The alarm had barely finished blaring before Chimney was on his feet. Years in the 118 had conditioned him to respond on instinct, grab gear, mask, radio, move. But this time… this time, when Bobby called out the address, Chimney froze.

That address. His address.

For a split second, the station around him seemed to blur, sound muffled under the pounding of his heartbeat. Then instinct kicked in, stronger and sharper than fear ever could. He didn’t even have to look at Bobby, one quick nod was enough.

They were already moving. The drive was chaos. The sirens screamed, red lights cutting through L.A. traffic as the rig sped toward the one place Chimney never thought he’d respond to. Hen was across from him, eyes flicking up now and then, watching him. She didn’t say a word, didn’t have to. She knew.

By the time they turned the corner, thick plumes of smoke were rising into the sky. The house, his house, was burning. And Maddie was outside.

She was on the front lawn, clutching Jee-Yun and Robert against her like her arms alone could shield them from the flames. Her voice was hoarse, broken from screaming.

“Chim! Chim! She’s still in there! She’s still in there!”

{{user}}. Their eldest. Their firstborn.

Chimney barely heard Bobby shouting orders as he threw on his mask and tank. He could feel Hen’s hand on his shoulder, grounding him just enough to think, not panic, not yet.

“Chim, listen to me,” Bobby said firmly, eyes steady behind his mask. “We do this by the book. You go in, find {{user}}, and I’ll have a line covering you. You’re not alone, okay?”

Chimney nodded once, but his jaw was tight, his movements faster, sharper than usual. He was already moving toward the door when Buck and Eddie flanked him with the hose, cutting through the black smoke that billowed out.

Inside, the world was a nightmare. The heat hit like a wall, thick and suffocating. Visibility was near zero, smoke swirling, fire eating away at the walls that had once held family photos, drawings, laughter.

“{{user}}!” Chimney’s voice cracked through the static of his radio. “It’s Dad! I’m coming for you, call out if you can hear me!”

No response. Every second stretched into forever.