Prologue Paolo

Smoke rose into the sky in dark clouds, fading among the darkness of night.

I had seen more fires in my forty-six years than I could count, but weight still settled on my shoulders as I watched a destructive blaze swallow a small but charming house whole. The heat from the fire washed over me in a suffocating wave, even being felt through my firefighter gear.

“When will it end?” I muttered beneath my breath, the sound of defeat lingering in my words.

For the past few months, my crew and I had been fighting fire after fire, barely able to catch our breaths before we were called again. I didn’t know what in the world was going on in this town, but it wasn’t anything good. Something weird was going on.

“Concentrate on the second story left window!” Cohen, my station officer, shouted as he and Jae controlled the hose, spraying water into the broken second floor window where flames were crawling through.

The white vinyl siding of the house was already stained black from the smoke pouring out of the windows and front door, smearing every good memory with a stroke of destruction.

My crew fanned out, working the house, telling neighbors to stand back, and searching for the house owners. Murmurs of concern sounded behind us as worried onlookers watched the flames lick their way upward and outward, sparks crackling in the night sky.

A moment later, Garrett, my search and rescue specialist, stumbled out of the house, ushering along a scared young mom and her baby. Coughs broke from them as they hurried toward the street where the fire truck was parked and where Angus, our EMT, was waiting to treat the injured.

The young woman glanced around, soot streaks staining her straight blonde hair as she cradled her baby against her chest.

“Connor? Where’s Connor? He was right behind me!” she shouted, panic making her voice shaky.

“Is that your son?” Garrett asked her as he looked back toward the house.

“Yes, my son! He’s only eight. Please, please find him!” The woman fretted with tears in her eyes.

I turned to Gabe, the hazmat technician and Garrett’s older brother, who was geared up and ready to go.

“Go!” I told him before walking over to the woman. “He’ll get your son. Let Angus check you and your baby over, okay?”

The woman couldn’t take her eyes off the house, but she let Garrett lead her over to Angus, who had an oxygen mask ready if needed.

Gabe stormed into the house, disappearing in the midst of the dark smoke.

My heart thudded heavily as I trained my eyes on the door, waiting for the twenty-five-year-old man to pop back out of the house with a young boy in his arms. Cohen and Kit were doing a good job controlling the fire and preventing it from spreading too much more, but the structure was starting to weaken from the flames eating away at it.

The house could collapse from the inside. I had seen it countless times. There was only so long charred structures could hold up an entire home without crumbling into ash.

“Come on, Gabe,” I murmured, sweat beading on my forehead under my helmet as each minute passed by.

“Where’s my son?” the woman cried from behind me. “Connor!”

“Damn it,” I breathed out as I turned to Garrett, who stared at the weakening house with worried eyes. His brother hadn’t reappeared yet.

Garrett started to step forward to charge back into the house, but he paused when we saw a dark silhouette appear in the smoke.

Gabe thundered out of the house with a small, blonde-haired boy in his arms. He cradled the child against his body, shielding him from smoke and fire. The moment they hit fresh air, Gabe leaned his head back for a second, taking a deep breath.

Garrett hurried over to him, helping him carry the boy over to his mother, who threw her arms around her son, while Angus held her other baby.

“Oh, I thought I lost you!” the woman cried into her son’s hair.

A relieved breath left me as the flames started to die down, and everyone was safely out of the house. A decent crowd occupied the street behind me, watching with horror in their eyes. It could’ve been any of their houses.

I glanced to the left and paused when I saw a woman in her twenties standing on the outskirts of the crowd. Maybe my eyes were hazy from the smoke or it was just dark, but she looked incredibly pale.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” I called out as I started walking toward her.

She didn’t take her eyes off the fire, her lips slightly parted with shock. She started to take a step back, but she swayed a little, her hand reaching out to steady herself. It was like she was moving in slow motion, though, not having the reflexes to catch herself.

“Ma’am!” I shouted just before her eyes rolled back.

She fell backward, crashing down on the street and laying completely still.

Breathless, I broke out into a run toward her, the fire drifting to the back of my mind. It wouldn’t stay like that, though. There was bound to be more destruction around the corner.

I just didn’t realize how much worse things were about to get.