Beautiful

Fire

Chapter 26

Things were quiet and boring in the fire department, there hadn't been a call all day.

Everyone is startled by the sound of the bell, rushing into their suits.

"Park! We need you to go in! There's some kids trapped and we need someone who won't scare them!" The chief said as Monika jumped off.

There were already two trucks at the towering building engulfed in flames.

"What floor?" Monika asked over the sirens and screams of residents around them.

"Fifth floor! We've got some of the guys clearing the way for you as we speak! Hurry!" he patted her on the back.

Monika nodded and rushed forward, running as fast as she could in her bulky fire suit to get there.

"Hey! You kids need to get out now!" Monika said, noticing two kids covering their heads while sitting in a corner.

"Bubby stuck!" A little girl cried as an older girl held onto her for dear life.

"Where is he?" Monika asked, kneeling to their level.

"Help me! Please! My sisters need me, I can't die like this!" The sound of a teenage boy was heard above them.

"Bubby say go... Bubby no follow..." The toddler whimpered.

"You two get down the stairs. Now. I'll get your brother out, okay?" Monika said softly.

"Will you be okay..?" The older girl spoke up softly.

Monika smiled and ruffled her hair with a gloved hand.

"Don't you worry about me. Now go! We don't know how long we can keep the stairs safe to exit down!" Monika said, yanking the girls to their feet.

She shoved them forward as they went as fast as they could down the stairs.

Monika took a deep breath and started up the stairs a crew was working on clearing.

"Careful, Park! This path is shaking a lot! I don't think it's gonna last very long!" A member informed her.

Monika nodded and kept going.

"Kid! Hey! Where are you?!" Monika yelled, glancing all around.

"Help me, please! I have two little girls who need me, I can't die! I can't die I can't die!" he cried, wailing loudly in pain and fear.

Monika followed the voice to see a young man with his leg trapped beneath a flaming wall beam.

"Shit..." Monika cursed under her breath.

"I'm here to help you! Is your leg broken?" Monika said, placing her arms beneath his to wrap around his chest.

"I-I think so! I can't feel it!" The boy yelped when his leg was pulled free.

Monika noticed it looked slightly bent at the calf, which most likely meant a clean break.

She hissed, her heart jabbing at the sight.

"Okay. Hold onto me. I'll get you out." Monika said calmly so he wasn't scared any more.

The boy nodded and wrapped his arms around her neck as Monika lifted him onto her back.

She slowly walked out to see the crew had moved on to the next floor.

"We'll be out soon." She said encouragingly.

Monika took slow, careful steps down the stairs that were charred black.

Her foot slipped as the sound of cracking was heard.

"Ah!" She threw the boy forward as she started falling into the stairs.

He groaned upon impact, looking up to see not Monika but instead a gaping hole in the ground where she had stood.

"H-Hey! Somebody! This lady fell! Somebody help us!" He yelled loudly.

About two minutes later the crew came back down, having found no one else.

They all frantically started trying to get Monika out, one man picking the boy up bridal style to rush him out.

"Park! Park! Can you hear us?!" The chief asked as she was carried out.

Monika's face was red from the heat, her safety mask had shattered when she fell through and her face had pressed against one of the fallen beams that was still slightly on fire.

"We think it's concussion, sir! She seems to be breathing shallowly!" A member informed him.

"Well get her in an ambulance, dammit!" He said, his eyes wide in fear.

They set her on a gurney and stripped her of her outer suit, or what was left of it.

A training nurse nearly fainted at the sight of a metal stick in her abdomen.

"Let's get these two to a hospital!" The driver nodded as Monika and the boy were secured inside.

~~~

Natsuki had gotten off of work as she saw an ambulance race by, humming.

"I heard there was a fire on 54th Avenue." A guy said as he passed, peaking Natsuki's interest.

"Yeah! I was there when the fire department got there! They sent in this smoking babe to get some kids out. Really warms your heart." Another guy said.

Smoking babe? Could they mean...

A second ambulance came by as Natsuki's heart started racing in fear.

It might not be her... It doesn't have to be her in those...

Natsuki's phone buzzed in her pocket.

"H-Hello?" Natsuki asked, her eyes glued to the ambulances in the far distance.

"Are you Mrs. Natsuki Owens?" A feminine voice asked.

Natsuki looked to see it was, in fact, Monika's number.

"What's wrong with my friend?" Natsuki asked in an emotionless voice, her eyes dulling.

"She's in critical condition... We called her wife, my friend Sayori, but I think she's assisting a heart transplant right now.." the woman said.

"W... What happened? Is it serious?!" Natsuki asked, fumbling over her keys.

"We won't know for sure until we get there, but she has a piece of metal in her abdomen... Origin unknown, so we don't know where it is... It's our belief she was hit in either the stomach or liver." The woman said softly.

"I'll be right there." Natsuki revved her motor and immediately started racing off.

"Ma'am, maybe hang up first?" The nurse worried.

Natsuki placed the phone in her pocket, her eyes glued to the road.

She felt her phone buzz as the call was dropped, zoning out as she thought of all of the possibilities.

Not Monika....

She can't...

What if she...

Oh god...

Please don't let her...

She can't... She can't...!

Natsuki didn't hear the horn of a small PT Cruiser as she drifted into his lane.

"Fuck!" She cried out, trying to swerve.

~~~

To be continued~

Thanks to Prisky0731 for the idea for this chapter and the next two!!