A Few Days Later...
His gear clinking Alex stood up in the plane slipping on his helmet and locking in the face cage as the back of plane opened. "What a good day to be jumping out of a perfectly good air plane!" the Chief said, as he came forward looking down at the smoking forest.
"Must be quite a change from your last post?" the chief asked, and Alex nodded.
Looking at him, he took in the man's hard tough face and hint of a war wound on the side of his neck. "You have no idea," he said, then with a cry jumped from the plane.
The wind roared around him as Alex fell his fire suit whipping in the wind. Spreading his arms wide he controlled his decent keeping close to the others. As one, they opened the chutes and continued down toward the road where they clearly saw people trapped by the forest fire.
After landing with a few steps, he quickly shrugged off his suit and parachute assessing the situation slipping on a ball cap his Polanski and chainsaw at his hips. "Deek! Cowgirl! Cut us a break! Bowie get those people away from their cars!" the chief barked, when he landed gesturing.
At once, Alex and others moved to put his orders into motion. "Your cars are filled with gasoline they will explode! Move away from them and into the ditch!" Alex barked, at the people and they quickly did as they were told.
Once they were safe as could be the chief was at my side as we looked into the fire full engaged and covering several trees. "It's gaining ground!" he shouted, and Alex nodded already covered in sweat from the heat.
At a cry, Alex turned and stopped a man and woman from charging into the blazing forest. "…MY LITTLE GIRL! DON'T LET HER DIE SHE'S IN THE HOUSE!" the woman screamed, as he held her back.
"WHERE'S THE HOUSE?" he barked, at her over the roar of the fire.
"RIGHT THERE!" she screamed, pointing.
"COWGIRL!" the Chief barked, gesturing and she quickly came over pulling the woman away while Alex turned and looking through the fire saw the cabin with a six year old look through a window.
"DAME IT WE'RE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE WALL! WE CAN'T GET TO HER!" the chief said, then moved off barking orders for a dump plane.
After looking after him, Alex looked back at the cabin then at a tree that wasn't engulfed. After a quick calculation, he darted over and whipping out the chain saw began to cut into the tree. A second later, it fell across the wall of flame and with the chief calling after him; he darted across his makeshift bridge.
Once on the other side he ran full out for the cabin. A sound drew his eyes up and widen when he saw a tree with dancing flames covering it start to fall towards the cabin but was halted by two more. After using his Polanski to break down the door, he darted inside.
"SWEET HEART COME ON OUT YOUR MOM SENT ME TO GET YOU!" he called out as he started to search the bottom rooms.
"COME ON HONEY COME ON OUT I'M A FIREFIGHTER AND ITS NOT SAFE!" he called out again after lifting up the beds.
He before he climbed the ladder to the second floor he glanced out the window on the tree. As he did, it dropped another inch and as his eyes swiveled down, he froze then dived for the floor as the gas tank on the boat exploded covering him with glass from the windows. Pushing himself up the glass shifting to the floor, he paused his eyes on a cupboard by the fireplace.
Darting forward he opened it and there was the girl holding her kitten. Without a word, he took her in his arms and ran from the cabin just as the tree came down cutting the cabin in two. Skidding to a stop the girl crying in his arms he saw his break closed and looking back saw they were surrounded my fire.
On the other side, the chief was on the radio. "Big dipper this is smoke jump 1 we're on the service road! I need a double hit from you one at my location the other a cabin a quarter mile east!" he barked, into it.
"Smoke jump one we only have half a load it has to be one or the other!" the pilot said, back to him as he started to hear the roar of the plane over the fire.
At that, the chief paused turning on the spot looking at the people then at the spot where Alex had disappeared. "Cabin or road Smoke Jump 1! Which is it!" the Pilot snapped, as he remained silent.
Facing hardening, he raised the mike. "HIT THE ROAD!" he ordered.
A few seconds later the plane flew over them dumping its load and everyone was covered in the red liquid. Around them fire started to die as steam and smoke rose up into the air. When it was over one by one, the people and jumper looked up and looked in the direction of the cabin.
The smoke and steam covered it from their sight as they stared hopefully. Then slowly it began to fall showing the ruined remains and the mother began to scream in agony falling to her knees her husband holding her. Then out of the last wisp of smoke walked, Alex the girl in his arms who turned to face her mother hair matted from the liquid.
At once, the mother crying out ran to him and took her daughter in her arms. "Oh thank you! Thank you!" she said, as she held the girl tight to her before moving away.
Nodding after her Alex bent over to catch his breath as the chief came over. "That was some work. Best I've seen in my twenty years in the job fighting that beast," he said.
Standing straight Alex nodded. "Well it beats smoke house fish," he said, and the chief laughed.
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