The Good and the Bad

Viral

Chapter Twelve

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"All companies be aware that we have a lightweight truss construction heavy structure fire." Boden's warning came over the radio for everyone as they arrived at the fire.

Scout's eyes watered slightly at the amount of smoke flooding out onto the street from the house fire. Flames seemed to light up every window with the exception of one on the third floor. It was in that window that they could all see a man waving his arms in a panic.

"I can't get down the stairs. It's too hot," the man shouted at them.

"All companies, third-floor rescue." Boden shouted rather than speaking through the radio again. "Casey, get me two ladders."

"Got it." Matt nodded as he and the other men got to work, pulling their ladders off the sides of the truck and moved towards the house. Together they propped them up against the house side by side. "Keep it flowing. Herrmann, Mills, Cruz, up the second ladder."

"Casey still not talking to either of you?" Shay spared Scout and Gaby a glance as they waited by their stretcher for the people to be brought out.

"Nope," Scout shook her head. Ever since she and Gaby had filled him in about their visit to Voight, the blonde fireman had been giving them radio silence, only ever talking to either of them when it was absolutely necessary.

"Right over there." Mouch directed the pair of women towards the trio of paramedics once they got to the bottom of the ladder.

"That's it, sweetheart." Gaby offered the teenager a kind smile, helping her take a seat on the stretcher while her mother stood to the side.

"What about Hudson?" The girl looked towards the firemen once her father got to the bottom of the ladder. "You have to get him."

"The dog," the father clued the crew in.

"Hudson! Hudson!" The girl cried out for her dog.

"Cruz!" Mouch shouted up the ladder at the only one that hadn't come back down. "Stay put, Cruz."

"Wait a minute! I can hear him," Cruz called back down. "Come here, boy!"

"Cruz, get out of there!" Boden shouted, all of them watching with wide eyes as Cruz climbed through the window.

"Oh, my God," Scout's eyes widened as she watched her friend disappear into the burning house. Herrmann and Matt both moved quickly to climb back up the ladders.

"Cruz!" Boden called through the radio. "Get out of there!"

"Come here, come on." They all watched as Herrmann grabbed the dog when it ran towards the window.

"Man down! Man down!" Matt shouted as he watched a piece of the ceiling fall down on Cruz, sending the other man to the ground.

"I'm going," Mouch didn't hesitate before he started climbing the ladder himself, determined to help his friend.

"No, no, no, no..." Scout muttered under her breath, her eyes not moving from the burning house for a second, leaving Shay and Gaby to look over the family themselves. Panic swirled around in her stomach as she watched Matt and Mouch slip through the window to try and save their friend. After what felt like eternity, but was only a few minutes, they all were able to give a small sigh of relief at the sight of the three men making their way out through the window.

"Mouch, you okay?" Gaby asked as he walked away from the ladders, out of breath.

"Yeah," Mouch sighed.