Chapter 22

Darcy

It’s our third day of tackling this fire. The hard, sweaty work broken only by brief cat naps in the engine. So far, the fire’s winning, beating us back, forcing us to retreat while we desperately try to place obstacles in its path, planes providing aerial support during daylight hours, dropping retardant. It’s on the ground, in the canopy, and burning up fast. Branches crash down, sending sparks shooting. It’s fast approaching our fire line.

“Shit!” Truck swears loudly and jumps back, making me swing around to see what’s wrong. “Fucking snake. I fucking hate them.”

Looking down, I see something slithering across the spot where he was just standing, but not being too bothered myself, knowing my boots will protect me, and harbouring some sympathy for the wildlife simply trying to escape the flames to stay alive. It’s a far from uncommon sight when we’re fighting a fire such as this.

I laugh and slap my crewmate on the back. “What do you expect, it’s the Snake Fire, after all.” It certainly isn’t the first snake we’ve seen, but Truck jumps each time, this mountain of a man being driven by a phobia he can’t control.

“Fucking baby,” shouts Hammer, admonishing him, raising his voice to make himself heard. “Afraid of an overgrown worm.” It’s a brief moment of mirth. Not much to amuse us about this situation, so we take what we can. Truck takes it good-naturedly. Sometimes I think he exaggerates his reaction on purpose.

“Back.” The instruction via the radio brings our humour to a halt. It’s not unexpected, having seen our puny attempts are futile, we are already moving backward, toward our previously agreed to escape route.

The wind’s got up in the past hour and is now more than thirty miles an hour, forcing the planes to cease flying. It’s support we will miss.

Slade comes up. “To me.” Retreating a safe distance, our crew gathers around him, straining to hear over the noise of the fire. “The flames are now over four foot, we can’t use direct attack any longer. Have to change to indirect. Bat chief agrees, and we’re going to move down and build a new fire line, setting up in front of the head.” He glances at the monster fast approaching. “Wind’s causing it to throw out fingers. We need to get far enough down so it doesn’t trap us.

Other crews are getting similar instructions. Radios are passing the information on. The firefighters tackling the flanks are having a similarly challenging task and being pushed back. This fire is growing, and for the moment it’s got the upper hand.

“Nicole. What you seeing?” I try to make contact over the radio.

No reply comes back.

“Nicole?” I prompt again, but again get no answer.

Nicole’s been checking in every fifteen minutes, but my gut tells me her report is now overdue. Already on the retreat, I run and catch the captain’s attention. “I can’t get hold of Firewatcher Hudson.”

His eyes widen, and he pinches the bridge of his nose. He knows as well as I do this isn’t good news. He tries to get her himself, then shakes his head as he, too, fails to get any response. “Where was she last?” he checks.

“She’s in lookout position on the other side of the canyon. Her last report was that the fire had leapt across. She was told to get out of there, fast, but, Slade, I’ve not heard anything from her since.” I’m hoping like fuck she’s just dropped the radio or it’s malfunctioned. I’m suddenly consumed with fear for my friend. The smoke’s so thick it’s hard to see further than a few feet, and being alone without communication must be terrifying.

“Flash, I know she is a special friend of yours. It’s not been that long, her reports have only just stopped coming in.” Though he’s trying, that’s not much comfort. I don’t know what to say, just look at the fire that’s drawing ever closer, the ravenous beast consuming everything in its path. He claps his hand down on my shoulder.

“She’s part of the team, Captain.” Hammer’s overhead our conversation. “We don’t leave someone behind. You want us to try and find her?”

Try keeping me back.

Slade thinks quickly, then turns slightly away and gets on the radio. After a moment he swings back. “We’ve got a few other crews going down to set up a new fire line. Bat Chief Leadson’s okayed that we redirect our efforts into trying to find her.”

His radio sounds again, and this time we all hear it. A report from the crew working the flank who’ve now themselves been forced to move back over the ravine.

A tinny voice tells us, “We’ve found an ATV, it’s burned up. Looks like it could have been the firewatcher’s. No body in it. No sign of Hudson.”

I don’t know whether I’m glad to hear that or not. She might not be with her vehicle, but I can’t understand why she left it. On foot, if she tried to outrun the fast-moving fire, she might not have made it. “How far was it from the cold zone?” That information will help us estimate the chances that she has made it to ground already burned, or out of the way of the flames altogether. But the anonymous voice informs me there’s no way of knowing whether she got out before the fire passed through. Right now, we don’t know whether we’re on a rescue mission, or one to retrieve a dead body. Knowing I’ve got to remain optimistic, I force my worry for her back down.

Slade looks at me sympathetically, and then he’s all business. “Hammer, Truck, Flash. Check your equipment and keep together. If she’s alive, we’ve got to find her.”

The Captain, Hammer, Truck, and myself requisition an ATV for ourselves, and skirt around the edge of the fire, having to head down the ravine to find a place to cross, then make our way as fast as possible up the other side as we head as close as we can to the spot where Nicole was last seen. As day turns to night, we’re still able to see by the light of the flames, though distance is greatly restricted due to the thick smoke. I keep removing the shroud covering my face to scream out her name. Vegetation is still burning off all around us.

“Keep away from the blaze. If she’s in that, she can’t be saved, and I’m not losing any more bodies,” Slade tells Hammer, who’s driving.

“Got it, Captain.”

We’re in the black now, the area where the fire’s already swept through, still smouldering trees reaching into the sky. Hammer pulls the ATV up, and I get off and look at the burned-out vehicle Nicole had been driving. It’s up fast against an almost hidden tree stump, giving a clue as to what made her leave it. She must have crashed and tried to escape on foot. But which way would she have gone? I concentrate, trying to put myself in her shoes.

Fire burns up. Unless the wind’s pushing it down like it is today. But it could quickly change direction if there’s sufficient fuel and the wind swings to come from the opposite way. If the fire was closing in she could have gone up to find the cold spot. But she knows only too well that what looks like all fuel’s been consumed, could easily start burning again.

She wouldn’t run down, she knows enough about how fast fire can move, so she wouldn’t want to get in front of it.

Sideways. She wouldn’t have gone to the left, that would have led her straight into the path of the flames. She’d have gone right. “Captain, I think she would have gone this way.”

As I point, Slade nods. “Unless she panicked, you’re probably right. You and Hammer go on foot in that direction, Truck you’re with me and we’ll take the ATV. We’ll continue exploring the cold zone. And for fuck’s sake, Flash, Hammer, don’t the two of you split up. Keep in contact.”

“Got it, Captain,” Hammer and I say together. I’m happy to search in the direction my gut feels is right. Slade and Truck might well be looking for a body.

I start to move forward, pausing as a heavy and still burning branch crashes at my feet. Hammer gives me a glance and raises his eyebrows. That was close. If either of us had been under it, we could have been badly hurt.

Moving carefully, we’re nearing the edge of the fire line, unburned forest coming into view, a strange sight with tree trunks singed on one side but not the other. We pause for a moment. Would Nicole have gone down?

Smoke’s still so thick here, hampering our search.

“What’s that way?” Hammer asks. “Any structure, rock that would protect her?”

But all I can do is shake my head. My knowledge of the area is no better than his, anything I say would only be conjecture. Wishing the smoke would clear, but knowing it won’t, all I can do is to tell him, that if I was Nicole, I’d be wanting to put as much distance as possible between myself and the fire.

My hopes of finding her alive are fading, horror stories returning to me of firefighters who’d tried to outrun a fire and failed, or who got surrounded and overcome. It seems we’re on an impossible task. I call out again, and Hammer adds his loud voice. But around us the fire’s roaring so loudly it’s hard to even hear ourselves while we’re standing next to each other.

Suddenly Hammer’s hand tugs me forward urgently. I glance behind and realise that another burning branch has fallen from a crown fire in the canopy, setting the dry grassy ground aflame to our rear, the fire seemingly triumphant it’s found easy to consume fuel. Now it’s not just a case of locating Nicole, it’s getting out of here alive ourselves. Driven now by a sense of self-preservation, all other thoughts leave my mind as I push onward beside Hammer. We both have our Pulaski’s in our hands, our specially designed wildland fire-fighting axes that we now use to chop our way through the shrubbery that’s preventing us reaching safety. We don’t waste time talking, just methodically work our way through as fast as we can, both well aware of the danger we’re in. It may be psychological, but I swear I can feel heat pushing at my back when suddenly we burst out into a clearing and we both start running as fast as we can.

You could say it was the fire that took us in the right direction. Putting as much space as possible between us and the rogue flames, suddenly Hammer stops so fast I run into his back. He shoots out my arm to stop my forward movement, and points to a shape lying prone on the ground.

For a moment I don’t understand what I’m seeing, then through the smoke the shape in yellow takes form. It’s Nicole.

Switching into medic mode, Hammer’s beside her while I radio it in, checking and giving the co-ordinates of where we’ve found her. I keep one eye on the fire, whose approach seems to have slowed, and having run out of combustible fuels is starting to change direction, suggesting that at last our luck has turned. It’s now burning away from us and down. I update the captain on the situation. Nicole’s just about conscious, but I’m worried about her—she’s moaning, and there’s no recognition in her eyes.

Slade responds quickly. “They’ve cleared a helispot at base, and hoping for a lull in the wind to bring a helicopter in. We need to bring her down.”

“Can you come by and get us?”

“You in the black?”

“We were,” I tell him. “But we’ve just outrun a blow up. We’re now in the dead man zone.”

I look over to Hammer, who leans toward the radio and nods grimly. “She needs oxygen, and fast.”

“We’re on our way.”

I eye the fire, knowing we’re in unburned ground and that it could change its mind and come after us again. “I’m going to burn a fire line.” Without waiting for his nod, which I’m sure would be coming, I light my drip torch and start setting a line of burning fuel between us and the fire, hoping to slow or stop its progress if it starts moving back our way before Slade and Truck manage to swing by and pick us up. All being well, I’ll earn us precious moments.

Having had to pick their way carefully, it’s some time before the captain and Truck appear with the ATV. Hammer picks Nicole up and passes her to Truck, who cradles her in his arms, then we start taking the best route we can find back to base, having to detour around a couple of hot spots which are still blazing furiously.

At last we leave the fire behind and come to the cleared helispot. The wind drops briefly, allowing the helicopter to land. Medics jump out, already prepared with oxygen, and take over. When Nicole’s been transferred into their care, Hammer holds out his arms to me and brings me in for a quick hug. That had been close, for all of us. Relieved everyone’s safe, Hammer then pulls Truck to him and slaps him on the back.

As my friend is air-lifted away, I look up into the paramedic’s eyes. “What are her chances, Ham?”

“She’s breathing, she’s still alive. I think she may have taken a blow to the head. She’s not got burned but must have inhaled a fuckload of smoke. It depends how much damage has been done to her lungs.”

Slade allows us a moment, but not too long. “Ready to get back into it?” It’s only then that I notice people packing up around me as he continues, “Fire’s moving fast, and we’re relocating base. Forecast is for the winds to pick up again.”

“They’ll need our help setting up a new fire line.” The bat chief’s joined us. “Your crew good to go, Captain?”

“What we waiting for?” I say cheekily, trying to park my worries for Nicole for the moment. All my concentration is needed for the next phase of us against the fire. There’ll be time enough later to worry about things that, for the moment, I can’t control.

Even this fire line we’ve returned to is significantly lower than the one which we left to rescue the firewatcher, and already has to be moved down again. Gradually the fire’s beating us back, and we need to do all we can to ensure it’s not the inferno that retains the upper hand. As we retreat with the other crews, the roar of the fire sounding like an express train coming down hill almost drowns out the shouts and instructions as firefighters all over are packing up, jumping into vehicles, and making a hasty withdrawal as decisions are taken on the next place where to set up next, quickly analysing wind speed, direction, and the type of fuel in its path. It’s frightening how fast the fire’s started moving, now quicker than a man can run and straight downhill. Worse, the wind’s rapidly picking up again.

As I get moving with the rest of my crew I realise, although it’s hard to see through the smoke and if I haven’t got disorientated, where the conflagration is heading. Its trajectory is taking it straight toward the Satan’s Devils Compound. And Peg.

I come up alongside the captain and shout in his ear. “Slade. The fire’s heading…”

“Straight for your new friends. We’ve just been discussing that.” He nods over toward the bat chief as we make our way to the engine. “And we’ve more trouble too. We’ve had reports that a finger’s shot out from the head, found fast burning fuel, and has veered around their compound. It’s burning right across their escape route.”

“Have they evacuated?” If they haven’t, they’re in trouble.

I’m holding my breath as he tells me gently, “The police have been in radio contact with their president. They didn’t get out. Women, children, and bikers are there. They’ll be making their own stand.”

I gasp. Stupid. Why didn’t they get out while they had the chance?

“Cavanaugh.” The snapped use of my surname brings me back to my senses. When he sees I’m thinking again like a firefighter, he adds, “They’ve been taking their own precautions. They’ve got a hundred-foot cleared area around the perimeter. Hopefully sufficient to hold the fire, and one we’ve decided to utilise. That’s going to be our safety zone. We’re heading down that way now. The way this fire is moving, it’s going to surround us as well. We’ll use the compound as our retreat.”

I appreciate the time he’s taking to explain to me, he knows I’ve got a vested interest in this. My heart rate, which had finally slowed once Nicole had been safely airlifted out, now starts beating fast again. I’m tired and running on adrenalin. But this fire is giving me no chance to relax. “What about the fire that’s already swept around them?”

“Their firebreak seems to be holding for now. New crews have arrived from Phoenix, they’ll start tackling the blaze from the road. So far it’s burning its way past the compound and heading for the interstate.”

Jeez.

Reaching the engine, I hop on and we head down the foothills to the biker compound, making sure we get there in front of the flames. The air is thick with smoke that’s being blown in advance of the fire by the strong westerly wind. I hope they’ve got the sense to stay inside. This air isn’t healthy, especially for children, and now the fire has cut off their escape.

As we come below the tree line I can see the back gate to the compound has been opened, and surveying the work that they’ve done, nod when I see they’ve done a decent job of clearing all the fuel from around the perimeter. Then my eyes narrow as I see a bunch of what must be a dozen or so bikers standing outside, bandanas pulled up over their faces. They’ve got a digger, bulldozer, and other machinery including a rotovator that’s turning the soil, making sure nothing but earth is in the fire’s path.

Captain Slade jumps off the engine as it comes to a stop and marches up to the bikers. He starts gesticulating and talking, but from their stance what he’s saying is not what they want to hear.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I go over and join him.

The biker president’s facing off against my captain. “Our compound. We will protect it. The firebreak should stop it coming straight through, but we’ll be on hand to stop any flare-ups. This is our home.”

“All you’re going to do is give us more injuries to deal with. You could suffer from smoke inhalation, burns, or injuries and keep our medics tied up.”

“Peg,” I call out, and see his eyes flare as he recognises me.

“Thank fuck, Flash. You’re alright.” He pushes past his brothers and comes to give me an awkward hug. Automatically I return it, pleased to see him safe as well, and determined to keep him that way while part of me says I shouldn’t encourage him. For three days I’ve been fighting this fire. Utilising my training with no time for any other thoughts in my mind. Apart from being worried about the people in the club, I’ve barely had a chance to give a thought to Peg. What happened between us seems a lifetime away, that he called me his woman was in a completely different world. My whole existence is consumed with fighting flames, smoke, and heat. I’m shaking with exhaustion, but beating this fire is the only thing on my mind. This is my life. This is what I do.

“Peg.” I pull back, unwilling to admit to a relationship that was doomed from the start. Trying to put space between us, I treat him as any other civilian and try to make him understand. “You’re the sergeant-at-arms, you need to keep your club safe. We’ll be doing everything we can to save the compound, you’ve done your part clearing the ground. Now let us get on with what we do best. At the end of the day this is just bricks and mortar. The club you should be protecting is the human one, your brothers and your family.”

I pause and glance up, and from the expression in his eyes, know I’m getting through to him. “You’re not equipped, you’ve haven’t got protective clothing. And you will get in the way. Leave this to us. Stay inside the gates. Keep your eyes out for any small fires starting up. That will be the most help to get this fire under control.”

“She’s got a point, Peg.” Drummer walks up, giving me an appreciative nod. “Let your woman and the rest of the firefighters get on with what they’re trained for. We’ve done all we can here.”

Peg growls, the sound resonating from deep in his throat. He’s not happy, I can see that. He’d rather fight by my side, or for me, and doesn’t care for me fighting this foe on his behalf. Then his eyes look at me from head to toe, seeing my blackened soot covered uniform, and one side of his mouth turns up in a smile as he leans forward to tell me, “You still look sexy, even in that.” His hand comes up to wipe soot from my brow, and I can’t help myself flinching away. Don’t touch me, Peg. I’ll weaken.

“Ask her to wear it so you can fuck her in it later, Peg.” Beef’s comment raises a laugh.

Anxiously, I take a peep at my captain, who’s studiously not looking at me but at Drummer. “We sorted?” he asks.

“Sorted,” Drummer confirms. Then after a fit of coughing, he straightens and waves his men back inside.