Humankind {Marina One-Shot}

Humankind

Fire. 

Something that humankind struggled to discover in the early stone age but soon came to learn it's dangerous prophecies. Its aftermath, the soot that it leaves behind, the lives it takes and the families it corrupts. There is only so much they could have done then to prevent the ferocious flame…and that was to pour buckets of water upon it.

There was no hydrant connected to a water supply, no engine, no protective gear and definitely no people to fight the flame. It was all hands on deck back then, and when the deck became too unstable and finally the last plank of wood was burned, all that was left to do, was rebuild.

It is something we brought with us from centuries ago. Rebuilding. Things can get knocked down, burned or sometimes just decay overtime. Historically, things were never built forever. Actually, in the stone age, when mankind discovered such a vicious, yet beneficial component to living...they never actually stayed in one place. Never settled and instead picked up their stuff and moved to a new location for a couple of weeks at a time.

People say it's because of hunting, having to move closer to the wildlife…but who actually knows. Maybe they experimented too much with rubbing sticks together that…moving was their only option. Or maybe we just look at the artefacts and fossils they left behind and stick with the ancient story that they just moved around to survive the depths of hunger.

Either way…they rebuilt. Even when such a flame ignited by a common enemy would burn their houses to the ground, tarnish an upcoming population and increase the time it took to proceed in life, adapt and discover.

It wasn't until the title of firefighting also became known to humankind. Dependent on figures to put something out that you could've caused with your own hands, a problem that you end up placing on others. There was only so much a firefighter could do back then, and realistically, anyone could have done the job of a firefighter. Pouring buckets on flames while people stood back and watched, what possibly could have been their lives, burn to the ground.

Training to become a firefighter, for one, takes guts. In this century, there is more to it than buckets and dull axes…there were highly advanced engines, hoses and gear. So what came with that, was an even more advanced training method. They couldn't just throw anyone into the deep end and hope they succeed. No, cause then that would not only risk their lives, but the team that surrounded them. 

Unlike the first firefighters, being a team was never considered a necessary role, and maybe that's why they didn't succeed well enough to save those that should've been saved.

And yet there Maya stood, in front of station nineteens doors, her backpack draped over one shoulder feeling as though there was no team inside for her to return to. She lost herself here, resorted to feeling as though eyes forward and embracing the pain was her only escape. Collapsing to the ground, pain flickering through all her muscles was something that Maya did not want to return to.

Her talk with Diane had been…pleasant to say the least. And by that, Diane used the hard truth, brutal honesty as some may prefer. To an extent, Maya had already hit rock bottom, raging her way through a hospital stay that caused her wife to leave the room and their apartment. And although she stood there, fearing the consequences of her actions, it didn't stop her from nervously thumbing the wedding ring around her finger.

“Hey” Was soon heard from behind the blonde. The tone was soft, somber. Maya rotated her head to look over her shoulder, seeing as the only person on her team that came to visit her during her hospital stay, began to approach her. “How are you feeling?” Andy questioned, setting her stance next to Maya, her hand gripping her own bag that went over her shoulder.