Despite the outcry, Grayson still smiled. His expression was as unchanging as a mask, almost as if he was mocking others. Grayson shrugged his shoulders and asked the firefighters who were getting angrier and yelling at him.
“I know you guys have a lot of camaraderie, but if you’re that worried, shouldn’t someone go in and get that kid out instead of gathering around and criticizing me?”
“I was going to do it without you saying that, you son of a bitch!”
Ezra shouted as he put on his oxygen mask. "I'll show you, our loyalty. A firefighter never abandons his comrades. We go in together, and we come out together. Even if we have to die doing it!"
“How long has it been since Dane went in?”
At someone’s question, Wilkins answered.
“It’s been about 10 minutes since we last heard from him. We need to hurry.”
Firefighters with tense faces scrambled to grab their equipment. They rushed to check their oxygen tanks and protective gear. Despite the burning smell and the smoke, their preparations for the mission were filled with resolve.
Grayson watched them, feeling nothing but contempt. He’d be coming out on his own soon enough. How long could he withstand the flames? Why make such a fuss over something that would take care of itself if they just waited?
The reason was obvious. They just wanted to criticize Grayson or make it seem like they had some grand sense of camaraderie.
He shrugged indifferently. The hurried steps, the short, sharp commands coming through the radios, the heat from the burning house—everything just felt so exaggerated.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Ezra, ready, shouted, and everyone nodded solemnly. They were determined to bring Dane back. Just as they were about to rush inside...
Boom!
There was a massive explosion, followed by the sound of thunder. The house, engulfed in flames, twisted and finally collapsed, losing its center of gravity. The huge debris tumbled down, and flames rose again from the wreckage.
The firefighters, who had been ready to enter, froze for a moment, their eyes wide in shock. Then, everyone held their breath. But the silence didn’t last long.
“No!”
At someone’s scream, everyone finally realized the reality. Flames leaped from the fallen debris, and an intense heat surged forward like a wave.
“Damn it, Dane! Dane!”
(......)
The house shook with an enormous crash. For a moment, Dane almost dropped the dog. Instead, while holding the dog, he rolled across the floor, quickly getting up and looking around. What had happened wasn’t clear, but one thing was certain: the house would collapse completely soon.
The stairs had probably collapsed entirely by now. There was no time for risky bets. Dane quickly scanned the area. The only option left was...
When he saw the stationary ventilator, he immediately moved. There was no time to hesitate or calculate. Carefully placing the dog nearby, he drew the axe strapped to his back and took it in both hands. Without hesitation, he began to strike the fan.
Massive black smoke rose from the crumbling mansion. The firefighters, who had been about to rush in, stood frozen in shock before they began to scream in despair.
“Dane! Dane!”
“He’s not there. Dane won’t be over there!”
“Charlie! Charlie!”
“Where’s the attic? Which direction?”
“Where’s the attic, damn it? Tell me quickly!”
“No, Charlie! Haaa... Charlie!”
“Dammit, speak up, quickly!”
“Go in first, it’s still okay! We can do this!”
“No, if it explodes again, it’s all over!”
“Dane... Dane!”
In the chaos, amidst the screams of despair and pain, suddenly someone shouted.
“Wait, look over there!”
Someone suddenly pointed, and everyone’s eyes immediately turned to one direction. Simultaneously, astonished exclamations filled the air.
A large fan that had been jutting out of the roof started to break apart, with the blades flying off. For a moment, the axe had vanished, but now a crowbar had removed part of the fan’s remaining components.
Everyone held their breath, watching nervously. They wished and hoped, and when the last piece flew off, someone finally appeared through the clear ventilator opening.
A tall man with striking red blonde hair emerged, and the crowd erupted in cheers. It was Dane Striker.
“It’s Dane! He’s over there!”
The exclamation of joy was followed by cheers from all around.
Despite the outcry, Grayson still smiled. His expression was as unchanging as a mask, almost as if he was mocking others. Grayson shrugged his shoulders and asked the firefighters who were getting angrier and yelling at him.
“I know you guys have a lot of camaraderie, but if you’re that worried, shouldn’t someone go in and get that kid out instead of gathering around and criticizing me?”
“I was going to do it without you saying that, you son of a bitch!”
Ezra shouted as he put on his oxygen mask. "I'll show you, our loyalty. A firefighter never abandons his comrades. We go in together, and we come out together. Even if we have to die doing it!"
“How long has it been since Dane went in?”
At someone’s question, Wilkins answered.
“It’s been about 10 minutes since we last heard from him. We need to hurry.”
Firefighters with tense faces scrambled to grab their equipment. They rushed to check their oxygen tanks and protective gear. Despite the burning smell and the smoke, their preparations for the mission were filled with resolve.
Grayson watched them, feeling nothing but contempt. He’d be coming out on his own soon enough. How long could he withstand the flames? Why make such a fuss over something that would take care of itself if they just waited?
The reason was obvious. They just wanted to criticize Grayson or make it seem like they had some grand sense of camaraderie.
He shrugged indifferently. The hurried steps, the short, sharp commands coming through the radios, the heat from the burning house—everything just felt so exaggerated.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Ezra, ready, shouted, and everyone nodded solemnly. They were determined to bring Dane back. Just as they were about to rush inside...
Boom!
There was a massive explosion, followed by the sound of thunder. The house, engulfed in flames, twisted and finally collapsed, losing its center of gravity. The huge debris tumbled down, and flames rose again from the wreckage.
The firefighters, who had been ready to enter, froze for a moment, their eyes wide in shock. Then, everyone held their breath. But the silence didn’t last long.
“No!”
At someone’s scream, everyone finally realized the reality. Flames leaped from the fallen debris, and an intense heat surged forward like a wave.
“Damn it, Dane! Dane!”
(......)
The house shook with an enormous crash. For a moment, Dane almost dropped the dog. Instead, while holding the dog, he rolled across the floor, quickly getting up and looking around. What had happened wasn’t clear, but one thing was certain: the house would collapse completely soon.
The stairs had probably collapsed entirely by now. There was no time for risky bets. Dane quickly scanned the area. The only option left was...
When he saw the stationary ventilator, he immediately moved. There was no time to hesitate or calculate. Carefully placing the dog nearby, he drew the axe strapped to his back and took it in both hands. Without hesitation, he began to strike the fan.
Massive black smoke rose from the crumbling mansion. The firefighters, who had been about to rush in, stood frozen in shock before they began to scream in despair.
“Dane! Dane!”
“He’s not there. Dane won’t be over there!”
“Charlie! Charlie!”
“Where’s the attic? Which direction?”
“Where’s the attic, damn it? Tell me quickly!”
“No, Charlie! Haaa... Charlie!”
“Dammit, speak up, quickly!”
“Go in first, it’s still okay! We can do this!”
“No, if it explodes again, it’s all over!”
“Dane... Dane!”
In the chaos, amidst the screams of despair and pain, suddenly someone shouted.
“Wait, look over there!”
Someone suddenly pointed, and everyone’s eyes immediately turned to one direction. Simultaneously, astonished exclamations filled the air.
A large fan that had been jutting out of the roof started to break apart, with the blades flying off. For a moment, the axe had vanished, but now a crowbar had removed part of the fan’s remaining components.
Everyone held their breath, watching nervously. They wished and hoped, and when the last piece flew off, someone finally appeared through the clear ventilator opening.
A tall man with striking red blonde hair emerged, and the crowd erupted in cheers. It was Dane Striker.
“It’s Dane! He’s over there!”
The exclamation of joy was followed by cheers from all around.