Backfire

by J. R. Tate

  “What about the northwest?” There was no way Michael could control his emotions now. “How the hell did it move so fast? I thought we had a little more time.”

  “Winds picked up. Gusts up to about sixty miles per hour with sustained winds of over forty. Northwest appears to be blocked too. Our only option is to move southwest, and that’s the way the fire is moving. I don’t think we can outrun this thing on foot.”

  Michael looked down at Trevor, glad that he seemed oblivious to the immediate danger they were in. Kids were smart, and he was certain that he wasn’t completely out of the loop with what was going on. “Radio contact is out and our last known location was house one, half a mile away.” Michael looked out of the window. The fire was still northeast, but closing in faster than anything he had ever seen with his own eyes.

  “With as close as it is, McGinnis, it’s pretty certain that house one is completely obliterated now. Maybe Lieutenant Harlan can see that and he’s sent men around the fire to come get us.”

  Michael leaned against the windowpane and closed his eyes as he searched for ideas or anything that they could plan out. “You wanna go off of maybe’s? Not too thrilled with those chances.” Turning to Trevor, he patted him on the shoulder. “Can you stay here with Lawton real quick? I need to go outside for a second and check something.”

  Trevor nodded and continued to grip his action figure so tight that his knuckles were turning white. Michael went out the front door and walked down the wrap around porch on all sides, observing every direction. Fire was on the north, east, and west sides, leaving the south side open. Pausing, he squinted in the distance, his stomach dropping at what he saw. Standing up on a chair, he prayed that what he saw was just a mirage. For once, maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.

  “Son of a…” he trailed off and walked through the yard, feeling as if he had swallowed a brick. A fire appeared to be stemming off from the main one a few miles ahead, and as luck would have it, to the south of their location, closing off any escape plan they might have devised to get to safety. He walked back in the house and Trevor and Lawton were in the living room. “There’s a fire spreading to the south of us too. I couldn’t tell if it was completely blocked off, but right now it looks like it’s our only option to get through if we hurry.”

  “So the fire is basically circling around us?”

  Michael picked Trevor up, wishing he had something more protective for the child to wear. “Yeah, like a huge ring. From what I saw, it’s not completely closed in yet, but it will be soon.” He had always been taught to stay in one spot if they were lost or gone missing in action, but with the fire nipping right at them, if they stayed in the same location for too long, there was no possible chance of survival.

  “How far away is it?” Lawton asked as he adjusted his fire helmet. Michael could tell he was trying to remain calm, but was failing miserably at it. It was disheartening to him because out of the two, he was the one with the most experience in this type of fire. Michael didn’t want to be the one making all of the decisions in a situation he had never been in.

  “Several miles. It’s gonna be quite the hike on foot. Lot’s of ravines, hills, and tough terrain.”

  Lawton hesitated and backed up. “And it’s the only direction we can go?”

  “You saw it for yourself! If you got any other suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them,” Michael replied as his frustrations ignited. He couldn’t help but wonder why Lawton was so indecisive about all of this. Maybe he was having second thoughts too about not leaving the area they were last known to be in. “We gotta think about the kid. By the time the guys come to get us, it’ll be too late. Hell, I don’t even think they can get through anyway.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m just pissed that we totally underestimated this.”

  They walked out to the yard. Michael was still holding Trevor, scared to even let him go in fear that he’d run off and get hurt. They stood in shock for a few seconds as they analyzed if the decision to move south was the safest and most efficient thing they could do. The view ahead of them was muddled with thick smoke that only allowed for about a three quarter mile visibility.

  “I think you’re right, McGinnis. We are certain that the north, east, and west are completely engulfed. The south is uncertain, but really our only option to go off of if we want any chance. It’s almost as if the fire is taking on a horse shoe shape around us.”

  “I guess we better get moving,” Michael said as he ruffled Trevor’s hair in hopes to keep his spirits up. He was a grown man and was terrified so he could only wonder what was going on in the child’s mind. “Let’s do this.” A sense of dread washed over Michael. Was he leading them in to a blaze so horrible that it could be compared to their own personal hell on earth? He second-guessed his decision more with each step they took away from the house.

  Looking back one last time at the high wall of fire closing in on them, he said a silent prayer and hoped to God that what they were doing was right.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lieutenant Harlan tried the radios again. Communication with everyone had been out for over an hour and he had no idea where McGinnis and Lawton were. The winds and weather had changed drastically on them, setting up very hazardous conditions. He needed to call everyone off and get away from their location. They were right in the line of the burn, but with two of his men missing he was stuck in a predicament.

  “Sir, the fire is moving right at us. We’re building these firebreaks but honestly, I don’t think it’s going to make a difference. It’s jumping highways and rivers with no problem.”

  Harlan looked at his men. “I know we need to get out of here, but we need to see if we can get through and find McGinnis and Lawton. I’ve lost contact with them so I don’t even know if they are at the first house.”

  “I don’t think we can get through. We’ve been spread toward that area and the first house is gone. The fire has completely taken over the whole area, sir. The only way we can check is to go completely around it, but the fire is making a ring. Another fire is stemming off of this main one and I don’t think we can even get trucks through to get in and fight it.”

  Ducking his head, he wiped the sweat from his brow. “I wish I knew what the hell was wrong with radio communication. How about cell phones? Any signal?” He wanted to call in to another fire department on the other side of the fire and see if there was any way to get through.

  “No sir, nothing. It’s all knocked out. Probably from this thick smoke.”

  “McGinnis, Lawton, do you copy? Lieutenant Harlan with Manor FD calling to Firefighter McGinnis and Lawton.” He released the button on the side of the radio, not even sure why he tried again, only to be disappointed by no response again. “Shit.” He grabbed his binoculars and peered through, but accomplished nothing in doing so. “Jackson, take Benton and you two drive around and come back and tell me what you can see. Stay on the highways and do not get trapped.” He was not happy about splitting more of his team up, but he couldn’t swallow the idea of leaving two of his men behind because they couldn’t get to them. What if there was a way and they missed it? No matter what he chose, it wasn’t appealing in the least bit.

  It seemed like ages when Jackson and Benton got back, their body language telling Harlan everything he needed to know. They looked like men who had been defeated.

  “What’d you see?”

  “We couldn’t see much of anything. The fire is looping around and small fires are branching off. We couldn’t even see the second house you told them to go to with all of the heavy smoke and flames. There might be an access into it, but from the angles we looked, it’s not looking good.”

  Harlan slammed his hands against the door of the truck. “If I could just get some damn radio communication out here I could see if another company is on that side to see what it looks like. I don’t want to leave here just in case if they come back.”

  “I know I’m not in any position to make any calls, but
I don’t think we’re gonna be able to get inside too easily, sir. And with where we are, within the next thirty minutes this place is going to burning,” Jackson said.

  Harlan knew he had to act fast. It was his whole crew’s lives at stake. “Okay, this is what we’re gonna do. Round everyone up. Make sure we’re all here, minus McGinnis and Lawton of course. We’re gonna take the entire crew around and to the south to see what it looks like. If we can bust through, I’ll send some guys in.” He rubbed his scalp with his fingers, over thinking everything. “There’s no way they will be able to show up back here. If they’re alive, hopefully they are moving southwest.”

  ***

  They had only walked what Michael had estimated a half of mile, yet he felt as if he were running in a marathon. His body was drenched in sweat underneath his gear and the air was so thick that it was like each breath he took in was only harming him and not helping him. Trevor rested his head on his shoulder and a time or two he began to doze off. Michael would say something to try to keep the boy awake. He had to multitask and keep a good view ahead and also watch where he was walking. There were random holes and tree branches everywhere.

  Lawton stopped, yelling up to Michael that he needed a quick water break. “Sorry man. I know we haven’t gone far.”

  “It’s okay.” He put Trevor down on the ground, feeling instant relief. He was small, but Michael was amazed out how good it felt to get the weight off of his shoulder. Were his injuries from Viper flaring up? That was probably why he was unable to walk as far or as fast without getting winded. “I’m gonna put you down for a second, okay?” He pulled out his canteen, offering it to Trevor first. “Just take a few sips. We have to make it last as long as we can.”

  “I’m thirsty.”

  “I know. Take a couple more sips. We’re trying hard to get you safe.”

  As they rested, Michael observed their surroundings. From what little he could see of the horizon, the sun was beginning to set. The visibility would drop to zero.

  Turning to Lawton, he wondered if he would have any ideas on what they could do during the night. “We made some headway against the fire to the north of us. Still has us trapped in, but we got a pretty good jump on it.”

  Lawton shook his head as he tucked his canteen back into his coat. “Look, McGinnis, I know I froze back at the house. Truth is, I’m just a volunteer. This isn’t what I do everyday. You know what my real job is?” Michael didn’t respond and allowed for Lawton to continue, caught off guard at the man’s sudden change in mood. “I work at a farm equipment store.” He threw his hands up as if he were ashamed to be admitting it out loud. “This fire thing is just something I felt I had to do to help out Manor. So I’m sorry if my instincts didn’t really know what to do. I’m glad you stepped up.”

  Michael took his fire helmet off and wiped his face clean with a handkerchief. He allowed for Lawton’s words to hover over them before he spoke, searching for the right thing to say. “It doesn’t matter. Volunteer or paid, we’re all in this together. We’ll get out of this.”

  “It’s getting dark. What do you think we should do?”

  Michael sat down on a tree stump next to Trevor. “I’m not even sure how much time we have. I know at night the winds die down and slow the fire growth down. Either we can take advantage of that and get even farther away, or we rest in knowing that we don’t have to rush as fast.”

  “Yeah, who’s to say we rush and just run into fire the farther south we go? It’s just too hard to tell.”

  Michael looked down at Trevor, and again the child was falling asleep up next to him. He was exhausted as well. “Maybe we oughta rest for a little bit, even if it’s just a few hours. We’ll be useless without any sleep. We can get moving again. Since we don’t have to move as fast, we can be more careful in the dark.”

  “What if we don’t wake up in time?” Lawton asked, his expression terrified.

  “Believe me, I won’t let that happen.” He gathered up some dry grass and laid Trevor down in it. It was still pretty warm out, but Michael draped his fire coat over him for some added comfort. The boy didn’t even wake and only mumbled something inaudible, as he got comfortable on the ground.

  “How so, McGinnis? You’re going on as little sleep as I am.”

  “I doubt I’ll even fall asleep, Lawton. Just lie down and don’t worry about it. I’ll keep an eye on my watch.”

  Michael leaned up against a nearby tree, keeping Trevor in view. It was after eight PM and almost completely dark. From what he remembered, the sun didn’t completely go down around here until after nine, but since they were in the middle of the fire, the sun was an unknown thing to them. He feared that the weather would somehow change on them again, turning the fire even closer to them. He’d be glad for a huge rainstorm to just come through, dousing out everything.

  Resting his head on the trunk, he pulled his cell phone out. He had continuously checked it earlier for signal with no luck. Again, the display read ‘no service’. Shoving it back into his pocket, he fidgeted with a piece of bark, his eyelids heavy. There was no way he would be able to relax enough to get any sleep. It was like those times it was better just to stay awake, rather than get a few hours and make it all worse.

  The inside of his mouth was pasty and he fought the urge to drink from the canteen. It still had quite a bit of water in it, but he wasn’t sure what kind of time frame they were looking at in being stranded. His thoughts went in different directions, from what Trevor’s story was, how Casey was doing, and what Eva was up to this evening. He could just hear her say, “I told you so” when she found out about him being put in harm’s way. He smiled at the visual.

  His body settled in to the hard ground. Jolting, he looked down at his watch, realizing that thirty minutes had passed. In an attempt to get comfortable, he adjusted his weight, feeling a small pain against his hip where it had been pressed into the ground. The wind did calm down as anticipated. He sat up fully to avoid dozing off again, taking a chance at inspecting the fire again.

  The smoke seemed to be purple against the night sky, and the orange of the flames was lighting up the distance as if the sun was coming up again. It was a beautiful glow and for a split second, Michael found himself admiring it. It was as if he was guilty for considering something that was portrayed as evil to be full of beauty. It was nature’s way of clearing stuff out, it was just unfortunate that the circumstances were playing out the way they were.

  “You were right. You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” Lawton sat up and brushed the grass from his jacket. “You’re gonna regret that later.”

  “I dozed for about thirty minutes or so. You two have been out for a few hours. It’s almost midnight now.”

  “The little guy is out like a light. Poor guy.”

  “Yeah, I figure we can let him sleep a little bit longer,” Michael replied. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he sat beside Trevor and adjusted his coat over him. He would have guessed it was still in the eighties out, but with a cover, people always seemed to sleep better.

  “You got any family, McGinnis?”

  The question caught Michael off guard. He scratched the side of his cheek, not answering quickly. “I got a mom and a brother, and a girlfriend. She’s a paramedic back up in New York.”

  Lawton clicked his tongue as if he already knew the information, but was getting clarification. “Your brother older or younger?”

  “Younger.” He didn’t want to go into any details about him, so he kept his answers short and to the point.

  “And you and the girl? Been together awhile?”

  Michael was shocked at the questions, but figured it was decent conversation to try to pass the time. “Yeah, it’s been a good amount of time. What about you? You got any family or a girlfriend or anything?”

  “I got a mother who lives near Dallas. She wouldn’t remember me if I walked in and hugged her though. Has severe dementia. I try to go visit her some. My sister lives in the same town and is
pretty much in charge of all of that. And no on the girlfriend. I was married once, and as you probably have inferred, it didn’t end well.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Michael said, feeling the awkward tension. “Sometimes family isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be, anyway.” He got up before Lawton could respond, wishing he wouldn’t have allowed those words to fall out of his face. “I gotta take a leak. I’ll be right back.”

  ***

  Lieutenant Harlan’s patience and hope were wearing thin. They had driven around the fire and came in from the south side. There was still no real safe way to get through to find McGinnis and Lawton. At least by that time, they had gained radio communication, but were still not able to get into contact with the two lost men. All contact was with people outside of the ring. It had been suggested by other fire departments to pull out and be relieved. The Manor Fire Department had been out since early that morning, and the exhaustion was starting to really settle in with his men.

  They all met up on the side of the highway and gathered around. Harlan could see in their facial expressions and body language that morale was shot. “It has been suggested that we pull out and allow another fire department to relieve us. I have been told that the manhunt will continue as long as other crews are kept safe.”

  The reactions of the men told Harlan that none of them wanted to leave the two men behind. “It’s a tough decision, but we do need to take help where we can. If we don’t get rest, we’ll just hinder the search anyway.”

  “Lawton and McGinnis aren’t getting a break, why should we?” One of the men in the back shouted.

  “I hate to say this, but we don’t even know if they are even alive anymore. I hate to do this, but we’re just gonna have to trust other crews to help us out. We’ll be back out here bright and early to continue, but for now I’m calling us off. That is not a declaration of giving up. I want to find them, okay?”