Rain pounded the roof as sirens wailed through the chaos. From the ground, she watched Buck climb the ladder, defiant against the storm. A crack split the sky—and then light. Blinding. Deafening. He screamed—or maybe she did. His body jolted, then hung limp, suspended mid-air by the safety cord.

“Buck!” she shouted, running forward, boots slipping on wet asphalt.

He swayed like a broken marionette, smoke curling from his turnout gear. The storm roared, uncaring. She didn’t think. Just climbed. He’d saved her once. Now it was her turn.

Please, she begged silently, don’t let this be it.

Not Buck.