A new story? *gasps* You're welcome.
This story needs a few warnings/notes before you read, though.
1, most importantly, you should be aware of how this story was created. I used Chat GPT to write this story. I just want you to be aware that this is not fully my work, I cannot take complete credit. I put in the prompts (some very specific prompts that included dialogue I wanted to see, etc.), and I would edit prompts based off what I received to fit what I wanted (I've used a lot of "rewrite scene # but this time..."). I also added words, sentences, even whole scenes to make it more coherent/interesting. I also went through and edited it before posting the final draft. So rest assured, I still put in lots of work to create and shape the product, but the first draft was created by Chat GPT as I have begun experimenting with that in my writing.
2, because this story was created with AI, I am able to write it much faster. Instead of having an idea for a scene, and then spending a few days writing it, I can have AI create a draft that I only have to tweak to fit what I was aiming for. That being said, I got too impatient and I am posting the beginning of this story even though it remains very much unfinished. I truly hate reading something, only to find out it was abandoned or that updates are few and far between. I hate to do that as a writer, but I simply couldn't resist posting. You'll just have to be patient with me as I work through this story. I'll do my best to update, but you may have to wait longer (a week, two weeks? I'm not fully sure, sorry!) between chapters.
3, because of the nature of this story, again being AI and not very developed as of yet, I am always open to suggestions. There are certain things I already have planned for the story, but if there is ever anything you hope for, just leave a review! no promises but if it's something I can do, i'd love to have any feedback of the direction you'd like to see the story go in. No reason readers can't participate in writing this!
4, overall, this story is just a fun experiment for me, but I do hope you enjoy it. It has been a very fun process for me!
Through the Fire—Prologue
Although they had all expected nothing less from their brainy friend, when Milton got first in the Science Fair everyone jumped at the chance to celebrate with him. The event to do just that was taking place at the old community center since the High School was being used for a basketball game. The community center was not the first choice of location, since it was currently undergoing construction, but when sports were always prioritized over STEM, it was all they had.
After the obligatory presentation of the projects, there was pizza, games, and even karaoke for the finalists and their guests to enjoy. Overall, it was a fun evening and laughter echoed off the walls.
After a round of cards, Kim excused herself in search of a bathroom. She told the guys she'd be right back but when she saw there was only one family bathroom in the main room, she left to find a bathroom that hadn't been used by every single other person there. She would gladly trade having to walk a little further to pee somewhere clean.
Just a few minutes later, dark smoke began creeping through the cracks in the ceiling. It took only a few seconds for people to start to notice, question what it was, and then realize with horror what was happening.
"FIRE!" someone across the room shouted.
It was another few moments before any sort of alarm sounded, dangerously delayed.
The old building, under construction no less, was full of corroded wires and flammable framing. Flames quickly grew, licking the edges of the walls and spreading with aggressive speed.
Everyone stumbled out of their chairs and began to make their way toward the nearest exits in a panic.
Halfway to the door, Milton froze.
"Where's Kim?"
"What?" Jerry said, blinking.
"Kim," Milton repeated. "She went upstairs to find a bathroom…"
Jack was already sprinting away at the realization that Kim was not there. He didn't think—he just ran.
"Jack!" Rudy shouted from behind, too far away to grab him. "Stop! You'll get yourself killed!"
Jack couldn't hear or didn't care. His heart was pounding out of his chest. All he could think about was Kim and how she was alone somewhere deep within a building that could crumble at any second.
Logically, he knew, even in a split second, that going further into the building was a horrible idea. He should have gone with the others and evacuated the room as quickly as possible. Kim might be able to find her own way out, she might not even need his help. He was only putting himself in more danger. But in that same split second, he knew he couldn't just walk out without knowing Kim was okay. In that split second, he knew he couldn't live a life where Kim didn't make it out of the building. It was an intense emotion, rare, but Jack was sure of it. His thoughts revolved around her. He had to make sure she was okay.
The smoke was thick—black and biting. Jack could hardly see or breathe. He had pulled his hoodie over his mouth and stayed low to the ground in a crouch. The building around him groaned. Flames hissed and roared like angry beasts. Each step Jack took was another test of fate. Each step could be his last.
He stepped again.
He had barely made it upstairs, finding that visibility was quickly dwindling.
"Kim!" he called, coughing hard. "Kim, where are you?"
He wasn't even sure she'd be able to hear.
But then, quiet as a mouse, a small voice called back.
"Jack…?"
Jack turned at the sound. A door, half-burned, was keeping Kim from running out.
"Stay back!" Jack instructed, coughing again as he tried to project his voice as loud as he could.
In the next second, Jack kicked the door in, mustering up a strength he didn't even know he had. All he knew was Kim's safety depended on his ability to break down the door and so that is what he did.
As soon as the door crashed to the ground, sparks and ashes jumped. Jack looked around, trying to see what the room looked like.
He saw Kim. She was slumped against the wall, her hand over her mouth, eyes fluttering open and shut. Her phone was clutched in her other hand, useless.
"Jack," she whispered. "I couldn't get to the stairs…"
He didn't waste a second. He scooped her up into his arms and turned back toward the exit. He could hardly see, instead each step was made with a prayer that there would be solid floor to stand on when his foot came down. The flames were closing in. Heat clawed at his skin. But he didn't stop. Couldn't.
They burst out into the cold night air to a chorus of gasps and cries. Paramedics rushed forward, pulling Kim from Jack's arms and giving her oxygen.
Her face was streaked with soot, and her voice was hoarse, but she was alive. She'd inhaled a lot of smoke, and her skin was slightly burned along her left arm—but the EMTs said she'd heal. She'd have a few scars, maybe. But she was going to be okay.
The firefighters, still trying to get the flames under control, determined that the fire had started somewhere in a wall upstairs. Kim, likely, had been in the smoke before anyone downstairs had noticed. The alarms upstairs never went off. Every agreed Kim was lucky Jack had found her, she probably owed him her life.
Kim just nodded as everyone relayed this information to her, feeling a little like it was going right over her head.
Jack sat beside her stretcher, refusing to leave.
He'd been checked out as well. He'd inhaled a lot of smoke and his voice suffered because of it, but he'd be fine. Kim, having been trapped upstairs for so long, had been injured worse.
"You scared me," he murmured, brushing soot from her hair.
Kim gave him a weak smile. "You saved me."
They didn't say anything else. It hurt them both to talk, but they didn't need to. Looking into each other's eyes, basking in their presence and the knowledge that they were alive was enough. Although they were scared and tired, they shared a strong sense of relief, above all the other emotions.
Jerry and Milton came over eventually, guilt in their eyes, but Kim just waved them off. "Don't give me that look," she croaked.
Jerry shook his head.
"We feel terrible, Kim," Milton voiced, trying to push the idea of Kim not making it out of the building out of his mind. He felt even guiltier because she was only there to celebrate him.
"Well don't," Kim said. "I'm fine. Promise."
Kim didn't say anymore because she was afraid she would fall into a coughing fit and that would not help in convincing the boys that she was fine.
Jack looked between Kim and the others and shook his head. "We all look out for each other. That's what we do."
News of the fire—and Jack's heroic rescue—spread fast. By the next day, local headlines read: "Teen Saves Friend from Blaze" and "Seaford Student Risks Life to Save Classmate."
Reporters tried to reach him at school. The principal had to remind the media that they were not permitted to be on school grounds after the entrance was blocked by the small crowd of camera crews and reporters and journalists. The mayor's office called Rudy's dojo asking to speak with Jack, having found Rudy's number online. Social media blew up with praise and admiration. Videos of the fire were attached and nearly everyone agreed the fire was devastating and dangerous, and that Jack's actions were heroic.
But Jack? Jack didn't want to talk.
Not about the fire. Not about what he did. Not about how close it had been. He didn't want to talk about why he did that or who he saved. It was too personal and too terrifying to think about the possibility of things going differently. About not finding her or his foot slipping or the building giving way before they'd made it out. He didn't want to think about that.
The next day, Rudy gathered everyone at the dojo. "So… the city wants to give Jack an award," he said, trying to sound excited. "A ceremony. Medal of Bravery. Big crowd. You'd be the youngest to ever receive it."
Everyone turned to Jack. But he just stared at the mat in front of him with a blank stare.
"I'm not doing it."
"Wait, what?" Jerry said, confused. "Dude, you ran further into a burning building. That's, like, next-level superhero stuff!"
Jack shook his head. "I didn't do it to get a flashy award. I did it because Kim was in there, not because I'm some invincible saint. I don't want a medal for something that could've ended in the worst way possible."
Kim looked at him quietly from the side. Her arm still bore faint scars, and her voice hadn't fully recovered, but her eyes were steady. She was studying him carefully.
"You really don't want to be recognized?" Milton asked.
Jack stood up. "I don't want people clapping for something I can't even think about without feeling sick. We almost lost her. That's not something to celebrate."
The room fell quiet.
Kim stepped forward.
"Well," she said softly, "then we won't celebrate it."
Jack looked at her. She didn't fight him about it. Not even one single comment about being recognized or accepting an award. And his heart burst at the realization that she was so quick to support his decision. She understood and she didn't push.
"But we will remember it," she said. "Because you saved my life. Whether you like it or not, that matters."
Instead of the public ceremony, Rudy came up with something much simpler but just as meaningful, if not more.
One night after closing, the gang gathered at the dojo. No cameras. No reporters. Just the five of them.
Kim stood in front of Jack with something in her hands—a simple black bracelet with a small silver plate.
"It's not a medal," she said quickly, sure Jack would be opposed to anything resembling a medal or a plaque. "But it's from all of us."
Jack looked down at it. On the plate, engraved in neat letters, it read:
"Honor. Strength. Loyalty."
He looked up, speechless. Kim fastened it around his wrist herself.
"Thank you," she whispered, hoping he knew how grateful she was to him. He saved her life. Maybe he didn't want to be celebrated like a hero, but he was her hero. She owed him her life. Every breath she took was thanks to him.
Jack didn't need the city's recognition. He didn't want the flash or the fame. All he wanted was exactly what he had in that moment:
His friends. His family.
Her.
Next chapter is where the story really picks up, just you wait. If this chapter feels a little choppy or weird, just go with it. That's the combination of chat and me trying to work together but having different ideas for where the story should go.
One of the quirks of using AI is that every single part it writes (about 500-1000 words) is written as its own little story, so it wraps it up so nicely with some sort of message at the end. Which is fine except sometimes I want to use like 3 different parts for one chapter and if I didn't edit it, there would be a bunch of randomly really dramatic lines at the end of each scene. If I spent more time writing/editing I could make it more coherent, but this whole story is just for a fun experiment in using AI so I'm not going to edit it too much haha.