A/N) So, another attempted update. It's short but - it smooths out the transition for the next chapter that survived and didn't get deleted. Yeah, not that great but anyway, Have fun!

It takes about three second after he hears the first scream for Brick to smell the smoke. Brick gasps as he rushes out of the tent, crimson eyes widening as he takes in the chaos outside. People running back and forth, the gun shots echo as flames catch and roar like beasts ready to eat up everything that lets it –

"Get them out of there!"

Brick whips around at the unnaturally high note of panic in Blossom's voice as she coughs violently. No – a center hut had caught flames. Water wasn't saving it –

"Blossom, you can go in there!" A woman shouts at the young girl.

"Kids are stuck in there; I'm not leaving them to die!"

Brick swallows thick smoke as the girl runs straight towards the burning house.

Brick panics, his brain shorts for a sparse second, he throws a look behind himself, Butch and Mitchelson were still out – he couldn't just leave them –

"Water, get water!" People run past.

Screeches and a nasty stomach churning smell fills the air.

Brick gasps as another flame flies over and lands in front of him, he stomps it as quickly, come on, come on- get out already! He can't look away from the flames Blossom had rushed into . . . she's not coming out - she's not . . .

He throws his logic away and runs for the house. Kids come screaming out.

"Oh thank heaven – "The woman crouches and grabs on to crying sooty faced children and Brick bolts past "But where's Blossom?"

He doesn't hear what the child says as he rushes toward he burning doorway. Smoke assaults his senses as he chokes and quickly covers his mouth with his arm, eyes squinting as he tries to see through the orange flicks of heat.

"Hey! Bloss – om!" He chokes and coughs. "Blossom!" He dodges a fallen beam, something cracks overhead.

"He-help!" A small voice calls, Brick whips around as the voice fades.

"Help!"

"Where are you"? He can't tell who's voice it is or where it's coming from –

"Over here! I'm –" The words are cut off by a sharp scream as something cracks overhead.

Heat is everywhere, Brick feels like his skin will light up any second, he coughs, his lungs tighten like someone gripped it with an iron hand.

"Help!"

"Brick!"

"Blossom?" He gasps and sees a flash of sooty red hair fading in the orange fire as she shoots past him.

"Over here! Help me, this kid is stuck!. She sounds strangely calm for a girl in the center of a burning building.

"Where – "

"Hurry! The roof's going down!"

He lets out another cough and stumbles forward until he reaches her.

"Pull! One, two – three!" Blossom commands and they lift togeather, the kid's cries are louder as the fire dries up her rolling tears.

"I'm coming! Hang on!" Blossom gasps and chokes.

Brick pulls harder, the fire crawls towards his back. He can barely hear anything except the roar of the flames, his hands blister on the broken wood beam as he pulls harder.

"Brick!"

"I'm trying!" He shouts and lets out a desperate growl, with one more fierce heave he flips the beam over and Blossom gasps as she scrambles to grab the kid.

"Shh, its ok – we're getting out of here." She clutches the child and runs through the first opening they can see.

Brick tries his best to lead them through it and keep the flames from her and the kid – go, go, go – he repeats in his mind as the building falls around their ears. A scream stops him dead in his tracks.

Blossom threw the kid as a beam cracks and falls between her and Brick.

"Bloss –"

"Go! Take Gabby and run!" Blossom shouts.

No – no way - he grabs the kid –

"Go Brick – "She cracks and he sees the momentary flicker of fear in her eyes – hell no.

He grabs the sobbing child who instantly clings to his neck as he lifts her up, he looks at Blossom one more time and she – she looks resigned as she gives him an assured nod. She's so certain of this – he doesn't know what's going through her head but- he suddenly thinks she's a complete idiot.

He runs towards the smoking exist and all but throws the kids out.

"Where's Blossom?" The woman at the other end asks, as the kids' crowd around her.

Brick doesn't answer her. "Get away, this thing's going down!" And he turns, running back into the skin bubbling fire.

Blossom – where could she . . . he chokes, he hears a cough, violent and hoarse – where, where did she – he spins around in desperation, he has the fleeting thought that he might die in here and Boomer would be all alone and Butch –

There!

He jumps over a pile of burning furniture as he tries to get to the unmoving mass of red hair on the ground – she couldn't have suffocated yet - she can't have – she coughs and stretches an arm in some last attempt to pull herself up and out –

He's almost got her, almost – no! A beam falls.

He throws himself forward and blocks her, the flaming wood catch his arm and he lets out a hiss as burnt flesh smell fills his nose, his shirt catches fire and he throws the beam off and drops to his side, a clump of dirt flies up as he rolls the fire off his arm, there is no pain – he knows that's bad – he doesn't care. He lifts her up, her head lolls to the side like she's already – no – he can see her chest moving still, labored but she's still alive.

The building creaks and the roof caves. Brick knows neither will be alive for much longer if he can't get out of here –

"Over here!"

He doesn't know who's voice that is but he follows it to an opening, air – almost – he jumps through the clearing and the building collapses sending him into a violent jolt forward and rolling head over head into the dust.

All he hears is muffled screaming and a loud crack as someone starts to tug on him, and shout – guns ring out and Brick's head spins, he tilts over and chokes as acid comes running up his throat, his lungs trying to clear themselves up by emptying his stomach as he shakes violently.

He catches sigh of his arm – bubbled, blistered – shiny – burned.

It doesn't hurt.

Dammit – it doesn't hurt.

A loud explosion shatters whatever grip he had on consciousness.

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