Finding love in the silence

Chapter 2

Buck charges up the stairs, the adrenaline pumping through his body, pushing him harder and faster. All other thoughts in his life have disappeared; his main focus is in front of him and this is why he loved his job. No matter what was happening in his life, he knew he could do his job.

As they climb the fifth flight of stairs, he looks back and can see Chim is behind him but falling behind with each step Buck takes. He looks closer at Chimney, seeing him looking a fair bit tired and huffing, which causes Buck to chuckle to himself. Looking up he can see the dense, black smoke descending from the level where the fire originated

"Come on, we need to be quicker Chim!"

"Hey, some of us ain't as young as you," Chim shoots back. "Nor do we all have long, lanky legs which lets us skip steps"

"Well, we can always try to stretch you when we get back to the station," Buck retaliates.

There are a few seconds of laughter before they start going up again but as they reach the bottom of the seventh flight, Buck comes across a woman lying unconscious with a pool of blood surrounding her head. He looks her over and can see she has a large cut on her head and assumes she knocked it on the wall as she rushed down the stairs. Chim arrives and starts checking her over.

"Hey Cap, we found a woman at the bottom of the stairs between levels six and seven." Buck calls over the radios.

"Okay, bring her down. The fire is getting worse and spreading faster; level seven will be taken over before you get a chance to check it properly. I want you both out now, and Buck- that is an order, not a request." You could hear the command in Bobby's voice.

Buck thinks for a second. He knows he should go as Bobby wouldn't specify that it's an order unless he was serious, that they couldn't control the fire from outside. If there is potentially another person up there, though, he has to at least look. He can't risk a little boy losing his dad, especially if Buck had a chance to save him.

"I'll head up to seven and quickly check it." He ignores the command, following his instincts.

"Buckley, I gave an order, get out now," Bobby's stern voice says.

Buck looks at Chim who shakes his head.

"Chim, I've got to-" Buck starts but is interrupted by his friend.

"Go, but five minutes and you're out. Once I have taken the lady down and she is secure, I'll come back up so I expect to see you coming down. Understand?" Chim says adamantly.

"Yeah, I'll be in and out," Buck assures him.

Chimney laughs out his response despite the seriousness of the situation. "You know he is going to have us both in his office later."

"It'll be worth it if I find the guy."

"Go, don't waste time," Chim scolds before adding a stern "Be safe!"

Buck looked up at the stairs in front of him, the smoke was nearly on them. Turning on the flashlight attached to his jacket and picking up the extra flashlight, he turns to see Chim grab the woman in a fireman's carry and start down the stairs. Facing the stairs once again he sees as the smoke starts to get thicker and darker, making it hard to find the emergency door. He runs his hand along the wall, feeling for the handle and pulling once it's in his grasp. Looking through the doorway, all that is visible is a thick veil of smoke.

"Hello, LAFD! Is there anyone up here?" Buck shouts, getting no response.

He knows if there is someone up here they could be unconscious or trapped, so he starts moving forward. He remembers the lady outside had explained the man had gone to the restroom so Buck moves slowly, looking at doors and shining the light on the front seeing if he can find a sign. Walking through the level, the orange glow starts to get more prominent; Bobby was right- the fire was spreading most likely due to the explosion. It wouldn't be long before this level was lost too.