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Short Story / Fire Engine 5: Dreams of Fire
Fire Engine 5: Dreaming of Fire
15 YEARS AGO…
The sky was blue and the golden sunshine made the children of Water Crest Elementary School squint to see. Recess had begun fifteen minutes ago. Most of the children were playing kickball or on the jungle gym. Two boys and a girl held a jump rope near a corner of the building away from everyone else.
The first boy was Archie. He had red hair and light green eyes. He was known for his wits and brainy ideas. The next boy was his brother, Garret. He had brown hair and brown eyes; he looked more like his dad than his mother. Garret was tall and known for being the strongest boy on the pee-wee football team. He was often brave, but not quite a quick thinker. The next, a girl, she was cute and had brown curly hair. She was known as Samantha. Sam wasn’t like all the other children, she was different. She was a Puerto Rican living in Water Crest. These three had quite an imagination…
“Archie, there’s a little girl in there!” Samantha cried.
“I’m going in!” Garret shouted.
“Brother, NO!” Archie called. Archie covered his face as he let out a bursting sound that resembled a fire. He fell to the ground.
“Get the hose!” Archie screamed.
“Hose ready.” Samantha confirmed, holding the jump rope.
“Put out that fire.” Archie ordered. Garret ran down the stairs. Archie looked at Samantha as the bell rang. Archie began to breathe heavily. The sun beat down on his face, he lost his sense of direction. Archie saw recess at Water Crest dissolve away and a great sensation of heat come from the corner. He heard a voice, “Archie!”
Ten MINUTES AGO…
“Archie!” a woman yelled. She had curly brown hair. It was Samantha. “Archie!”
“Huh? Oh what?”
“Don’t drift off like that. I just got word from the cheif that there’s a building on fire at the corner of Brooke and Springfield. ” Samantha said.
“Well, what’s the order?” Archie asked.
“We need to go in. And fast. If the fire reaches another five-hundred feet it will catch the corner stations.”
“Well let’s go!” Garret shouted as he jumped in the back of fire engine number 5.
“I’ll drive.” Samantha said. “Archie, tell Jose and Johnson to meet us there.”
“Let’s move.” Archie said as he got into the truck.
The sirens came on and the night time streets glowed with red and white lights.
Engine number five rounded the corner of Springfield and Day dr. ”There it is.” Samantha said.
“How you doing back there Gar?” Archie called back to his brother, who was fully geared and ready to walk into hell.
“Just Peachy!” he said sarcastically.
“i’m gonna take this as close as I can.” Samantha said. She pulled the truck near the end of Brooke road.
Archie jumped out of the side of the truck. He saw a man pacing by the station. He went to the man.”Sir, you need to evacuate the premises.” the man looked at Archie and brought his hands up to his head.
“My daughter is in there. Please, you have to save her!” the man began to sob. Archie led him beyond the fire engine.
Archie ran back to his brother. “Garret, there’s a little girl inside!” Archie looked around, three minutes came to pass.
“That’s it! I’m going in!” Garret said.
“Brother, NO!” Archie yelled. He grabbed his shoulder. “We need a plan. And the fire is spreading.”
“Then you contain it! I’m gonna save that girl that you won’t!” Garret ran to the building with an axe in his right hand. He ran up the front steps and with a powerful strike, he knocked down the front door. Garret went inside.
Once inside, Garret could see a door with bright read and orange flames dancing around it. Near the far wall was a set of stairs. Garret ran to the stairs. As his hand grasped the rail, the side of the staircase crumbled. Smoke erupted, forcing Garret up the stairs choking. He looked around calling out. He heard a faint sound from above him. ”I’m coming!” he yelled. A window near him burst and fire blasted out. Garret ran to the next set of stairs. He put his foot down. He felt his foot absorb into the stair and then a sharp pinch as the stair caved in. Garret fell back.
He mustered all his strength and lept up the broken stairs. He climbed the stairs and reached a hallway. He could now hear a girl crying. Garret took his axe and chopped through the first door. Nothing was inside. Another cry. Garret felt the hallway getting hotter. He looked up in time to see the ceiling fall. It crashed through the floor in front of Garret. It knocked open a door. Garret jumped inside the room. Garret saw a windo open. In that same room was a closet with a closed folding door. From inside the closet came a cry. ”I’m here, open the door.” Garret said. The cry came again. He broke open the lock and opened the door. He saw a young girl with a towel wrapped around her face. She was crying and her face was black from smoke. Garret grabbed her and put an oxygen mask over her face. He carried her out. He saw a fire escape hatch out the window. He climbed out with the girl. Windows burst as he reached the second floor. He felt the stairs on the escape hatch begin to shake. He grabbed the hand rail as the top half of the hatch broke off the wall. Garret decided in that instant that he needed to get out of the way; he jumped with the girl. He landed hard, but the girl was alright. Johnson carried the girl off. Jose helped Garret get away from the building.
“Samantha, Get that hose ready we need to put that fire out!” Archie yelled.
Sam grabbed the hose. She increased the pressure. ”Hose ready.” she said.
“Let’s put out that fire!” Archie called out.
The fire had almost reached the station. Finally, the fire sizzled out. The building crumbled to the ground. Archie ran to Garret.
“You know Gar, sometimes you’re completely nuts.” he said.
“But you gotta admit, it’s just like what we’ve always dreamed of. Being a hero.”
“Garret, you’re always gonna be a hero. No matter who you save.” Archie said.
“But i did save that girl. She thinks I’m a hero.” Garret said.
“But we aren’t heroes for how many people we save. We’re heroes because of what we do, we stare death in the eye, and you know what we do?” Archie said.
“What do we do?” Garret replied.
“We give it the size twelve American Fireman’s boot! Right in the kisser!” they both laughed.
“I still saved her.” Garret said as he lay down and rested. He smiled and laughed.
“Yes. Yes you did.”
“You know what Archie, this is just like when we were kids.” Garret said.
“You’re right, except jump ropes don’t get as much pressure.” They both laughed as Archie made a bursting sound that resembled a fire.
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I really liked it. I have nothing bad to say at all. It would’ve been cool if you had delved more into the first paragraph and Archie’s flashback and made him semi-insane.
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