firefly | zhong chenle

CH38

"and nothing beats the feeling of participating in the journey of someone else's life as their only hope"

-

Arin had never seen something more gruesome than this.

After about a months worth of nonstop training, they were finally at the scene. All units were there, standing around in a circle to listen to the chief of the bush fire station prep them for the first couple hours of the fire. But what they weren't prepared for, is the already burning down forest as they speak. Firefighters from other parts of the city were already fighting for their lives to control the flames, many have already burnt to ashes.

The talk ended, the chief assigning everyone the places as each and every firefighter got busy with their roles. It may not seem like it, but Arin could tell everyone was shaking in fear. Arin was about to leave to the medical tent when Chenle grabbed her wrist, spinning her towards him and simply embraced her. He placed his chin on the top of her head, closing his eyes and holding her tighter than he ever has.

Chenle sighed heavily "Don't go past the frontline. Promise me"

"I won't" She nodded "Please be safe". She reciprocated the hug, wrapping her arms around his waist to further tighten the hug.

"I'll be okay. Plus, even if something happens, I've got you" Chenle chuckled.

Arin hit him against the arm "Don't say that"

"Okay okay" Chenle parted from the hug, planting a kiss to her forehead "Wait for me. It'll all be over soon"

Arin nodded after hearing his reassuring words, letting him slip from her grasp. Despite both knowing they have duties to fulfil, their fingertips would not leave each others, until Chenle was physically dragged away by Taeyong who was rushing him to command his members.

Arin too, was dragged away by Yuyi, who was assisting in the tent too. The two lovers strung on a thin string, left eachother, their gazes, no longer could have each other in it.

"Green is for minor wounds. They can be treated by nurses" Yuyi explained, showing her the coloured tags stuck onto the patients wrists "Yellow is for major wounds and you have to treat them, along with the other doctors here. Red is for fatal. As in, they're about to die fatal. Those come before anyone else"

Arin nodded along. Before she could even process anything, a voice yelled at her to treat a yellow tagged patient. This triggered the beginning of hell for the girl.

She treated one patient after another, talking to them, consoling them, and doing whatever she can to ease their pain. Some passed to her had already passed away, and some passed to her demanded treatment for a little cut on their finger. She had never seen so many desperate people in one place, yet she couldn't even blame them.

Her hands were shaking by the 50th patient. Blood was splattered across her cloak, and some across her cheeks. Her hands were covered in ashes and more fresh blood, with the addition of callouses forming on every finger. Sweat had already drowned every part of her body, and her waist was screaming at her to take a break.

She couldn't. She had to save everyone.

At the same time, her mind often wandered off to Chenle. Whether he was doing okay, or whether he was hurt. She didn't even know whether he was dead or alive. She just prayed that every patient she got, when she lifted the cloth from their face, that they would not be Chenle's. Whenever she got 2 seconds of breaks, she would ask the chief about the circumstances of the fire within the bushes, but he could never answer due to him being bombarded left right and centre with questions. Thus, she found herself staring out into the blazing fire in the woods whenever she had to take a sip of water.