way over up above, they'd have to figure something out quick before taking the streets.