"The Road Less Traveled"
Author: carmen085
E-mail: All Third Watch character are property of the NBC Corporation and its affiliates while all original characters belong to me.
Spoilers: Up through and including most of season two
Summary: While still reeling from a terrible accident, Bosco and his streetwise new partner are chosen to go undercover and investigate a string of arsons that has the 55 questioning members of its own department.
Chapter Five
"Life is short
But this time it was bigger
Than the strength he had
To get up off his knees"
After Faith had passed, Bosco remained by her side. Clutching onto her hand tightly, his stare never wavered. She seemed so peaceful that he could barely believe she was gone. Everything about this day was so unbelievable that he silently wondered why he should start accepting the harsh reality now. Faith was everything to him. She was his partner, his friend, his family, everything. He didn't know how he was going to make it without her, and for that reason he was content to pretend that she was only sleeping for a little while longer. Despite his most valiant efforts, the tears continued to roll down his cheeks as he committed every detail of his partner's face to memory. This would be the last time he would see her and he didn't want to miss a thing.
Somewhere behind him he heard the door open slightly. Quickly wiping the tears away, he suddenly became very self conscious. Stealing a quick glance over his shoulder he was somewhat relieved to see the nurse and not one of his colleagues or worse yet, Fred. Bowing his head he half hoped this young girl would comfort him while he also wished that she would just leave him in his misery. Pressing a few buttons she silenced the high pitched squawking of the heart monitor. In an instant the room became eerily quiet as he realized that she was watching him. Sighing, the young nurse put her arm around Bosco's shoulders and whispered gently in his ear, "Take all the time you need, Officer. If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know."
As she pulled away, Bosco forced himself to offer her a faint smile of gratitude. Nodding slightly the nurse, acknowledged the vacant look of sadness swirling across Bosco's features. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze she pulled a box of tissues out of her pocket before turning to leave.
Bosco waited until he heard the door click shut before allowing Faith's limp hand to slip from his grasp. Other than a faint feeling of sadness, Bosco couldn't feel much of anything. He wasn't angry or lonely, upset or afraid. Bosco no longer felt guilty or responsible as the cascade of raw emotion inside of him had abruptly subsided. All of the sadness and panic, disbelief and anger had given way to a state of emotional shock. Bosco was numb and he would stay that way for a long time.
Sliding off the side of the bed he was careful not to disturb anything. In the blink of an eye he was back at the academy, where it all began. She was the most amazing friend he had ever had then and now. Sighing, Bosco knew that friends like her came along once in a lifetime.
Pulling the sheet up around her neck, he ran a hand through her soft blonde hair. Bosco felt the involuntary urge to cry, though he knew he had nothing left to give. While a sob rose in his throat, no tears came to his eyes. Bending over, Bosco gently kissed his partner's forehead before turning to leave. When he got to the door, he paused for just a moment. The thought of turning back one last time crossed his mind, though he knew if he did this he would never again have the strength to leave her side. He had to walk away.
Taking a deep breath he stepped out into the hall. It was over now. Blinking a few times, Bosco's eyes burned against the harsh white light of the hallway. His throat was killing him and his entire body ached. Bosco knew that he looked like hell, and in all honesty he didn't really care. Running his hand through his hair, he peered down the hallway. The last thing he wanted to do right now was face another human being. Sighing, he slumped against the door. Bosco didn't think that there had ever been a time when he was so exhausted. Out of the corner of his eye he saw blue uniforms moving in and out of the lounge. Half the department was probably gathered down there…waiting. He shuddered at the thought of having to face them. The questioning stares. The God-awful sympathetic looks. Bosco suddenly felt as though he were suffocating. He had to get out of there.
Just was he was about to make a mad dash past the lounge and into the elevator, the young nurse he had met earlier came around the corner. Again, he was immensely relieved to see her. A slight smile crossed the young woman's face as she approached Bosco.
"Is there something I can do for you, Officer?"
Offering her a half smile, Bosco was ashamed of what he was about to ask. "Yeah..uhh," Looking around the hall nervously, he bowed his head slightly before continuing, "Is there…is there any other way out of here beside the main elevator?" Inwardly he cringed at his own request. .
Nodding, the nurse didn't seem to find his request all that unusual. As she led him to the opposite end of the hallway, he didn't notice anything but the dull ache that taking over his entire body. The door to the back stairs was tucked between the staff lounge and large room that Bosco guessed to be some sort of utility room. Near the handle of the door was a little black slot with the green and red light. Looking over her shoulder, the nurse slid her ID card into the slot and opened the door. Propping it open with her foot she pointed Bosco toward a narrow and somewhat dilapidated staircase. "It's for staff only, but I doubt that anyone will bother you."
Bosco nodded his thanks to her before sliding unnoticed into the stairwell. Turning back, he felt compelled to say something more. Before he could open his mouth, however, the young women nodded and replied, "Anytime." A look of understanding passed between them, before he continued down the stairs and away from the only family that he had ever known. Flight after flight, Bosco ran faster and faster as if someone or something was chasing him. When he reached the bottom, he hit the door with all his weight. Not expecting the door to open so easily, he stumbled outside before falling to his knees. The harsh asphalt tore into his palms as he landed in a crumpled heap. His entire body screamed out in pain as the cold, hard pain pelted his face…yet he barely felt a thing.
Sully looked around the waiting room anxiously. As word of Faith's accident spread throughout the department, more and more cops started showing up at the hospital. At first it was just other beat cops swinging by to see how she was, but then as time went on department brass began to take their place. Leaning forward, Sully rested his head in his hands. Allowing a deep sigh to escape his lips, he silently wondered where the day had gone so wrong.
"What the hell happened? I want to see my wife! Where is she?" Fred had arrived. Reluctantly, Sully opened his eyes. Outside of the elevators, Fred had cornered some nurse and was browbeating her with a barrage of questions. "Don't you know anything? Jesus Christ!" Without warning, Fred kicked the nearest object- a wheel chair- and sent it crashing loudly against the floor. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Sully quickly jumped to his feet and intervened before the situation got any worse.
"Fred, C'mon, come sit down." Sully placed both hands firmly on Fred's shoulders as he ushered him towards the waiting room.
"Dammit Sullivan! Take your hands off of me." Fred tried in vain to resist, though it got him no where against a seasoned veteran like Sully. "I want to know where Faith is!"
Pushing Fred into one of the chairs, Sully was able to get the attention of Lieutenant Swersky. Turning to Davis, Sully instructed, "Watch him, Ty. I'm going to find Bosco." As the lieutenant began to relay the day's events to Fred, Sully discretely slid out of the waiting room and toward the end of the hallway. Wherever Bosco was, he wanted to get to him before Fred did.
The tension in the waiting room was reaching an unimaginable climax and Sully, for one, was glad to be out of there. Just past the nurse's station, he was able to find a technician scribbling something on a patient's chart. Approaching the young woman, he was careful to keep his voice down. "Excuse me, do you know where Faith Yokas's room is?"
Immediately a look concern flashed across the girl's face.
"Oh…um…I'm not sure. Maybe you should speak with her nurse." Offering a slight smile, she tried to make her ignorance seem believable. Sighing loudly, Sully began to lose his patience.
"And who might her nurse be?" He stared at the young girl accusingly as his words were laced with sarcasm.
The technician glanced at her paper before pointing toward a short, pretty nurse leaning against the main desk.
"Thanks," Sully gritted his teeth as he turned away. Something was wrong, he could see it in her eyes. She was hiding something. "Excuse me, but can you tell me where Faith Yokas's room is?"
The young nurse looked at him sympathetically, before speaking in a hushed tone. "I'm sorry Officer but you can no longer enter that room." Sully was confused, what was going on here?
"What do you mean?" No one was giving him a straight goddamn answer and it was starting to piss him off.
"We've already begun preparing Officer Yokas for transport to the morgue." The news hit him like a ton of bricks. Faith was gone? He knew that things were serious but…wow…this was unbelievable. For a moment Sully could do nothing but stare at her, he was absolutely speechless. An unsettling feeling began to rise up in the pit of his stomach as memories of his own partner's death rushed forward. Slowly, the nurse turned back toward her work, though Sully was quick to grab her arm.
"Hey….um…have you seen Officer Yokas's partner around? He's a…" Sully was just about to conjure up a description of Bosco when she stopped him.
Raising her hand up to silence him, she nodded slowly, "Yes, there was another Officer in with her earlier but I don't know where he is now." In actuality she knew exactly where Bosco was as she had been the one who let him go down the back stairs. He never told her to lie, though intuition urged otherwise. She had seen that desperate, lonely look in his eyes and in a hundred other eyes. If he needed to be alone right now that was his decision. Everyone deals with grief differently and she respected that.
For some reason Sully felt that this woman might also be withholding information. How could everyone on this floor be so damn oblivious? Staring at her for a moment, he concluded that she as probably telling the truth and that there was nothing more he could do. Nodding his thanks, Sully started toward the waiting room before sliding back to the desk. "Hey, could you please overhead page Officer Boscorelli back to the floor?" At first she looked a bit hesitant, though she eventually agreed to do as he asked.
The waiting room hadn't thinned out much since he left as the familiar feeling of claustrophobia quickly returned. Davis had managed to keep Fred in check though the older man still looked as if he might blow his top any second. Lieu wasted no time hustling up next to Sully the moment he saw him walk through the door. "Please tell me you've found Boscorelli." A look of disgust crossed his superior's face as Sully inwardly cringed at the amount of departmental bullshit that Bosco would undoubtedly have to wade through on the road to redemption.
"No sign of him, Lieu." Sully offered the most apologetic look he could muster.
"What do you mean? Bosco's gone?" Fred had somehow worked his way in between Sully and the Lieutenant. Accusingly, he searched their faces for any sign of truth in what he had just overheard. Sully began counting backwards from ten in anticipation of the explosion that was sure to come. "Are you kidding me! Faith gets hurt on the job and that little shit just takes off!" The anger was building. "I want some goddamn answers and I want them now! DO YOU HEAR ME? NOW!"
"Listen Fred, we can't find him right now but that doesn't mean…" Fred cut Swersky short as he exploded in a fit of anger.
"FUCK YOU! YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF FUCKING LIARS!" The room grew dead silent as every pair of eyes was trained on Fred. Blinded by an uncontrollable rage, he turned and ran toward the stairwell forgetting all about his dead wife who lay just feet away.
Bosco didn't know how long he knelt there behind the hospital, but by the time he started to walk he was thoroughly soaked. The thought of going back to the house briefly crossed his mind and he quickly decided against it. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do and right now he wasn't exactly thinking clearly. The heavy thudding of his boots against the wet pavement caused Bosco to fall into a trance of sorts. He didn't want to think about today or tomorrow or any day after that so he silently resolved to think about nothing at all. His mind was absolutely blank as he walked north on Lexington Ave. toward E. 86th Street and his apartment.
Bosco's watched as his breath turned to vapor in the cold night air. It couldn't have been more then forty degrees out and he didn't think that he had ever been so cold before. Crossing the street a gale force gust of wind and rain nearly knocked him over into the sewer as he suddenly became aware of the fact that he was shivering violently. Slowing slightly, Bosco stopped to look at himself in the dirty store front window of a strip club. The neon sign flickering above his head illuminated his features in a sickly red glow that made him nauseous. His short hair was matted down and stuck to his forehead as he watched the raindrops slide from his face to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he tried in vain to stop them from chattering so loudly. God, he just wanted to die.
A siren pierced his thoughts as he suddenly worried that they may be looking for him. Turning away, he lowered his head and began to walk a little faster than he had been. Curious stares followed him everywhere and he could only hope that his authority on these streets would not be undermined. These animals out here were the sickest, most dangerous kind of predators. Once you show a flash of weakness, they get inside of you and don't let go until you break. Keeping his gaze averted, Bosco tried to hide the fact that he was a wounded animal.
The closer that Bosco got to his apartment, the faster he started to walk and the more reckless he became. Tears began to cloud his vision as details of the street blended into a streaky mess of color. Rounding the corner onto E. 86th Street, Bosco felt as though he suddenly hit a brick wall. Crashing to the sidewalk, he found himself lying next to a stranger. A sharp pain resonated in his head and he was sure that he saw stars for a moment. Quick to recover, Bosco jumped to his feet all the while making sure that his gun was still safely tucked in its holster.
"Watch where the hell you're going!" A young black man jumped up and immediately got into Bosco's face. "Stupid Pig!" Shoving the young officer he knocked him against a parked car. It took Bosco a minute to gather himself and by that time, the angry young man had already disappeared around the corner. Taking a few deep breaths, Bosco staggered toward home.
As usual, the front door to his apartment had been propped open by one of his delinquent fellow tenants. Normally, this would piss him off but today he barely noticed it. Running up the stairs, Bosco stopped suddenly when he realized that the hallway light had burnt out. Fear crept up his spine as his breath noticeably quickened. The yellow emergency lights illuminated the hallway in a dim glow. Standing there he heard the keys and various tools on his gun belt clatter against his shaking frame. Inching carefully toward apartment 3C, Bosco tried to calm himself…he as being ridiculous. No one was here
Reaching his door he once again became aware of the way his body was trembling out of control. Fumbling around with his keys, his uncoordinated fingers lost their grip as a clattering resounded in the hallway. Cautiously, he bent over. A shuffling behind him caused the hairs to raise up on his neck.
"I've been waiting a long time for this day." Whirling around, Bosco came face to face with an enraged Fred Yokas. Even in the meager lighting, Bosco could see that the veins in Fred's neck had swollen to epic proportions. His eyes were narrowed in a menacing stare as his nostrils flared with every breath. If Bosco could have described Fred anyway he would have compared him to a bull…a bull that was ready to charge. Without warning, Fred grabbed Bosco by the neck, pinning him in the door jam. His fingers tightened around the young officer's neck so much so that Fred's knuckles paled a ghostly shade of white. Practically lifting Bosco off the ground, Faith's husband was possessed with superhuman strength.
Bosco could feel Fred tighten his grip as it was impossible to get any air. Oddly, enough he didn't fight back. He didn't care. He deserved this, and he didn't even want to pretend otherwise.
Fred leaned dangerously close to Bosco's face as he whispered in a deadly tone. "This is all your fault. You killed her, Bosco." Out of all the horrible things that he could have said that was the absolute worst. Tears streaked down Bosco's cheeks as his eyes rolled back in his head. The lack of oxygen was causing him to slip out of consciousness. Seeing this Fred loosened his grip as Bosco's limp body slid down the door frame. He wanted to hurt him but he didn't want to kill him. He wasn't worth it.
Winding up, Fred hit Bosco in the face as hard as he could. A stream of blood immediately poured from the young officer's nose as he slumped over in pain. Standing back Fred took a moment to admire the damage he had caused. Bruised and bloody, Bosco lay on the cold wet floor barely conscious. Smiling a sinister smile, Fred turned and walked out leaving his wife's former partner and best friend drowning in misery.
The abandoned factory was quiet this time of night. Other than his own breathing, the only thing he heard was the faint sound of a barge moving down the East River. Looking up, he studied the architecture of the building. Five stories of rotting metal and plaster interlinked through a maze of narrow catwalks. Broke down textile machines, lay here and there years past any meaningful purpose. Walking around a bit he noticed some sort of barrels near the far wall. Scraps of flammable stickers remained on the side of barrels, though they were barely discernable any longer. He didn't know if they were full or not…and he didn't really care. This place was going to go up like the Fourth of July no matter what.
The outer borders of the factory were irregular as they jutting in and out. In some places the wall was collapsed and missing all together. Bending over, the man shifted the cigarette in his mouth so as to keep it from falling into the Toluene that he was spreading in a line flush against the wall. The smell of the chemical burned his nostrils as he took another long, satisfying drag. Hopefully, the building would be fully involved by the time the fire department arrived. Smirking, he surmised that either way it would be a good show.
Standing back, he admired his work for a moment. The fire would burn quickly and efficiently, climbing up the walls and across the ceilings. It would spread upward, floor after floor until it reached the roof and then it would eat until there wasn't anything left and building collapsed. Swallowing hard, he got a kick out of the tingle this sort of thing gave him. While it was somewhat unexpected, he nonetheless welcomed the feeling.
Rocking back and forth on his heels, he wondered if maybe he should be going. It was now or never. Taking one last glorious puff on his Marlboro, the man exhaled as he tossed the cigarette into the Toluene. A brief sizzling followed an immense puff as flame raced around the entire perimeter of the building. Feeling the heat of the flame on his face, the man reveled in the monster that he had just unleashed.
The streets below the 55 Firehouse were alive with activity tonight. For hours, countless blue uniforms were streaming in and out of the precinct as both RMPs and unmarked cars clogged Arthur Avenue. Sighing, Jimmy Doherty clouded up the rain streaked window in front of him. After returning to the house, he learned through the grapevine that Faith Yokas probably wasn't going to make it. Cringing, he knew that her chances were slim the moment the squad had rolled up to that horrible accident. There was barely anything left of the car let alone the person inside.
Sighing, he adjusted himself on the window ledge. It was well after midnight but he couldn't sleep. A certain restlessness had taken hold in him and didn't want to let go. He didn't know where it came from but guessed that it was probably because of the accident today. While he had seen thousands of accidents, some far more gruesome than the scene today, it was always a little different…a little more personal when someone you know is involved. Leaning back he looked around the dark firehouse. It was quiet this time of night as most of the men had decided to turn in early. Eyes drifting shut for just a moment, his entire body relaxed against the cold window pane.
A high pitched tone broke the silence as Jimmy abruptly snapped up into the standing position. "Engine…Ladder…Respond to call box 7549, 9700 York Ave." Before the dispatch finished, Jimmy was already sliding down the fire pole. Upstairs he could hear the thundering of footsteps coming down the wooden stairs. Climbing into the back of the Ladder truck, Jimmy went about tightening the straps on his jacket. Over his shoulder the rest of the guys were hurriedly donning their turnouts as each man rushed for his or her place on the truck. Looking up, he smiled as he saw Alex Taylor's sleepy form crawling into the seat next to him.
"Ought Oh…looks like someone's missing out on their beauty sleep." Smirking, Jimmy showed off his famous Doherty dimples.
Rolling her eyes, Alex was quick with a comeback. "Bite me, Doherty."
The wail of the siren drowned out the sexual quip festering on Jimmy's lips as he simply settled for a mischievous look of amusement. Leaning back against the seat, he took a look around the truck. As usual, Walsh was in the driver's seat next to Lieutenant Johnson who, in Jimmy's opinion, looked more haggard than usual. Dark circles hung low around his eyes as his lips seemed to be drawn into a dipping frown. Pursing his lips, Jimmy nodded to himself. He was probably thinking about the PD accident earlier that day. While none of them knew Faith well, she was still a member of the services. Like them, she too put her life on the line for complete strangers everyday, and in some ways her accident reminded them of their own mortality.
Just as the truck was about to pull out, Jimmy noticed someone rounding the corner into the firehouse. Pounding on the side of the truck, he yelled for them to wait.
"Walsh! Walsh! Hold up man!" Craning his neck to see who it was, Jimmy let out a snort of disdain when he saw Jack Devlin practically fling himself into someone else's turnouts. A month ago, Devlin transferred in from the 78 out in Brooklyn. A hotshot bigmouth, he had earned his fame fighting fires in the dangerous tenements of Red Hook. Departmental shifts had, however, displaced this unsung hero to the relatively peaceful streets of the 55. Since day one, Devlin had been a problem. Two hours into his first shift, the Lieutenant caught him hooked up with some girl in the alley behind the house. And as if his personal exploits weren't shameful enough, he was a huge liability on the job. Dashing off the truck and into anything that burns, the stupid asshole never fails to put everyone around him in jeopardy. Biting back a wave of bitterness, Jimmy settled back into his seat. Distaste was written all over his face as Alex had to look away so that he wouldn't see her laughing. True, Devlin was a liability yet she couldn't help but to wonder if jealousy was behind Doherty's unwavering bitterness. For the first time in a long time someone was out to steal his thunder.
Walsh started pulling out as Devlin ran for the door, jerking it open. Climbing in, the young firemen looked around with an air of smug satisfaction. Eyes landing on Alex, he winked at her, "Hey, babe." Pretending not to hear him, Alex closed her eyes in attempt to get focused on the task at hand. Seeing the disinterest on everyone's face, Devlin sighed in defeat. "Tough crowd."
"Devlin…Where the hell were you?" Turning around in the front, Lieu stared at him accusingly.
"What do you mean? I made it. I'm here." Shaking his head vigorously, Johnson raised his voice.
"NO. When the alarm goes off your ass is supposed to be getting in the truck not running around the corner. One more time Devlin, and I'm going to personally see to it that you are suspended." Giving the horn a tug, Johnson drowned out any response that the cocky, young fireman may have been conjuring up. Rolling his eyes nonchalantly, Devlin smirked at a scowling Jimmy.
Rounding the corner sharply, Walsh slowed the truck to a stop in front of the abandoned York Textile Factory. Black smoke seeped out of the building, though there was no sign of flame yet. Immediately springing into action, Jimmy made a break for the door though Devlin was quick to step in front of him. Anger flared up in Doherty as he shoved the younger man back into his seat. Laughing a little, Devlin winked at Jimmy as he crawled out of the truck.
Walking around the truck, Jimmy was quick to grab his gear. Pulling the Kevlar stocking over his head he was ready to put his mask on and charge into battle. Behind him Howe was already on the hydrant as DK and Walsh were quick with the line. Next to him Taylor was checking her air supply as Devlin was already geared up and itching to go. "DK, Walsh…I want the two of you on the line. Devlin, Doherty, Taylor do a full sweep of the building. There could be squatters trapped on the upper floors. Let's hit it hard, let's hit it fast. I don't like the look of that smoke."
Inside, the squad quickly oriented themselves in the thick, black smoke. Flames were all around them as DK wasted no time on the nozzle. Outside two other companies had arrived and were staging their own deployments into the building. Staying low to the ground, Devlin, Doherty, and Taylor felt their way to a narrow metal staircase. "DK…DK, cover us!" Jimmy's voice sounded scratchy and disjointed over the radio. Aiming the nozzle toward Devlin's light, DK cleared the way for his colleagues.
Unlike below, the second floor had not yet become fully. The smoke, however, was extremely thick and hot as the three firefighters began their sweep of the floor. "I don't like the look of this floor." Nodding, Taylor conceded that Devlin had a point. Because of the way the fire was rolling over the ceiling downstairs, the floor had become weakened in some areas. Pointing his light toward a bubbling dip, Devlin further illustrated his point to Jimmy and Alex.
"OK…OK…Stay to the side and watch your step. We stick together." Doherty advanced cautiously with Taylor close behind and Devlin bringing up the rear. "FIRE DEPARTMENT! Can anyone hear me? Is there anyone here?" Over the radio, Jimmy heard the other squads downstairs talking to DK and Walsh. Feeling a bit more confident, he reassured himself that they would knock this fire down one way or another. Completing their sweep of the first floor, they cautiously proceeded up the stairs. "First floor all clear, Lieu. We're headed up."
"Ok, Jimmy I want you to be careful, it looks like the fire is being fed by another source."
"10-4 that." Pushing ahead of Doherty, Devlin quickly scrambled up that stairs.
"What the hell is your problem?" Jimmy was quick to chase the younger man, getting in his face almost immediately. "This is my rescue squad. You do as I say not the other way around. Now get your head in the game." Turning away, Jimmy followed Alex as she began to sweep the floor side to side.
"Fire Department…can anyone hear me? Is there anyone up here?" The smoke was a bit thinner than downstairs, though, decent visibility was still non-existent. Hesitating near the stairs, Devlin ripped off his mask. He heard something. Choking on the thick smoke he was barely able to discern a faint voice from above.
"Help me! Please…" There it was again. Devlin was sure of himself. Not bothering to put his mask back on, he charged upward.
"Doherty…Taylor. Someone's trapped up here. I'm going after them." By the time Jimmy realized what had just happened, Devlin had already disappeared alone into the thick smoke.
"Jesus Christ! He's going to get us all killed!" Taylor's concerns were a perfect reflection of the thoughts running through Jimmy's head…add a few expletives, of course.
"That son of a bitch." Running toward the stairs, Jimmy screamed Devlin's name several time with no response.
"Lieu! LIEU! We got a situation up here." Johnson's concerned voice was quick to respond to Taylor's radio calls.
"Roger that Taylor, go ahead."
Beating on the metal railing with his ax, Jimmy yelled out for his colleague. Squeezing her eyes, shut Taylor struggled to hear the radio transmission. Aside from Doherty's incessant screaming, the roar of the fire had reached almost deafening levels. "Say again, Lieu."
Downstairs Walsh, DK and several other firefighters had gone toe to toe with the beast and were barely keeping their edge. This battle, however, would soon take a turn for the worse. In the far corner, barrels of Kerosene lay almost ready to explode. Weakened by the raging heat, they had warped to their limit. On the nozzle, DK was intrigued by the sight of these barrels. He had not noticed them before, though he could not take his eyes off of them now. Inching a bit closer, he was barely able to discern a blackened flammable sticker on the side. Oh God. Yelling to the other firemen his voice was laced with panic. "Back out! Back out!" If it had been someone else, the men may have questioned the order but DK was one of the most respected firemen in the city and when he gave an order they knew he meant business. Upon seeing his men come out of the building, Lieutenant Johnson hustled up to them.
"What are you doing? DK? Walsh?"
Ripping off his mask, DK tried to get his breath. "There's…There's barrels…" Before he could finish a deafening explosion rocked them to the ground.
TBC…….
Above Lyrics are from Brad Paisley's "Whiskey Lullaby"