When I'm Gone Read Free

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“It’s you turn,” he shouted above the noise. Even though I had been a firefighter for a few years, those words made my heart stop. My blood drained from my face and I looked back up at the building. I could now hear somebody screaming and crying from inside. I took in a breath and grabbed my helmet from where it sat on the truck. I stuffed it on my head, making a mental note to get my hair cut. The black strands were now hanging in front of my eyes, making it hard to see. I pushed them underneath the helmet and let Andrew put on my oxygen tank.
“Be right back,” I promised him and placed the mouth piece over my lips. I took one last look at Andrew who was smiling at me before turning back to the fire. I jogged inside and I could already feel the heat sinking through my protective overcoat. It was hot in there. Very hot.
“Help me!” A girl screamed. I focused my attention on the room to the left. I could see the wooden door, where a never ending pounding came from. I slowly walked through the debris around me and finally reached the door.
“Stand back,” I warned loudly. I heard some movements and stepped back a few feet. With all of my might, I ran into the door and winced as it fell from the weight of me. That was going to hurt in the morning. I looked around for a minute, taking in everything.
The dresser and desk were burnt to a crisp and I could see the bed started to beckon the flames towards it. Whimpers came from the other side of the bed and I walked towards it.
When I rounded the bed, my heart dropped and my breath left me. A small girl, around the age of 9, was curled in a ball on the floor. Her light blonde hair was singed black and I could see burns on her arm, rising to where her shoulder was exposed from her nightgown. She looked up at me with frightened blue eyes and I felt a tear race down my cheek.
Gently, I picked her up and cradled her in my arms. She pressed her face against my chest and I tightened my grip on her. I carefully found my way back outside and I could hear cheers from the onlookers.
“Angela! Oh, Angela!” a woman shouted from the crowd. She pushed her way through, saw her daughter in my arms, and started to weep. She found her way to me and threw her arms around my neck. I pulled the mouth piece of my face and smiled softly. The woman’s small body shuddered violently as she sobbed.
“It’s okay, mam . She is right here,” I soothed. The woman pulled back and looked up at me with admiration. “We just need to get her to the hospital. She has had severe burns to her arms.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” she said and lightly touched her daughter’s cheek, which was smudged with ashes.
“It was my pleasure.” Smiling at her, I led her to where an ambulance sat at the curb. I handed her to the medics, who strapped her on a gurney. Her mother turned to me again and I finally could see the resemblance between the two.
The mother’s light blonde hair hung right above her shoulders and her bright blue eyes shone with affection. She wasn’t very tall, but she was a cute petite. Her smile lit up her face and she had a dimple in the right cheek. All in all, she was pretty cute .
“Thanks again,” she said in a hoarse whisper. She laid her hand on my arm and left it there for a few seconds longer than a friendly touch. Her eyes held secrets that she wanted me to uncover. I pulled my arm away and nodded .
“It was my pleasure, mam ,” I repeated and walked away. The ambulance sped off into the night and I was left with a burnt building that needed some serious cleaning. The outside was charred and I’m pretty sure the inside was irreplaceable .
“So what did the mother have to say?” Andrew elbowed me knowingly. I grimaced at him and his expression changed to bewilderment.
“She’s not my type,” I replied bitterly and turned away from him. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder and I sighed.
“Sorry man. I know you have been waiting for a