And nope... doesn’t matter that my Cap hasn’t given the okay.
Taking my ax, I break the window and breathe a sigh of relief that no smoke pours out. Making sure that all the shards of glass are clear of the window frame, I reach in and get a good grip on the blinds, pulling hard so they rip from the wall.
“Fuck, Flynn... can’t you wait two seconds?”
I knew Tim wouldn’t be too far behind but he’s not mad at me for entering so quickly. It’s pretty clear that this side of the house isn’t burning yet. I hear Tim speaking into his radio, letting the Captain know we’re making entry. “Cap... we hear a dog and possible subjects inside. Entering window to make a rescue.”
I think I hear the Cap curse but then he gives the go ahead. Putting my hands on the ledge, I give myself a mental pat on the back that I’m able to pull myself up and haul myself inside. Working out at the gym five days a week pays off. I make a less-than-graceful fall onto the floor and immediately jump up to take note of my surroundings.
I’m in a bedroom and the door is closed. Smoke is seeping in under the bottom and the air already has a hazy quality to it.
Lying on the bed is a huge dog... probably at least a hundred pounds. Although I only look at him briefly, it’s enough to know that he’s no ordinary mutt. His coat is jet black, long and glossy. His chest and paws are snowy white with a blaze of the same color down the middle of his face. Russet-colored fur adorns his legs along with two brown stripes right where his eyebrows sit. It makes his face very expressive, and he’s looking at me now as if to say, It’s about damn time.
I say it’s a “he” because his head is boxy and his chest is huge, so I’m guessing he’s sporting a pair of big, furry balls underneath all that hair. The dog looks at me expectantly and lets out another series of panicked barks, which are still deep and booming.
It’s then that I notice the dog seems to be lying on top of something, and based on the size and curves, it’s painfully obvious it’s a person under a blanket.
Taking a step toward the bed, holding my hand out, palm down, I speak in a calm voice, “Hey boy... you gonna let me help whoever that is you’re lying on? Huh? Gonna let me take a peek?”
Not surprisingly, the dog lays his ears back flat and issues a deep growl. My voice just issued through the amp of my mask and I completely sounded like Darth Vader. I know I’m probably going to catch shit for this, but I take my helmet off and toss it near the window. I see Tim standing there, his face peering in. I hold my hand up to him to just wait and I quickly loosen the straps on my face piece to pull it off.
With the mask gone, at least the dog can hear my real voice and hopefully won’t be as freaked. I, on the other hand, immediately notice the smoke is thicker and it’s hard to breathe. I’m guessing the fire has breached into this unit.
Inching forward carefully, I keep talking to the dog in a soft, reassuring voice. Now that the dog understands that I’m not Darth Vader and I’m here to save, not destroy, his ears perk forward and he just watches my progress with his head cocked to the side.
As I reach the edge of the bed, I take one last look at the dog, which I can now see is lying across the legs of whoever is under the blanket. He just stares back at me... expectantly.
“Do you mind if I pull these covers back?” I ask, feeling ridiculous as I do so.
His gaze at me never wavers, but he cocks his head in the opposite direction as if he’s saying, Well, what the hell are you waiting for?
Reaching out, I peel the covers back, revealing the face of a woman underneath. Her dark hair is lanky and her eyes are closed, with dark blue circles underneath. She’s on her side and it stands out to me that she has several piercings in her exposed ear, traveling all the way around the entire shell. Giving a quick glance at the dog, who still lies across the woman’s legs, I peel the blanket back further. When it reaches her shoulders, I realize that she’s na**d underneath so I halt my progress.
Grabbing onto her shoulder, I shake her slightly. “Ma’am... I need you to wake up now. I need to get you out of here.”
She doesn’t move or respond in anyway.
Just great... she’s probably high as a kite right so now I’m rescuing a dog and a bombed-out druggie.
I look at the dog again and he just stares back at me, as if to say, It’s still your job to save her.
“Yeah, I know... I got it,” I answer his silent plea.
I try one more time to rouse her, tapping her on the cheek lightly. “Come on, lady. Wake up.”
She still makes no move so, with a sigh of frustration, I reach down to lift her up, sticking my arms under the blanket so it comes with her to keep her covered for modesty.
I give a pointed look to the dog. “Get up, you big lug, so I can lift her.”
Much to my surprise, the dog immediately bounds off the bed and walks over to the window, not caring in the slightest that there are glass shards littering the floor. His paws are probably going to get cut but I can’t worry about that now.
Bending my knees, I scoop the woman up and lift her from the bed.
Except my momentum is stopped as something pulls against us.
What the f**k?
Lowering her back down to the bed, I flip the blanket back and curse over the sight that greets me.
Her right leg has a manacle cuffed around it and it’s chained to the metal bed frame at the bottom.
Now I’m not so sure she has voluntarily taken drugs.
The sight of her chained to the bed makes my blood run cold and now there is a greater sense of urgency to get her out of this structure. Without wasting any precious time, I turn to Tim and call out, “Get the bolt cutters off the Engine. She’s chained to the bed.”