Free Daring Devotion by Elaine Overton

help.
    Cal turned his head trying to pinpoint the person; he knew they couldn’t last much longer. The flames were closing in on their location. With material to feed on, the fire moved with a swiftness that always amazed him.
    He tried to stand, and fell back against the wall. His legs felt like melting rubber beneath his body. Suddenly, it felt as if his oxygen had been cut off. He found it almost impossible to breath. He took big, gulping, mouthfuls of air and still felt as if he were suffocating.
    â€œCal! What are you doing?”
    Cal felt another firefighter push past him, and he went to grab them. Apparently, they did not see the hole in the staircase. “No wait!” he called out beneath his mask, but it was too late. The person had disappeared into the flames.
    Seconds later, they reappeared with the victim tossed over a shoulder, and Cal got his first clear look at the face beneath the mask. It was Dwight.
    â€œCome on! Let’s get out of here!” Dwight pushed back past Cal once again, hurrying toward the direction of the exit. It only took a moment to realize Cal was not following.
    Cal stood looking down at the perfectly secure staircase; the one that he’d thought had burned away. They were all there, not a single stair touched by flames. That’s how Dwight had reached the victim; he’d simply climbed the stairs. Stairs that, until a moment ago, Cal could not see.
    â€œCal! Let’s go!” Dwight called again.
    Cal looked up at his friend in dumbfounded silence, as the flames continued to lap at them on all sides.
    Someone grabbed his arm, and dragged him forward. Almost to the exit, he realized there was a whole group of them. Where had they all come from? Where had those mysterious stairs come from? Or had they been there all along?
    As they exited the family home, Cal felt himself being pushed aside as the medical techs took over the scene. He stumbled over to the truck, and leaned his heavy weight against it. His head was still spinning, but not as much as inside the house.
    He could finally take in the scene with some accuracy. Now he saw the family lying on the grass, all alive and choking on smoke. A man, a teenage girl, and now the victim Dwight was adding, a woman.
    Cal felt his insides twist into tight knots as he watched the victim he’d been unable to reach, the woman at the top of the stairs he could not see, struggle to breathe. The sharp shooting pain in his chest caused him to double over.
    â€œYou all right, Cal?”
    Cal looked up into the smug face of Jeff. Things were still somewhat disoriented. What was the man saying?
    Jeff leaned forward closed to Cal’s ear. “Next time, I might not be there to save your ass.”
    Cal heard the tone of superiority that underlined the statement. So, it had been Jeff who’d pulled him through the blaze. He glanced past Jeff, and saw most of his team standing off to the side in heavy discussions amongst themselves. Every once in a while someone would glance in his direction, and he knew his behavior inside the building was the main topic.
    What was he supposed to tell them? That he’d not rescued the woman because he could not see the stairs leading up to her? They’d never believe it, since they all saw the same thing. Cal leaning against a wall in helplessness, while Dwight was forced to rescue the victim.
    Jeff was still bragging about his quick thinking and how fast everything had happened. Cal had tuned him out. He was more concerned with what his friends were saying. He knew what they were thinking. Hell, he’d had the same thoughts himself. Had he lost his edge?
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    Almost two hours later, back at the firehouse, Cal was sitting in front of the television flipping through the channels when he decided he’d had enough. All afternoon he’d been forced to listen as Jeff went on and on about pulling him through the fire. Cal had stopped being grateful two hours ago. Now, he