Chapter 7
It was a mystery how quickly Marshall was able to obtain some information about Chase, even if it was barely anything. Compared to how hard Rocky worked to find some clues, taking him to the beach and letting the German Shepherd just talk about his past didn't seem fair.
Rocky soon found out what Katie was up to. Despite hearing how Ryder is a complete lunatic for framing Mayor Humdinger, she did provide how the boy views himself. Never given proper help and always sent to a youth detention center by Humdinger's orders only contributed to the low self-esteem. All in all, Chase feels lonely and Ryder sees himself only as a criminal.
The mix breed sat at the top of the Lookout observatory room, waiting for any trouble to be thrown their way. However, his mind kept wandering off to his two delinquents. What can help them gain trust? Chase seems tempted to trust them, while the boy pulls further away. If they can persuade the German Shepherd, Ryder might follow his lead. With that plan brewing in his head, Rocky was snapped out of his trance when a call suddenly came in. He walked over to the panel and pressed a button.
"Rocky here. What's up, Mr. Porter?" The man on the screen seemed extremely worried about something.
"Rocky! The Paw Patrol has to help. My restaurant was caught on fire! I need help to put it out and I can't seem to find Alex anywhere! He might still be inside," Mr. Porter exclaimed, positioning his camera to show the burning building. Rocky bit his lip in worry but nodded.
"Don't worry, we're on our way!" He hung up the call and activated his pup tag. "Paw Patrol, to the Lookout!"
The pups, all in separate locations, exclaimed, "Rocky needs us!" before sprinting off to the Lookout. As the mix breed waited for the other to arrive, he began wondering how he and the others were going to put out the fire without their police pup and leader.
"Paw Patrol, ready for action, Rocky!" Marshall exclaimed. The mix breed pushed another button on the panel, showcasing an animated version of what was happening.
"Pups, we have a serious emergency on our hands," he began. "Mr. Porter's restaurant spontaneously combust into flames. Now, Alex is trapped somewhere inside and we need to put the fire out before it spreads. I'll need Marshall – you will use your fire hose to put out the flames."
"I'm fired up!" Exclaimed the dalmatian.
"Skye, you'll help him by carrying buckets of water from the bay to the building using your helicopter."
"Let's take to the sky!" She backflipped.
"The rest of you I need to block off the area to prevent anyone from getting hurt," he explained. They barked in agreement. "Alright, Paw Patrol is on a roll!"
When the Paw Patrol arrived at Mr. Porter's restaurant, they could tell that it wasn't long before it came crashing down into smithereens. Rocky gave the order, allowing Skye to take off to the bay and Marshall to start putting out the flames.
"Thank goodness you're here Paw Patrol. Er, um, where are Ryder and Chase?" The restaurant owner furrowed his eyebrows.
"That's not important," Rocky refused to answer. He actually had no idea where those two were. "Do you have any idea where Alex might be?"
"Last I saw him, he was in his room on the second floor." Rocky nodded before rushing over to Marshall, who seemed to be able to control the flames quite easily.
"Marshall, do you have an oxygen mask?" He asked. The dalmatian looked at him for a moment before motioning his head to his front seat. Rocky went over and found the mask. He quickly put it on before making his way inside the building. The restaurant was burnt to a crisp, things hanging on the walls were melting by the roaring flames nearby. Rocky looked up to soon find the stairs, avoiding any fallen support beams. His paws burned as he continued to step around the hallway to find the right room.
"Alex!" He called, peeking into a room but moving onto another.
"H-He...lp," His ears sprang up as he picked up the weak voice. Rocky raced over to the final room on the left. It was a bedroom, a bed in the middle while posters and toys covered the walls and floors. Surprisingly, the room didn't seem as burnt as the rest of the restaurant. The pup soon spotted a figure curled up on the floor, near the bed.
"Alex!" Rocky exclaimed, rushing over and taking off his mask to put it on the boy. "I'm here, don't worry."
The boy looked at him with relief. The pup helped the boy stand up and make their way out of the room. When they reached the lower level, a support beam began to break from the flames. Rocky saw it just in time before it fell, so he managed to push Alex out of the door while it fell on him. Another beam crashed down, blocking his means of escape. Fog began to seem into his lungs, making him cough irritably. If only someone could help him before he's gone for good.
Katie happened to be right outside the restaurant when it blew up into flames. She watched the whole ordeal of Rocky going inside and being trapped while Alex escaped. The girl immediately pulled the younger boy aside to go over his wounds and help him the best way possible while Mr. Porter stood by.
"Woah, what happened here?" They turned to see Chase arriving with Ryder walking closely behind. Katie sighed in irritation, remembering their last encounter.
"A fire spread in Mr. Porter's restaurant and now Rocky is trapped," she explained briefly. She missed the foggy look Ryder gave. "The pups are trying to put out the fire and try to find a way in, but every way is blocked."
Chase looked over and saw that she was right. Those pups were doing everything in their power to rescue their own.
"By the look of those support beams, they don't have much time left before the whole thing collapses," Chase noted. Katie flinched, knowing he was right.
"Aren't you going to help, Chase?" Alex suddenly spoke, looking at the pup with a confused expression. The German Shepherd glanced at Katie before clearing his throat.
"There isn't much I can do, kid," Chase muttered. He was going to add something else, but he decided against it.
"Hey, where's Ryder?" Mr. Porter looked around. Chase immediately whirled around, trying to find the leather-wearing trouble maker, but he couldn't find anyone that matched his description. But then a crashing sound was heard. Instead of wood, like they thought, it was glass. Chase bit his lip in worry. He just hopes that his friend wasn't doing anything stupid.
But stupid was the one word that could describe Ryder, as he crashed into the second-floor window after climbing up the building.
"Okay, definitely not doing that again," he groaned, lightly tapping a piece of glass wedged into his arm. He hissed as he pulled it out. "Alright, pup, where are ya?"
The boy traveled out of the room and down the hallway, taking precautions of the burning remains of the walls. He got to the stairs, but as he made his way down, he fell through due to the weak stability.
"Ouch." Ryder pried himself out of the wood floorings, soon getting back on his feet. He took one last glance at the broken stairs, rethinking how he was going to get back outside. Smoke made his way into his lungs, making him cough repeatedly. The first floor was just about near collapsing when he found Rocky wedged under a smoldering support beam. He went off to one side and readied himself before placing his hands on the burning piece of wood. He bit on his tongue to prevent him from cursing. After a moment, the boy lifted the long piece of wood and shimmied it to the side.
"Hey, pup, can you hear me?" Ryder rushed over to the mix breed. Rocky cracked open his eyes but he closed them right after. "Alright, let's see if we can get you out of there."
Ryder placed his hands on the pup's back and stomach, his grip firm yet gentle. It took some time but he finally pulled the dirty ashy dog out. He held Rocky in his arms as he scanned his surroundings. Nothing seemed to be opened, but there was a window nearby blocked by a table. Ryder placed Rocky on the floor before taking a deep breath and grasping on the metal table. At once, his skin sizzled by the intensity of the heat. He snapped back, pulling his hands away to see serious burn marks.
"AH! Come on, Ryder, you can do this," he motivated himself before placing his hands once more. With his remaining strength, he pulled the table out of the way, allowing access to the window. His vision began getting blurry as tears stung his eyes. He began coughing again as he picked up Rocky. The building began to creak, more pillars breaking down. Taking as much air in his lungs as he could get, the boy charged at the window and broke through. He landed on the floor with a thud, taking in a much-deserved intake of air. Suddenly the building crashed down.
"Huh. Close call," he muttered.
"Rocky!" Multiple voices exclaimed. He turned to see the pups of the Paw Patrol rush over and look over the mix breed in his arms. Chase and Katie joined them. The boy staggered as he stood and handed the wounded pup in the girl's arms.
"Here. He needs to get medical attention and fast," he ordered. It was mostly out of instinct, but Marshall ran off to bring in his ambulance. Ryder slowly began to walk away but Katie called him back.
"Ryder?" He turned. "Thanks, for saving Rocky."
"I may be a criminal, but I'm not heartless, princess," he rasped out. But he had a small smirk on his face. Not a nasty, evil one. A nice, welcoming one that made her smile.
"Sir?" Chase acknowledged. Ryder looked down at his worried stare. "I think you need to be cared for too. You don't look so good."
"He's right. You've been inhaling that smoke," Katie agreed with a newfound frown on her face. Ryder waved his hand carelessly.
"I'm fine, I can take care of myself," he said before he began walking away.
"Hi, Ryder!" Alex happily greeted as he slowly walked by.
"Yeah, hi," he furrowed his eyebrows.
"You need medical treatment!" Chase exclaimed behind him.
"No, I don't." He heard a sigh behind him. Then, he felt a prick on his arm. Ryder looked and saw Katie sticking a syringe in his arm. He began getting a little dizzy. "Did you…?" He collapsed on the floor.
"Is Ryder okay?" Alex worriedly asked, seeing his idol unconscious on the pavement.
"He'll be okay. Just as stubborn as always," Katie sighed with a shake of her head. With the help of Mr. Porter, they were able to transport him to Katie's parlor, where Rocky was being treated as well.
TBC...