Denise saw Randy's face appear in the mirror behind her. She felt his hand wrap around her neck. She heard him snarl "Alone at last, bitch!" into her ear. Just as he started to squeeze her windpipe, the alarm in the station began to blare. "FUCK!"
The momentary jerk of his arm was all she needed. Denise tore out of the bathroom. Randy was hot on her heels. Damien and Joe were still in the bunkroom when Denise ran through, not pausing for them. They saw Randy chasing after her and grabbing for her. "She made a pass at me. She came into the shower while I was in there!" he exclaimed.
Joe reached for Randy's collar, ready to pin him to the wall. "Joe! No time!" Denise exclaimed. "Move!"
All four ran for the engines that were going on the call. Joe pushed Colby in to the seat across from Denise and climbed in beside her, watching Damien and Nick follow Randy. "Wha…"
"That dick struck again. Bathroom." Joe snarled. Denise quietly pulled on her hood and buckled her turnout coat. Both men watched her carefully. She slid her arms through the air pack straps, not looking up until Colby reached over to secure the pack.
"Are you okay?"
Denise swallowed hard as she looked at both men. "Scared spitless. But I know I'm not alone this time. That helps. Now we have to focus on the job at hand. If this is the arsonist…"
"We got each other. We don't play with fire." Joe assured her.
The engines rolled to a stop in front of a fully involved warehouse. The Battalion Chief was already on the scene directing stations, engines, and crews to their positions. Nick, Cody, Jack, and Damien were sent in one direction. Joe and Colby were drafting water. Randy and Denise were sent into the building on a search and rescue. Before anyone could argue or switch jobs, the Chief was off with the Captain shadowing him. Randy was suited and had a line pulled. Denise took her position and followed him into the building.
They searched from the door inwards, clearing the first floor. Moving to the second floor, Denise started to get a gut feeling. She started noticing odd burn patterns. She tapped Randy's shoulder and pointed them out. He shrugged her off. Denise saw the tell-tale flicker along the ceiling seam. She felt along the wall. This time her tug on his coat was firm and frantic. Randy dropped the hose. He grabbed Denise by the throat and slammed her against the opposite wall, snarling through his mask. Denise clutched at his wrists and kicked his shins, fighting for air. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the wall behind him explode into flames. The last thing Denise saw was the ceiling and wall collapsing on top of both of them; a support beam heading for Randy.
"We should be in there with Denise. Who knows what that asshole will do." Colby muttered.
"They are in a working fire on an active fire ground." Joe tried to assure his friend, but he wasn't convinced himself. The two were steadily working the pumps making sure plenty of water flowed into the fire. Suddenly the boards lit up. Alarms blared. Two fire fighters were not moving for more than 30 seconds. The alarms reached a wail as time reached one minute. Joe and Colby looked at each other. Nick, Cody, Jack, and Damien were running towards them. They checked the computerized board as the Captain appeared. "Get someone else to flow water." Joe snarled, grabbing an air pack and an ax. Colby grabbed an air pack and a stretcher. The other four men grabbed an assortment of tools and followed them in.
They followed the hose to the second floor. Cody and Nick took the hose and kept a flow of water over the area as the other four men began tossing rubble to the side. It wasn't long before they uncovered a beam lying across the hall pinning Randy to the floor. Jack knelt down to check for a pulse, given the awkward angle of Randy's head and back.
"Fuck!" Jack cursed, jumping over Randy's head suddenly and yanking on more fallen debris. Suddenly the other men realized that pinned underneath the beam and Randy, lay a trapped Denise.