Chapter 3 #2
They didn’t have that much time. The roof could collapse any second.
He stared at the wall for an instant. And then, an instant more.
That’s when he noticed something he hadn’t seen before.
A cloud of smoke billowed out from near the ground.
It meant one thing. There was a break in the wall.
To Ted and Ryan, he said, “I need an axe or a crowbar. Something I can use to pry a board loose.”
“What are you going to do?” Ted asked.
Aiden didn’t have time to explain. “Just find me a damned axe.”
He ran to the spot where the smoke was thickest. Lying on the ground, he examined the wall.
It was as he had suspected. There was a jagged opening in the planks.
The broken wood was lighter than the worn patina, which meant that the break was recent.
Aiden pressed his face to the gap and looked inside.
In the middle of the floor there was a body. In the hellish light of the fire, the person was nothing more than a shadow.
“I found this.” Ryan held out an axe.
“She’s in there.” He stood, his heart hammering against his ribs. He’d barely glimpsed the child and couldn’t tell if she still drew breath—or not. “The little girl is about seven feet from the wall.”
Aiden took the axe from Ryan. “Back up,” he warned. “There might be a backdraft.”
Ryan took several steps back as the blade connected with the weather-worn wood.
He pulled the head loose and swung again.
And again. Sweat dried the instant it dotted his brow.
Dropping the axe, Aiden knelt in front of the plank.
Grabbing it with both hands, he pulled. The wood broke off, slicing his palm.
It felt as if he’d grabbed a lightning bolt.
But he didn’t care. He kicked the rest of the plank.
It broke, leaving a gap big enough for Aiden to crawl through.
But it wouldn’t be enough room for him to get out if he was carrying a child.
“See if you can make this opening bigger,” he said to Ryan. “And be ready when I get out. She’s going to need CPR.”
“I’ll be ready,” said Ryan.
Aiden emptied his lungs, making himself as flat as possible.
He scooted forward an inch and then an inch more.
The sides of the opening were jagged. The wood ripped into the sleeves of his shirt and scraped his exposed skin.
He ignored the pain. Pulling with his elbows, he slid into the burning barn.
Once his chest and shoulders had passed through the opening, he was able to claw forward.
Outside, Ryan started hitting the wall with the axe. The thump, thump, thump of his strikes reverberated like a heartbeat.
The smoke was thicker than before, blotting out everything but what was in front of Aiden.
He could no longer see the girl, but he knew where she’d been.
Rising to his knees, he swept his hands across the dirt floor.
His fingers touched fabric. Bear crawling, to stay low where the air was cleanest, he moved toward the child.
He bent down, ready to check for a pulse. That’s when he realized that it wasn’t a child at all. It was Lucy Harris. Aiden didn’t have time to worry about the mix-up. He pressed his fingers under her chin, checking for a pulse. It was there, strong and steady.
From outside came the thump, thump, thump of Ryan hacking the walls with his axe.
The board cracked, opening a few inches more. A gust of hot air rushed past, pulling some of the smoke with it. Aiden saw something he hadn’t before. A metal cylinder lay on its side. There was a valve at the top, and a sticker was attached to the tank. Helium.
He didn’t need to be a firefighter to know that helium wasn’t combustible.
But with enough heat, the gas would expand and each of the tanks would explode, sending shrapnel in all directions.
The blast alone would be enough to bring down the barn and sent parts of the wall in every direction.
He glanced around the room. A dozen other tanks were scattered in a corner.
The fire hadn’t reached them yet. But the flames on the ceiling were coming closer.
He only had a few minutes before the whole barn exploded—taking everything inside with it.
Aiden knelt next to Lucy. He slapped her cheeks lightly. “Lucy. Can you hear me? It’s Aiden. We need to get out of here.”
She didn’t respond.
There was another crack as the board broke again. The opening was wider.
But was it wide enough for Aiden to get out with Lucy?
He picked her up, cradling her head to his chest. He pressed her body into his and scooted back to the hole in the wall.
“I’m coming out,” he yelled through the opening. “Stop using the axe.”
“Got it,” said Ryan.
“Get back.” Aiden glanced over his shoulder. The room was filled with smoke again. “This place is going to blow.”
Thankfully, Ryan was an ER doc. He’d dealt with more emergencies than Aiden could count. Ryan would get everyone a safe distance away from the barn.
Flipping onto his back, he held Lucy to his chest. Shifting his shoulders and using his heels, he pushed toward the opening.
It was a tight fit with two of them. Wood scraped the back of his hand.
The fire licked the soles of his shoes. With every second, the flames were getting closer to them and the tanks of helium.
Shoving his toes into the dirt, he straightened his legs.
Aiden’s head cleared the opening. He sucked in fresh air, gulping it down like drinking from a water hose.
Lucy was still tucked into his chest. He could feel her breath on his neck.
She was alive, and they were escaping the fire.
But they were far from safe. He continued to push with his legs.
His back dragged along the ground. He pushed again.
And again. He was out past his waist. Then, his knees.
Once his feet cleared the barn, Aiden held on to Lucy. Rising to his feet, he started to run. His eyes still watered from the smoke. His lungs burned with each breath. His legs felt like they were made from concrete.
A small group of people—Emily, Matti, Sammy, Ted, the old man, who was Lucy’s grandfather—stood twenty yards away. They were far enough from the barn to be safe. But could Aiden make it to them before the tanks exploded?
He held Lucy tighter. Forced his legs to move faster. He scanned the horizon, looking for the red and blue strobing lights that meant the fire department was close. There was nothing but endless night.
Aiden heard the blast an instant before the concussion hit him from behind.
Like he’d been slapped by the hand of God, his feet lifted from the ground, and he was shoved forward by the shockwave.
He landed. Hit the dirt. Knees. Hips. Chest. His head came down on something hard.
The endless darkness rushed at him from all sides.
As consciousness faded, he had one thought.
At least Lucy is safe.