The squeak of the boots, the sweat on the mens back, the yelling and panic, the rush, the petrol and himself running towards to truck. They where all crammed in, yelling commands getting their gear on. Running against the time, the bell was ringing. They had to go. "Now!" The alarms went of and they sped along the roads, cars and people alike moving away. Kids pointing, cheering, yelling. But all where ignored, everyone was getting ready for whatever they would see when they reached the house. As they reached the bumpy country road they knew they would be there soon. They dashed along the roads, scaring cows and sheep. They could see it now, the smoke they could feel it in the air. It was choking and smelt of destruction. Going up the last hill they could see the house, it was large and must of once been very nice, but now it was flaming red and was surrounded in smoke. They could hear the timbers inside snapping and the bursts of the flames spreading.
Everyone leaped out of the fire truck running towards the back, pulling out the hoses an buckets. Together they all ran forwards, spraying the house. Inside they could hear children's screams. The air was thick, and someone thumped him on the back wishing him well. I began to run towards one of the front windows and heaved my body against it. I smashed into what I guess what the living room, looking around I tried to work out where the children where trapped. They began to scream again and I ran towards the stairs. They where on fire, everything burning. I reached out, my anti-spark glove red from the glow. I clicked and the flames around the stairs began to slowly disappear. Carefully I made my way up, jumping over the missing steps in the staircase. Reaching the top I yelled out to the kids, one was trapped in the door right to my left and two others somewhere else on the right of the house. I tried to open the door on my left, finding it stuck I broke it down. The room I entered was completely alight. There where books everywhere, all on fire. In the corner a small child was trapped under a fallen bookcase. Running over I removed the flames and pulled the bookcase away from the small child. It was a girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes, she was barely conscious and was crying.
Pulling her up from the floor I ran back out into the landing, running to the smashed window facing the front of the house. I used my elbow to clear some of the shards from the edge and yelled out to the men below. They where ready, their arms out holding a blanket to catch the girl with. She was out cold now, she had breathed in too much smoke. I threw her out onto the blanket below where the medics took care of her.
Running towards the right of the house I heard one of the small crying. The smoke was so thick now making it hard to breath. I beat down the flames, watching them vanish in front of me. Making a path towards the room where I could hear the crying. I jumped over the fallen tables, broken vases. This must of once been a lovely house. I ran into the open door, seeing a young boy crying close to the door frame on my left and across the room... That sight will never leave me, nor the older boy next to me. The other was on the floor screaming and crying out, reaching for his older brother. The stench of burning flesh surrounded me as I ran to the child. He was reaching out for something, he didn't even look alive any more. I clicked my fingers, forcing the flames away from the poor child. Pulling him up into my arms, I realized he was almost dead. He had no weight to him and I knew if I tried his flesh would come away from his skin. I turned and saw the other child's face, his golden eyes scared and covered in tears. He reached out to touch his younger brother, but pulled away before he could. He shivered despite the heat of the flames around us, and he held onto my coat. I guided him across the landing, while trying to keep a hold of the other child.
Reaching the window he saw the men below waiting for the other child. He looked down at the younger one in his arms, there was no way he could be thrown down. He looked at the older one, his golden haired head buried in his coat. Gently he pushed him towards the window. He looked up afraid, shaking his head. He was staring at his brother, burned and unconscious. I pushed him forwards again, go! He climbed onto the window frame and cried as he jumped. Screaming he fell and was caught by the men below. I ran away from the window, I had to get this other child out now!
The stairs where completely gone, only a blankend pile of wood was there now. I ran back to to window, yelling for help. The fire was spreading towards me and I could not force it back with the child in my arms. The men ran towards the truck pulling the ladder. Not fast enough! I climbed up onto the frame gripping with one hand, the other shifting the child onto the shoulder.
The flames where licking the floor behind me and the men ran with the ladder. I stood on the frame, carefully making my was across. The wood was rotten, it was going to snap! I slid across, trying to grab the drain pipes above my head but the movement cracked the wood. I screamed and felt the wood falling away, I held both hands to the burnt child trying to protect him from the fall. But I knew it was too late. He was not breathing, the wounds where to horrific. I knew his life had left him but I still held him close. His brother needed him alive. I had let him down. Falling I saw the house, everything alight. These poor children had nothing. Nothing at all. With that I hit the ground and heard the sicking snap of my spine. Then everything went black.
Gasping I shot up from my bed, looking around. Just a dream I told myself, but I knew it was real. The room was dark and as always I was all alone. I touched my back slowly, feeling the stitches the scars from when I fell. That was four years ago now. I looked at my clock, midnight. It was four years ago exactly since that fire, since then I had put out many more but that was the one that always stuck in my mind. Two of the kids didn't make it, the other I have no idea about. It was the older brother, he lived but was badly traumatized from what I heard. As was I, his younger brother was announced dead as soon as they pulled him away from my broken body. I was in hospital for half a year, but I have never fully recovered. I only work with dealing with fires from the outside. I have not been in a burning building since that day.
Looking out the window I saw the darkness, and wondered where the older brother was now. I never even learnt his name. Maybe he got adopted? I knew his farther had left them behind years ago and that their mother had passed away recently as well. With the fire as well his life must be hell. I want to protect him. For these past for years I have searched but no one knows anything about him. That has to end today I need to find him again. He must be so lonely. Laying down I saw him again, his eyes crying from fear. His small arms wrapped around my body. He looked around 7 maybe 8 years old. He must be 12 now, much too young to have seen all that. Yes, today I will find him. I have to.
Walking out of my room I walked to the downstairs of my house. I can still remember his stairs burning. I walked into my living room and searched under the sofa for the book I needed. I rubbed my hands past the dust and empty alcohol bottle underneath reaching for it's thick pages. Grabbing it I pulled it out, I had never really had to use this before. Flicking though the pages, it had information on every business in central. I skipped straight to the O pages. Orphanage. There they where, a list of them. There where so many! I never knew there where so many children with no one to care for them out there. I pulled the pages out related to them and got a pen. Looking at them I crossed out the ones that where impossible for him to have been at. He was not a girl, and was not blind, nor deaf. I doubted the fire had done that to him. Okay, now the list was narrowed down I pulled a map from my bookcase.
I began to but circles around the orphanages on the map and made a route that would allow me to visit every one. It would take all day, and perhaps into the night but he would do what ever it took. He began to jot down what he knew about the boy. His old address, the age range he would be in now, his golden hair and eyes. About his family's past and about the fire. With this he should be able to find him. He packed it all into a rucksack along with some cash, junk food and a small amount of whiskey. He truly hoped he would not need that. Going back upstairs he checked his clock, all this had taken him a hour. He lay down on his bed. He was going to need all the rest he could get for tomorrow.
The alarm on his clock went of and jumped up. No dreams. He had had no dreams since last waking up, the last time that had happened was... years ago. He quickly got dressed in normal clothes and phoned up the fire station to tell him he couldn't work today. He told them he was sick, but they knew the truth. Every years since that day he had taken work off. Usually he just layed in his bed all day, thinking about it. But not this time. Getting his rucksack he ran out the door and climbed into his car. It slowly started up and he checked his map. First stop was Rapeseed orphanage, it was rather close only a mile or so away.
As he drove, he saw many kids going to school together, or with their parents. That golden haired boy could be doing the same right now. He tried to concentrate on the road. He was getting close now, he looked at every building on the row, there where a few shops, some housed and a big building with kids in the yard. That had to be it. He pulled up outside and ran in. The woman at the desk looked a bit alarmed to see him charge it. Walking up to her he showed her the piece of paper with the info about the boy on. She frowned at it and looked up.
"Do you have a boy, matching this description? I haven't seen him in four years now so it might not be all correct." She read it carefully before replying. "We have a few blonde boys here and I think we might have some on our records. Shall I do a search for you?" He smiled, trying to let the stress out. "Yes that would be a big help, thank you." He looked around the room, kids drawings where stuck everywhere and toys covered most of the floor. The woman was sorting though a filing cabinet when she coughed.
"If I could please, why are you looking for such a child?" The question shocked him. He had never thought they would ask, but of course they would. She couldn't just give info about these kids away freely. "Oh." He scratched his head, embarrassed under her glare. "I- I work at a fire station, and helped him years ago. I wanted to find out what happened after all he has been though." She smiled and kept on looking. "Thats so kind of you, I hope you do find him!" She pulled several files out and showed them to him. "Now none of these have any pasts like you mentioned however this one child, we don't know much about as he was moved here today. Would you like to meet him?" He looked at the file, there wasn't much on him. No photo, or history. Just his name. "Yes, is that okay?" She smiled and led him into the hallway past the door.
There where many rooms and he could hear lots of kids inside. She began talking to a woman who was holding a child by her hand. Bending down he smiled at her, he wasn't the best with kids but he had to show he wasn't some pedophile.
"Hi, whats your name?" She shyly smiled behind the womans leg. "I like your dress." She grinned then and stroked it. "I am Elicia! Do you really like my dress?" He nodded. "I really do. So Elicia do you like living here?" She looked at him and then giggled. "Don't be silly! I don't live here, my mummy just helps here!" She looked up at the woman who was smiling at them. "Well your mummy is a very good person then!" He stood up straight and nodded at her.
"Okay, the boy you might be looking for is upstairs. Ready to meet him?" Nodding he walked up with her. Everything was so messy here, would his house look like this if he adopted the boy? Wait don't be stupid, he might not want to come home with me. He might already have a home. This might not be him. She pointed at a door on the left of the landing. "He is in here, he really loved painting. We can rarely get him out of this room." She pulled open the door and they walked in to see a young blonde boy painting.
Okay, this is something me and my sister made up together and is based on a real story I am not going to tell you all of it as it would give the plot away but here is part of it.
When I was 12 years old my house burned. My parents and little sister died in the fire. One month ago, exactly 4 years after the fire, a young man came to visit me in the orphanage. It was the fireman that saved me.
I have changed it a lot to make this work but it had to make a fic with it. Anyway pleased with how this is coming out, so many words! o_o Please review!