The wail of sirens pierced the silence of the night. Andrea and Jane, now skilled cadets at Seattle's firefighting academy, were on the same team that evening. They were responding to an emergency: a massive fire was consuming an old residential building in the heart of the city.
Andrea deftly steered the truck, while Jane, seated beside her, checked the map on the tablet. Both were tense but resolute. It was their first major operation together after months of training.
"We're three minutes away," Jane said, her voice steady but tinged with anxiety. Andrea nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. "Tonight, we show them what we're made of."
When they arrived, chaos reigned. Flames engulfed the upper floors, and black smoke poured from the windows. Dozens of residents had already been evacuated, but firefighters were still working to rescue those trapped inside.
"Station 19, ready for action!" Maya Bishop shouted, pointing to one wing of the building. "We need two people to search the upper floors. Andrea, Jane, are you in?"
The twins exchanged a determined look. "Ready!" they replied in unison, grabbing their gear.
They entered the building, hearts pounding. The heat was intense, and the smoke made it hard to see or breathe. Andrea led the way, clearing a path with her axe, while Jane followed with her flashlight.
"Is anyone here?" Jane called out, her voice amplified through her oxygen mask. A faint cry answered from the other end of the corridor.
"I'm here!" a woman's voice called out, followed by weak knocks on a closed door.
Andrea rushed to the source of the sound. With a firm strike, she broke down the door and found an elderly woman huddled in a corner. She gently lifted her. "Jane, help me get her out!"
But before they could leave, a loud crash shook the building. Part of the ceiling collapsed, separating the sisters. Andrea found herself on one side of the hallway, still holding the woman, while Jane was trapped on the other.
"Jane!" Andrea shouted, trying to move closer. Flames were already eating away at the ceiling above them. Jane coughed, struggling to free herself from the debris.
"I'm here!" Jane called out, but her voice was faint.
Andrea placed the woman safely near a secondary exit and rushed back without hesitation. She navigated through the rubble, ignoring the heat and danger. When she reached Jane, she found her pinned under a beam, her leg trapped.
"I'm getting you out of here," Andrea said, her voice fierce with determination. Using all her strength, she lifted the beam, finally freeing her sister. Jane was injured but conscious.
"Can you walk?" Andrea asked. Jane shook her head.
"I don't think so. My ankle..."
Andrea didn't waste a moment. She hoisted Jane into her arms and made her way toward the exit. Flames chased them, but Andrea's resolve was unshakable. When they finally emerged outside, they were met with spontaneous applause from the team and the evacuated residents.
Andrea gently laid Jane on a stretcher, where Carina DeLuca quickly began to assess her injuries. "You'll be okay," Carina said with a reassuring smile. "You've got an incredible sister."
Jane smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. "I know. She saved my life."
Andrea knelt beside her, exhausted but relieved. "I'll never leave you behind," she said, gripping Jane's hand.
YOU ARE READING
Love is Pain
Dragoste"I think that when you have a connection with someone, it never really goes away. You snap back to being important to each other, because you still are." - Alexandra Vause
