Chapter 2
Mrs. Davis wouldn’t let go, and I was running
out of time, I gritted my teeth and shoved her
as hard as I could! She wasn’t as strong as me,
and she fell.
I got the hose connected, grabbed the nozzle
and aimed it at the burning hallway.
Just hold on, Tommy, I’m coming!
I turned on the water! But nothing came out!
My heart skipped a beat. I ran back and tried
another hydrant, but still nothing!
“The daycare’s hydrants are busted!” I yelled.
Mrs. Davis snapped, “I told you, don’t mess
around! Let the freighters do their jobs!”
I dropped the hose and ran inside, looking for a
fre extinguisher.
One of the firefighters saw me and called out.
“Mrs. Thompson, what are you doing here?”
I turned around. It was Mike, one of the senior
guys on the team.
I grabbed his arm. “Quick! Give me an
extinguisher! I gotta get in there!”
Mike looked confused. “Mrs. Thompson, it’s too
dangerous, let us handle it!”
I got down on my knees. “Please! You know I
can fight fires, too. I know there’s extra gear in
the truck, just give me some!”
Mike hesitated. “I can’t do that without the
Chief’s orders.”
I pleaded, “You don’t understand, the kitchen’s
on the third floor, it’s gonna blow if we don’t
hurry!”
Last time, he was more rational than Chief
Thompson. He’d helped me convince him to
change their plans. Even if he wouldn’t give me
the gear, if he knew about the explosion, he’d
do something.
Mike looked shocked. “The director didn’t tell
us about the kitchen being on the third floor! I’ll
go get the Chief!”
Mike ran off towards Chief Thompson. “Chief,
the fire’s worst on the third floor, that’s where
the fire started! We need to go there first!”
Chief Thompson said sharply, “What do you
know? The fourth floor is the most dangerous,
<
they’re getting hit with the heat and smoke!
And they’re already at the window, they could fall any minute!”
Jennifer was holding her daughter, sitting on the windowsill. Their legs were dangling in the air, with nothing to hold on to. Her daughter was too young to understand and was
struggling in her arms. They looked like they
were about to fall.
Mike was sweating. “But the kitchen’s on the third floor, if the gas leaks, it’ll explode!”
Chief Thompson paused, but he saw Jennifer’s
helpless face and insisted, “I know what I’m
doing. Now move it, we don’t have time for
this!”
“Mrs. Thompson went to the third floor, too.
And didn’t your son go here?”
“Shut up! I’m in charge here, you listen to me! If
you keep arguing, go home!”
I watched Mike looking helpless. I knew I
couldn’t count on him.
The kids were calling for help, but they were
getting weaker. They were starting to choke on
the smoke.
I ran faster, pushing open every classroom door
on the first floor. Finally, I found the fire
extinguishers in the maintenance closet!
