Time before ...

Severide was with Cruz, they had found two women and a child holed up under a table with a sewing machine.

- Come on, come on, you're safe - Kelly told them - Cruz take the baby and open the way to the exit, I'll be behind them.

They thought they were done, that was the last sewing station. Severide had screamed several times

- Is anyone there firefighters? -

They had searched the area and found no one else, so they had prepared to leave.

Cruz had done as he was told and went ahead with the baby followed by the two women convinced that his lieutenant was behind them as he had said. She heard him speak:

- Be careful, stay down and stay close to my colleague. -

A noise distracted the lieutenant who stopped to look around.

Then suddenly there was an explosion behind them, a loud roar near them.

- Don't stop - Severide shouted - go ahead, let's get out of here.

So Joe obeyed as he went on, but Kelly, unbeknownst to her, was no longer behind them.

The explosion had raised debris that had hit him all over his body and the energy released had knocked him to the ground.

But he was tough, he had told his colleague to continue, he just had to be able to get up, fix the mask that fortunately was still intact and reach the exit.

Easy to say, to be done a little less.

He was there, stretched out, in pain. He couldn't move, he was in pain all over the place and it was getting hard to breathe. His lungs were filling with smoke.

With difficulty he managed to rearrange the mask on his face. To his surprise it still worked and hadn't broken.

After a few deep breaths he partially regained control of his body and began to drag himself forward. He could feel the roughness of the floor with debris on her skin every time his suit rubbed against it as he advanced.

At a certain point, however, he was forced to stop.

A larger debris that he hadn't seen to his left perhaps due to smoke had fallen on him at his side.

He felt excruciating pain, but he decided not to give up.

He had to free himself and get out of there as soon as possible, the building would collapse at any moment. He was wedged under that boulder.

Slowly with great effort and feeling a great pain he managed, using a pipe from one of the benches that had been destroyed in the fire, to insert it into a small space between the boulder and its side, making a little leverage to crawl out of there.

Slowly holding on to the furniture present with great difficulty, he got up and tried to move towards the exit.

Meanwhile, Stella, Cruz and Casey came to him.

- Everything good? - Stella asked

- Yes, everything is ok, I think there is still someone. I noticed a person before the explosion, but I could not reach him - Kelly replied out of breath.

- Cruz take him out while we check if anyone is there. - Matt said referring to the lieutenant.

Joe obeyed and Stella and Casey parted ways, one going to one side and the other to the other in order to scan the floor faster.

Kelly wasn't sure exactly where he had seen the person, there was too much smoke, but of one thing he was sure there was still someone there.

Slowly the lieutenant and Cruz were out.

Severide was joined by Brett who had begun to control him. He removed his mask and began to cough, he had inhaled some smoke, but otherwise he seemed fine, he had no obvious wound, except for a few minor bruises.

But the lieutenant could not waste time being examined. Stella and Matt still weren't out of the building.

He no longer felt the pain spreading through his body. The adrenaline was at its maximum, he had tried several times to return, he could not abandon them in there.

But he was stopped by Capp and Cruz and Brett handed him a bottle of water saying:

- I understand you're okay, but catch your breath.