Chapter One
-84 Brewer Avenue; December 23-
Mandy Lambrych answered the call of a four-alarm fire that night with a heavy heart. She had seen these cases before. A family would leave the lights on the Christmas tree turned on, and the whole house would burn to the ground. When the five trucks from Station 9 arrived at 84 Brewer Avenue, they knew they were too late to save the house. Mandy pulled on her helmet and entered the burning building, listening and watching for any signs of life. She stumbled through what was left of the ravaged living room. She stubbed her toe on something and looked down. A charred brass star, presumably the one from atop the family's tree, lay on the floor. Mandy picked it up and put it in her pocket. Straining her eyes, she could see the remains of Christmas gift-wrap lying singed on the floor. Mandy suddenly stopped and straightened. She listened, hearing what almost sounded like a child's cry.
"Is someone there?" Mandy yelled through the roar of the fire.
Another cry. Mandy stumbled through the living room, into what seemed to be a narrow hallway. She struggled to locate the source of the desperate cries. She pushed open a door, and grimaced at the sight of the smoke that poured out. Somewhere in the living room, a beam crashed to the floor. Mandy closed her eyes, knowing she was running out of time. Another beam fell. Mandy ran into the room, now desperate to find survivors. She ran her hands into what could only be a bed. She dug at her side until she found her flashlight. She shined it on the faces that lay in the bed. Surprise, fear, exhaustion. It was hard for her to tell the expressions on their faces, but she knew they were gone. She turned out of the room. The flames were engulfing the hallway now too, making it hard for Mandy to push her way to the next door. It was a child's bedroom. As soon as she opened the door, a beam fell only a few feet behind her. She ran into the room, frantically searching for a sign of life.
"Are you in here?" she yelled.
Mandy heard what could have been a coughing sob, and she ran towards the noise. Her knees collided with the frame of a bed. She bent down and shone the light on the bed. It was empty, but the covers were disheveled and messy. She kneeled down and looked under the bed. A small child lay under the bed, covered in ash and dust. Her body trembled slightly. Mandy reached under the bed and pulled the little girl out. The child looked up at Mandy.
"Where's Mommy?" she asked.
"Shh." Mandy cooed. "It's all right."
Mandy smoothed out the little girl's hair as the beam above them broke away and crashed down.