Chapter 1 #2
However, I’d done the work, pushing myself with every test, every physical qualification.
I was in the best fucking shape of my life and knew what the hell I was doing.
What continued to piss me off was that some on the team had fought my inclusion, others snubbing me for months.
Even now, after almost being on the team for three years, the old guard still called me a damn rookie. A standing joke for many.
“What the fuck were you doing? What the actual fuck?” I’d never seen Will this hot. Not since he’d caught me with a stogie in my hand in our family’s barn when I was maybe fourteen. I’d nearly gotten the shit kicked out of me before my parents had found out.
I jerked away from him, trying my best to harness my own anger. “Rock needed help. He was pinned.”
“Then you ensure I know what the fuck is going on. You can’t go off on your own.
What the hell would I have done if you’d been caught by a wall of flames?
Huh? What?” He shoved my shoulder, backing away and pacing the ground.
When he spoke again, his voice softened.
“You can’t do that shit. Think of the family.
This shit is hard enough on Mom and Dad. ”
Yeah, they weren’t thrilled that their three sons had all selected a dangerous profession.
Our other brother Jameson, ‘Steel’ as everyone called him, was also a hotshot.
While on another team, he was heading toward being a commander, as rigid with the rules as Will.
I was the damn reckless one, which was why I was on my brother’s team.
Will was going to whip me into shape. I’d overheard our captain telling my brother that he needed to keep an eye out on me.
That I could get someone on the team killed.
“Goddamn it, Will. Marcus is alive,” I yelled, hissing as soon as I did.
He got in my face, his red. I was huffing and puffing. This was all about brotherly testosterone. Neither of us wanted to back down, but with others watching, I reminded myself I was the subordinate and finally took a step away.
“Yeah, well, almost at the expense of others. Did you know Dante was surrounded by a wall of fire while you were off playing hero? Did you?”
I glanced in Dante’s direction, taking several deep breaths. Why hadn’t he said anything? “No.”
“Yeah, well, that’s because of your hotdog tendencies. Don’t do it again or you are off this team. Got it?” Now he was poking his finger against my chest.
The pain was biting. I backed away, giving him a military salute, anger continuing to swell.
Storming away, he cursed under his breath.
After turning away from the others, I closed my eyes, theirs remaining on me. I’d always wanted to be the hero. It was in my nature. Yeah, maybe joining the team hadn’t been the best idea. I grabbed my things, putting everything back into my pack, preparing for the hike back to the base.
A commotion caught my attention once again. When I turned around, I could see two of the firefighters talking with Will. I inched closer, curious as to what they were talking about.
“Yeah, we’re pretty sure it’s out, but it couldn’t hurt to take a look over the ridge line.” The firefighter was pointing to an area that couldn’t be accessed by foot.
That meant a helicopter would need to access the area. I started shaking my head before Will said a word. If the wind changed like I suspected it was going to do, gusts could slam him into the trees or the mountains.
Will took a step away, turning around and staring at the location where the firefighter was pointing. “Yeah, why don’t I take the bird up? The last thing we need is for the damn thing to start again.”
The firefighters were supposed to stay on the ground so they could eliminate any hot spots. What the hell were they doing?
After a few additional words, Will took long strides down the path toward where the helicopter was positioned. He’d been the spotter for the day given the specifics of the fire.
“Will, don’t do this. I’m telling you that the wind is about to change.” I followed along behind him as he headed down the slope toward the awaiting bird.
“You’re basing this on what, a hunch? Or did you suddenly become a weather forecaster, Stephen? Seriously.” He huffed and refused to stop moving.
The man was infuriating as hell. Finally, I grabbed his arm, shocked when he bristled. “Jesus Christ, Will. What the hell are you doing?”
“My job.”
While I adored my brother, we’d always been at odds, his habit of acting fatherly when we had a dad driving me nuts. “Just look at the damn weather forecast before you go up? Okay?”
He rubbed his forehead and I could hear him cursing under his breath all over again. “Fine. Go finish with the cleanup. I’m taking a quick look and nothing more. Okay?” He headed away from me and I refused to back down.
We continued walking in silence for almost ten minutes until the helicopter came into view. He’d been labeled the Wingman years before, getting his pilot’s license at sixteen. I’d always wondered why he hadn’t entered the Air Force given his love of flying. The smokejumpers were lucky to have him.
“I don’t think you should do this.”
With a groan, he moved to the bird, jumping inside.
“So you’ve told me and duly noted. I’ll be back in five minutes.
Ten tops. I know what I’m doing. Get the fuck back up there and get the area locked down.
” When I didn’t answer right away, the fury controlling my actions, he pointed back to where I’d come from.
“I am your damn superior. I’ll need to report you for insubordination. ”
“Fine. You do that.”
I shook my head as I glared at the sky. There was a storm brewing in the distance, the barometric pressure already changing. “Just stay away from the tree line.”
He grabbed his helmet. “That’s where I need to go. Stop pestering me.” His anger had returned. “We will talk about your insubordination again. Now go do your job.”
As he flipped several switches, the propellers engaging, I backed away, but the pit in my stomach remained.
Less than three minutes later, he took off without incident, his control of the heavy bird masterful. Learning to fly had never been on my radar. I preferred staying on terra firma. I watched until the white and blue bird disappeared before taking a deep breath.
As I scanned the sky, light breeze tickled my skin. Maybe I was wrong about the shift in the wind. Maybe.
After waiting for a few seconds, I began the trek back up the mountain, making good time.
A burst of wind caught my attention, my nerves driven to the edge. I glared at the sky, noticing the canopy of trees in the opposite direction of the fire was swaying.
The wind had shifted just like I’d warned.
No. No.
A single rumble of thunder and I took off running while pressing the button on the communications system. “Will. Get back here. The wind is changing. There’s a storm.”
“I’m… at… but… and…”
“Will, you’re breaking up.”
What in the hell? I continued jogging up the trail. “Will. Turn the fuck around.”
“What is going on?” Dante jogged toward me, throwing his arms out.
“The fucking fire department wanted confirmation the flames were out. Will went up in the chopper.” From where we stood, the swirl of smoke spiraling toward the sky was blacker than before. “The fire’s not done yet. He’s going to clog the filters.”
Another rumble of thunder. A single lightning bolt.
And a blast of wind.
“Ah, hell,” Dante hissed.
“Will. Come back. Come on, buddy,” I said as I moved to a clearing, trying and hopeful to catch sight of him. I shielded my eyes, ignoring all sounds while the wind picked up in intensity.
“Headed… back.”
Still on edge, I rushed closer to a drop-off, holding my breath until I caught sight of the propellers.
At least the goddamn storm was lingering in the distance. A line of garbled hisses hit the communication system. “Will. What are you trying to say?”
“Just… and then…” Buzz. Ditzch!
A shrill sound caught everyone’s attention.
I moved toward the path, never blinking as I watched the flight pattern. He was coming in strong, no sign of distress. “Come on, Will. Come on. Head home.”
“He’ll be alright.” Suddenly, Denver was beside me, staring up at the sky.
An entirely different sound could be heard in the distance.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked of no one. When Will’s helicopter veered slightly, heading toward the trees, every muscle in my body tensed. “Will. What is happening? Talk to me.”
Seconds ticked by. Another sound. Another crackle of the communications system.
“Ah, fuck,” Denver hissed. “He’s losing control.”
The helicopter veered toward the trees, narrowly avoiding slamming into them, but the propeller must have caught a line of foliage.
My brother tried to regain control, almost managing to do so. He dropped in altitude as he prepared to land.
“Here he comes,” Dante said, even trying to laugh, but the sound was hollow. “That man can fly.”
“Yeah, he can.”
I turned my attention away, jogging down the pathway to meet him when he arrived. The whirring sound was jarring. Turning abruptly, I watched in horror as he tumbled to the side, the bank too hard. He narrowly missed hitting the side of the mountain.
Will righted the helicopter. He was headed straight for me.
He dropped several feet, slowing. Still slowing.
Another shear and the bird almost slammed into the area where I was standing.
“Fuck.” I hit the ground, taking gasping breaths before pushing up. Will had managed to turn, slowing his speed once again.
Just as I jerked to my feet, the helicopter dropped and I caught sight of Will’s face.
Then the bird lurched forward.
“Come on, Will. Come on. You can do it.”
I watched in horror as the aircraft smashed against the side only yards from where I was standing, the hull still intact until it jumped to the surface, smashing down sideways and skidding toward me.
Unable to move, I was shocked when hands grabbed me, yanking me out of the way mere seconds before a horrific explosion.
We were pitched backward, the wind knocked out of me. In shock, my mind couldn’t register what I was seeing.
At least at first.
Then I realized the helicopter was on fire and Will was desperately trying to climb out of the wreckage.
There was no room for error or time to waste. I rushed forward, determined to save my brother.
“No, Axe. It’s too hot!” one of the smokejumpers yelled.
Ignoring everything else around me, I ran toward the flames, fighting my way until I reached the door. It was hot to the touch; I didn’t pay a damn bit of attention, wrangling with and finally managing to open the door.
“Will. Fuck. Fuck.” I fought with his seatbelt while the fire raged on, barely cognizant there were others, all shouting behind me.
All I could concentrate on was getting Will free.
As soon as I did, I dragged him away by several feet.
“It’s going to blow!” Rock screamed.
After a few additional feet, the blast pummeled us forward by several feet. As soon as we hit with a hard thud, I covered Will’s body with mine.
Whoosh.
Boom.
The ground beneath us shook violently.
People were everywhere, working to put out the fire. I finally lifted my head, brushing hair from my brother’s face.
He was badly burned, barely breathing. No. No. No! “Will. You’re going to be okay. You’ll be fine. I need help! Get an ambulance!” I cradled him in my arms, ensuring not a single falling ember touched him.
“Steve…” Will opened his eyes, managing to grasp my arm. “I’m… so… sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about.” Oh, God. Oh. God. “Someone. Please. Get an ambulance. Just hold on. Okay? We’ll get you to a hospital.”
Seconds ticked by.
Voices.
Shouts.
Footsteps.
But everything was driven into a vacuum, the moment of time pitching to a dead stop the moment my brother smiled.
“You’re a great… smokejumper, Stephen. Axe. Man. A great… brother.”
“Hang on, Will. I’ve got you. Just hang on. You’re going to be fine.” I pulled him close as other jumpers circled.
Just as Will closed his eyes, the smile still on his face.