Free Delta-Victor by Clare Revell

him. “You...must…rest...now,” she insisted.
    He was reluctant, but finally gave in. The smoke was thick but not choking. Jim rested uneasily. Staci was out there. Alone. Once again he was failing her. After five minutes he too got up and rejoined the others. For several hours they worked, resting for a few minutes once an hour.
    The wind changed, blowing the flames east. East towards new fuel and the village. For a while no one realized, so busy were they fighting what they could see. Then above the flames came a single drum beat, loud and fast.
    Jim looked questioningly at Ailsa as the natives stopped dead.
    “The village,” Ailsa said. “The village is burning.”
    As one they headed back towards the village, all other priorities rescinded.
    ~*~
    In the village the women frantically passed buckets of water in a chain to douse the roofs of the huts.
    Lou did what she could, but it wasn’t much and she sank to the ground exhausted.
    Flames began to devour hut after hut, tree after tree crashing down.
    The drums that someone had sounded had worked and the men came rushing back.
    A small child ran across and into one of the larger huts to escape the flames.
    Lou tried to alert the villagers to the danger, but she couldn’t make herself understood.
    Jim and Ailsa ran into the village and waved.
    “Jim!”
    “Are you OK? You’re not hurt?”
    “I’m fine. There’s a child in that hut,” Lou pointed. “It’s in the fire path. I can’t move or make myself understood.”
    Jim nodded and dashed across the compound. As he entered the hut, flames erupted from the roof.
    “Jim!” Lou screamed.
    A huge tree crashed down, landing on the blazing hut.
    Ailsa ran across to it. “Jim. Jim.”
    One of the men held her back.
    She rapidly explained in their language that Jim and a small child were in there.
    The two men started a rescue attempt.
    Lou managed to limp across to Ailsa. What had she done? She’d sent him to his death. Staci would never forgive her. But that didn’t matter because she’d never forgive herself.
    Lightning flashed across the sky. Thunder echoed in response and the heavens opened. Torrential rain poured down, soaking everyone within minutes.
    With the fire risk significantly diminished, all the men turned to the rescue effort. The tree was huge and had almost completely flattened the hut. Bigger than all the other huts, Lou surmised this one had belonged to the chieftain.
    He and his wife stood by the girls, frantic with worry, Ailsa’s translation indicating that the child was their only son.
    It was over an hour before the rain stopped. The once dry clearing was now more like a mud bath, but still the rescue work went on. It was another hour after that before they had removed enough of the tree to venture into the hut. Another half-hour passed before two bodies were carried out and placed in another hut which had escaped the blaze.
    Ailsa and the chieftain’s wife ran over to it.
    The chieftain helped Lou across.
    “It’s OK. They’re alive,” Ailsa said.
    Lou’s legs gave way as relief flooded her. She started to sink to the ground when strong arms folded around her.
    The chieftain picked her up, carried her into the hut and set her on one of the beds.
    Jim lay on one of the other beds. He was black with smoke and had a nasty cut on his cheek. He opened his eyes and tried to sit. ”The little boy?”
    Ailsa pushed him back down. “Alive and safe. You’ve got a nasty cut on your face.”
    “Will it scar?”
    “Probably.”
    Lou looked at him She hid her worry and anger beneath her humor. “We all know scars are handsome, Jim and girls love them, but why did you do it?”
    “That’s rich coming from you. If you could have gotten there, you would have. You said as much.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I couldn’t leave him there. I had to do it. Then when the roof caved in, I just threw myself on top of him. I understand now why you did your hero stunt in the