Hello all readers and thank you! Your reviews have greatly bolstered my spirit as I wrote. All your kind words are greatly appreciated.

Enjoy.


The first ambulance screamed to a halt by the bulk of its burned mate in a spray of water from the puddles that dotted the roadway. The three silent witness' moved out of their way numbly, backing closer to their vehicle as they continued to watch the flames rise in the sky, ignoring the first medic who stopped by them. He then, along with his companion that had just made her way over, turned slowly and stared at the wreck in muted horror.

It was only a fraction of a second that they could not move, as they had been trained to react first and think later during a crisis, but it was enough for dull grief to begin its attack. They moved cautiously forward, knowing that there was no saving any who was left inside and yet needing the conformation anyhow. The heat bore down on them, pressed them to a standstill still meters away, but it was just possible to note that there were no bodies save that of an infant in the wreck. Then the flames shot out greedily again as it devoured another oxygen tank and the medics were forced back.

Turning their back on the fire, they rushed over to the witness' who were just starting to regain their senses. The mother had tears streaking her face, blending with soot and mascara to form a dotted mask. The father was holding her close, face somber and despairing as he continued to watch the burning ambulance and the son was simply regarding the ground with a blank and dazed expression. Save for a few cuts and bruises and a lump on the boy's head from where he had hit the back of his mother's chair, they were unharmed.

The medics tended to them with quick, if scattered, efficiency, all the while listening for the sirens that would signal the arrival of fellow EMTs and the firemen that would finally put out the mocking baze. Moments later, they arrived along with the deep thrumming of a helicopter approaching from the opposite direction.

It swooped over them like an eagle, a protector from the sky. Its brilliant light illuminated the dark highway with a white blaze, its focus on the wreckage that continued to smoke in the center of the road. And in the center of the ball of light, a solitary raven flew in slow circles. No one took heed of it.

The hulking red trucks screeched to a halt much nearer then the other ambulance, firemen appearing as if from nowhere, melting off from nooks and crannies. They hit the ground with a collective thump, each instantly rushing to their positions as they were trained to so. With handheld hoses, they moved forward as a cohesive unit seconds later, spraying the shell of the first ambulance. Water surged from the tanks the truck contained, racing outwards and dousing the fire. It hissed and sizzled with anger, but could not withstand the force of its elemental foe. Shortly, it fizzled out, leaving behind a wreck that smoked with stuttered determination.

As soon as the scene was deemed safe enough, the medics were allowed to creep forward and examine the wreckage. What they ascertained was not as terrifying as they had been expecting, but saddening nonetheless. They carefully extracted the corpse of the small baby, turning their backs on the empty rig. They carried it gently, wrapped in a white sheet, to their own and laid it gently on the gurney.

It took moments, a large handful of moments for them to realize exactly what was amiss. Word spread from one mouth to another, surging through the minds of every responder as many of them began to make their way up the road opposite the way they had come. Because two were missing.

The medics had received the distress call from their fellow EMT a short while before they had arrived, announcing that he had had to abandon his rig and walk to any place with a phone. That he had left behind the two doctors and the baby because they had refused to leave. The paramedic was currently waiting pick up, warm and dry at a gas bar a short stretch up the road.

And the doctors were nowhere in sight. No one knew if they had gotten out, in which direction they had gone or if they had been injured by the explosion.

The light of the helicopter danced away from the wreckage when it received the order and began combing the forest in a desperate search.

But trees created an impenetrable barrier and branches formed an alcove over the two cold forms, hiding them from sight and rescue. As the minutes ticked away, so did the flickers of life within.